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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 March 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 March 2023:
-Almost Half of IT Leaders Consider Security as an Afterthought
-Over $10bn Lost To Online Frauds, with Pig Butchering and Investment Scams Accounting for $3B, Overtaking BEC – FBI Report Says
-Over 721 Million Passwords Were Leaked in 2022
-How Much of a Cyber Security Risk are Suppliers?
-90% of £5m+ Businesses Hit by Cyber Attacks
-Rushed Cloud Migrations Result in Escalating Technical Debt
-17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up
-Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits
-BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge
-The Risk of Pasting Confidential Company Data in ChatGPT
-Ransomware Attacks have Entered a New Phase
-MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks
-Why Cyber Awareness Training is an Ongoing Process
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
Almost Half of IT Leaders Consider Security as an Afterthought
A recent industry report found that security is an afterthought for almost half of UK IT leaders, despite 92% of respondents agreeing that security risks had risen in the last five years. Additionally, 48% of respondents felt that the rapid development of new tools had caused challenges around security. The concept of security as an afterthought is worrying when considering that 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack within the past 12 months.
Over $10bn Lost to Online Frauds, with Pig Butchering and Investment Scams Accounting for $3B, Overtaking BEC – FBI Report Says
According to the latest FBI crime report pig butchering now accounts for $3 billion of the $10 billion total lost to online fraud. Pig butchering is a rising investment scam that uses the promise of romance and the lure of making easy cryptocurrency profit against its unsuspecting targets. The concept of pig butchering is to “fatten up” the victim, with small returns on cryptocurrency and personal interactions, often with an element of romance; eventually, the victim is lured into making a larger investment with the scammer. In addition to pig butchering, other investment scams are growing in provenance and are set to overtake Business Email Compromise (BEC) as a major earner for cyber criminals.
Over 721 Million Passwords were Leaked in 2022
A report published this week discovered 721.5 million exposed credentials online in 2022. Additionally, the report identified 72% of users reusing previously compromised passwords. The study also uncovered 8.6 billion personally identifiable information assets, including 67 million credit card numbers which were publicly available.
https://www.neowin.net/news/study-over-721-million-passwords-were-leaked-in-2022/
How Much of a Cyber Security Risk are Suppliers?
When your business is digitally connected to a service provider, you need to understand how a cyber security attack on their business can affect yours. You can have all the right measures in place to manage your own cyber risks, but this doesn’t matter if there are undiscovered vulnerabilities in your supply chain. Organisations need to audit the cyber security of suppliers at several stages of their relationship; you may benefit from specialist cyber security support if you can’t do this in-house. Ask hard questions and consider advising your suppliers that if their cyber security is not enough then you may take your business elsewhere. Many businesses now require suppliers to be certified to schemes such as ISO 27001; demonstrating your security posture to your customers is an important ticket to trade.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-much-of-a-cybersecurity-risk-are-my-suppliers-mqbwcf7p2
90% of £5m+ Businesses Hit by Cyber Attacks
A study from Forbes found that 57% of small and medium-sized enterprises had suffered an online attack. Businesses with an annual turnover in excess of £5 million were even more likely to experience a cyber crime with the figure rising to nearly 90% of firms of this size suffering a cyber attack. To make matters worse, the study found that a significant proportion of British businesses are without any form of protection against online attacks.
https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/13/nine-in-10-5m-businesses-hit-by-cyber-attacks/
Rushed Cloud Migrations Result in Escalating Technical Debt
A cloud service provider found 83% of CIO’s are feeling pressured to stretch their budgets even further than before. 72% of CIOs admitted that they are behind in their digital transformation because of technical debt and 38% believed the accumulation of this debt is largely because of rushed cloud migrations. Respondents believed these rushed migrations caused for miscalculations in the cloud budget, which resulted in significant overspend.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/16/managing-cloud-costs/
Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up
According to an intelligence report from Microsoft, Russia has been ramping up its cyber espionage operations and this now includes 17 European nations. Of all 74 countries targeted, the UK ranked third, after the US and Poland.
Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits
Microsoft have found that phishing kits are being purchased and used to perform millions of phishing emails every day. In their report, Microsoft found the availability of purchasing such phishing kits was part of the industrialisation of the cyber criminal economy and lowered the barrier of entry for cyber crime. Microsoft identified phishing kits which had the capability to bypass multi factor authentication selling for as little as $300. The emergence of AI is only going to compound this.
https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/microsoft-warns-of-large-scale-use-of.html
BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge
The number of Business Email Compromise (BEC) incidents doubled last year according to security provider Secureworks. In their report, they found that the main initial access vectors for BEC were phishing and systems with known vulnerabilities, with each accounting for a third of initial accesses.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/bec-volumes-double-on-phishing/
The Risk of Pasting Confidential Company Data in ChatGPT
Researchers analysed the use of artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT and found that 4.9% of employees have provided company data to the tool; ChatGPT builds its knowledge on this and in turn, this knowledge is shared publicly. The risk is serious, with employees putting their organisation at risk of leaking sensitive and confidential information. The research found that 0.9% of employees are responsible for 80% of leaks caused by pasting company data into ChatGPT and this number is expected to rise.
https://securityaffairs.com/143394/security/company-data-chatgpt-risks.html
Ransomware Attacks have Entered a Heinous New Phase
With an increasing amount of victims refusing to pay, cyber criminal gangs are now resorting to new techniques; this includes the recent release of stolen naked photos of cancer patients and sensitive student records. Where encryption and a demand for payment were previously the de facto method for cyber criminals, this has now shifted to pure exfiltration. In a report, the FBI highlighted evolving and increasingly aggressive extortion behaviour, with actors increasingly threatening to release stolen data.
https://www.wired.com/story/ransomware-tactics-cancer-photos-student-records/
MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks
British intelligence agency MI5 have announced the creation of the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), created as part of a major review of government defences. The NPSA is to operate out of MI5 and absorb and extend the responsibilities for the protection of national infrastructure. The NPSA will work with existing agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Counter Terrorism Security Office (CTSO) to provide defensive advice to UK organisations.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/mi5-new-agency-tackle-statebacked/
Why Cyber Awareness Training is an Ongoing Process
A survey conducted by Hornetsecurity found that 80% of respondents believed remote working introduced extra cyber security risks and 75% were aware that personal devices are used to access sensitive data, fuelling the need for employees to be cyber aware. Where IT security training is only undertaken once, for example in block training, it is likely that participants will have forgotten a lot of the content after as little as a week; this means that for organisations to get the most out of training, they need to conduct frequent awareness training. By conducting frequent training there is more chance of trainees retaining the training content and allowing the organisation to shape a culture of cyber security.
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
BianLian Ransomware Pivots From Encryption to Pure Data-Theft Extortion (darkreading.com)
Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru
FBI: Ransomware hit 860 critical infrastructure orgs in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Clop ransomware gang begins extorting GoAnywhere zero-day victims (bleepingcomputer.com)
Staples-owned Essendant facing multi-day "outage," orders frozen (bleepingcomputer.com)
CISA now warns critical infrastructure of ransomware-vulnerable devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Dissecting the malicious arsenal of the Makop ransomware gang- - Security Affairs
Blackbaud agrees to pay $3m to settle SEC ransomware probe • The Register
Ransomware Gang Claims It Hacked Amazon's Ring (gizmodo.com)
5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert
Dish customers kept in the dark as ransomware fallout continues | TechCrunch
Cancer patient sues hospital over stolen naked photos • The Register
ChipMixer platform seized for laundering ransomware payments, drug sales (bleepingcomputer.com)
Kaspersky Updates Decryption Tool for Conti Ransomware - MSSP Alert
Conti-based ransomware ‘MeowCorp’ gets free decryptor (bleepingcomputer.com)
Universities and colleges cope silently with ransomware attacks | CSO Online
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Software for sale is fueling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica
Cyber criminals Devising More Tactics For Phishing Attacks (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
6 reasons why your anti-phishing strategy isn’t working | CSO Online
Cyberthreat On New Email By Exotic Lily (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica
Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)
How two-step phishing attacks evade detection and what you can do about it - Help Net Security
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Pig Butchering & Investment Scams: The $3B Cyber crime Threat Overtaking BEC (darkreading.com)
Organizations need to re-examine their approach to BEC protection - Help Net Security
BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
2FA/MFA
Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)
Software for sale is fuelling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica
Malware
Microsoft OneNote to get enhanced security after recent malware abuse (bleepingcomputer.com)
New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)
Malware Targets People Looking to Pirate Oscar-Nominated Films (darkreading.com)
Law enforcement seized the website selling the NetWire RAT- - Security Affairs
BATLOADER Malware Uses Google Ads to Deliver Vidar Stealer and Ursnif Payloads (thehackernews.com)
Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)
Emotet attempts to sell access after infiltrating high-value networks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Emotet, QSnatch Malware Dominate Malicious DNS Traffic (darkreading.com)
Winter Vivern APT hackers use fake antivirus scans to install malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)
New malware sample of defunct TeamTNT threat group raises concerns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Adobe Acrobat Sign abused to push Redline info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mobile
Xenomorph Android malware now steals data from 400 banks (bleepingcomputer.com)
GoatRAT Android Banking Trojan Targets Mobile Automated Payment System (darkreading.com)
WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt
Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET
FakeCalls Android malware returns with new ways to hide on phones (bleepingcomputer.com)
Botnets
New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)
Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
Researchers Uncover Over a Dozen Security Flaws in Akuvox E11 Smart Intercom (thehackernews.com)
Tesla App Lets Man Accidentally Steal Model 3 That Wasn't His (gizmodo.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
Negative Impacts of Data Loss and How to Avoid Them - MSSP Alert
Mental health provider Cerebral alerts 3.1M people of data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
BMW exposes data of clients in Italy, experts warn- - Security Affairs
Acronis states that only one customer's account was compromised- - Security Affairs
Security giant Rubrik says hackers used Fortra zero-day to steal internal data | TechCrunch
LA Housing Authority Suffers Year-Long Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Hacker selling data allegedly stolen in US Marshals Service hack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek
Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru
CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
FBI Warns of Crypto-Stealing Play-to-Earn Games - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto
UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)
UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
CrowdStrike discovered the first-ever Dero crypto mining campaign- - Security Affairs
Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register
Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek
Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru
ChatGPT fraud is on the rise: Here's what to watch out for | ZDNET
Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)
The SVB demise is a fraudster's paradise, so take precautions - Help Net Security
Fighting financial fraud through fusion centers - Help Net Security
UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register
Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register
Impersonation Attacks
Deepfakes
AML/CFT/Sanctions
One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)
Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Top 10 operational risks: focus on third-party risk - Risk.net
How much of a cyber security risk are my suppliers? (thetimes.co.uk)
Software Supply Chain
We can't wait for SBOMs to be demanded by regulation - Help Net Security
Best practices for securing the software application supply chain - Help Net Security
Cloud/SaaS
Rushed cloud migrations result in escalating technical debt - Help Net Security
CrowdStrike report shows identities under siege, cloud data theft up | VentureBeat
How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)
Hybrid/Remote Working
Attack Surface Management
Identity and Access Management
Access Control Gap in Microsoft Active Directory Widens Enterprise Attack Surface (darkreading.com)
Navigating the future of digital identity - Help Net Security
Encryption
Google Proposes Reducing TLS Cert Life Span to 90 Days (darkreading.com)
WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Poor Passwords Still Weakest Link Hackers Seek, Report Reveals - MSSP Alert
Study: Over 721 million passwords were leaked in 2022 - Neowin
Social Media
UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian
Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Malvertising
Training, Education and Awareness
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt
The US cyber security strategy won’t address today’s threats with regulation alone | CyberScoop
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)
Getting cyber security right requires a change of mindset | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
6 principles for building engaged security governance | TechTarget
Models, Frameworks and Standards
How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)
Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)
Data Protection
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
International authorities bring NetWire's malware infrastructure to a standstill | TechSpot
One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
German states rethink reliance on Palantir technology | Financial Times (ft.com)
Consumers Believe Vendors Don't Adequately Protect Their Personal Data, Report Finds - MSSP Alert
Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)
Artificial Intelligence
Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)
ChatGPT and the Growing Threat of Bring Your Own AI to the SOC - SecurityWeek
How Businesses Can Get Ready for AI-Powered Security Threats (darkreading.com)
UK spy agency warns of security threat from ChatGPT and rival chatbots | Metro News
Why red team exercises for AI should be on a CISO's radar | CSO Online
GPT-4 Can’t Stop Helping Hackers Make Cyber criminal Tools (forbes.com)
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Microsoft: Russian hackers may be readying new wave of destructive attacks | CyberScoop
UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian
Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up - SecurityWeek
Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)
Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert
YoroTrooper cyber spies target CIS energy orgs, EU embassies (bleepingcomputer.com)
China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register
Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian
This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED
Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA
Polish intelligence dismantled a network of Russian spies- Security Affairs
Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs
Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ
Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)
Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register
Nation State Actors
UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian
North Korean hackers used polished LinkedIn profiles to target security researchers | CyberScoop
A new Chinese era: security and control | Financial Times (ft.com)
Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)
Attacks on SonicWall appliances linked to Chinese campaign: Mandiant | CSO Online
Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert
Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)
China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register
CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop
APT29 abuses EU information exchange systems in recent attacks- Security Affairs
Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)
Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian
This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED
Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA
Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs
Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ
Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)
Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register
Vulnerabilities
Critical Microsoft Outlook/365 bug CVE-2023-23397 under attack (thestack.technology)
Critical Microsoft Outlook bug PoC shows how easy it is to exploit (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft and Fortinet fix bugs under active exploit • The Register
CISA warns of actively exploited Plex bug after LastPass breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cisco fixed CVE-2023-20049 DoS flaw affecting enterprise routers- Security Affairs
Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto
SAP releases security updates fixing five critical vulnerabilities (bleepingcomputer.com)
Adobe Warns of ‘Very Limited Attacks’ Exploiting ColdFusion Zero-Day - SecurityWeek
Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft March 2023 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 83 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)
Firefox 111 patches 11 holes, but not 1 zero-day among them… – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Microsoft Pins Outlook Zero-Day Attacks on Russian Actor, Offers Detection Script - SecurityWeek
Cyber attackers Continue Assault Against Fortinet Devices (darkreading.com)
Security firm Rubrik is latest to be felled by GoAnywhere vulnerability | Ars Technica
Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET
Microsoft shares script to fix WinRE BitLocker bypass flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)
Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register
Tools and Controls
Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)
What Is a Stateful Inspection Firewall? Ultimate Guide (enterprisestorageforum.com)
Set up PowerShell script block logging for added security | TechTarget
Brazil seizing Flipper Zero shipments to prevent use in crime (bleepingcomputer.com)
Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)
5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert
5 Steps to Effective Cloud Detection and Response - The New Stack
Virtual patching: Cut time to patch from 250 days to (helpnetsecurity.com)
ChatGPT may be a bigger cyber security risk than an actual benefit (bleepingcomputer.com)
Change Is Coming to the Network Detection and Response (NDR) Market (darkreading.com)
Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru
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
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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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 10 February 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 10 February 2023:
-Companies Banned from Paying Hackers After Attacks on Royal Mail and Guardian
-Fraud Set to Be Upgraded as a Threat to National Security
-98% of Attacks are Not Reported by Employees to their Employers
-UK Second Most Targeted Nation Behind America for Ransomware
-Financial Institutions are Suffering from Increasingly Sophisticated Cyber Attacks
-An Email Attack Can End Up Costing You Over $1 Million
-Cyber Crime Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
-Surge of Swatting Attacks Targets Corporate Executive and Board Members
-Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Loom
-Pro-Russian Hacktivist Group is Only Getting Started, Experts Warn
-Crypto Investors Lost Nearly $4 Billion to Hackers in 2022
-PayPal and Twitter Abused in Turkey Relief Donation Scams
-Mysterious Leak of Booking.com Reservation Data is Being Used to Scam Customers
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
UK Companies Banned from Paying Ransomware Hackers After Attacks on Royal Mail and Guardian
British companies have been banned from paying ransomware hackers after a spate of attacks on businesses including Royal Mail and the Guardian newspaper.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday unveiled sanctions on seven Russian hackers linked to a gang called Conti, effectively banning any payments to the group.
Thursday’s sanctions are the first of their kind to be specifically targeted against Russian ransomware gang members.
The actions follow a spate of high-profile attacks on businesses and amid warnings from GCHQ that Russian and Iranian hackers are stepping up actions in Britain.
Fraud Set to Be Upgraded as a Threat to National Security
Fraud is to be reclassified as a threat to national security under UK government plans that will force police chiefs to devote more officers to solving the crime.
It will be elevated to the same status as terrorism, with chief constables mandated to increase resources and combine capabilities in a new effort to combat a fraud epidemic that now accounts for 30 per cent of all crime.
It will be added to the strategic policing requirement, which means that forces will be required by ministers to treat fraud as a major priority alongside not only terrorism, but also public disorder, civil emergencies, serious and organised crime, cyber attacks and child sexual abuse.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/04/fraud-set-upgraded-threat-national-security/
98% of Attacks are Not Reported by Employees to their Employers
Cyber attackers are increasingly using social engineering tactics to lure employees into opening malicious emails in an attempt to trick them into providing login credentials, updating bank account information and paying fraudulent invoices. Worryingly, research conducted by security provider Abnormal has found that 98% of attacks on organisations are not reported to the organisation’s security team. In addition to this, the report found that the volume of business email compromise attacks are spiking, growing by 175% over the past two years. The report also found that nearly two-thirds of large enterprises experiencing a supply chain compromise attack in the second half of 2022.
UK Second Most Targeted Nation Behind America for Ransomware
Security research team Kraken Labs released their report earlier this week, which found that of the 101 different countries that registered victims of ransomware, the UK had registered the second highest number of victims behind the US. Currently, there are over 60 ransomware groups, with the top 3 accounting for a third of all ransomware attacks.
Financial Institutions are Suffering from Increasingly Sophisticated Cyber Attacks
This week security provider Contrast Security released its Cyber Bank Heists report, an annual report that exposes cyber security threats facing the financial sector. The report warns financial institutions that security must be a top-of-mind issue amid rising geopolitical tensions, increased destructive attacks utilising wipers and a record-breaking year of zero-day exploits. The report involved a series of interviews with financial sector security leaders and found some notable results. Some of the results include 64% of leaders seeing an increase in application attacks, 72% of respondents planning to increase investment in application security in 2023, 60% of respondents falling victim to destructive attacks and 50% of organisations detecting campaigns which aimed to steal non-public market information.
An Email Attack Can End Up Costing You Over $1 Million
According to a report by security provider Barracuda Network, 75% of organisations had fallen victim to at least one successful email attack in the last 12 months, with those affected facing potential costs of over $1 million for their most expensive attack. The fallout from an email security attack can be significant, with the report finding 44% of those hit had faced significant downtime and business disruption. Additionally financial services greatly impacted by the loss of valuable data (59%) and payments made to attackers (51%). When it came to organisations preparation, 30% felt underprepared when dealing with account takeover and 28% felt unprepared for dealing with business email compromise.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/02/10/email-attack-damage-1-million/
Cyber Crime Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
Global risks from population pressures and climate change to political conflicts and industrial supply chain challenges characterised 2022. Cyber criminals used this turmoil to exploit these trending topics, including significant events, public affairs, social causes, and anywhere else opportunity appeared. According to security researchers at Zscaler TheatLabz, 2023 will see a rise in Crime-as-a-service (CaaS), supply chains will be bigger targets than ever, there will be a greater need for defence in depth as endpoint protection will not be enough and finally, there will be a decrease in the time between initial compromise and the final stage of an attack.
https://www.darkreading.com/zscaler/cybercrime-shows-no-signs-of-slowing-down
Surge of Swatting Attacks Targets Corporate Executive and Board Members
Swatting is the act of deceiving an emergency service with the purpose of the service then sending an emergency response, often armed, to a targeted persons address. Security provider Black Cloak has found that swatting incidents are now beginning to target C-suite executives and corporate board members, with the number of incidents increasing over the last few months. Malicious actors are using information from the dark web, company websites and property records to construct their swatting attacks.
Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Loom
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making it easier for threat actors to create sophisticated and malicious email campaigns. In their report, security provider Vade found that Q4 of 2022 saw a 36% volume increase in phishing campaigns compared to the previous quarter, with over 278.3 million unique phishing emails in that period. The researchers found in particular, new AI tools such as ChatGPT had made it easy for anyone, including those with limited skills, to conduct a sophisticated phishing campaign. Furthermore, the ability of ChatGPT to tailor phishing to different languages is an area for concern.
https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/bolstered-chatgpt-tools-phishing-surged-ahead
Pro-Russian Hacktivist Group is Only Getting Started, Experts Warn
A pro-Russian hacktivist group's low-level distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on US critical infrastructure could be a precursor to more serious cyber attacks, health care and security officials warned this week. A DDoS attack involves overwhelming a targeted service, service or network with traffic in an attempt to disrupt it. Earlier this week Killnet, a politically motivated Russian hacking group, overloaded and took down some US healthcare organisations. The attack came after threatening western healthcare organisations for the continued NATO support of Ukraine.
https://www.axios.com/2023/02/03/killnet-russian-hackers-attacks
Crypto Investors Lost Nearly $4 Billion to Hackers in 2022
Last year marked the worst year on record for cryptocurrency hacks, according to analytic firm Chainalysis’ latest report. According to the report, hackers stole $3.8 billion in 2022, up from $3.3 billion the previous year. De-centralised finance products, which are products that have no requirement for an intermediary or middle-man accounted for about 82% of all crypto stolen.
PayPal and Twitter Abused in Turkey Relief Donation Scams
Scammers are now exploiting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria. This time, stealing donations by abusing legitimate platforms such as PayPal and Twitter. It has been identified that multiple scams are running which call for fundraising, linking the victim to a legitimate PayPal site. The money however, is kept by the scammer.
Mysterious Leak of Booking.com Reservation Data is Being Used to Scam Customers
For almost 5 years, Booking.com customers have been on the receiving end of a continuous series of scams that demonstrate criminals have obtained travel plans amongst other personally identifiable information that were provided to Booking.com. The scams have involved users receiving fake emails purporting to be from Booking.com with genuine travel details that victims had provided. These emails contain links to malicious URL’s that look nearly identical to the Booking.com website. These then display the victim’s expected travel information, requiring them to input their card details. Some of the scams have developed and involve scammers sending WhatsApp messages after payment has been made, purporting to be from hotels which have been booked by the victims.
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
UK/US cyber crime crackdown sees 7 ransomware criminals sanctioned | CSO Online
US, UK Slap Sanctions on Trickbot Cyber crime Gang - SecurityWeek
UK second most targeted nation behind America for Ransomware - IT Security Guru
Hackers who breached ION say ransom paid; company declines comment | Reuters
New Wave of Ransomware Attacks Exploiting VMware Bug to Target ESXi Servers (thehackernews.com)
Massive ESXiArgs ransomware attack targets VMware ESXi servers worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)
Royal Ransomware adds support for encrypting Linux, VMware ESXi systems-security affairs
Ongoing VMware ESXi Ransomware Attack Highlights Inherent Virtualisation Risks (darkreading.com)
Lessons Learned on Ransomware Prevention from the Rackspace Attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
ESXiArgs Ransomware Hits Over 3,800 Servers as Hackers Continue Improving Malware - SecurityWeek
Ransomware Revolution: 4 Types of Cyber Risks in 2023 (trendmicro.com)
Hypervisor patching struggles exacerbate ESXiArgs attacks | TechTarget
Linux version of Royal Ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Nevada Ransomware has released upgraded locker - Help Net Security
Italy, France and Singapore Warn of a Spike in ESXI Ransomware-security affairs
Massive ransomware attack targets VMware ESXi servers worldwide | CSO Online
LockBit ransomware gang claims Royal Mail cyber ttack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Medusa botnet returns as a Mirai-based variant with ransomware sting (bleepingcomputer.com)
New Linux variant of Clop Ransomware uses a flawed encryption-security affairs
After Hive takedown, could the LockBit ransomware crew be the next to fall? | CyberScoop
Russia-Linked Ransomware Gang Claims Responsibility for Royal Mail Attack (gizmodo.com)
Largest Canadian bookstore Indigo shuts down site after cyber ttack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers hit Vesuvius, UK engineering company shuts down affected systems • Graham Cluley
MKS Instruments falls victim to ransomware attack | CSO Online
North Korea ransomware targets hospitals to fund digital spycraft, US agencies warn | CyberScoop
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT & AI Loom (darkreading.com)
Employees Fail to Report 98% of Email Cyber Hacks To Security Teams, Study Finds - MSSP Alert
An email attack can end up costing you over $1 million - Help Net Security
What SOCs Need to Know About Water Dybbuk A BEC Actor Using Open-Source Toolkits (trendmicro.com)
How Can ChatGPT Make It Easier to Boost Phishing Scams? (analyticsinsight.net)
Cyber criminals exploit volatile job market for targeted email attacks - Help Net Security
'Phishing-as-a-service' kits drive uptick in theft: One business owner's story (cnbc.com)
Malicious Google ads sneak AWS phishing sites into search results (bleepingcomputer.com)
NewsPenguin Goes Phishing for Maritime & Military Secrets (darkreading.com)
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Malware
Hacker develops new 'Screenshotter' malware to find high-value targets (bleepingcomputer.com)
Threat group targets over 1,000 companies with screenshotting and infostealing malware | CSO Online
ESXiArgs Ransomware Hits Over 3,800 Servers as Hackers Continue Improving Malware - SecurityWeek
Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs
Hackers backdoor Windows devices in Sliver and BYOVD attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
GuLoader Malware Using Malicious NSIS Executables to Target E-Commerce Industry (thehackernews.com)
Novel Banking Trojan 'PixPirate' Targets Brazil - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
New QakNote attacks push QBot malware via Microsoft OneNote files (bleepingcomputer.com)
Gootkit Malware Adopts New Tactics to Attack Healthcare and Finance Firms (thehackernews.com)
Mobile
Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs
Fraudulent "CryptoRom" Apps Slip Through Apple and Google App Store Review Process - SecurityWeek
Android phones from Chinese vendors share private data • The Register
'Money Lover' Finance App Exposes User Data (darkreading.com)
Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)
Android 14 to block malware from abusing sensitive permissions (bleepingcomputer.com)
UK Proposes Making the Sale and Possession of Encrypted Phones Illegal (vice.com)
Android's February 2023 Updates Patch 40 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register
Tor and I2P networks hit by wave of ongoing DDoS attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Experts published a list of proxy IPs used by the group Killnet-security affairs
Internet of Things – IoT
Medusa botnet returns as a Mirai-based variant with ransomware sting (bleepingcomputer.com)
Security manufacturer’s smart cameras went dark for two hours (mybroadband.co.za)
Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Remotely Tamper With Dahua Security Cameras - SecurityWeek
NIST Picks IoT Standard for Small Electronics Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
Swiss authorities open criminal probe into bank data breaches | Financial Times (ft.com)
Mysterious leak of Booking.com reservation data is being used to scam customers | Ars Technica
TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate confirm data breach affecting 20M customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
20 Million Users Impacted by Data Breach at Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder - SecurityWeek
Over 12% of analysed online stores expose private data, backups (bleepingcomputer.com)
'Money Lover' Finance App Exposes User Data (darkreading.com)
Reddit Suffers Security Breach Exposing Internal Documents and Source Code (thehackernews.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Crypto – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Minister: Cyber crimes Now 20% of Spain’s Registered Offenses - SecurityWeek
Finland’s Most-Wanted Hacker Nabbed in France – Krebs on Security
Australian Man Sentenced for Scam Related to Optus Hack - SecurityWeek
Bungling Optus scammer was no criminal mastermind • Graham Cluley
Dark Web Market Revenues Sink 50% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Crypto investors lost nearly $4 billion to hackers in 2022 (cnbc.com)
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Crypto – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Avraham Eisenberg in court accused of crypto exchange crash • The Register
Crypto Drainers Are Ready to Ransack Investor Wallets (darkreading.com)
How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)
FTX Being Advised by Cyber security Firm Sygnia on Hack Inquiry, CEO Ray Says (coindesk.com)
Scammers steal $4 million in crypto during in-person meeting • The Register
Enigma Stealer Targets Cryptocurrency Industry with Fake Jobs (trendmicro.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Another RAC staffer nabbed for sharing road accident data • The Register
Ex-Ubiquiti worker pleads guilty to data theft, extortion, and smear plot (bitdefender.com)
Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
PayPal and Twitter abused in Turkey relief donation scams (bleepingcomputer.com)
Working from home is fuelling fraud epidemic, warn managers (telegraph.co.uk)
Mysterious leak of Booking.com reservation data is being used to scam customers | Ars Technica
As V-Day nears: Romance scams cost victims $1.3B last year • The Register
What CISOs Can Do About Brand Impersonation Scam Sites (darkreading.com)
Father killed himself after falling victim to romance scam | News | The Times
'Brushing' scams send people free items, but could be a warning sign about a data breach - ABC News
Fraudulent "CryptoRom" Apps Slip Through Apple and Google App Store Review Process - SecurityWeek
How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)
Banks leave doors open for scammers with flaws in online security | This is Money
Trio Arrested in COVID PPE Fraud Probe - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Twitter restricted in Turkey after the earthquake amid disinformation fear-security affairs
Impersonation Attacks
What CISOs Can Do About Brand Impersonation Scam Sites (darkreading.com)
HTML smuggling campaigns impersonate well-known brands to deliver malware | CSO Online
AML/CFT/Sanctions
How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)
UK/US cyber crime crackdown sees 7 ransomware criminals sanctioned | CSO Online
US, UK Slap Sanctions on Trickbot Cyber crime Gang - SecurityWeek
Insurance
Tackling the New Cyber Insurance Requirements: Can Your Organisation Comply? (thehackernews.com)
How to Optimise Your Cyber Insurance Coverage (darkreading.com)
Dark Web
BlackSprut: Darknet Drug Market Advertises On Billboards In Moscow (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Dark Web Market Revenues Sink 50% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Have we learnt nothing from SolarWinds supply chain attacks? • The Register
Vulnerability Provided Access to Toyota Supplier Management Network - SecurityWeek
Software Supply Chain
Cloud/SaaS
Cloud Apps Still Demand Way More Privileges Than They Use (darkreading.com)
Amazon S3 to apply security best practices for all new buckets - Help Net Security
Why Some Cloud Services Vulnerabilities Are So Hard to Fix (darkreading.com)
Malicious Google ads sneak AWS phishing sites into search results (bleepingcomputer.com)
7 Critical Cloud Threats Facing the Enterprise in 2023 (darkreading.com)
Hybrid/Remote Working
Working from home is fuelling fraud epidemic, warn managers (telegraph.co.uk)
Predictions For Securing Today's Hybrid Workforce (darkreading.com)
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
It Isn't Time to Worry About Quantum Computing Just Yet (darkreading.com)
UK Proposes Making the Sale and Possession of Encrypted Phones Illegal (vice.com)
API
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Biometrics
Social Media
Twitter Implements API Paywall, but Will That Solve Its Enormous Bot Crisis? (darkreading.com)
Twitter restricted in Turkey after the earthquake amid disinformation fear-security affairs
Malvertising
Training, Education and Awareness
Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)
Infosec Launches New Office Comedy Themed Security Awareness Training Series (darkreading.com)
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Corporate ‘privacy’ concerns must not derail Europe’s Data Act | Financial Times (ft.com)
While governments pass privacy laws, companies struggle to change - Help Net Security
Prioritising Cyber security Regulation Harmonisation (darkreading.com)
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Quarter of CFOs Have Suffered $1m+ Breaches - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Swiss authorities open criminal probe into bank data breaches | Financial Times (ft.com)
Trends that impact on organisations' 2023 security priorities - Help Net Security
With TikTok Bans, the Time for Operational Governance Is Now (darkreading.com)
Optimising Cyber security Investments in a Constrained Spending Environment (darkreading.com)
Surge of swatting attacks targets corporate executives and board members | CSO Online
Lessons From the Cold War: How Quality Trumps Quantity in Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Data Protection
Corporate ‘privacy’ concerns must not derail Europe’s Data Act | Financial Times (ft.com)
While governments pass privacy laws, companies struggle to change - Help Net Security
Regulator Halts AI Chatbot Over GDPR Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
European Police Arrest 42 After Cracking Covert App - SecurityWeek
Eurocops shut down Exclu encrypted messaging app • The Register
Finnish psychotherapy extortion suspect arrested in France – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)
Steps To Planning And Implementation Of Data Privacy (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned | Ars Technica
Artificial Intelligence
Adversaries Using OpenAI’s ChatGPT Chatbot for Cyber Attacks? Here are Some Clues - MSSP Alert
Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT & AI Loom (darkreading.com)
IT Leaders Reveal Cyber Fears Around ChatGPT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
How Can ChatGPT Make It Easier to Boost Phishing Scams? (analyticsinsight.net)
ChatGPT's potential to aid attackers puts IT pros on high alert - Help Net Security
Hackers are selling a service that bypasses ChatGPT restrictions on malware | Ars Technica
ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned | Ars Technica
Jailbreak Trick Breaks ChatGPT Content Safeguards (darkreading.com)
Regulator Halts AI Chatbot Over GDPR Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Google's Bard AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares - BBC News
$120bn wiped off Google after Bard AI chatbot gives wrong answer (telegraph.co.uk)
Why ChatGPT Isn't a Death Sentence for Cyber Defenders (darkreading.com)
Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Pro-Russian hacktivist group Killnet could just be getting started (axios.com)
Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online
Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs
China sharply rebukes US over decision to shoot down spy balloon | Financial Times (ft.com)
Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register
What is hybrid warfare? Inside the centre dealing with modern threats - BBC News
DPRK Using Unpatched Zimbra Devices to Spy on Researchers (darkreading.com)
Russian hackers using new Graphiron information stealer in Ukraine (bleepingcomputer.com)
The impact of Russia's Ukraine invasion on digital threats - Help Net Security
Russian Hackers Steal Data In Ukraine With New Graphiron Malware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the US - SecurityWeek
US teases new China tech sanctions to deflate balloon-makers • The Register
Nation State Actors
Pro-Russian hacktivist group Killnet could just be getting started (axios.com)
With TikTok Bans, the Time for Operational Governance Is Now (darkreading.com)
Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online
Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs
China sharply rebukes US over decision to shoot down spy balloon | Financial Times (ft.com)
Microsoft: Iran Unit Behind Charlie Hebdo Hack-and-Leak Op - SecurityWeek
Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register
Android phones from Chinese vendors share private data • The Register
DPRK Using Unpatched Zimbra Devices to Spy on Researchers (darkreading.com)
SNP MP Stewart McDonald's emails hacked by Russian group - BBC News
Australia to remove Chinese surveillance cameras amid security fears - BBC News
Russian hackers using new Graphiron information stealer in Ukraine (bleepingcomputer.com)
Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)
UN Experts: North Korean Hackers Stole Record Virtual Assets - SecurityWeek
Mysterious Russian satellites are now breaking apart in low-Earth orbit | Ars Technica
The impact of Russia's Ukraine invasion on digital threats - Help Net Security
Russian Hackers Steal Data In Ukraine With New Graphiron Malware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Experts published a list of proxy IPs used by the group Killnet-security affairs
NewsPenguin Goes Phishing for Maritime & Military Secrets (darkreading.com)
US teases new China tech sanctions to deflate balloon-makers • The Register
North Korea ransomware targets hospitals to fund digital spycraft, US agencies warn | Cyber scoop
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerabilities and exposures to rise to 1,900 a month in 2023: Coalition | CSO Online
Patching & Passwords Lead the Problem Pack for Cyber-Teams (darkreading.com)
Hypervisor patching struggles exacerbate ESXiArgs attacks | TechTarget
How to fix the top 5 cyber security vulnerabilities | TechTarget
20 Powerful Vulnerability Scanning Tools In 2023 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Vulnerabilities
High-Severity Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Patched in VMware Workstation - SecurityWeek
New Wave of Ransomware Attacks Exploiting VMware Bug to Target ESXi Servers (thehackernews.com)
GoAnywhere MFT Users Warned of Zero-Day Exploit - SecurityWeek
Serious security hole plugged in infosec tool binwalk | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)
Cisco fixed command injection bug in IOx Application Hosting Environment-security affairs
Vulnerability In F5 BIG-IP May Cause DoS And Code Execution (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
GoAnywhere MFT zero-day flaw actively exploited-security affairs
Exploitation attempts for Oracle E-Business Suite flaw observed after PoC release-security affairs
Critical vulnerability patched in Jira Service Management Server and Data Center | CSO Online
Warning: Hackers Actively Exploiting Zero-Day in Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT (thehackernews.com)
Exploit released for actively exploited GoAnywhere MFT zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)
Patch Released for Actively Exploited GoAnywhere MFT Zero-Day - SecurityWeek
Unpatched Security Flaws Disclosed in Multiple Document Management Systems (thehackernews.com)
SonicWall warns web content filtering is broken on Windows 11 22H2 (bleepingcomputer.com)
OpenSSL Fixes Multiple New Security Flaws with Latest Update (thehackernews.com)
Android's February 2023 Updates Patch 40 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek
Tools and Controls
Other News
Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online
How to Think Like a Hacker and Stay Ahead of Threats (thehackernews.com)
Surge of swatting a attacks targets corporate executives and board members | CSO Online
Bermuda: Major Internet And Power Outage Strikes (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
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
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· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
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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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 July 2022
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 July 2022
-1 in 3 Employees Don’t Understand Why Cyber Security Is Important
-As Companies Calculate Cyber Risk, The Right Data Makes a Big Difference
-Only 25% Of Organizations Consider Their Biggest Threat to Be from Inside the Business
-The Global Average Cost of a Data Breach Reaches an All-Time High of $4.35 Million
-Race Against Time: Hackers Start Hunting for Victims Just 15 Minutes After a Bug Is Disclosed
-Ransomware-as-a-Service Groups Forced to Change Tack as Payments Decline
-Phishers Targeted Financial Services Most During H1 2022
-HR Emails Dupe Employees the Most – KnowBe4 research reveals
-84% Of Organizations Experienced an Identity-Related Breach In The Past 18 Months
-Economic Downturn Raises Risk of Insiders Going Rogue
-5 Trends Making Cyber Security Threats Riskier and More Expensive
-Ransomware: Publicly Reported Incidents Are Only the Tip of the Iceberg
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
1 in 3 Employees Don’t Understand Why Cyber Security Is Important
According to a new Tessian report, 30% of employees do not think they personally play a role in maintaining their company’s cyber security posture.
What’s more, only 39% of employees say they’re very likely to report a security incident, making investigation and remediation even more challenging and time-consuming for security teams. When asked why, 42% of employees said they wouldn’t know if they had caused an incident in the first place, and 25% say they just don’t care enough about cyber security to mention it.
Virtually all IT and security leaders agreed that a strong security culture is important in maintaining a strong security posture. Yet, despite rating their organisation’s security 8 out 10, on average, three-quarters of organisations experienced a security incident in the last 12 months.
The report suggests this could stem from a reliance on traditional training programs: 48% of security leaders say training is one of the most important influences on building a positive security posture. But the reality is that employees aren’t engaged; just 28% of UK and US workers say security awareness training is engaging and only 36% say they’re paying full attention. Of those who are, only half say it’s helpful, while another 50% have had a negative experience with a phishing simulation. With recent headlines depicting how phishing simulations can go awry, negative experiences like these further alienate employees and decrease engagement.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/07/28/employees-dont-understand-why-cybersecurity-is-important/
As Companies Calculate Cyber Risk, the Right Data Makes a Big Difference
The proposed US Securities and Exchange Commission’s stronger rules for reporting cyber attacks will have ramifications beyond increased disclosure of attacks to the public. By requiring not just quick reporting of incidents, but also disclosure of cyber policies and risk management, such regulation will ultimately bring more accountability for cyber security to the highest levels of corporate leadership. Other jurisdictions will very likely follow the US in requiring more stringent cyber controls and governance.
This means that boards and executives everywhere will need to increase their understanding of cyber security, not only from a tech point of view, but from a risk and business exposure point of view. The CFO, CMO and the rest of the C-suite and board will want and need to know what financial exposure the business faces from a data breach, and how likely it is that breaches will happen. This is the only way they will be able to develop cyber policies and plans and react properly to the proposed regulations.
Companies will therefore need to be able to calculate and put a dollar value on their exposure to cyber risk. This is the starting point for the ability to make cyber security decisions not in a vacuum, but as part of overall business decisions. To accurately quantify cyber security exposure, companies need to understand what the threats are and which data and business assets are at risk, and they then need to multiply the cost of a breach by the probability that such an event will take place in order to put a dollar figure on their exposure.
While there are many automated tools, including those that use artificial intelligence (AI), that can help with this, the key to doing this well is to make sure calculations are rooted in real and relevant data – which is different for each company or organisation.
Only 25% Of Organisations Consider Their Biggest Threat to Be from Inside the Business
A worrying 73.5% of organisations feel they have wasted the majority of their cyber security budget on failing to remediate threats, despite having an over-abundance of security tools at their disposal, according to Gurucul.
Only 25% of organisations consider their biggest threat to be from inside the business, despite insider threats increasing by 47% over the past two years. With only a quarter of businesses seeing their biggest threat emanating from inside their organisation, it seems over 70% saw the biggest cyber security challenges emanating from external threats such as ransomware. In fact, although external threats account for many security incidents, we must never forget to look beyond those external malicious and bad actors to insider threats to effectively secure corporate data and IP.
The survey also found 33% of respondents said they are able to detect threats within hours, while 27.07% even claimed they can detect threats in real-time. However, challenges persist with 33% of respondents stating that it still takes their organisation days and weeks to detect threats, with 6% not being able to detect them at all.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/07/28/biggest-threat-inside-the-business/
The Global Average Cost of a Data Breach Reaches an All-Time High of $4.35 Million
IBM Security released the 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, revealing costlier and higher-impact data breaches than ever before, with the global average cost of a data breach reaching an all-time high of $4.35 million for studied organisations.
With breach costs increasing nearly 13% over the last two years of the report, the findings suggest these incidents may also be contributing to rising costs of goods and services. In fact, 60% of studied organisations raised their product or services prices due to the breach, when the cost of goods is already soaring worldwide amid inflation and supply chain issues.
The perpetuality of cyber attacks is also shedding light on the “haunting effect” data breaches are having on businesses, with the IBM report finding 83% of studied organisations have experienced more than one data breach in their lifetime. Another factor rising over time is the after-effects of breaches on these organisations, which linger long after they occur, as nearly 50% of breach costs are incurred more than a year after the breach.
The 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report is based on in-depth analysis of real-world data breaches experienced by 550 organisations globally between March 2021 and March 2022. The research, which was sponsored and analysed by IBM Security, was conducted by the Ponemon Institute.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/07/27/2022-cost-of-a-data-breach-report/
Race Against Time: Hackers Start Hunting for Victims Just 15 Minutes After a Bug Is Disclosed
Attackers are becoming faster at exploiting previously undisclosed zero-day flaws, according to Palo Alto Networks. This means that the amount of time that system admins have to patch systems before exploitation happens is shrinking fast..
The company warns in its 2022 report covering 600 incident response (IR) cases that attackers typically start scanning for vulnerabilities within 15 minutes of one being announced.
Among this group are 2021's most significant flaws, including the Exchange Server ProxyShell and ProxyLogon sets of flaws, the persistent Apache Log4j flaws aka Log4Shell, the SonicWall zero-day flaws, and Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus.
While phishing remains the biggest method for initial access, accounting for 37% of IR cases, software vulnerabilities accounted of 31%. Brute-force credential attacks (like password spraying) accounted for 9%, while smaller categories included previously compromised credentials (6%), insider threat (5%), social engineering (5%), and abuse of trusted relationships/tools (4%).
Over 87% of the flaws identified as the source of initial access fell into one of six vulnerability categories.
Ransomware-as-a-Service Groups Forced to Change Tack as Payments Decline
Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operators are evolving their tactics yet again in response to more aggressive law enforcement efforts, in a move that is reducing their profits but also making affiliates harder to track, according to Coveware.
The security vendor’s Q2 2022 ransomware report revealed that concerted efforts to crack down on groups like Conti and DarkSide have forced threat actors to adapt yet again.
It identified three characteristics of RaaS operations that used to be beneficial, but are increasingly seen as a hinderance.
The first is RaaS branding, which has helped to cement the reputation of some groups and improve the chances of victims paying, according to Coveware. However, branding also makes attribution easier and can draw the unwanted attention of law enforcement, it said.
“RaaS groups are keeping a lower profile and vetting affiliates and their victims more thoroughly,” Coveware explained.
“More RaaS groups have formed, resulting in less concentration among the top few variants. Affiliates are frequently shifting between RaaS variants on different attacks, making attribution beyond the variant more challenging.”
In some cases, affiliates are also using “unbranded” malware to make attribution more difficult, it added.
The second evolution in RaaS involves back-end infrastructure, which used to enable scale and increase profitability. However, it also means a larger attack surface and a digital footprint that’s more expensive and challenging to maintain.
As a result, RaaS developers are being forced to invest more in obfuscation and redundancy, which is hitting profits and reducing the amount of resources available for expansion, Coveware claimed.
Finally, RaaS shared services used to help affiliates with initial access, stolen data storage, negotiation management and leak site support.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/raas-groups-forced-change-payments/
Phishers Targeted Financial Services Most During H1 2022
Banks received the lion’s share of phishing attacks during the first half of 2022, according to figures published by cyber security company Vade.
The analysis also found that attackers were most likely to send their phishing emails on weekdays, with most arriving between Monday and Wednesday. Attacks tapered off towards the end of the week, Vade said.
While financial services scored highest on a per-sector basis, Microsoft was the most impersonated brand overall. The company’s Microsoft 365 cloud productivity services are a huge draw for cyber-criminals hoping to access accounts using phishing attacks.
Phishing attacks on Microsoft customers have become more creative, according to Vade, which identified several phone-based attacks. It highlighted a campaign impersonating Microsoft’s Defender anti-malware product, fraudulently warning that the company had debited a subscription fee. It encouraged victims to fix the problem by phone.
Facebook came a close second, followed by financial services company Crédit Agricole, WhatsApp and Orange.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/phishers-financial-services-h1-2022/
HR Emails Dupe Employees the Most – KnowBe4 research reveals
In phishing tests conducted on business emails, more than half of the subject lines clicked imitated Human Resources communications.
New research has revealed the top email subjects clicked on in phishing tests were those related to or from Human Resources, according to the latest ‘most clicked phishing tests‘ conducted by KnowBe4. In fact, half of those that were clicked on had subject lines related to Human Resources, including vacation policy updates, dress code changes, and upcoming performance reviews. The second most clicked category were those send from IT, which include requests or actions of password verifications that were needed immediately.
KnowBe4’s CEO commented “More than 80% of company data breaches globally come from human error, so security awareness training for your staff is one of the least costly and most effective methods to thwart social engineering attacks. Training gives employees the ability to rapidly recognise a suspicious email, even if it appears to come from an internal source, causing them to pause before clicking. That moment where they stop and question the email is a critical and often overlooked element of security culture that could significantly reduce your risk surface.”
This research comes hot off the heels of the recent KnowBe4 industry benchmarking report which found one in three untrained employees will click on a phishing link. The worst performing industries were Energy & Utilities, Insurance and Consulting, with all labelled the most at risk for social engineering in the large enterprise category.
84% Of Organisations Experienced an Identity-Related Breach in the Past 18 Months
60% of IT security decision makers believe their overall security strategy does not keep pace with the threat landscape, and that they are either lagging behind (20%), treading water (13%), or merely running to keep up (27%), according to a survey by Sapio Research.
The report also highlights differences between the perceived and actual effectiveness of security strategies. While 40% of respondents believe they have the right strategy in place, 84% of organisations reported that they have experienced an identity-related breach or an attack using stolen credentials during the previous year and a half.
Promisingly, many organisations are hungry to make a change, particularly when it comes to protecting identities. In fact, 90% of respondents state that their organisations fully recognise the importance of identity security in enabling them to achieve their business goals, and 87% say that it is one of the most important security priorities for the next 12 months.
However, 75% of IT and security professionals also believe that they’ll fall short of protecting privileged identities because they won’t get the support they need. This is largely due to a lack of budget and executive alignment, with 63% of respondents saying that their company’s board still doesn’t fully understand identity security and the role it plays in enabling better business operations.
While the importance of identity security is acknowledged by business leaders, most security teams will not receive the backing and budget they need to put vital security controls and solutions in place to reduce major risks. This means that the majority of organisations will continue to fall short of protecting privileges, leaving them vulnerable to cyber criminals looking to discover privileged accounts and abuse them.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/07/28/identity-related-breach/
Economic Downturn Raises Risk of Insiders Going Rogue
Declining economic conditions could make insiders more susceptible to recruitment offers from threat actors looking for allies to assist them in carrying out various attacks.
Enterprise security teams need to be aware of the heightened risk and strengthen measures for protecting against, detecting, and responding to insider threats, researchers from Palo Alto Network's Unit 42 threat intelligence team recommended in a report this week.
The security vendor's report highlighted several other important takeaways for security operations teams, including the fact that ransomware and business email compromise attacks continue to dominate incident response cases and vulnerability exploits — accounting for nearly one-third of all breaches.
Unit 42 researchers analysed data from a sampling of over 600 incident response engagements between April 2021 and May 2022 and determined that difficult economic times could lure more actors to cyber crime. This could include both people with technical skills looking to make a fast buck, as well as financially stressed insiders with legitimate access to valuable enterprise data and IT assets. The prevalence of remote and hybrid work models has created an environment where it's easier for workers to steal intellectual property or carry out other malicious activity, the researchers found.
https://www.darkreading.com/risk/economic-downturn-raises-the-risk-of-insiders-going-rogue
5 Trends Making Cyber Security Threats Riskier and More Expensive
Since the pandemic the cyber world has become a far riskier place. According to the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2022, almost half (48%) of organisations across the US and Europe experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months. Even more alarming is that these attacks are happening despite businesses doubling down on their cyber security spend.
Cyber security is at a critical inflection point where five megatrends are making the threat landscape riskier, more complicated, and costlier to manage than previously reported. To better understand the evolution of this threat landscape, let’s examine these trends in more detail.
Everything becomes digital
Organisations become ecosystems
Physical and digital worlds collide
New technologies bring new risks
Regulations become more complex
Organisations can follow these best practices to elevate cyber security performance:
Identify, prioritise, and implement controls around risks.
Adopt a framework such as ISO 27001 or NIST Cyber Security Framework.
Develop human-layered cyber security.
Fortify your supply chain.
Avoid using too many tools.
Prioritise protection of critical assets.
Automate where you can.
Monitor security metrics regularly to help business leaders get insight into security effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and levels of security awareness in the organisation.
Cyber security will always be a work in progress. The key to effective risk management is having proactive visibility and context across the entire attack surface. This helps to understand which vulnerabilities, if exploited, can cause the greatest harm to the business. Not all risks can be mitigated; some risks will have to be accepted and trade-offs will have to be negotiated.
Ransomware: Publicly Reported Incidents Are Only the Tip of the Iceberg
The threat landscape report on ransomware attacks published this week by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) uncovers the shortcomings of the current reporting mechanisms across the EU.
As one of the most devastating types of cyber security attacks over the last decade, ransomware, has grown to impact organisations of all sizes across the globe.
This threat landscape report analysed a total of 623 ransomware incidents across the EU, the United Kingdom and the United States for a reporting period from May 2021 to June 2022. The data was gathered from governments' and security companies' reports, from the press, verified blogs and in some cases using related sources from the dark web.
Between May 2021 and June 2022 about 10 terabytes of data were stolen each month by ransomware threat actors. 58.2% of the data stolen included employees' personal data.
At least 47 unique ransomware threat actors were found.
For 94.2% of incidents, we do not know whether the company paid the ransom or not. However, when the negotiation fails, the attackers usually expose and make the data available on their webpages. This is what happens in general and is a reality for 37.88% of incidents.
We can therefore conclude that the remaining 62.12% of companies either came to an agreement with the attackers or found another solution.
The study also shows that companies of every size and from all sectors are affected.
The figures in the report can however only portray a part of the overall picture. In reality, the study reveals that the total number of ransomware attacks is much larger. At present this total is impossible to capture since too many organisations still do not make their incidents public or do not report on them to the relevant authorities.
Threats
Ransomware
LockBit 3.0: Significantly Improved Ransomware Helps the Gang Stay on Top (darkreading.com)
Ransomware looms large over the cyber insurance industry - Help Net Security
800,000 businesses fall victim to ransomware each year (komando.com)
Business services top target of ransomware attacks (securitybrief.co.nz)
How Crypto is Driving the Ransomware Epidemic | Cryptoland Roundtable - YouTube
On security researcher's newsletter, exposing cyber criminals behind ransomware - CyberScoop
LockBit ransomware abuses Windows Defender to load Cobalt Strike (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mailing List Provider WordFly Scrambling to Recover Following Ransomware Attack | SecurityWeek.Com
No More Ransom helps millions of ransomware victims in 6 years (bleepingcomputer.com)
Lockbit ransomware gang claims to have breached the Italian Revenue Agency - Security Affairs
Lockbit Ramps Up Attacks on Public Sector - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
A ‘Top Tier’ Hacking Gang Is Likely To Be Behind Entrust Ransomware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
No More Ransom Helped More Than 1.5 Million People Decrypt Their Devices (darkreading.com)
Ransomware caused American Dental Association outage, led to stolen data (scmagazine.com)
The road to ransomware recovery starts before an attack • The Register
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Phishing Attacks Skyrocket with Microsoft and Facebook as Most Abused Brands | Threatpost
Phishing scam targeting Bank of America, Citi and Wells Fargo customers (komando.com)
APT-Like Phishing Threat Mirrors Landing Pages (darkreading.com)
New Callback Malware Campaign Impersonates Legitimate Cyber Security Providers - MSSP Alert
Phishing Attacks: Microsoft Leads Top 25 of Impersonated Brands - MSSP Alert
1,000s of Phishing Attacks Blast Off From InterPlanetary File System (darkreading.com)
New ‘Robin Banks’ phishing service targets BofA, Citi, and Wells Fargo (bleepingcomputer.com)
Other Social Engineering; SMishing, Vishing, etc
Malware
Cisco Incident Response Report: Commodity Malware Top Threat in Q2 - MSSP Alert
Discovery of new UEFI rootkit exposes an ugly truth: The attacks are invisible to us | Ars Technica
As Microsoft blocks Office macros, hackers find new attack vectors (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft Links Raspberry Robin USB Worm to Russian Evil Corp Hackers (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft links Raspberry Robin malware to Evil Corp attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Malware-laced npm packages used to target Discord users - Security Affairs
CosmicStrand UEFI malware found in Gigabyte, ASUS motherboards (bleepingcomputer.com)
Sophisticated UEFI rootkit of Chinese origin shows up again in the wild after 3 years | CSO Online
Attackers are slowly abandoning malicious macros - Help Net Security
One of the most beloved Windows tools could actually be a huge security risk | TechRadar
QBot phishing uses Windows Calculator DLL hijacking to infect devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Gootkit Loader’s Updated Tactics and Fileless Delivery of Cobalt Strike (trendmicro.com)
Microsoft: Austrian company DSIRF selling Subzero malware (techtarget.com)
Threat actors leverages DLL-SideLoading to spread Qakbot - Security Affairs
Rare 'CosmicStrand' UEFI Rootkit Swings into Cyber crime Orbit (darkreading.com)
Mobile
Here are the top phone security threats in 2022 and how to avoid them | ZDNet
New Android malware apps installed 10 million times from Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)
Roaming Mantis Financial Hackers Targeting Android and iPhone Users in France (thehackernews.com)
Facebook ads push Android adware with 7 million installs on Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)
Millions of Android devices infected with wallet-draining malware | TechRadar
Over a Dozen Android Apps on Google Play Store Caught Dropping Banking Malware (thehackernews.com)
Internet of Things – IoT
IoT Botnets Fuels DDoS Attacks – Are You Prepared? | Threatpost
Dahua IP Camera Vulnerability Could Let Attackers Take Full Control Over Devices (thehackernews.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
US court system suffered ‘incredibly significant attack’ • The Register
Congress Warns of US Court Records System Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Uber admits covering up massive 2016 data breach in settlement with US prosecutors - The Verge
T-Mobile to pay $500M for one of the largest data breaches in US history [Updated] | Ars Technica
Data Stolen in Breach at Security Company Entrust | SecurityWeek.Com
Fallout from massive Shanghai Police data breach reverberates on dark web - CyberScoop
Big Questions Remain Around Massive Shanghai Police Data Breach (darkreading.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Cyber-mercenaries represent shifting criminal business model • The Register
Messaging Apps Tapped as Platform for Cyber Criminal Activity | Threatpost
Teenager Jailed for Snapchat Blackmail Cyber Crimes- IT Security Guru
DUCKTAIL operation targets Facebook’s Business and Ad accounts - Security Affairs
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Crypto fraud on the rise as consumers fall for fake celebrity endorsements | Cybernews
Hackers Increasingly Using WebAssembly Coded Cryptominers to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)
NFT Hacking Group Attacks On The Rise, Report Finds- IT Security Guru
Hackers steal $6 million from blockchain music platform Audius (bleepingcomputer.com)
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Major shifts and the growing risk of identity fraud - Help Net Security
JPMorgan, UBS accused of shoddy identity theft protection • The Register
Euro Police Bust €3m Internet Fraud Gang - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Romance scammers jailed after tricking Irish OAP out of €250k (bitdefender.com)
What the Titanic Can Teach Us About Fraud? | SecurityWeek.Com
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Insurance
Dark Web
Cyber crime goods and services are cheap and plentiful - Help Net Security
Hackers Selling Malware on Dark Web Underground Market (cybersecuritynews.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Software Supply Chain
Denial of Service DoS/DDoS
Akamai blocked the largest DDoS attack ever on its European customers - Security Affairs
DDoS Attack Trends in 2022: Ultrashort, Powerful, Multivector Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cloud/SaaS
Kansas MSP shuts down cloud services to fend off cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organisations are struggling with SaaS security. Why? - Help Net Security
Attack Surface Management
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
Transport Layer Security (TLS): Issues & Protocol (trendmicro.com)
SSH2 vs. SSH1 and why SSH versions still matter (techtarget.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Using Account Lockout policies to block Windows Brute Force Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Stop Putting Your Accounts At Risk, and Start Using a Password Manager (thehackernews.com)
Social Media
Facebook security cracked by Malware made in Vietnam • The Register
Cyber-Criminal Offers 5.4m Twitter Users’ Data - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Training, Education and Awareness
Privacy
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
UK Seizes Nearly $27m in Crypto-Assets - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
European Cops Helped 1.5 Million People Decrypt Their Ransomwared Computers (vice.com)
Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Cyberspies use Google Chrome extension to steal emails undetected (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft says it caught an Austrian spyware group using Windows 0-day exploits - The Verge
Pegasus spyware: Just 'tip of the iceberg' seen so far • The Register
Cyber attacks by Iran and Israel now target critical infrastructure. - The Washington Post
US and Ukraine Sign Agreement to Deepen Cyber security Operational Collaboration - MSSP Alert
CISA, Ukrainian cyber agency deepen partnership to combat Russian threat - CyberScoop
How is Anonymous attacking Russia? The top six ways ranked (cnbc.com)
European Lawmaker Targeted With Cytrox Predator Surveillance Spyware | SecurityWeek.Com
Nation State Actors
Nation State Actors – Russia
Russia is quietly ramping up its Internet censorship machine | Ars Technica
Apple network traffic takes mysterious detour through Russia • The Register
Nation State Actors – China
Chinese APTs: Interlinked networks and side hustles – Intrusion Truth (wordpress.com)
OneWeb sale risks giving China a stake in ‘Five Eyes’ spying tech (telegraph.co.uk)
Nation State Actors – North Korea
North Korean Hackers Using Malicious Browser Extension to Spy on Email Accounts (thehackernews.com)
North Korean hackers attack EU targets with Konni RAT malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
US puts $10 million bounty on North Korean threat groups • The Register
Is APT28 behind the STIFF#BIZON attacks attributed to North Korea-linked APT37? Security Affairs
Nation State Actors – Iran
Vulnerability Management
Hackers scan for vulnerabilities within 15 minutes of disclosure (bleepingcomputer.com)
Attackers Have 'Favourite' Vulnerabilities to Exploit (darkreading.com)
Taking the Risk-Based Approach to Vulnerability Patching (thehackernews.com)
Organisations struggle to manage devices and stay ahead of vulnerabilities - Help Net Security
2022 Unit 42 Incident Response Report: How Attackers Exploit Zero-Days (paloaltonetworks.com)
Security Teams Overwhelmed With Bugs, Bitten by Patch Prioritization (darkreading.com)
Time between vuln disclosures, exploits is getting smaller • The Register
Vulnerabilities
Critical Samba bug could let anyone become Domain Admin – patch now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Multiple Windows, Adobe Zero-Days Anchor Knotweed Commercial Spyware (darkreading.com)
How to Fix CVE-2022-30190 vulnerability using Microsoft Intune - CloudInfra
CISA releases IOCs for attacks exploiting Log4Shell in VMware Horizon and UAG | CSO Online
Critical FileWave MDM Flaws Open Organisation-Managed Devices to Remote Hackers (thehackernews.com)
Hackers are abusing IIS extensions to establish covert backdoors - Security Affairs
FileWave fixes bugs that left 1,000+ orgs open to ransomware • The Register
Google Chrome Zero-day Vulnerability Discovered By Avast (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
LibreOffice fixed 3 flaws, including a code execution issue - Security Affairs
Drupal developers fixed a code execution flaw in the popular CMS - Security Affairs
LibreOffice Releases Software Update to Patch 3 New Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)
Hackers Exploit PrestaShop Zero-Day to Steal Payment Data from Online Stores (thehackernews.com)
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
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
A Retrospective on the 2015 Ashley Madison Breach – Krebs on Security
The Great BizApp Hack: Cyber-Risks in Your Everyday Business Applications (darkreading.com)
Threat Actors Pivot Around Microsoft’s Macro-Blocking in Office | Threatpost
Microsoft again reverses course, will block macros by default (scmagazine.com)
Is Your Home or Small Business Built on Secure Foundations? Think Again… (darkreading.com)
Infosec pros want more industry cooperation and support for open standards - Help Net Security
We pass cyber attack costs onto customers, businesses admit • The Register
How to Combat the Biggest Security Risks Posed by Machine Identities (thehackernews.com)
Discord, Telegram Services Hijacked to Launch Array of Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)
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 13 May 2022
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 13 May 2022
-UK, US Intelligence Agencies Warn Managed Service Providers, including External IT Providers, Are Now Prime Targets for Cyber Attacks
-Wannacry – 5 Years On, 68% Of Enterprises Are Still At Risk
-You Can’t Eliminate Cyber Attacks, So Focus on Reducing the Blast Radius
-Just In Time? Bosses Are Finally Waking Up to The Cyber Security Threat
-Most Organisations Hit by Ransomware Would Pay Up If Hit Again
-31,000 FTSE 100 Logins Found on Dark Web
-Ransomware: How Executives Should Prepare Given the Current Threat Landscape
-What Your Cyber Insurance Application Form Can Tell You About Ransomware Readiness
-NCSC Shut Down 2.7 Million Scams in 2021
-Top 6 Security Threats Targeting Remote Workers
-Password Reuse Is Rampant Among Employees in All Sectors
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
UK, US Intelligence Agencies Warn Managed Service Providers, including External IT Providers, Are Now Prime Targets for Cyber Attacks
The Five Eyes coalition of international cyber security authorities, this week issued an advisory to warn managed service providers (MSPs), including external IT providers, of an escalating threat of attack from both everyday cyber criminals and state-sponsored threat actors.
MSPs provide or operate information and communications technology services.
With input from cyber security leaders from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US, the NSA provided recommendations to help bolster their cyber defences, including:
Finding and disabling dormant accounts.
Implementing and enforcing multifactor authentication on accounts.
Ensuring contracts clearly map out who owns and is responsible for securing data.
Malicious actors are targeting MSPs to break into their customers' networks and deploy ransomware, steal data, and spy on them, the Five Eyes authorities have formally warned in a joint security alert.
"The UK, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and US cyber security authorities expect malicious cyber actors — including state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) groups — to step up their targeting of MSPs in their efforts to exploit provider-customer network trust relationships," the alert warned.
These types of supply-chain or "island-hopping" attacks can prove very lucrative for cyber criminals because once they break into an MSP, they gain access to all of the customers' networks and data being managed, and in turn commit computer crimes and fraud against those customers' customers.
Wannacry – 5 Years On, 68% Of Enterprises Are Still at Risk
5 years on from one of the world’s most damaging ransomware attacks, research from network detection and response leader ExtraHop has found that 68% of enterprises are still running insecure protocol that were exploited by the North Korean ransomware.
The events of 12 May 2017 live on in cyber security lore. WannaCry revealed just how extensive the damage caused by ransomware can be if deployed in large scale – from downtime to ransom paid to reputational damage. Yet despite the danger, huge numbers of organisations are still running SMBv1, the protocol exploited in the WannaCry attacks that has been publicly deprecated since 2014.
You Can’t Eliminate Cyber Attacks, So Focus on Reducing the Blast Radius
Given it is impossible to prevent all cyber attacks, many organisations should look to reduce the size of the company’s attack surface and the limit the “blast radius” of a potential attack.
There is a danger that the biggest risk concerning cyber attacks is that we’re becoming desensitised to them. After all, businesses experience a ransomware attack every 11 seconds—the majority of which the public never hears about. Faced with this reality, it may seem like efforts to safeguard the enterprise are futile. But that’s all the more reason to strengthen your resolve—and switch up your cyber defence strategy.
The core of this strategy should be the concept of “reducing the blast radius” of an attack, and since you can’t completely eliminate cyber attacks, you need to take steps to contain the impact.
This strategy should contain basic blocking and also consider things such as Zero Trust for remote access, traffic inspection, software-based micro-segmentation and other practical measures to reduce your attack surface.
https://threatpost.com/cyberattacks-blast-radius/179612/
Just In Time? Bosses Are Finally Waking Up to The Cyber Security Threat
Boardrooms have a reputation for not paying much attention to cyber security, but it could be that executives are finally keen to take more interest in securing the systems and networks their businesses rely on.
Senior figures from American, British and Australian cyber security agencies have said that business execs are now more aware of cyber threats and are actively engaging with their chief information security officer (CISO) and information security teams.
Chief execs are starting to ask their CISOs the right questions, rather than leaving them to it because they don't have to understand complex technology. It does feel like a much more engaging strategic conversation, but there can still be a disconnect between knowing what needs to happen, then actually budgeting for and implementing a cyber security strategy.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/just-in-time-bosses-are-finally-waking-up-to-the-cybersecurity-threat/
Most Organisations Hit by Ransomware Would Pay Up If Hit Again
Almost nine in 10 organisations that have suffered a ransomware attack would choose to pay the ransom if hit again, according to a new report, compared with two-thirds of those that have not experienced an attack.
The findings come from a report titled "How business executives perceive ransomware threat" by security company Kaspersky, which states that ransomware has become an ever-present threat, with 64 percent of companies surveyed already having suffered an attack, but more worryingly, that executives seem to believe that paying the ransom is a reliable way of addressing the issue.
The report is based on research involving 900 respondents across North America, South America, Africa, Russia, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The respondents were in senior non-IT management roles at companies between 50 and 1,000 employees.
Kaspersky claims that in 88 percent of organisations that have had to deal with a ransomware incident, business leaders said they would choose to pay the money if faced with another attack. In contrast, among those that have not so far suffered a ransomware attack, only 67 percent would be willing to pay, and they would be less inclined to do so immediately.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/13/organizations_pay_ransomware/
31,000 FTSE 100 Logins Found on Dark Web
Researchers with Outpost24 are reporting over 31,000 corporate credentials for many of the UK’s leading FTSE 100 firms on the dark web. These are the 100 biggest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalisation. The researchers used their threat monitoring and auditing tool Blueliv to search dark web sites for the breached credentials.
Key findings from stolen and leaked credentials study:
The majority (81%) of the companies within the FTSE 100 had at least one credential compromised and exposed on the dark web
31,135 total stolen and leaked credentials detected for FTSE 100 companies, with 38% disclosed on the underground in the past 12 months
Nearly half (42%) of FTSE 100 companies have more than 500 compromised credentials exposed on the dark web
Up to 20% of credentials are stolen via malware infection and stealers
11% disclosed in the last 3 months (21% in the last 6 months and over 68% have been exposed for over 12 months)
Over 60% of stolen credentials came from 3 industries – IT/Telecom (23%), Energy and Utility (22%) and Finance (21%)
IT/Telecoms industry is the most at risk with the highest total amount (7,303) and average stolen credentials per company (730), they are most affected by malware infection and have the most amount of stolen credentials disclosed in the last 3 months
On average, healthcare has the highest number of stolen credentials per company (485) from data breach as they found themselves increasingly in the cyber criminals’ crosshairs since the pandemic.
https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/31000-ftse-100-logins-found-on-dark-web/
Ransomware: How Executives Should Prepare Given the Current Threat Landscape
As the number of ransomware attacks continue to increase, the response at C-level must be swift and decisive.
Top executives are increasingly dreading the phone call from their fellow employee notifying them that their company has been hit by a cyber attack. Nearly every week in 2021 and early 2022, a prominent organisation has been in the media spotlight as their public relations team struggles to explain how they were attacked and how they can regain consumer confidence. A recent survey showed that 37 percent of organisations surveyed had been affected by ransomware attacks in the last year.
Worse, the days when executive leadership teams could fully delegate responsibility to a CISO are over. Regardless of reality, surveys have shown that about 40 percent of the public perception of fault for a ransomware attack lands squarely on the CEO’s shoulders, and that 36 percent of attacks result in the loss of C-level talent. While executive involvement in the security program does not guarantee a successful defence, it does give the executive leadership team (ELT) a degree of ownership of the final product, as well as the ability to speak confidently and knowledgeably to the public.
What Your Cyber Insurance Application Form Can Tell You About Ransomware Readiness
The annual cyber insurance application form shows what the carriers think you should be doing to best prevent and recover from ransomware attacks. Pay attention.
If it’s the time of year for you to fill out the annual cyber insurance policy application, you will see how the focus for insurance firms is changing. Each year you can get an insight into what insurance vendors are using to rate the risks and threats to your business and what they are stressing firms should have in place as best practice or what they are expecting you should have in place as a baseline set of controls. Not having them in place could affect insurance rates, whether you are able to get cyber coverage at all, or crucially whether they would pay out in the event of you having to make a claim.
This year you might find more questions specifically around ransomware prevention techniques and protections, from Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) to Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and email filtering protections to the robustness of your backups.
Make sure to review your cyber insurance policy and its related questionnaire. And ask whether you are doing everything you can to protect your firm and tailoring your actions to align with what your insurance provider has deemed as a best practice.
NCSC Shut Down 2.7 Million Scams in 2021
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) removed 2.7 million online scams last year, it was revealed this week, four times as many scams compared to 2020.
The announcement comes as the security agency shared the most recent data from its Active Cyber Defence initiative at the CYBERUK summit earlier in the week.
According to the NCSC, neutralised scams included fake celebrity endorsements and spoof extortion emails.
It has also been revealed that fraud campaigns used common themes, with NHS vaccines and vaccine passports being particularly popular.
Some cyber criminals even posed as NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron – victims received an email claiming the NCSC had prevented £5m of their money from being stolen, and were urged to supply personal information to retrieve the funds.
https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/05/10/ncsc-shut-down-2-7-million-scams-in-2021/
Security Threats Targeting Remote Workers
Remote work offers great benefits, like reduced commute time, increased freedom, and more time to spend with loved ones. But there can be security downsides if sufficient controls are not in place to protect remote workers against the digital threats that come with working via unsecured connections.
Being on a home network lacks the layered network security of the company environment. Remote work itself is not new, but the dramatic shift to working from home over the past two years means there are more security-naive people who are not in the office.
Not all security threats are the fault of technology. Much of it also comes from human error.
Remote work greatly exacerbates human-activated risk, and people are working in more distracting environments where they may have to answer the door for deliveries or might multitask with household chores. That means mistakes are more likely to happen, like sending an email to the wrong recipient or falling for a malicious email attack.
Recent research by Egress found that 77% of IT leaders said they have seen an increase in security compromises since going remote two years ago.
https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/top-6-security-threats-targeting-remote-workers
Password Reuse Is Rampant Among Employees in All Sectors
SpyCloud published an annual analysis of identity exposure among employees of Fortune 1000 companies in key sectors such as technology, finance, retail and telecommunications.
Drawing on a database of over 200 billion recaptured assets, researchers identified over 687 million exposed credentials and PII tied to Fortune 1000 employees, a 26% increase from last year’s analysis.
Analysis of this data showed a 64% password reuse rate, widespread use of easy-to-guess passwords, and a spike in malware-infected devices –– all sources of cyber risk for both employers and consumers who rely on businesses to safeguard their personal data. With remote work blurring the lines between work and personal device use, a larger attack surface compounds the risk of cyber attacks proliferating beyond compromised employee and consumer identities to penetrate corporate networks.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/05/11/fortune-1000-identity-exposure/
Threats
Ransomware
Costa Rica Shows the Damage Ransomware Can Do to a Country - The Washington Post
Ransomware Works Fast, You Need to Be Faster To Counter It - Help Net Security
A Closer Look At Today’s Ransomware Attack Landscape - MSSP Alert
Ransomware Is a National Security Threat, So Please Tell Us About Attacks, Says Government | ZDNet
5 Years That Altered the Ransomware Landscape (darkreading.com)
Colonial Pipeline Faces Nearly $1m Fine After Ransomware • The Register
These Ransomware Attackers Sent Their Ransom Note to The Victim's Printer | ZDNet
New Malware Samples Indicate Return of REvil Ransomware | SecurityWeek.Com
How to Avoid Falling Victim to PayOrGrief's Next Rebrand (darkreading.com)
Examining the Black Basta Ransomware’s Infection Routine (trendmicro.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Novel Phishing Trick Uses Weird Links to Bypass Spam Filters | Threatpost
New Email Security Tool Launched to Help Organisations Check Their Defences - NCSC.GOV.UK
Malware
Novel ‘Nerbian’ Trojan Uses Advanced Anti-Detection Tricks | Threatpost
Low-rent Remote Access Trojan (RAT) Worries Researchers | Threatpost
Eternity Malware Kit Offers Stealer, Miner, Worm, Ransomware Tools (bleepingcomputer.com)
It costs $7 to Rent DCRat Malware to Backdoor Your Network • The Register
Shopping For Malware: $260 Gets You a Password Stealer... • The Register
Microsoft: Sysrv Botnet Targets Windows, Linux Servers with New Exploits (bleepingcomputer.com)
Google Drive Emerges as Top App For Malware Downloads - Help Net Security
Stealthy Linux Implant BPFdoor Compromised Organizations Globally For Years | CSO Online
Malware Attacks Getting More Regional, Claims Netskope • The Register
5-Buck DCRat Malware Foretells a Worrying Cyber Future (darkreading.com)
Threat Actors Use Telegram to Spread ‘Eternity’ Malware-as-a-Service | Threatpost
German Automakers Targeted in Year-Long Malware Campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
PII Of 21M SuperVPN, GeckoVPN Users Leaked On Telegram - Information Security Buzz
Victims of Horizon Actuarial Data Breach Exceed 1M (techtarget.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Crypto Robber Who Lured Victims Via Snapchat and Stole £34,000 Jailed (bleepingcomputer.com)
Crook Jailed for Selling Stolen Credentials On Dark Web • The Register
US Agrees to International Electronic Cyber Crime Evidence Swap (darkreading.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs
NFTs Emerge as the Next Enterprise Attack Vector (darkreading.com)
Fake Binance NFT Mystery Box Bots Steal Victim's Crypto Wallets (bleepingcomputer.com)
Possible $1 Billion Crypto Ponzi Scheme Probed by Tax Investigators - Bloomberg
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
How Can Your Business Defend Itself Against Fraud-as-a-Service? (darkreading.com)
Scammers Impersonate Britain’s Top Cyber Crime Chief in Fake £5m Heist (telegraph.co.uk)
Caramel Credit Card Stealing Service Is Growing in Popularity (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers Are Exploiting WordPress Themes, Plugins to Hawk Scams (gizmodo.com)
Thousands of WordPress Sites Hacked to Redirect Visitors to Scam Sites (thehackernews.com)
Insurance
Multi-Factor Authentication: A Key to Cyber Risk Insurance Coverage (tripwire.com)
How Cyber Liability Insurance Can Help Protect Your Business Reputation - MSSP Alert
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Denial of Service DoS/DDoS
Cloud
Open Source
Travel
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Spyware, Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Wars Start in Cyberspace Well Before Shots Are Fired • The Register
#CYBERUK22: Cyber Trends from the Russia-Ukraine War - Infosecurity Magazine
US Pledges to Help Ukraine Keep the Internet and Lights On (darkreading.com)
Spain’s Spy Chief Sacked Over Pegasus Scandal - Infosecurity Magazine
OpRussia Update: Anonymous Breached Other Organizations - Security Affairs
Pro-Russian Hacktivists Target Italy Government Websites - Security Affairs
Nation State Actors
Nation State Actors – Russia
Russian Hackers Targeting Opponents Of Ukraine Invasion, Warns GCHQ Chief | Hacking | The Guardian
Western Intelligence Blames Russia for Europe-Wide Cyber Attack - Infosecurity Magazine
State Department Says Russian Cyber War Against Ukraine Began in January | The Independent
Ukraine War: Don’t Underestimate Russia Cyber-Threat, Warns US - BBC News
Nation State Actors – China
Experts Uncovered a New Wave Of Attacks Conducted By Mustang Panda - Security Affairs
China-Backed Winnti Hackers Attacked Manufacturers Globally, Cybereason Alleges - MSSP Alert
Nation State Actors – Iran
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerabilities
Critical F5 BIG-IP Vulnerability Exploited to Wipe Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Adobe Warns of 'Critical' Security Flaws in Enterprise Products | SecurityWeek.Com
Log4Shell Exploit Threatens Enterprise Data Lakes, AI Poisoning (darkreading.com)
Intel Emits Raft of Firmware Patches For Security Flaws • The Register
Actively Exploited Zero-Day Bug Patched by Microsoft | Threatpost
HP Fixes Bug Letting Attackers Overwrite Firmware in Over 200 Models (bleepingcomputer.com)
Zyxel Fixes Firewall Flaws That Could Lead to Hacked Networks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft Releases Fixes for Azure Flaw Allowing RCE Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Researchers Find Flaws in Word, PDF Script Handling • The Register
SonicWall Releases Patches for New Flaws Affecting SSLVPN SMA1000 Devices (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft: May Windows Updates Cause AD Authentication Failures (bleepingcomputer.com)
Sector Specific
Health/Medical/Pharma Sector
Ransomware Group Strikes Second US Health Care System in The Last Two Months - CyberScoop
Is That Health App Safe to Use? A New Framework Aims To Provide An Answer - Help Net Security
Manufacturing
German Automakers Targeted in Year-Long Malware Campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)
China-Backed Winnti Hackers Attacked Manufacturers Globally, Cybereason Alleges - MSSP Alert
Education and Academia
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
An Offensive Mindset Is Crucial for Effective Cyber Defence - Help Net Security
Zero-Click Attacks Explained, And Why They Are So Dangerous | CSO Online
Britain Must Upgrade Cyber Defences ‘Or Be Hit By 9/11-Style Attack’ (telegraph.co.uk)
Everything We Learned From the LAPSUS$ Attacks (thehackernews.com)
Threat Actors Are Stealing Data Now to Decrypt When Quantum Computing Comes (darkreading.com)
Prepare for What You Wish For: More CISOs on Boards | SecurityWeek.Com
Ready, IAM, Fire: How Weak Identity and Access Management (IAM) Makes You a Target (darkreading.com)
How Privileged Access Management (PAM) Must Evolve - MSSP Alert
Secure Your CMS-Based Websites Against Pervasive Attacks - Help Net Security
Threats To Hardware Security Are Growing - Help Net Security
Government’s “Whole of Society” Cyber Strategy Takes Shape - Infosecurity Magazine
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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