Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 26 May 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• 50% of UK CEOs see Cyber as a Bigger Business Risk than the Economy

Half of UK CEOs consider cyber security as a bigger risk to their organisation than economic uncertainty, a new study by Palo Alto Networks has found. The findings came from a survey of 2500 CEOs from the UK, Germany, France, Brazil and the UAE at large organisations (500+ employees).

Despite the recognition of the business threats posed by cyber attacks, UK CEOs have a lower level of understanding of cyber security risks than their international counterparts, with just 16% saying they have a complete understanding. This compares to 21% in Brazil, 21% in the UAE, 22% in France and 39% in Germany. Additionally, many UK CEOs feel detached from responsibility for cyber security at their organisations, instead leaving it to the responsibility of IT, although IT is only part of the solution.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-ceo-cyber-risk-economy/

• Report Finds 78% of Organisations Felt Prepared for Ransomware Attacks, Yet Half Still Fell Victim

Fortinet has unveiled its 2023 Global Ransomware Report based on a recent global survey and explores cyber security leaders’ perspectives on ransomware, particularly how it impacted their organisations in the last year and their strategies to mitigate an attack. The report found that the global threat of ransomware remains at peak levels, with half of organisations across all sizes, regions and industries falling victim in the last year.

The top challenges to stopping a ransomware attack were people and process related, with many organisations lacking clarity on how to secure against the threat. Specifically, four out of the five top challenges to stopping ransomware were people or process related. The second largest challenge was a lack of clarity on how to secure against the threat as a result of a lack of user awareness and training and no clear chain-of-command strategy to deal with attacks.

Despite the global macroeconomic environment, security budgets will have to increase in the next year with a focus on AI/ML technologies to speed detection, centralised monitoring tools to speed response and better preparation of people and processes.

https://www.itweb.co.za/content/mYZRX79g8gRqOgA8

• SMBs and Regional MSPs are Increasingly Targeted by State-Sponsored APT Groups

Advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks were once mainly a concern for large corporations in industries that presented cyber espionage interest. That's no longer the case and over the past year in particular, the number of such state-sponsored attacks against small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) has increased significantly.

Cyber security firm Proofpoint analysed its telemetry data more than 200,000 SMB customers over the past year and saw a rise in phishing campaigns originating from APT groups, particularly those serving Russian, Iranian, and North Korean interests.

SMBs are also targeted by APT groups indirectly, through the managed services providers (MSPs) that maintain their infrastructure. Proofpoint has seen an increase in attacks against regional MSPs because their cyber security defences could be weaker than larger MSPs yet they still serve hundreds of SMBs in local geographies.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3697648/smbs-and-regional-msps-are-increasingly-targeted-by-state-sponsored-apt-groups.html#tk.rss_news

• IT Employee Piggybacked on Cyber Attack for Personal Gain

A 28-year-old former IT employee of an Oxford-based company has been convicted of blackmailing his employer and unauthorised access to a computer with intent to commit other offences.

The convicted employee was the one who began to investigate the incident and, along with colleagues and the police, tried to mitigate it and its fallout. But he also realized that he could take advantage of the breach to line his own pockets.

“He accessed a board member’s private emails over 300 times as well as altering the original blackmail email and changing the payment address provided by the original attacker. This was in the hope that if payment was made, it would be made to him rather than the original attacker,” the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) revealed. He went as far as creating an almost identical email address to that of the original attacker, using it to pressure his employer into making the payment.

While some insider threats may stem from negligence or ignorance, this case highlights a more sinister scenario involving a malicious, opportunistic individual. Malicious insiders exploit their authorized access and privileges to engage in harmful, unethical, or illegal activities.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/05/24/it-employee-blackmailing-company/

• Ransomware Threats Are Growing, and Targeting Microsoft Devices More and More

Ransomware attacks have never been this popular, a new report from cyber security researchers Securin, Ivanti, and Cyware has stated. New ransomware groups are emerging constantly, and new vulnerabilities being exploited are being discovered almost daily, but out of all the different hardware and software, Microsoft’s products are being targeted the most.

Attackers are now targeting more than 7,000 products built by 121 vendors, all used by businesses in their day-to-day operations. Most products belong to Microsoft, which has 135 vulnerabilities associated with ransomware. In just March 2023, there had been more breaches reported, than in all three previous years combined. Even though most cyber security incidents never get reported, too. In the first quarter of the year, the researchers discovered 12 new vulnerabilities used in ransomware attacks, three-quarters of which (73%) were trending in the dark web.

https://www.techradar.com/news/ransomware-threats-are-growing-and-targeting-microsoft-devices-more-and-more

• Microsoft Reports Jump in Business Email Compromise (BEC) Activity

Thirty-five million business email compromise (BEC) attempts were detected in the last year, according to the latest Microsoft Cyber Signals report. Activity around BEC spiked between April 2022 and April 2023, with over 150,000 daily attempts, on average, detected by Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit.

Rather than targeting unpatched devices for vulnerabilities, BEC operators focus on leveraging the vast volume of daily email and other message traffic to trick victims into sharing financial information or unknowingly transferring funds to money mule accounts. Their goal is to exploit the constant flow of communication to carry out fraudulent money transfers.

Using secure email applications, securing identities to block lateral movement, adopting a secure payment platform and training employees are a few effective methods, according to the report.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3697152/microsoft-reports-jump-in-business-email-compromise-activity.html#tk.rss_news

• Forrester Predicts 2023’s Top Cyber security Threats: From Generative AI to Geopolitical Tensions

The nature of cyber attacks is changing fast. Generative AI, cloud complexity and geopolitical tensions are among the latest weapons and facilitators in attackers’ arsenals. Three-quarters (74%) of security decision-makers say their organisations’ sensitive data was “potentially compromised or breached in the past 12 months” alone. Forrester’s Top Cyber security Threats in 2023 report provides a stark warning about the top cyber security threats this year, along with prescriptive advice to CISOs and their teams on countering them. By weaponising generative AI and using ChatGPT, attackers are fine-tuning their ransomware and social engineering techniques.

Perimeter-based legacy systems not designed with an AI-based upgrade path are the most vulnerable. With a new wave of cyber attacks coming that seek to capitalise on any given business’ weakest links, including complex cloud configurations, the gap between reported and actual breaches will grow.

Forrester cites Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its relentless cyber attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as examples of geopolitical cyber attacks with immediate global implications. Forrester advises that nation-state actors continue to use cyber attacks on private companies for geopolitical purposes like espionage, negotiation leverage, resource control and intellectual property theft to gain technological superiority.

https://venturebeat.com/security/forrester-predicts-2023-top-cybersecurity-threats-generative-ai-geopolitical-tensions/

• Advanced Phishing Attacks Surge 356% in 2022

A new report published this week observed a 356% growth in the number of advanced phishing attacks attempted by threat actors in 2022, with the total number of attacks having increased by 87%. Among the reasons behind this growth is the fact that malicious actors continue to gain widespread access to new tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-powered tools. These have automated the process of generating sophisticated attacks, including those characterized by social engineering as well as evasion techniques.

The global threat landscape continues to evolve with a meteoric rise in the number of attacks, combined with increasingly sophisticated attack techniques designed to breach and damage organisations.

Additionally, the report highlighted that the changing threat landscape has resulted from the swift adoption of new cloud collaboration apps, cloud storage and productivity services for external collaboration.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/advanced-phishing-attacks-surge/

• Today’s Cyber Defence Challenges: Complexity and a False Sense of Security

Organisations can mistakenly believe that deploying more security solutions will result in greater protection against threats. However, the truth of the matter can be very different. Gartner estimates that global spending on IT security and risk management solutions will exceed $189.7 billion annually in 2023, yet the breaches keep on coming. Blindly purchasing more security tools can add to complexity in enterprise environments and creates a false sense of security that contributes to today’s cyber security challenges.

To add to the dilemma, the new work-from-anywhere model is putting a strain on IT and security teams. Employees shifting between corporate and off-corporate networks are creating visibility and control challenges, which are impacting those teams’ ability to diagnose and remediate end user issues and minimize cyber security risks. In addition, they have to deal with a broad mix of networks, hardware, business and security applications, operating system (OS) versions, and patches.

https://www.securityweek.com/todays-cyber-defense-challenges-complexity-and-a-false-sense-of-security/

• Almost All Ransomware Attacks Target Backups

Data stored in backups is the most common target for ransomware attackers. Almost all intrusions (93%) target backups and in 75% of cases succeed in taking out victims’ ability to recover. In addition, 85% of global organisations suffered at least one cyber attack in the past year according to the Veeam 2023 Ransomware trends report. Only 16% of organisations avoided paying ransom because they were able to recover from backups, down from 19% in last year’s survey.

According to the survey, criminals attempt to attack backup repositories in almost all (93%) cyber events in EMEA, with 75% losing at least some of their backups and more than one-third (39%) of backup repositories being completely lost.

Other key findings included that 21% said ransomware is now specifically excluded from insurance policies; and of those with cyber insurance, 74% saw increased premiums since their last policy renewal.

With most ransomware actors moving to double and triple extortion the days of a backup being all you need to keep you safe are far behind and firms should do more to prevent being the victim of ransomware in the first place.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366538492/Almost-all-ransomware-attacks-target-backups-says-Veeam

• NCSC Warns Against Chinese Cyber Attacks on Critical Infrastructure

The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and several other international security agencies have issued a new advisory warning the public against Chinese cyber activity targeting critical national infrastructure networks. According to the document, the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s associated threat actors employed sophisticated tactics to evade detection while conducting malicious activities against targets in the US and Guam. These tactics are expected to be used on critical infrastructure targets outside the US, including the UK.

The document further added that the threat actors mainly focused on credential access theft via brute force and password spraying techniques. The NCSC advisory provides network defenders with technical indicators and examples of techniques used by the attacker to help identify any malicious activity.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ncsc-warns-chinese-cyber-attacks/

• Half of All Companies were Impacted by Spearphishing in 2022

Spearphishing is a sliver of all email exploits but the extent to which it succeeds is revealed in a new study from cyber security firm Barracuda Networks, which analysed 50 billion emails across 3.5 million mailboxes in 2022, unearthing around 30 million spearphishing emails and affecting 50% of all companies.

The report identified the top prevalent spearphishing emails were Scamming (47%) used to trick victims into disclosing sensitive information and the other being brand impersonation (42%) attacks mimicking a brand familiar with the victim to harvest credentials.

The report found that remote work is increasing risks. Users at companies with more than a 50% remote workforce report higher levels of suspicious emails — 12 per day on average, compared to 9 per day for those with less than a 50% remote workforce.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/barracuda-networks-spearphishing-study/

• Google's .zip, .mov Domains Give Social Engineers a Shiny New Tool

Two new top-level domain names (.zip and .mov) have caused concern among security researchers, who say they allow for the construction of malicious URLs that even tech-savvy users are likely to miss. While a top-level domain (TLD) that mimics a file extension is only one component in the lookalike attack, the overall combination is much more effective with the .zip or .mov extension.

There's no question that phishing links that involve these TLDs can be used to lure unsuspecting users into accidentally downloading malware. Unlike other kinds of phishing URLs that are intended to lure the user to enter credentials into a phony login page, the lures with the .zip or .mov domains are more suited to drive-by download types of attacks.

https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/google-zip-mov-domains-social-engineers-shiny-new-tool

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Security Pros: Before You Do Anything, Understand Your Threat Landscape - SecurityWeek

• The Rising Threat of Secrets Sprawl and the Need for Action (thehackernews.com)

• Mass resignations, layoffs seen as major threat to corporate cyber security - The Korea Times

• Improving Cyber security Requires Building Better Public-Private Cooperation (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Defence: Council conclusions stress the importance of further strengthening the EU resilience to face cyber threats - Consilium (europa.eu)

• 5 Cyber security Woes That Threaten Digital Growth (analyticsinsight.net)

• Cyber Warfare Lessons From the Russia-Ukraine Conflict (darkreading.com)

• What Security Professionals Need to Know About Aggregate Cyber Risk (darkreading.com)

• Where to Focus Your Company’s Limited Cyber security Budget (hbr.org)

• Realistic Cyber security Simulations Deliver Strongest ROI for Training Programs, Security Innovation Finds - MSSP Alert

• Former Uber CSO Joe Sullivan and lessons learned from the infamous 2016 Uber breach | CSO Online

• CISO Criminalization, Vague Cyber Disclosure Rules Create Angst for Security Teams (darkreading.com)

• Today’s Cyber Defence Challenges: Complexity and a False Sense of Security - SecurityWeek

• The biggest threats are always those we fail to predict - Big Think

• How continuous security monitoring is changing the compliance game - Help Net Security

• Forrester predicts 2023's top cyber security threats: From generative AI to geopolitical tensions | VentureBeat

• 50% of UK CEOs See Cyber as a Bigger Business Risk than the Economy - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Defining CISOs, CTOs, and CIOs' Roles in Cyber security (analyticsinsight.net)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• 3 Common Initial Attack Vectors Account for Most Ransomware Campaigns (darkreading.com)

• 12 vulnerabilities newly associated with ransomware - Help Net Security

• IT employee impersonates ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Backup Repositories Targeted in 93% of Ransomware Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware threats are growing, and targeting Microsoft devices more and more | TechRadar

• Microsoft: Notorious FIN7 hackers return in Clop ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FIN7 gang returned and was spotted delivering Clop ransomware - Security Affairs

• Fortinet survey finds 78% of organisations felt prepared for ransomware attacks, yet half still fell victim | ITWeb

• Bridgestone CISO: Lessons From Ransomware Attack Include Acting, Not Thinking (darkreading.com)

• Cyble — New Ransomware Wave Engulfs over 200 Corporate Victims

• Updated 'StopRansomware Guide' warns of shifting tactics | TechTarget

• The Week in Ransomware - May 19th 2023 - A Shifting Landscape (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US saw 45% fewer ransomware victims posted on the dark web | Security Magazine

• BlackCat ransomware takes control of protected computers via new kernel driver | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Judge Throws Out Ransomware Class-Action Suit Against Rackspace - MSSP Alert

• Ransomware tales: The MitM attack that really had a Man in the Middle – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Here's another great reason to make sure your enterprises is safeguarded from ransomware | TechRadar

• Inside Qilin Ransomware: Affiliates Take Home 85% of Ransom Payouts (thehackernews.com)

• Buhti Ransomware Gang Switches Tactics, Utilizes Leaked LockBit and Babuk Code (thehackernews.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Food Distributor Sysco Says Cyber Attack Exposed 126,000 Individuals - SecurityWeek

• Suzuki motorcycle plant shut down by cyber attack (bitdefender.com)

• February cyber incident will cost molten metal flow engineering firm Vesuvius £3.5 million - Security Affairs

• Iowa hospital discloses breach following Royal ransomware leak | TechTarget

• Arms maker Rheinmetall confirms BlackBasta ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mazars Group allegedly breached by BlackCat | Cybernews

• Dish Network says February ransomware attack impacted +300K - Security Affairs

• Philly Inquirer disputes Cuba ransomware gang's leak claims • The Register

• Dorchester school IT system held to ransom in cyber attack - BBC News

• BlackByte lists city of Augusta after cyber 'incident' • The Register

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Advanced Phishing Attacks Surge 356% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 50% of companies had spearphishing puncture wounds in 2022 (techrepublic.com)

• Microsoft 365 phishing attacks use encrypted RPMSG messages (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Phishers use encrypted file attachments to steal Microsoft 365 account credentials - Help Net Security

• Threat actors exploit new channels for advanced phishing attacks - Help Net Security

• Malicious links and misaddressed emails slip past security controls - Help Net Security

• CopperStealer Malware Crew Resurfaces with New Rootkit and Phishing Kit Modules (thehackernews.com)

• Crypto phishing service Inferno Drainer defrauds thousands of victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Phishing campaign targets ChatGPT users - Help Net Security

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Cyber Signals: Shifting tactics show surge in business email compromise | Microsoft Security Blog

• Microsoft reports jump in business email compromise activity | CSO Online

• Microsoft: BEC Attackers Evade 'Impossible Travel' Flags With Residential IP Addresses (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Google's .zip, .mov Domains Give Social Engineers a Shiny New Tool (darkreading.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Employees are banned from using ChatGPT at these companies | Fortune

• When the tech boys start asking for new regulations, you know something’s up | John Naughton | The Guardian

• BatLoader campaign impersonates ChatGPT and Midjourney to deliver Redline Stealer - Security Affairs

• 6 ChatGPT risks for legal and compliance leaders - Help Net Security

• 5 Ways Hackers Will Use ChatGPT For Cyber attacks (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Simple OSINT techniques to spot AI-fueled disinformation, fake reviews - Help Net Security

• How to avoid shadow AI in your SOC - Help Net Security

• Microsoft urges lawmakers to adopt new guidelines for responsible AI | CyberScoop

• AI Used to Create Malware, WithSecure Observes - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Phishing campaign targets ChatGPT users - Help Net Security

• The Security Hole at the Heart of ChatGPT and Bing | WIRED UK

2FA/MFA

• Cyber criminals masquerading as MFA vendors - Help Net Security

Malware

• New PowerExchange malware backdoors Microsoft Exchange servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Use Weaponised DOCX File to Deploy Stealthy Malware (gbhackers.com)

• Meet 'Jack' from Romania! Mastermind Behind Golden Chickens Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Developer Alert: NPM Packages for Node.js Hiding Dangerous TurkoRat Malware (thehackernews.com)

• CopperStealer Malware Crew Resurfaces with New Rootkit and Phishing Kit Modules (thehackernews.com)

• Threat actors leverage kernel drivers in new attacks | TechTarget

• BatLoader campaign impersonates ChatGPT and Midjourney to deliver Redline Stealer - Security Affairs

• Malicious links and misaddressed emails slip past security controls - Help Net Security

• Potentially millions of Android TVs and phones come with malware preinstalled | Ars Technica

• New AhRat Android malware hidden in app with 50,000 installs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Malware turns home routers into proxies for Chinese state-sponsored hackers | Ars Technica

• PyPI open-source code repository deals with manic malware maelstrom – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Legion Malware Upgraded to Target SSH Servers and AWS Credentials (thehackernews.com)

• AI Used to Create Malware, WithSecure Observes - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Mobile

• Warning: Samsung Devices Under Attack! New Security Flaw Exposed (thehackernews.com)

• Smartphones with Qualcomm chips found to be transmitting users' private data without consent - Dimsum Daily

• WhatsApp now lets you hide your messages from prying eyes. But is Chat Lock a cheaters’ charter? | Technology | The Guardian

• Android phones are vulnerable to fingerprint brute-force attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New AhRat Android malware hidden in app with 50,000 installs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Unveils Bug Bounty Program For Android Apps - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Predator: Looking under the hood of Intellexa’s Android spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Botnets

• How smart bots are infecting and exploiting the internet - Help Net Security

• The Dark Frost Enigma: An Unexpectedly Prevalent Botnet Author Profile | Akamai

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Dark Frost Botnet Launches Devastating DDoS Attacks on Gaming Industry (thehackernews.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Potentially millions of Android TVs and phones come with malware preinstalled | Ars Technica

• How Connected Car Cyber Risk will Evolve (trendmicro.com)

• Malware turns home routers into proxies for Chinese state-sponsored hackers | Ars Technica

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Capita under fire after ‘confidential’ files published online (thetimes.co.uk)

• Luxottica confirms 2021 data breach after info of 70M leaks online (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers steal the SSN of nearly 6 million people (pandasecurity.com)

• Food Distributor Sysco Says Cyber attack Exposed 126,000 Individuals - SecurityWeek

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Inside the Mind of a Cyber Attacker | Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) Every Security Practitioner Should Know

• IT employee piggybacked on cyber attack for personal gain - Help Net Security

• Child hackers: How are kids becoming sophisticated cyber criminals? | Euronews

• UK Fraudster Behind iSpoof Scam Receives 13-Year Jail Term for Cyber Crimes (thehackernews.com)

• The Strange Story of the Teens Behind the Mirai Botnet - IEEE Spectrum

• FBI: Human Trafficking Rings Force Job Seekers Into Cryptojacking Schemes (darkreading.com)

• 'Operation Magalenha' Attacks Gives Window Into Brazil's Cyber crime Ecosystem (darkreading.com)

• Cyber criminals masquerading as MFA vendors - Help Net Security

• The Dark Frost Enigma: An Unexpectedly Prevalent Botnet Author Profile | Akamai

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Crypto phishing service Inferno Drainer defrauds thousands of victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Forex boss Anthony Constantinou guilty of £70m ‘Ponzi’ fraud (thetimes.co.uk)

• FBI: Human Trafficking Rings Force Job Seekers Into Cryptojacking Schemes (darkreading.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• How to prevent against the 5 main types of insider threats - IT Security Guru

• IT employee impersonates ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• SMBs Targeted by State-Aligned Actors for Financial Theft and Supply Chain Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you're being scammed (theconversation.com)

• Uncle Sam tries to wrangle 'money mules' • The Register

• Scammers Using ChatGPT "Fleeceware" Apps to Cash In on AI Hype, Sophos Report - MSSP Alert

• Online scams target bargain-hunting holiday travelers - Help Net Security

• Ads for lucrative jobs in Asia may be tech slavery scams • The Register

• Crypto phishing service Inferno Drainer defrauds thousands of victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 79-year-old woman tricks German scammers into getting arrested (iamexpat.de)

• Forex boss Anthony Constantinou guilty of £70m ‘Ponzi’ fraud (thetimes.co.uk)

• IT employee impersonates ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Banking, tech and telecoms groups combine to gather intelligence on scammers | Financial Times (ft.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Capita under fire after ‘confidential’ files published online (thetimes.co.uk)

• SMBs Targeted by State-Aligned Actors for Financial Theft and Supply Chain Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK councils caught in Capita unsecured AWS bucket data leak • The Register

• New Cyber Security Training Packages Launched to Manage Supply Chain Risk - NCSC

Software Supply Chain

• GUAC 0.1 Beta: Google's Breakthrough Framework for Secure Software Supply Chains (thehackernews.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Phishers use encrypted file attachments to steal Microsoft 365 account credentials - Help Net Security

• UK councils caught in Capita unsecured AWS bucket data leak • The Register

• CISO-level tips for securing corporate data in the cloud - Help Net Security

• Google Cloud Bug Allows Server Takeover From CloudSQL Service (darkreading.com)

Attack Surface Management

• The Need to Isolate Branch Offices in High-Risk Countries (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• 7 access management challenges during M&A - Help Net Security

• Think security first when switching from traditional Active Directory to Azure AD | CSO Online

Encryption

• Quantum attack would trigger Great Depression, think tank warns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

API

• API bug in OAuth dev tool opened websites, apps to account hijacking | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Are Your APIs Leaking Sensitive Data? (thehackernews.com)

• What is API Security? | Definition from TechTarget

• The fragmented nature of API security ownership - Help Net Security

Open Source

• PyPI open-source code repository deals with manic malware maelstrom – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Inactive accounts pose significant account takeover security risks | CSO Online

• What’s a Double-Blind Password Strategy and When Should It Be Used (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Netflix's Password-Sharing Ban Offers Security Upsides (darkreading.com)

Biometrics

• Android phones are vulnerable to fingerprint brute-force attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Meta Hit With $1.3B Record-Breaking Fine for GDPR Violations (darkreading.com)

• Pentagon explosion hoax goes viral after verified Twitter accounts push (bleepingcomputer.com)

• A TikTok ban isn't a data security solution. It will be difficult to enforce – and could end up hurting users (theconversation.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Realistic Cyber security Simulations Deliver Strongest ROI for Training Programs, Security Innovation Finds - MSSP Alert

• A New Look for Risk in Awareness Training (darkreading.com)

• Realistic simulations are transforming cyber security training - Help Net Security

Travel

• Online scams target bargain-hunting holiday travelers - Help Net Security

• Four ways your devices can be hacked in hotels and how to stay safe | This is Money

• Tips to Protect Against Holiday and Airline Scams - IT Security Guru

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Multiple Vulnerabilities Found in the Kiddoware Kids Place Parental Control Android App - IT Security Guru

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Meta Hit With $1.3B Record-Breaking Fine for GDPR Violations (darkreading.com)

• Two-Thirds of IT Leaders Say GDPR Has Reduced Consumer Trust - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft urges lawmakers to adopt new guidelines for responsible AI | CyberScoop

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• NIST Launches Cyber security Initiative for Small Businesses (securityintelligence.com)

• New security model launched to eliminate 95% of cyber breaches - IT Security Guru

Backup and Recovery

• Almost all ransomware attacks target backups, says Veeam | Computer Weekly

• 'Operation Magalenha' Attacks Gives Window Into Brazil's Cyber crime Ecosystem (darkreading.com)

• China hits back after Microsoft says state-sponsored group hacked critical US infrastructure | Financial Times

• Here's another great reason to make sure your enterprises is safeguarded from ransomware | TechRadar

Data Protection

• Meta Hit With $1.3B Record-Breaking Fine for GDPR Violations (darkreading.com)

• Two-Thirds of IT Leaders Say GDPR Has Reduced Consumer Trust - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• How to become a bug bounty hunter: Getting started | TechTarget

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• UK Fraudster Behind iSpoof Scam Receives 13-Year Jail Term for Cyber Crimes (thehackernews.com)

• 79-year-old woman tricks German scammers into getting arrested (iamexpat.de)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Smartphones with Qualcomm chips found to be transmitting users' private data without consent - Dimsum Daily

• WhatsApp now lets you hide your messages from prying eyes. But is Chat Lock a cheaters’ charter? | Technology | The Guardian

• UK police to 'embed' facial recog but oversight is at risk • The Register

• Abuse of government spying powers: What's to worry about? • The Register

• Reflections on Ten Years Past The Snowden Revelations (ietf.org)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Simple OSINT techniques to spot AI-fueled disinformation, fake reviews - Help Net Security

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Opinion: Cyber war and (no) peace (insuranceinsider.com)

• Cyber Warfare Lessons From the Russia-Ukraine Conflict (darkreading.com)

• Russia's War in Ukraine Shows Cyber attacks Can Be War Crimes (darkreading.com)

• The Underground History of Turla, Russia's Most Ingenious Hacker Group | WIRED

• Bad Magic's Extended Reign in Cyber Espionage Goes Back Over a Decade (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean Kimsuky Hackers Strike Again with Advanced Reconnaissance Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber Attacks Strike Ukraine's State Bodies in Espionage Operation (thehackernews.com)

• A deeper insight into the CloudWizard APT's activity revealed a long-running activity - Security Affairs

• What’s Russia Planning? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Mysterious malware designed to cripple industrial systems linked to Russia | CyberScoop

• New Russian-linked CosmicEnergy malware targets industrial systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What’s Russia Planning? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• United Nations official and others in Armenia hacked by NSO Group spyware | Hacking | The Guardian

• Predator: Looking under the hood of Intellexa’s Android spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Nation State Actors

• APT attacks: Exploring Advanced Persistent Threats and their evasive techniques (malwarebytes.com)

• SMBs and regional MSPs are increasingly targeted by state-sponsored APT groups | CSO Online

• NCSC Warns Against Chinese Cyber Attacks on Critical Infrastructure - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Underground History of Turla, Russia's Most Ingenious Hacker Group | WIRED

• A TikTok ban isn't a data security solution. It will be difficult to enforce – and could end up hurting users (theconversation.com)

• Malware turns home routers into proxies for Chinese state-sponsored hackers | Ars Technica

• GoldenJackal: Threat Risk For Organisations In Middle East & South Asia (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• North Korean Kimsuky Hackers Strike Again with Advanced Reconnaissance Malware (thehackernews.com)

• N. Korean Lazarus Group Targets Microsoft IIS Servers to Deploy Espionage Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Fata Morgana Watering Hole Attack Targets Shipping, Logistics Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• A deeper insight into the CloudWizard APT's activity revealed a long-running activity - Security Affairs

• Five Eyes and Microsoft accuse China US infrastructure raids • The Register

• Iranian hackers use new Moneybird ransomware to attack Israeli orgs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mysterious malware designed to cripple industrial systems linked to Russia | CyberScoop

• GCHQ warns of fresh threat from Chinese state-sponsored hackers | Hacking | The Guardian

• New Russian-linked CosmicEnergy malware targets industrial systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• China hits back after Microsoft says state-sponsored group hacked critical US infrastructure | Financial Times

• Five Eyes agencies detail how Chinese hackers breached US infrastructure - Help Net Security

• Lazarus Group Striking Vulnerable Windows IIS Web Servers (darkreading.com)

• 'Volt Typhoon' Breaks Fresh Ground for China-Backed Cyber Campaigns (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• 12 vulnerabilities newly associated with ransomware - Help Net Security

• Fresh perspectives needed to manage growing vulnerabilities - Help Net Security

• Judge Throws Out Ransomware Class-Action Suit Against Rackspace - MSSP Alert

• How to check for new exploits in real time? VulnCheck has an answer | CSO Online

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Vulnerabilities

• 12 vulnerabilities newly associated with ransomware - Help Net Security

• Vulnerability in WordPress Google Analytics Plugin Hits +3 Million Websites (searchenginejournal.com)

• Hackers target 1.5M WordPress sites with cookie consent plugin exploit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Barracuda Alerts Of Breaches In Email Gateways From Zero-Day Flaws (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Threat Actors Compromise Barracuda Email Security Appliances (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Windows issue causes file copying, saving failures (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GitLab 'strongly recommends' patching max severity flaw ASAP (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 83C0000B: The error code that means a software update bricked your HP printer (bitdefender.com)

• CISA adds iPhone bugs to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog - Security Affairs

• Vulnerability in Zyxel firewalls may soon be widely exploited (CVE-2023-28771) - Help Net Security

• Zyxel warns of critical vulnerabilities in firewall and VPN devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Warning: Samsung Devices Under Attack! New Security Flaw Exposed (thehackernews.com)

• Multiple Vulnerabilities Found in the Kiddoware Kids Place Parental Control Android App - IT Security Guru

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Tools and Controls

• Security Pros: Before You Do Anything, Understand Your Threat Landscape - SecurityWeek

• Malicious links and misaddressed emails slip past security controls - Help Net Security

• Making The Most Of A Penetration Test: The Organisational Perspective (forbes.com)

• Against the Clock: Cyber Incident Response Plan (trendmicro.com)

• CMOs & CISOs: Uniting for Stronger Brands (cmswire.com)

• Investigating Risks Through Threat Hunting Capability Guide (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Realistic Cyber security Simulations Deliver Strongest ROI for Training Programs, Security Innovation Finds - MSSP Alert

• A New Look for Risk in Awareness Training (darkreading.com)

• Almost all ransomware attacks target backups, says Veeam | Computer Weekly

• How continuous security monitoring is changing the compliance game - Help Net Security

• Blacklist untrustworthy apps that peek behind your firewall - Help Net Security

• How generative AI is reshaping the identity verification landscape - Help Net Security

• What is API Security? | Definition from TechTarget

• Are Your APIs Leaking Sensitive Data? (thehackernews.com)

• The fragmented nature of API security ownership - Help Net Security

• Enterprises Must Prepare Now for Shorter TLS Certificate Lifespans (darkreading.com)

• Cutting Through the Noise: What is Zero Trust Security? - SecurityWeek

• CISO-level tips for securing corporate data in the cloud - Help Net Security

• 6 ways generative AI chatbots and LLMs can enhance cyber security | CSO Online

• 'Operation Magalenha' Attacks Gives Window Into Brazil's Cyber crime Ecosystem (darkreading.com)

• China hits back after Microsoft says state-sponsored group hacked critical US infrastructure | Financial Times

• Here's another great reason to make sure your enterprises is safeguarded from ransomware | TechRadar

• Attributes of a mature cyber-threat intelligence program | CSO Online

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 25 November 2022

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Hackers Hit One Third of Organisations Worldwide Multiple Times

Hackers have stolen customer records multiple times from nearly a third of organisations worldwide in the past 12 months, security provider Trend Micro said in its newly released, twice-yearly Cyber Risk Index (CRI) report.

The report features interviews with some 4,100 organisations across North America, Europe, Latin/South America and Asia-Pacific. Respondents stressed that customer records are at increased risk as organisations struggle to profile and defend an expanding attack surface.

Overall, respondents rated the following as the top cyber threats in 1H 2022:

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)

• Clickjacking

• Fileless attacks

• Ransomware

• Login attacks (Credential Theft)

Here are some key findings from the study:

• The CRI calculates the gap between organisational preparedness and the likelihood of being attacked, with -10 representing the highest level of risk. The global CRI index moved from –0.04 in 2H 2021 to –0.15 in 1H 2022, indicating a surging level of risk over the past six months.

• This is a slight increase in risk from the second half of 2021, when it was -0.04. Organisations in North America and Asia-Pacific saw an increase in their cyber risk from that period while Europe and Latin/South America’s risk decreased in comparison.

• The number of global organisations experiencing a “successful” cyber-attack increased from 84% to 90% over the same period.

• The number now expected to be compromised over the coming year has also increased from 76% to 85%.

From the business perspective, the biggest concern is the misalignment between CISOs and business executives, Trend Micro said. The answers given by respondents to the question: “My organisation’s IT security objectives are aligned with business objectives,” only made a score of 4.79 out of 10.0

By addressing the shortage of cyber security professionals and improving security processes and technology, organisations will significantly reduce their vulnerability to attacks.

You can’t protect what you can’t see. But with hybrid working ushering in a new era of complex, distributed IT environments, many organisations are finding it difficult to eradicate growing security coverage and visibility gaps. To avoid the attack surface spiraling out of control, they need to combine asset discovery and monitoring with threat detection and response on a single platform.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/hackers-hit-one-third-of-organizations-worldwide-multiple-times/

• Firms Spend $1,197 Per Employee Yearly to Address Cyber Attacks

Companies pay an average of $1,197 per employee yearly to address successful cyber incidents against email services, cloud collaboration apps or services and browsers.

Security researchers at Perception Point shared the findings with Infosecurity before publishing them in a new white paper this month.

According to the new data, the above figures exclude compliance fines, ransomware mitigation costs and losses from non-operational processes, all of which can cause further spending.

The survey, conducted in conjunction with Osterman Research in June, considers the responses of 250 security and IT decision-makers at various enterprises and reveals additional discoveries regarding today’s enterprise threat landscape.

These findings demonstrate the urgent need for organisations to find the most accurate and efficient cyber security solutions which provide the necessary protection with streamlined processes and managed services.

Among the findings is that malicious incidents against new cloud-based apps and services occur at 60% of the frequency with which they take place on email-based services.

Additionally, some attacks, like those involving malware installed on an endpoint, happen on cloud collaboration apps at a much higher rate (87%) when compared to email-based services.

The Perception Point report also shows that a successful email-based cyber incident takes security staff an average of 86 hours to address.

In light of these figures, the security company added that one security professional with no additional support can only handle 23 email incidents annually, representing a direct cost of $6452 per incident alone.

Conversely, incidents detected on cloud collaboration apps or services take, on average, 71 hours to resolve. In these cases, one professional can handle just 28 incidents yearly at an average cost of $5305 per incident.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/firms-dollar1197-per-employee/

• 90% of Organisations have Microsoft 365 Security Gaps

A recently published study evaluated 1.6 million Microsoft 365 users across three continents, finding that 90% of organisations had gaps in essential security protections. Managing Microsoft 365 (M365) is complicated. How can IT teams avoid management headaches, stay 100% compliant, and truly take control of their M365 instance?

Research from the study reveals that many common security procedures are not being followed 100% of the time. This leaves gaping holes in most organisations’ security defences. While most companies have strong documented security policies, the research uncovered that most aren’t being implemented consistently due to difficulties in reporting and limited IT resources:

• 90% of companies had gaps across all four key areas studied – multi-factor authentication (MFA), email security, password policies, and failed logins

• 87% of companies have MFA disabled for some or all their admins (which are the most critical accounts to protect, due to their higher access levels)

• Only 17% of companies had strong password requirements that were being consistently followed.

Overall, nearly every organisation is leaving the door open for cyber security threats due to weak credentials, particularly for administrator accounts.

In addition to security challenges, the study identified key areas for improvement in managing Microsoft 365 licences as well, such as:

• The average company had 21.6% of their licenses unassigned or “sitting on the shelf.” Another 10.2% of licenses were inactive, for an average of 31.9% unused licenses.

• 17% of companies had over 10,000 licenses unassigned or inactive. These cases represent big opportunities to optimise licence spend with better tools.

Overall, the study reveals that reporting challenges make security and licence management incredibly difficult, leading to unnecessary risks and costs.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/11/22/microsoft-365-security-protections/

• Luna Moth Phishing Extortion Campaign Targets Businesses in Multiple Sectors

A callback phishing extortion campaign by Luna Moth (aka Silent Ransom Group) has targeted businesses in multiple sectors, including legal and retail.

The findings come from Palo Alto Network’s security team Unit 42, which described the campaign in a new advisory.

“This campaign leverages extortion without encryption, has cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars and is expanding in scope,” reads the technical write-up. At the same time, Unit 42 said that this type of social engineering attack leaves very few artifacts because it relies on legitimate technology tools to carry out attacks. In fact, callback phishing, also known as telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD), is a social engineering method that requires a threat actor to interact with the victim to accomplish their goals.

“This attack style is more resource intensive but less complex than script-based attacks, and it tends to have a much higher success rate,” reads the advisory. According to Unit 42, threat actors associated with the Conti group have extensively used this attack style in BazarCall campaigns. “Early iterations of this attack focused on tricking the victim into downloading the BazarLoader malware using documents with malicious macros,” explained the researchers.

As for the new campaign, which Sygnia security researchers first unveiled in July, it removes the malware portion of the attack. “In this campaign, attackers use legitimate and trusted systems management tools to interact directly with a victim’s computer to manually exfiltrate data [...] As these tools are not malicious, they’re not likely to be flagged by traditional antivirus products,” Unit 42 wrote.

The researchers also said that they expect callback phishing attacks to increase in popularity because of low per-target cost, low risk of detection and fast monetisation factors.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/luna-moth-phishing-target-multiple/

• The Real Cost of Cyber Attacks: What Organisations Should Be Prepared For

With each passing year, hackers and cyber criminals of all kinds are becoming more sophisticated, malicious, and greedy conducting brazen and often destructive cyber-attacks that can severely disrupt a company’s business operations. And this is a big problem, because, first and foremost, customers rely on a company’s ability to deliver services or products in a timely manner. Cyber-attacks not only can affect customers’ data, but they can impact service delivery.

In one of the recent incidents, the UK’s discount retailer The Works has been forced to temporarily shut down some of its stores after a ransomware attack. While the tech team quickly shut down the company’s computers after being alerted to the security breach by the firewall system, the attack caused disruption to deliveries and store functionality including till operations.

A cyber security incident can greatly affect a business due to the consequences associated with cyber-attacks like potential lawsuits, hefty fines and damage payments, insurance rate hikes, criminal investigations and bad publicity. For example, shares of Okta, a major provider of authentication services, fell 9% after the company revealed it was a victim of a major supply chain incident via an attack on a third-party contractor’s laptop, which affected some of its customers.

Another glaring example is a 2021 cyber-attack launched by the Russian-speaking ransomware gang called DarkSide against the operator of one of the US’ largest fuel pipelines Colonial Pipeline, which crippled fuel delivery across the Southeastern United States impacting lives of millions due to supply shortages. Colonial paid the DarkSide hackers a $4.4 million ransom soon after the incident. The attackers also stole nearly 100GB of data from Colonial Pipeline and threatened to leak it if the ransom wasn’t paid. It’s also worth noting that the company is now facing a nearly $1 million penalty for failure “to plan and prepare for a manual restart and shutdown operation, which contributed to the national impacts after the cyber-attack.”

Data breaches and costs associated with them have been on the rise for the past few years, but, according to a 2021 report, the average cost per breach increased from $3.86 million in 2020 to $4.24 million in 2021. The report also identified four categories contributing most global data breach costs – Lost business cost (38%), Detection and escalation (29%), Post breach response (27%), and Notification (6%).

Ransomware attacks cost an average of $4.62 million (the cost of a ransom is not included), and destructive wiper-style attacks cost an average of $4.69 million, the report said.

For a business, a data breach is not just a loss of data, it can also have a long-lasting impact on operations and undermine customers’ trust in the company. In fact, a survey revealed that 87% of consumers are willing to take their business elsewhere if they don’t trust a company is handling their data responsibly. Therefore, the reputational damage might be detrimental to a business’ ability to attract new customers.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/the-real-cost-of-cyber-attacks-what-organizations-should-be-prepared-for-2/

• 34 Russian Cyber Crime Groups Stole Over 50 Million Passwords with Stealer Malware

As many as 34 Russian-speaking gangs, distributing information-stealing malware under the stealer-as-a-service model, stole no fewer than 50 million passwords in the first seven months of 2022.

"The underground market value of stolen logs and compromised card details is estimated around $5.8 million" Singapore-headquartered Group-IB said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

Aside from looting passwords, the stealers also harvested 2.11 billion cookie files, 113,204 crypto wallets, and 103,150 payment cards.

A majority of the victims were located in the US, followed by Brazil, India, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, France, Turkey, Vietnam, and Italy. In total, over 890,000 devices in 111 countries were infected during the time frame.

Group-IB said the members of several scam groups who are propagating the information stealers previously participated in the Classiscam operation. These groups, which are active on Telegram and have around 200 members on average, are hierarchical, consisting of administrators and workers (or traffers), the latter of whom are responsible for driving unsuspecting users to info-stealers like RedLine and Raccoon. This is achieved by setting up bait websites that impersonate well-known companies and luring victims into downloading malicious files. Links to such websites are, in turn, embedded into YouTube video reviews for popular games and lotteries on social media, or shared directly with non-fungible token (NFT) artists.

https://thehackernews.com/2022/11/34-russian-hacker-groups-stole-over-50.html

• “Password” Continues to Be the Most Common Password in 2022

You would think the time spent working from home in the last two years or so helped netizens across the planet figure out how to master the world of WWW in a more efficient manner.

But new research from NordPass shows that despite so many people relying on an Internet connection for their daily activities, few actually care about the security of their data when they go online.

As a result, “password” continues to be the number one password out there, with the aforementioned company claiming that this particular keyword was detected close to 5 million times in a 3TB database. It takes less than one second to crack this password, the company says.

“123456” is currently the second most-used password worldwide, followed by its longer sibling known as “123456789” because, you know, hackers don’t know how to count to 10.

“There’s more than one way to get swindled on Tinder: using “tinder” as your password is more risky than swiping right on a billionaire. In total, this password was used 36,384 times” NordPass says. “The glitziest film industry event of the year – the Oscars ceremony – inspired many to use not-so-glitzy passwords: the password “Oscars” was used 62,983 times.”

Of course, it’s no surprise that Internet users out there turn to movies to get inspiration for their passwords, so unfortunately, “batman” is currently one of the most used keywords supposed to secure Internet accounts.

“Films and shows like Batman, Euphoria, and Encanto were among the most popular releases in 2021/2022. All are also popular passwords: “batman” was used 2,562,776 times, “euphoria” 53,993, and “encanto” 10,808 times,” the company says.

The most common password in the United States is “guest,” while in the United Kingdom, quite a lot of people go for “liverpool” (despite hackers needing just 1 second to crack it).

https://news.softpedia.com/news/password-continues-to-be-the-most-common-password-in-2022-as-well-536503.shtml

• Lasts Year’s Massive Twitter Data Breach Was Far Worse Than Reported, Reveal Security Researchers

A massive Twitter data breach last year, exposing more than five million phone numbers and email addresses, was worse than initially reported. The same security vulnerability appears to have been exploited by multiple bad actors, and the hacked data has been offered for sale on the dark web by several sources.

It had previously been thought that only one hacker gained access to the data, and Twitter’s belated admission reinforced this impression. HackerOne first reported the vulnerability back in January, which allowed anyone to enter a phone number or email address, and then find the associated twitterID. This is an internal identifier used by Twitter, but can be readily converted to a Twitter handle. A bad actor would be able to put together a single database which combined Twitter handles, email addresses, and phone numbers.

At the time, Twitter admitted that the vulnerability had existed, and subsequently been patched, but said nothing about anyone exploiting it. Restore Privacy subsequently reported that a hacker had indeed used the vulnerability to obtain personal data from millions of accounts.

https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/25/massive-twitter-data-breach/

• European Parliament Declares Russia to be a State Sponsor of Terrorism – Then Gets Attacked

On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the latest developments in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. MEPs highlight that the deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of international and humanitarian law amount to acts of terror and constitute war crimes. In light of this, they recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state that “uses means of terrorism”.

As the EU currently cannot officially designate states as sponsors of terrorism, the European Parliament calls on the EU and its member states to put in place the proper legal framework and consider adding Russia to such a list. This would trigger a number of significant restrictive measures against Moscow and have profound restrictive implications for EU relations with Russia.

In the meantime, MEPs call on the Council to include the Russian paramilitary organisation ‘the Wagner Group’, the 141st Special Motorized Regiment, also known as the “Kadyrovites”, and other Russian-funded armed groups, militias and proxies, on the EU’s terrorist list.

Almost immediately after the vote the European Parliament suffered a sustained denial of service attack that shut down email services and disrupted internet access for more than an hour. A pro-Russian group called KILLNET then claimed responsibility in a Telegram post.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221118IPR55707/european-parliament-declares-russia-to-be-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/comment-european-parliament-hit-by-cyberattack-after-vote-on-russia/

• The Changing Nature of Nation-State Cyber Warfare

Military conflict is ever shifting from beyond the battlefield and into cyber space. Ever more sophisticated and ruthless groups of nation-state actors and their proxies continue to target critical systems and infrastructure for political and ideological leverage. These criminals’ far-reaching objectives include intelligence gathering, financial gain, destabilising other nations, hindering communications, and the theft of intellectual property.

The risks to individuals and society are clear. Due to its importance to daily life and the economy, the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) is a natural target for malicious nation-state cyber-attacks. We only need look at the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in the US – at the hands of the Russia-affiliated DarkSide group – to appreciate the potential for one criminal act to escalate and cause large-scale societal impact: panic and disruption. Even though the pipeline was shut down for less than a week, the havoc caused by suspending fuel supplies gave CNI operators everywhere a worrying taste of things to come.

Closer to home, the recent cyber attack on South Staffordshire Water highlights the need for all utilities providers to take proactive measures and precautions to better secure essential human sustenance supplies. With the risk of coordinated attacks by criminals backed by nation states rising, the potential for human casualties if attacks against CNI go unchecked is becoming starkly clear.

The Russia-Ukraine war has heightened awareness of the cyber threats posed by all nation-state adversaries. Unsurprisingly, challenges and conflicts in the physical world tend to bleed through into the cyber domain. And with relations between Western nations and Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea more fraught than ever, UK organisations can expect to see further increases in cyber threats at the hands of hostile nation-state actors.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/the-changing-nature-of-nation-state-cyber-warfare/

• Is Your Company Covered for a Cyber Security Attack? That’s the £2 Million Question

Cyber crime continues to be a persistent and pressing issue for all sized businesses, particularly smaller organisations. In fact, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance, nearly 60% of small businesses that experience a cyber attack shut their doors within six months.

Despite the continuing rise in risk, many small businesses remain vulnerable to cyber attacks due to a lack of resources and – surprisingly – a lack of knowledge of the existing threats. Moreover, companies are now being exposed to cyber risks even further as they struggle to get appropriate cyber insurance, which, if needed, can be devastating should bad actors circumvent your company’s defences.

Cyber insurance is a policy that helps an organisation pay for any financial losses incurred following a data breach or cyber attack. It also helps cover any costs related to the remediation process, such as paying for the investigation, crisis communication, legal services, and customer refunds.

With the constant – and ever-increasing – threat of potential cyber attacks and the need to protect their assets, many companies are applying for cyber insurance, which generally covers a variety of different types of cyber-attacks, including data breaches; business email compromises; cyber extortion demands; malware infections and ransomware.

But, despite the benefits of cyber insurance, it remains surprisingly undervalued. The UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 found that only 43% of businesses have a cyber insurance policy in place.

Organisations must always seek cost-effective ways to address the cyber security risks they face – as no business is safe in the modern security landscape from a cyber threat. One of the most common ways to mitigate the risk of a cyber security incident is cyber insurance.  While all-sized businesses can benefit from having cyber insurance, small businesses frequently lack the knowledge and importance of securing it. This is usually because of the cost, the time involved in finding a provider, and a lack of understanding of the importance of a cyber insurance policy.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/is-your-company-covered-for-a-cybersecurity-attack-thats-the-2-million-question/

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Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• Yanluowang Ransomware's Russian Links Laid Bare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Medibank hackers release 1,500 more patient records on dark web, including mental health data | Medibank | The Guardian

• Fake subscription invoices lead to corporate data theft and extortion - Help Net Security

• Ouch! Ransomware gang says it won’t attack AirAsia again due to the “chaotic organisation” and sloppy security of hacked airline’s network • Graham Cluley

• Ransomware gang targets Belgian municipality, hits police instead (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New ransomware encrypts files, then steals your Discord account (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Donut extortion group also targets victims with ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Daixin Ransomware Gang Steals 5 Million AirAsia Passengers' and Employees' Data (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware attacks: Making cyber ransom payments unlawful would help boards (afr.com)

• An aggressive Black Basta Ransomware campaign targets US-based companies - Security Affairs

• Luna Moth ransomware group invests in call centres to target individual victims - SiliconANGLE

• New ransomware attacks in Ukraine linked to Russian Sandworm hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cybereason warns of fast-moving Black Basta campaign (techtarget.com)

• Spate Of Ransomware Targeting Healthcare Cost $92 Billion In Downtime Since 2018, Experts Weigh In - Information Security Buzz

• RansomExx Upgrades to Rust (securityintelligence.com)

• Enterprise healthcare providers warned of Lorenz ransomware threat | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Montreal-area city hit by ransomware: Report | IT World Canada News

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Google Blocks 231B Spam, Phishing Emails in Past 2 Weeks (darkreading.com)

• World Cup phishing emails spike in Middle Eastern countries • The Register

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Researcher warns that Cisco Secure Email Gateways can easily be circumvented - Security Affairs

• SocGholish finds success through novel email techniques | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Ten Charged in $11m Healthcare BEC Plots - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malware

• Cyber criminals are increasingly using info-stealing malware to target victims | CSO Online

• A security firm hacked malware operators, locking them out of their own C&C servers | TechSpot

• Emotet is back and delivers payloads like IcedID and Bumblebee - Security Affairs

• All You Need to Know About Emotet in 2022 (thehackernews.com)

• New attacks use Windows security bypass zero-day to drop malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Multi-Purpose Botnet and Infostealer 'Aurora' Rising to Fame | SecurityWeek.Com

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Aurora infostealer malware increasingly adopted by cybergangs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• This new malware is able to bypass all of Microsoft's security warnings | TechRadar

• Backdoored Chrome extension installed by 200,000 Roblox players (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• 'Patch Lag' Leaves Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable (darkreading.com)

• Millions of Android Devices Still Don't Have Patches for Mali GPU Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• Your iPhone may be collecting more personal data than you think | Digital Trends

• This Android File Manager App Infected Thousands of Devices with SharkBot Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Bahamut cybermercenary group targets Android users with fake VPN apps | WeLiveSecurity

• WhatsApp data leak: 500 million user records for sale | Cybernews

Internet of Things – IoT

• Vulnerable SDK components lead to supply chain risks in IoT and OT environments - Microsoft Security Blog

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Data from 5.4M Twitter users obtained from multiple threat actors and combined with data from other breaches - Security Affairs

• WhatsApp data leak: 500 million user records for sale - Security Affairs

• California County Says Personal Information Compromised in Data Breach | SecurityWeek.Com

• Personal data of AirAsia Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand passengers allegedly leaked due to ransomware - SoyaCincau

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russian cyber gangs stole over 50 million passwords this year (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How social media scammers buy time to steal your 2FA codes – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• DEV-0569 Group Switches Tactics, Abuses Google Ads to Deliver Payloads | Cyware Alerts - Hacker News

• Hackers are locking out Mars Stealer operators from their own servers | TechCrunch

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Bank Of England Says Crypto Needs Regulation Now - Information Security Buzz

• Two Estonians arrested for running $575M crypto Ponzi scheme (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber crooks to ditch BTC as regulation and tracking improves: Kaspersky (cointelegraph.com)

• Google Chrome extension used to steal cryptocurrency, passwords (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto exchanges’ bundling of services threatens stability, says Bank of England official | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Bahamas SEC Or Hacker? Stolen Funds From FTX Keep On Moving (bitcoinist.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• 'iSpoof' service dismantled, main operator and 145 users arrested (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Operation Elaborate - UK police text 70,000 suspected victims of iSpoof bank fraudsters | Tripwire

• UK Cops Lead Action Against Fraud Site that Made £100m - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Beware - Black Friday online shopping scams are here now | TechRadar

• Online retailers should prepare for a holiday season spike in bot-operated attacks | CSO Online

• Pig butchering domains seized and slaughtered by the Feds • The Register

• Experts Warn Remote Workers of Black Friday Security Threats - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Insurance

• What cyber insurance really covers - Help Net Security

Software Supply Chain

• CISA, NSA, ODNI Publish Software Supply Chain Guidelines For Customers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com) 

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Out of the blue: Surviving an 18-hour, 39M-request DDoS attack - Help Net Security

Cloud/SaaS

• The impact of inadequate SaaS management - Help Net Security

Hybrid/Remote Working

• How remote working impacts security incident reporting | CSO Online

Identity and Access Management

• Access Rights – Bridging the Gap Between Current and Desired States - Information Security Buzz

Encryption

• Mathematical theorem used to crack US government encryption algorithm (phys.org)

API

• 5 API Vulnerabilities That Get Exploited by Criminals - Security Affairs

• The API Timebomb - Information Security Buzz

• What are different types of APIs? - IT Security Guru

• Three security design principles for public REST APIs - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Russian cyber gangs stole over 50 million passwords this year (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Guess the most common password. Hint: We just told you • The Register

• World Cup Players Among Most Breached Passwords - IT Security Guru

• Google Chrome extension used to steal cryptocurrency, passwords (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Hackers steal $300,000 in DraftKings credential stuffing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Data from 5.4M Twitter users obtained from multiple threat actors and combined with data from other breaches - Security Affairs

• Ducktail hackers now use WhatsApp to phish for Facebook Ad accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber security Pros Put Mastodon Flaws Under the Microscope (darkreading.com)

• Musk to abused Twitter users: Your tormentors will return • The Register

• Facebook sued for collecting personal data to sell adverts | News | The Times

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Meta Takes Down Fake Facebook and Instagram Accounts Linked to Pro-US Influence Operation (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Beyond Trump, Twitter welcomes back purveyors of far-right disinformation - CyberScoop

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Musk to abused Twitter users: Your tormentors will return • The Register

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Bank Of England Says Crypto Needs Regulation Now - Information Security Buzz

• UK’s Privacy Tsar Defends Controversial Enforcement Strategy - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How US cyber incident reporting law could finally fix the information sharing problem - CyberScoop

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• UK Cops Lead Action Against Fraud Site that Made £100m - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Operation Elaborate - UK police text 70,000 suspected victims of iSpoof bank fraudsters | Tripwire

• Interpol Seized $130 Million from Cyber criminals in Global "HAECHI-III" Crackdown Operation (thehackernews.com)

• 'iSpoof' service dismantled, main operator and 145 users arrested (bleepingcomputer.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• iPhones are not as privacy-focused as Apple claims, researchers point out - India Today

• Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid | Ars Technica

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Beyond Trump, Twitter welcomes back purveyors of far-right disinformation - CyberScoop

• Meta Takes Down Fake Facebook and Instagram Accounts Linked to Pro-US Influence Operation (thehackernews.com)

Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Ukraine shows how space is now central to warfare | Financial Times (ft.com)

• New ransomware attacks in Ukraine linked to Russian Sandworm hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• EU Parliament Putin things back together after cyber attack • The Register

• Opinion | Democracies flirting with spyware like Pegasus raises dangers - The Washington Post

• Scotland's broadband builder linked to Israeli spyware | HeraldScotland

• Bahamut Spyware Group Compromises Android Devices Via Fake VPN Apps - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russia-based RansomBoggs Ransomware Targeted Several Ukrainian Organisations (thehackernews.com)

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Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Russian Tech Giant Wants Out of the Country As Ukraine War Rages on (insider.com)

• Yanluowang Ransomware's Russian Links Laid Bare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• US Bans Chinese Telecom Equipment and Surveillance Cameras Over National Security Risk (thehackernews.com)

• UK bans Chinese CCTV cameras on ‘sensitive’ government sites • The Register

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Vulnerability Management

• EPSS explained: How does it compare to CVSS? | CSO Online

Vulnerabilities

• 73 Percent of Retail Applications Contain Security Flaws, but Only a Quarter Are Fixed (yahoo.com)

• ConnectWise Fixes XSS Vulnerability that Could Lead to Remote Code Execution - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Researcher warns that Cisco Secure Email Gateways can easily be circumvented - Security Affairs

• Vulnerability in AWS AppSync allowed unauthorized access to cloud resources | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• AWS fixes 'confused deputy' vulnerability in AppSync • The Register

• How to hack an unpatched Exchange server with rogue PowerShell code – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Google pushes emergency Chrome update to fix 8th zero-day in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Upgrade to Apache Commons Text 1.10 to Avoid New Exploit (infoq.com)

• Security experts are laying Mastodon's flaws bare | TechRadar

• Devices from Dell, HP, and Lenovo used outdated OpenSSL versions - Security Affairs

• PoC Code Published for High-Severity macOS Sandbox Escape Vulnerability | SecurityWeek.Com

• 5 API Vulnerabilities That Get Exploited by Criminals - Security Affairs

• Vulnerable SDK components lead to supply chain risks in IoT and OT environments - Microsoft Security Blog

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Tools and Controls

• Does Zero Trust mean Defence in Depth is dead? - Information Security Buzz

• Charting the Path to Zero Trust: Where to Begin (darkreading.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Threat actors extend attack techniques to new enterprise apps and services - Help Net Security

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Other News

• Know thy enemy: thinking like a hacker can boost cyber security strategy | CSO Online

• 'Quiet quitting' poses a cyber security risk that calls for a shift in workplace culture  | VentureBeat

• Nighthawk Likely to Become Hackers' New Post-Exploitation Tool After Cobalt Strike (thehackernews.com)

• Security Culture Matters when IT is Decentralized (trendmicro.com)

• Legacy IT system modernization largely driven by security concerns - Help Net Security

• Been Doing It The Same Way For Years? Think Again. (thehackernews.com)

• Here's how to make sure your incident response strategy is ready for holiday hackers - Help Net Security

• Docker Hub repositories hide over 1,650 malicious containers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hacked digital billboard in Brisbane displays pornography for several minutes | Queensland | The Guardian

• The Case For A Security Program - Information Security Buzz

• How Tech Companies Can Slow Down Spike in Breaches (darkreading.com)

• Inventor of the Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee wants to save your data from Big Tech with Web3.0 | Euronews

• Deloitte reveals 10 strategic cyber security predictions for 2023  | VentureBeat

• The Biden administration has racked up a host of cyber security accomplishments | CSO Online

• US Navy Forced to Pay Software Company for Licensing Breach (gizmodo.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

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