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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 21 July 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 21 July 2023:
-Cyber Attacks Reach Two-Year High Amid Ransomware Resurgence as Financial Service Firms Lose $32 Billion in 5 Years
-MOVEit Body Count Closes in on 400 orgs, 20M+ Individuals
-IT Worker Jailed for Impersonating Ransomware Gang to Extort Employer
-Stabilising the Cyber Security Landscape: The CISO Exodus and the Rise of vCISOs
-Risk is Driving Medium-Sized Business Decisions
-Talent and Governance, Not Technology, are Key to Drive Change around Cyber Security
-Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation can Exploit Security Gaps
-Human Cyber-Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behaviour Changing Training
-AI Tool WormGPT Enables Convincing Fake Emails For BEC Attacks
-Pro-Russian Hacktivists Increase Focus on Western Targets
-Infosec Doesn't Know What AI Tools Orgs Are Using
-Google Restricting Internet Access to Some Employees to Reduce Cyber Attack Risk
-Unlocking Business Potential: How CISOs are Transforming Cyber Security into a Strategic Asset
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
Cyber Attacks Reach Two-Year High Amid Ransomware Resurgence as Financial Service Firms Lose $32 Billion in 5 Years
The average weekly volume of cyber attacks reached a two-year high in the second quarter of 2023 amid a spike in activity among ransomware groups according to Check Point Research, with healthcare in particular facing a significant year-on-year increase. The impact of ransomware hits every organisation, with separate research finding global financial services organisations having lost over $32bn in downtime since 2018 due to ransomware breaches.
A recent report found that the ransomware gangs LockBit and Cl0p alone accounted for nearly 40% of all recorded ransomware attacks across June 2023. The impact from Cl0p’s MOVEit attack alone has been felt by over 400 organisations since May 2023. One of the key takeaways from the MOVEit attack is that no matter the sector, any organisation can be a victim and as such it is essential to have effective controls in place, incorporating defence-in-depth. It’s worth considering how many organisations are still running vulnerable instances of MOVEit, or have someone in their supply chain who is.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-costs-financial-32bn/
MOVEit Body Count Closes in on 400 Organisations, 20M+ Individuals
The number of victims and the costs tied to the MOVEit file transfer hack continues to climb as the fallout from the massive supply chain attack enters week seven. In late May 2023, Russian ransomware gang Cl0p exploited a security hole in Progress Software's MOVEit product suite to steal documents from vulnerable networks. As of last week, the number of affected organisations was closing in on 400 and individual victims exceed 20 million.
The attack highlights the need for organisations to have policies and procedures in place for third parties, and to be aware of the data which a third party supplier has on them. It will be the organisation who will need to let their customers know in the event of a breach.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/20/moveit_victim_count/
IT Worker Jailed for Impersonating Ransomware Gang to Extort Employer
28-year-old Ashley Liles, a former IT employee, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for attempting to blackmail his employer during a ransomware attack. Liles, an IT security analyst at an Oxford-based company in the UK, exploited his position to intercept a ransomware payment following an attack suffered by his employer. To deceive the company, he impersonated the ransomware gang extorting them. He tried to redirect the ransomware payments by switching the cyber criminals' cryptocurrency wallet to one under his control. He also accessed a board member's private emails over 300 times.
Insider threat is a risk that organisations need to be aware of and, although it was malicious in this case, it can also come from employee negligence. Organisations looking to achieve a strong level of cyber resilience should incorporate insider risk into their training and controls.
Stabilising the Cyber Security Landscape: The CISO Exodus and the Rise of vCISOs
In today's evolving digital landscape, the role of a chief information security officer (CISO) is critical. These professionals defend against the rising tide of daily cyber threats. Yet many CISOs are leaving or considering leaving their jobs; this trend seems to reflect the intense pressure CISOs endure. They face a constant stream of complex cyber threats, manage compliance issues and struggle with a talent deficit in cyber security. Paired with high expectations, many reconsider their roles which can lead to a leadership gap.
A virtual CISO (vCISO) is an outsourced security practitioner who offers their expertise to businesses on a part-time or contractual basis. These professionals provide many of the same services as a traditional CISO, such as developing and implementing security strategies, ensuring compliance with regulations, training staff and managing a company's cyber security posture. vCISOs, such as from Black Arrow, are often part of a larger team and can bring a wide range of experiences and skills. They are exposed to diverse security landscapes across industries, and can provide a fresh perspective and innovative solutions to your security challenges. The vCISO model may not replace the need for a full-time CISO in all cases, but it can certainly add a flexible and cost-effective tool to the arsenal of businesses looking to bolster their cyber security posture.
Risk is Driving Medium-Sized Business Decisions
Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have long lacked the tools, expertise, staff and budget to make major cyber security investments. However, as threats become more mainstream and more advanced, the focus is shifting, so SMBs need to take the threats seriously and evaluate their cyber security controls.
In a survey of 140 SMBs, it was found that 40% of respondents believe they are very likely or extremely likely to experience a cyber security attack target in the next 12 months. That fear is founded, as 34% of organisations stated they experienced a malware attack in the past year, and 29% experienced a phishing or spear phishing incident. SMBs are putting their time, energy, and budget toward risk management. When it came to budgeting, 67% list their primary budgeting method as “risk-based”, and only 32% as “ad hoc/following an attack or breach”. It was found that over two-thirds of businesses would rather spend money now than pay a ransom later.
Talent and Governance, Not Technology, are Key to Drive Change Around Cyber Security
For the last 20 years, large organisations have been spending significant amounts of money on cyber security products and solutions, on managed services, or with consultancies large and small. Yet maturity levels remain elusive: a report found that 70% of firms surveyed had yet to fully advance to a mature-based approach. Cyber security good practices have been well established for the best part of the last 20 years and continue to provide, in most industries, an acceptable level of protection against most threats and an acceptable level of compliance against most regulations.
However cyber security is often viewed as something external to the business. This perspective leads to talent alienation and execution failures because the employees who should be invested in maintaining and improving cyber security may feel disconnected from these efforts. To make genuine progress, cyber security needs to be intrinsically linked to business values as a visible priority, owned and directed from the highest levels of an organisation.
This approach underlines the importance of governance in setting effective cyber security policies and procedures. It also highlights the crucial role of nurturing talent within the organisation to ensure active involvement in maintaining and improving cyber security measures. While technology is undoubtedly an essential element of cyber security, prioritising talent and governance can lead to lasting progress.
Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation can Exploit Security Gaps
A new study showed that larger organisations generally recognise malware threats but they lack protection against malicious actors and ways to properly remediate infections. The report revealed security leaders are concerned about attacks that leverage malware-exfiltrated authentication data. 53% say they are extremely concerned about attacks, with 1% of security leaders saying they weren’t concerned at all. 98% said that better visibility into at-risk applications would significantly improve their security posture.
The most overlooked entry points for malware include 57% of organisations allowing employees to sync browser data between personal and corporate devices. 54% of organisations struggle with shadow IT, due to employees’ unsanctioned adoption of applications and systems, creating gaps not only in visibility but also in basic security controls and corporate policies.
Human Cyber Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behaviour Changing Training
The process of encouraging secure cyber habits in end users is evolving from traditional awareness training toward changing end user behaviour. It reflects a growing acceptance that traditional methods haven’t worked. While traditional security awareness teaches users how to recognise social engineering, new behaviour changing trains the brain – almost pre-programs it – on the correct recognition and response to phishing.
What is considered a standard phishing email today may not be tomorrow, and changes in user behaviour will help to combat this. It is simply not enough to be shown one phishing email and be told to follow procedures. Training should instead be focused on going beyond; this should look to change how the user approaches things such as phishing, and gamifying the recognition and reporting of it.
AI Tool WormGPT Enables Convincing Fake Emails For BEC Attacks
A generative AI tool, WormGPT, has emerged as a powerful weapon in the hands of cyber criminals, specifically for launching business email compromise (BEC) attacks, according to new findings. The tool is designed for malicious purposes and has no restrictions on what a user can request. Such a tool allows for impeccable grammar in emails to reduce suspicion and allows sophistication with no restrictions on prompts. The lowered entry threshold enables cyber criminals with limited skills to execute sophisticated attacks, democratising the use of this technology.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/wormgpt-fake-emails-bec-attacks/
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/chatgpt-dark-web-wormgpt-hack-b2376627.html
Pro-Russian Hacktivists Increase Focus on Western Targets
‘Anonymous Sudan’, apparent pro-Russian hacktivists, claimed a one-hour distributed denial of service attack on the social platform OnlyFans last week. This was the latest in a string of operations aimed at targets in the US and Europe. The group’s digital assaults coincide with attacks coming from a broader network of hackers aligned with Moscow that seek attention by taking down high-profile victims and strategic targets; many of the targets support Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.
The pro-Russian group appears to be affiliated with Killnet, a pro-Russian hacktivist group that emerged in late 2021 or early 2022 and has claimed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, data theft and leaks on perceived adversaries of the Russian government, according to an analysis from Google’s Mandiant released earlier this week. The collective’s apparent significant growth in capabilities, demonstrated by Microsoft’s confirmation that Anonymous Sudan was responsible for the outages they experienced, potentially indicates a significant increase in outside investment in the collective, further suggesting a potential tie to the Russian state.
https://cyberscoop.com/anonymous-sudan-killnet-russia-onlyfans/
Infosec Doesn't Know What AI Tools Organisations Are Using
With the marketplace awash in new artificial intelligence (AI) tools and new AI features being added to existing tools, organisations are finding themselves lacking visibility into what AI tools are in use, how they are used, who has access, and what data is being shared. As businesses try, adopt, and abandon new generative AI tools, it falls on enterprise IT, risk, and security leaders to govern and secure their use without hindering innovation. While developing security policies to govern AI use is important, it is not possible without knowing what tools are being used in the first place.
Enterprise security teams have to consider how to handle discovery, learning which generative AI tools have been introduced into the environment and by whom, as well as risk assessment.
https://www.darkreading.com/tech-trends/infosec-doesnt-know-what-ai-tools-orgs-are-using
Google Restricting Internet Access to Some Employees to Reduce Cyber Attack Risk
In a bid to shrink the attack surface of its employees, and thus boost security, Google is taking an experimental, and some might say extreme, approach: cutting some of their workstations off from the internet. The company originally selected more than 2,500 employees to participate and will disable internet access on the selected desktops, except for internal web-based tools and Google owned websites like Google Drive and Gmail. Some workers who need the internet to do their job will get exceptions, the company stated in materials.
Google is running the programme to reduce the risk of cyber attacks, according to internal materials. If a Google employee’s device is compromised, the attackers may have access to user data and infrastructure code, which could result in a major incident and undermine user trust. The program comes as companies face increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. Just last week, Microsoft said Chinese intelligence hacked into company email accounts belonging to two dozen government agencies in the US and Western Europe, including the US State Department, in a “significant” breach.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/19/google_cuts_internet/
Unlocking Business Potential: How CISOs are Transforming Cyber Security into a Strategic Asset
Enterprises are responding to growing cyber security threats by working to make the best use of tools and services to ensure business resilience, according to a recent report. Chief information security officers (CISOs) and virtual CISOs (vCISOS) in particular, want more solutions and services that help them align security measures with enterprise objectives and C-level executives have become more aware of the need for cyber resilience. As a result, security investments have expanded beyond detection and response to include rapid recovery and business continuity.
The report found that amongst other things, enterprises are investing in risk assessments and outsourcing more services. In some cases, where a CISO cannot be hired, organisations may look to hire a vCISO. It is important that the vCISO is able to understand cyber in context to the business and help to align security objectives with the organisations objectives. Black Arrow supports clients as their vCISO with specialist experience in cyber security risk management in a business context.
https://www.blackarrowcyber.com/blog/threat-briefing-14-july-2023
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Risk is Driving Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMB) Decisions - MSSP Alert
Stabilising The Cyber security Landscape: The Rise Of vCISOs (forbes.com)
Talent and Governance, not Technology, are Key to Drive Change around Cyber Security - TechNative
Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation Can Exploit Security Gaps, Study Finds - MSSP Alert
Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat
CISOs are making cyber security a business problem - Help Net Security
Top Information Security Threats for Businesses 2023 (cybersecuritynews.com)
Best practices for an effective cyber security strategy | CSO Online
Exploring the macro shifts in enterprise security - Help Net Security
Google Cloud CISO Phil Venables On Cyber security, Cloud Adoption And The Boardroom (forbes.com)
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
MOVEit victim count closes in on 400 orgs, 20M+ individuals • The Register
Weekly cyber attacks reach two-year high amid ransomware resurgence | ITPro
Ransomware attacks are on the rise—and so are ransom payments (fastcompany.com)
IT worker jailed for impersonating ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)
Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)
The rise in ransomware attacks this year may be related to Russia's war in Ukraine : NPR
Cyber security firm Sophos impersonated by new SophosEncrypt ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Trends in ransomware-as-a-service and cryptocurrency to monitor - Help Net SecurityFIN8 deploys ALPHV ransomware using Sardonic malware variant (bleepingcomputer.com)
Linux Ransomware Poses Significant Threat to Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)
Financial cyber crime syndicate deploys reworked backdoor malware | CyberScoop
Ransomware attackers getting more sophisticated: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (yahoo.com)
SophosEncrypt Ransomware Fools Security Researchers (darkreading.com)
Mallox Ransomware Exploits Weak MS-SQL Servers to Breach Networks (thehackernews.com)
New Ransomware With RAT Capabilities Impersonating Sophos - SecurityWeek
Google’s Bard poses ransomware risk, say researchers | Cybernews
FIN8 Group spotted delivering the BlackCat Ransomware - Security Affairs
Cyber insurers adapting to data-centric ransomware threats | TechTarget
Shutterfly says Clop ransomware attack did not impact customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware Victims
MOVEit victim count closes in on 400 orgs, 20M+ individuals • The Register
Ofcom says it won’t pay ransom, as new MOVEit hack victims come forward | TechCrunch
MOVEit Transfer vulnerability: New Cl0p 'victims' include Discovery (techmonitor.ai)
BlackCat and Clop gangs both claim cyber attack on Estée Lauder | Computer Weekly
Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals targeted by Russian ransomware group | Cybercrime | The Guardian
Russian medical lab suspends some services after ransomware attack (therecord.media)
Recycling Giant Tomra Takes Systems Offline Following Cyber attack - SecurityWeek
Shutterfly says Clop ransomware attack did not impact customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Typo leaks millions of US military emails to Mali web operator | Financial Times (ft.com)
Microsoft Exchange servers compromised by Turla APT - Help Net Security
Microsoft takes pains to obscure role in 0-days that caused email breach | Ars Technica
Analysis of Storm-0558 techniques for unauthorised email access | Microsoft Security Blog
Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar
Microsoft Tops List of the Most Impersonated Brand for Phishing Scams in Q2 2023 - MSSP Alert
Enhanced Monitoring to Detect APT Activity Targeting Outlook Online | CISA
Gmail encouraging users to enable Enhanced Safe Browsing (9to5google.com)
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar
Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT rival WormGPT with ‘no ethical boundaries’ sold to hackers on dark web | The Independent
Infosec Doesn't Know What AI Tools Orgs Are Using (darkreading.com)
AI models must be reconciled with data protection laws • The Register
1 in 4 Brits play with generative AI and some believe it too • The Register
OpenAI credentials stolen by the thousands for sale on the dark web (bleepingcomputer.com)
AI must have better security, says top cyber official - BBC News
Google Categorises 6 Real-World AI Attacks to Prepare for Now (darkreading.com)
How to Use Generative AI Tools While Still Protecting Your Privacy | WIRED
Google’s Bard poses ransomware risk, say researchers | Cybernews
Malware
Microsoft: Hackers turn Exchange servers into malware control centers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Malicious USB Drives Targeting Global Targets with SOGU and SNOWYDRIVE Malware (thehackernews.com)
Financial cyber crime syndicate deploys reworked backdoor malware | CyberScoop
New SOHO Router Botnet AVrecon Spreads to 70,000 Devices Across 20 Countries (thehackernews.com)
Hackers Target Gamers With Microsoft-Signed Rootkit (darkreading.com)
Source code of the BlackLotus UEFI Bootkit was leaked on GitHub - Security Affairs
Are Viruses Still a Threat to Cyber security? (makeuseof.com)
Black Hat Hacker Exposes Real Identity After Infecting Own Computer With Malware - SecurityWeek
Pernicious Rootkits Pose Growing Blight On Threat Landscape (darkreading.com)
Mobile
Hackers Exploit WebAPK to Deceive Android Users into Installing Malicious Apps (thehackernews.com)
Meta confirms WhatsApp is down worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)
Botnets
New SOHO Router Botnet AVrecon Spreads to 70,000 Devices Across 20 Countries (thehackernews.com)
Ukraine's cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm - Security Affairs
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Cloudflare reports 'alarming surge' in DDoS sophistication, escalation in recent months | CyberScoop
Attackers intensify DDoS attacks with new tactics - Help Net Security
Internet of Things – IoT
How your internet-connected domestic devices can be a critical tool of cyber attack (mid-day.com)
US preparing Cyber Trust Mark for more secure smart devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Seven new gadgets added to riskiest connected devices list | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
MOVEit Hack: Number of Impacted Organisations Exceeds 340 - SecurityWeek
Data compromises on track to set a new record - Help Net Security
Virustotal data leak exposed data of some registered customers - Security Affairs
What to do (and what not to do) after a data breach - Help Net Security
Thousands of images on Docker Hub leak auth secrets, private keys (bleepingcomputer.com)
Met Police ‘passed victims’ data to Facebook via online tracking tool’ | Evening Standard
LastPass: The lessons we learnt from our devastating breach | TechRadar
JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica
Rogue Azure AD Guests Can Steal Data via Power Apps (darkreading.com)
FIA World Endurance Championship driver passports leaked - Security Affairs
Typo leaks millions of US military emails to Mali web operator | Financial Times (ft.com)
Colorado State University says data breach impacts students, staff (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar
Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek
Owner of BreachForums Pleads Guilty to Cyber crime and Child Pornography Charges (thehackernews.com)
Genesis Market infrastructure and inventory sold on hacker forum (bleepingcomputer.com)
Black Hat Hacker Exposes Real Identity After Infecting Own Computer With Malware - SecurityWeek
Police arrests Ukrainian scareware developer after 10-year hunt (bleepingcomputer.com)
Extremist-friendly tech company closes after fine for securities fraud | Technology | The Guardian
Hacker Conversations: Inside the Mind of Daniel Kelley, ex-Blackhat - SecurityWeek
Go Beyond the Headlines for Deeper Dives into the Cyber criminal Underground (thehackernews.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
IT worker jailed for impersonating ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)
Former contractor accused of remotely accessing town's water treatment facility | Tripwire
Insider Risk Management Starts With SaaS Security (darkreading.com)
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Growing scam activity linked to social media and automation - Help Net Security
A fresh look at the current state of financial fraud - Help Net Security
Tech support scammers now accepting cash via snail mail • The Register
Extremist-friendly tech company closes after fine for securities fraud | Technology | The Guardian
The cruel new holiday scams you need to know about | This is Money
Airbnb-Related Scams Surge: Beware Of ‘Too Good To Be True’ Offers (forbes.com)
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Insurance
Cyber insurers adapting to data-centric ransomware threats | TechTarget
Strengthening Password Security may Lower Cyber Insurance Premiums (bleepingcomputer.com)
Dark Web
Genesis Market infrastructure and inventory sold on hacker forum (bleepingcomputer.com)
OpenAI credentials stolen by the thousands for sale on the dark web (bleepingcomputer.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica
Google Cloud Build bug lets hackers launch supply chain attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Supply chain executives unaware of growing customer trust issues - Help Net Security
Possible Supply Chain Attack Targeting Pakistani Government Delivers Shadowpad (trendmicro.com)
Cloud/SaaS
Microsoft makes cloud security logs available for free • The Register
Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)
Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat
Google Cloud Build bug lets hackers launch supply chain attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Three key unanswered questions about the Chinese breach of Microsoft cloud services | CyberScoop
TeamTNT's Cloud Credential Stealing Campaign Now Targets Azure and Google Cloud (thehackernews.com)
Hybrid/Remote Working
Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation Can Exploit Security Gaps, Study Finds - MSSP Alert
Securing The Hybrid Workforce Begins With Browsing (forbes.com)
Attack Surface Management
Identity and Access Management
Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat
The rise of hassle-free and secure authentication | CyberScoop
Encryption
Real-world examples of quantum-based attacks - Help Net Security
EU Urged to Prepare for Quantum Cyber Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Signal president rejects ‘mass surveillance’ UK law | Fortune
API
Docker Leaks API Secrets & Private Keys, as Cyber criminals Pounce (darkreading.com)
API keys: Weaknesses and security best practices | TechTarget
Open Source
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
LastPass: The lessons we learnt from our devastating breach | TechRadar
Millions of Keyboard Walk Patterns Found in Compromised Passwords - IT Security Guru
TeamTNT's Cloud Credential Stealing Campaign Now Targets Azure and Google Cloud (thehackernews.com)
Strengthening Password Security may Lower Cyber Insurance Premiums (bleepingcomputer.com)
Social Media
Growing scam activity linked to social media and automation - Help Net Security
Met Police ‘passed victims’ data to Facebook via online tracking tool’ | Evening Standard
Training, Education and Awareness
Security Awareness Training Isn’t Working - How Can We Improve It? - SecurityWeek
Companywide Cyber security Training: 20 Tips To Make It ‘Stick’ (forbes.com)
Digital Transformation
Travel
The cruel new holiday scams you need to know about | This is Money
Airbnb-Related Scams Surge: Beware Of ‘Too Good To Be True’ Offers (forbes.com)
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
AI models must be reconciled with data protection laws • The Register
Online Safety Bill Last chance for Lords to stop surveillance | Evening Standard
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Career Benefits of Learning Ethical Hacking (analyticsinsight.net)
Should You Be Using a Cyber security Careers Framework? (darkreading.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek
Owner of BreachForums Pleads Guilty to Cyber crime and Child Pornography Charges (thehackernews.com)
Police arrests Ukrainian scareware developer after 10-year hunt (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ukraine's cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm - Security Affairs
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
Online Safety Bill Last chance for Lords to stop surveillance | Evening Standard
Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
How to Use Generative AI Tools While Still Protecting Your Privacy | WIRED
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Russia
The rise in ransomware attacks this year may be related to Russia's war in Ukraine : NPR
Gamaredon hackers start stealing data 30 minutes after a breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Analysis of Storm-0558 techniques for unauthorised email access | Microsoft Security Blog
Microsoft Exchange servers compromised by Turla APT - Help Net Security
Pro-Russian hacktivists increase focus on Western targets. The latest is OnlyFans. | CyberScoop
Elon Musk’s Starlink is putting our soldiers at risk, Ukraine warns (telegraph.co.uk)
Thousands of Russian officials to give up iPhones over US spying fears | Financial Times (ft.com)
Ukraine innovates on cyber defence | Financial Times (ft.com)
China
Three key unanswered questions about the Chinese breach of Microsoft cloud services | CyberScoop
China Espionage Operatives Left Empty Handed in Email Heist, White House Official Says - MSSP Alert
Xi wants to make the Great Firewall of China even greater • The Register
North Korea
JumpCloud breach traced back to North Korean state hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)
North Korean hackers breached a US tech company to steal crypto | Reuters
Misc/Other/Unknown
JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica
APT Protection: The Key to Safeguarding Your Business (ts2.space)
How to Secure Your OT Network Against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) (ts2.space)
Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)
Vulnerability Management
CVSS 4.0 released, to help assess real-time threat and impact of vulnerabilities - Help Net Security
Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)
What is Vulnerability Assessment In Cyber security? (gbhackers.com)
Vulnerabilities
Windows Users Urged To Update As Microsoft Confirms New Zero-Day Exploits (forbes.com)
Microsoft still unsure how hackers stole Azure AD signing key (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft takes pains to obscure role in 0-days that caused email breach | Ars Technica
CVE-2023-38408: Remote Code Execution in OpenSSH’s forwarded ssh-agent | Qualys Security Blog
New critical Citrix ADC and Gateway flaw exploited as zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)
OpenSSH Addresses Remote Code Execution Vulnerability: CVE-2023-38408 - VULNERA
Adobe Rolls Out New Patches for Actively Exploited ColdFusion Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)
Cisco fixed a critical flaw in SD-WAN vManage - Security Affairs
Hacking campaign targets sites using WordPress WooCommerce Payments Plugin - Security Affairs
Microsoft hit by Storm season – a tale of two semi-zero days – Naked Security (sophos.com)
5 Major Takeaways From Microsoft's July Patch Tuesday (darkreading.com)
Two Jira Plugin Vulnerabilities in Attacker Crosshairs - SecurityWeek
Google says Apple employee found a zero-day but did not report it | TechCrunch
Tools and Controls
Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat
Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Leverage Threat Intelligence, AI, and Data at Scale to Boost Cyber Defences (darkreading.com)
A Few More Reasons Why RDP is Insecure (Surprise!) (thehackernews.com)
Enterprise communication security a growing risk, priority | TechTarget
MIT’s Cyber security Metior: A Secret Weapon Against Side-Channel Attacks (scitechdaily.com)
NCSC Shares Alternatives to Using a SOC - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Microsoft's security roadmap: Protect Azure DevOps secrets • The Register
CISA shares free tools to help secure data in the cloud (bleepingcomputer.com)
What is the new Enhanced Safe Browsing for Gmail (and should you enable it)? | ZDNET
Insider Risk Management Starts With SaaS Security (darkreading.com)
67% of daily security alerts overwhelm SOC analysts - Help Net Security
Gmail encouraging users to enable Enhanced Safe Browsing (9to5google.com)
Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft makes cloud security logs available for free • The Register
Security Awareness Training Isn’t Working - How Can We Improve It? - SecurityWeek
API keys: Weaknesses and security best practices | TechTarget
Other News
Google restricting internet access to some employees for security (cnbc.com)
Enterprise communication security a growing risk, priority | TechTarget
Healthcare organisations in the crosshairs of cyber attackers - Help Net Security
Broadband consumers demand security and sustainability - Help Net Security
Microsoft Exchange Online hit by new outage blocking emails (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber security measures SMBs should implement - Help Net Security
Sector Specific
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· 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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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 23rd June 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 23 June 2023:
-How the MOVEit Breach Shows Hackers' Interest in Corporate File Transfer Tools
-Attackers Discovering Exposed Cloud Assets Within Minutes
-Majority of Users Neglect Best Password Practices
-One in Three Workers Susceptible to Phishing
-Ransomware Misconceptions Abound, to the Benefit of Attackers
-Threat Actors Scale and Commoditise Uncommon Tools and Techniques
-Goodbyes are Difficult, IT Offboarding Processes Make Them Harder
-Security Budget Hikes are Missing the Mark, CISOs Say
-Understanding Cyber Resilience: Building a Holistic Approach to Cyber Security
-Emerging Ransomware Group 8Base Releasing Data on SMBs Globally
-Cyber Security Industry Still Fighting to Recruit and Retain Talent
-Financial Firms to Build Resilience in Face of Growing Cyber-Threats
-Fulfilling Expected SEC Requirements for Cyber Security Expertise at Board Level
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
Cyber Security Industry Still Fighting to Recruit and Retain Talent
Cyber security teams are struggling to find the right talent, with the right skills, and to retain experienced employees. The situation is only likely to worsen, as inflation and a tight labour market push up wages. Universities produce graduates with a strong focus on technical knowledge, but not always the broader skills they need to operate in a business environment. This includes the lack of communications skills, understanding of how businesses operate and even emotional intelligence. One solution is to outsource to a corporate cyber security provider or outsource to infill shortages whilst trying to recruit permanent staff.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybersecurity-industry-recruit/
How the MOVEit Breach Shows Hackers' Interest in Corporate File Transfer Tools
The world of managed file transfer (MFT) software has become a lucrative target for ransom-seeking hackers, with significant breaches including those of Accellion Inc's File Transfer Appliance in 2021 and Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT earlier this year. These MFT programs, corporate versions of popular file sharing programs like Dropbox or WeTransfer, are highly desirable to hackers for the sensitive data they often transfer between organisations and partners. The recent mass compromise tied to Progress Software Corp's MOVEit transfer product has prompted governments and companies worldwide to scramble in response.
Hackers are shifting their tactics, with an increasing focus on MFT programs which typically face the open internet, making them more vulnerable to breaches. Once inside these file transfer points, hackers have direct access to a wealth of data. In addition, there's a noticeable shift from ransomware groups encrypting a company's network and demanding payment to unscramble it, to a simpler tactic of pure extortion by threatening to leak the data.
Attackers Discovering Exposed Cloud Assets within Minutes
The shift to cloud services, increased remote work, and reliance on third-parties has led to widespread use of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. This has also opened avenues for attackers to exploit weak security configurations and identities. Over the past year, attackers have intercepted authorisation tokens, bypassed multifactor authentication, and exploited misconfigured systems, targeting critical applications like GitHub, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and Okta. A study revealed alarmingly fast rates of breach discovery and compromise of exposed cloud assets, with assets being discovered within as little as two minutes for some and others within an hour.
https://www.darkreading.com/dr-tech/growing-saas-usage-means-larger-attack-surface
Majority of Users Neglect Best Password Practices
The latest Password Management Report by Keeper Security has shed light on the concerning state of password security practices. The survey found that only 25% of respondents used solid and unique passwords. In comparison, 34% admitted to using repeat variations of passwords, and 30% still relied on simple and easily guessable passwords. The survey also found that 44% of individuals who claimed to have well-managed passwords still admitted to using repeated variations, while 20% acknowledged having had at least one password involved in a data breach or available on the dark web. The document also revealed that 35% of respondents feel overwhelmed when it comes to improving their cyber security. Furthermore, 10% admitted to neglecting password management altogether. More generally, Keeper Security said the survey’s findings highlight a significant gap between perception and reality regarding password security.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/users-neglect-best-password/
One in Three Workers Susceptible to Phishing
More than one in three workers in the UK and Ireland are susceptible to falling for phishing attacks, according to the new 2023 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report by KnowBe4. The study found that 35% of users who had received no security training were prone to clicking on suspicious links or engaging in fraudulent actions. Regular training and continual reinforcement can get this figure down but even with training very few organisations ever get click rates down to zero, and you only need one person to click to cause potentially devastating consequences.
Globally, ransomware was responsible for 24% of all data breaches in 2023, with human error accounting for 74% of these incidents. Phishing attacks can often lead to significant reputational damage, financial loss and disruption to business operations.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/one-in-three-phishing/
Ransomware Misconceptions Abound, to the Benefit of Attackers
There is a common ransomware misperception that there's no capability to fight this all too common hostage taking of business data. This is not true. Proactive organisations are increasingly making more strategic use of threat intelligence to prevent or disrupt attacks.
Ransomware has evolved into a massive, often state-sponsored, industry where operators buy, develop, and resell ransomware code, infiltrate networks, and collect ransoms. The perception that a speedy response is critical to prevent data encryption and loss is outdated; attackers now focus on data exfiltration, using ransomware as a distraction. They often target smaller organisations that are linked to larger ones through supply chains, using them as stepping stones. It is important to use in-depth defence measures, including email security to prevent phishing and efficient detection and response systems to identify and recover from changes.
Threat Actors Scale and Commoditise Uncommon Tools and Techniques
Proofpoint’s 2023 Human Factor report highlights significant developments in the cyber attack landscape in 2022. Following two years of pandemic-induced disruption, cyber criminals returned to their usual operations, honing their social engineering skills and commoditising once sophisticated attack techniques. There was a noticeable increase in brute-force and targeted attacks on cloud tenants, conversational smishing attacks, and multifactor authentication (MFA) bypasses. Microsoft 365 formed a large part of organisations' attack surfaces and faced broad abuse, from Office macros to OneNote documents.
Despite some advances in security controls, threat actors continue to innovate and scale their bypasses. Techniques like MFA bypass and telephone-oriented attack delivery are now commonplace. Attackers consistently exploit people, who remain the most critical variable in the attack chain.
Goodbyes are Difficult, IT Offboarding Processes Make Them Harder
A recent survey found that 68% of organisations recognise the offboarding process as a major cyber security risk, but only 36% have adequate controls in place to secure data access when employees depart. The study revealed that 60% of organisations have discovered former employees still had access to corporate applications after leaving, and 52% have had security incidents linked to former employees. Interestingly, IT professionals are not always alerted when employees leave, leading to access not being revoked and IT assets being mishandled 34% of the time.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/06/19/it-offboarding-processes/
Security Budget Hikes are Missing the Mark, CISOs Say
Misguided expectations on security spend are causing problems for CISOs despite notable budget increases. A recent report found that while most CISOs are experiencing noteworthy increases in security funding, impractical expectations of budget holders are leading to significant amounts being spent on what’s hitting the headlines instead of strategic, business-centric investment in security defences. This lack of understanding shows that a lot of work needs to be done to ensure that information security receives the attention it deserves, especially in the boardroom.
The report found that just 9% of CISOs said information security is always in the top three priorities on the boardroom’s meeting agenda, and less than a quarter (22%) of CISOs are actively participating in business strategy and decision-making processes. Talking to the board about cyber security in a way that is productive can be a significant challenge for CISOs, and failing to do so effectively can result in confusion, disillusionment, and a lack of cohesion among directors, the security function, and the rest of the organisation.
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3700073/security-budget-hikes-are-missing-the-mark-cisos-say.html
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/06/22/average-cybersecurity-budget-increase/
Understanding Cyber Resilience: Building a Holistic Approach to Cyber Security
In today’s interconnected world, the threat of cyber attacks is a constant concern for organisations of all sizes and across all industries. Cyber resilience entails not only making it difficult for attackers to infiltrate your systems but also ensuring that your organisation can bounce back quickly and continue operations successfully.
Cyber resilience offers a holistic approach to cyber security, emphasising the ability to withstand and recover from cyber attacks. By adopting the right mindset, leveraging advanced technology, addressing cyber hygiene, and measuring key metrics, organisations can enhance their cyber resilience. Additionally, collaboration within industries and proactive board engagement are crucial for effective risk management. As cyber threats continue to evolve, organisations must prioritise cyber resilience as an ongoing journey, continuously adapting and refining their strategies to stay ahead of malicious actors.
Emerging Ransomware Group 8Base Releasing Confidential Data from SMBs Globally
A ransomware group that operated under the radar for over a year has come to light in recent weeks, thanks to a series of business data leaks on the Dark Web. Since at least April 2022, 8base has been conducting double-extortion attacks against small and midsized businesses (SMBs). It all came to a head in May, when the group dumped data belonging to 67 organisations on the cyber underground.
Not much is known yet about the group's tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), likely due to the low profile of their victims. The victims span science and technology, manufacturing, retail, construction, healthcare, and more, with victims from as far afield as India, Peru, Madagascar and Brazil, amongst others.
https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/emerging-ransomware-8base-doxxes-smbs-globally
Financial Firms to Build Resilience in Face of Growing Cyber-Threats
Cyber resilience is now a key component of operational resilience for the UK’s financial markets, according to a Bank of England official. Cyber attacks have increased by 38% in 2022, and the range of firms and organisations being impacted seems to grow broader and broader.
Regulators want to see how financial firms will cope with an attack, and its impact on the wider financial services ecosystem. Similar work is being done at an international level by the G7, which has its own cyber expert group. In the UK, the main tools for improving resilience are threat intelligence sharing, better coordination between firms, regulators, the Bank and the Treasury, and penetration testing including CBEST. Financial services firms should have scenario specific playbooks, to set out how to contain intruders and stop them spreading to clients and counterparties. In the past, simulation exercises have been used to model terrorist incidents and pandemics and they are now being used to model cyber attacks.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/financial-firms-to-build-resilience/
Fulfilling Expected SEC Requirements for Cyber Security Expertise at Board Level
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to introduce a rule requiring demonstration of cyber security expertise at the board level for public companies. A recent study found that currently up to 90% of companies in the Russell 3000 lack even a single director with the necessary cyber expertise. The simplest and speediest solution would be to promote the existing CISO, provided they have the appropriate qualities and experience, to the board but that would require transplanting a focused operational executive into a strategic business advisory role. A credible alternative is to bring in a cyber focused Non-Executive Director with the appropriate skills and experience.
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Why assessing third parties for security risk is still an unsolved problem | CSO Online
Navigating the Complex World of Cyber security Compliance - MSSP Alert
Security budget hikes are missing the mark, CISOs say | CSO Online
How to Weather the Coming Cyber security Storm - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Certifications are no guarantee of security - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Increased spending doesn't translate to improved cyber security posture - Help Net Security
Placing People & Realism at the Center of Your Cyber security Strategy (darkreading.com)
CISOs’ New Stressors Brought on by Digitalization: Report - SecurityWeek
Fulfilling Expected SEC Requirements for Cyber security Expertise at Board Level - SecurityWeek
From details to big picture: how to improve security effectiveness | CIO
IT Staff Increasingly Saddled with Data Protection Compliance (darkreading.com)
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Explainer: How MOVEit breach shows hackers' interest in corporate file transfer tools | Reuters
Ransomware Misconceptions Abound, to the Benefit of Attackers (darkreading.com)
US Offers $10m Reward For MOVEit Attackers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Data leak at Australian law firm spooks government, business • The Register
Fresh Ransomware Gangs Emerge As Market Leaders Decline (darkreading.com)
Emerging Ransomware Group 8Base Doxxes SMBs Globally (darkreading.com)
A Russian national charged for committing LockBit Ransomware attacks - Security Affairs
Rorschach Ransomware: What You Need to Know (darkreading.com)
Ransomware is only getting faster: Six steps to a stronger defence (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware gang preys on cancer centers, triggers alert | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Ransomware attacks pose communications dilemmas for local governments | CSO Online
LockBit Developing Ransomware for Apple M1 Chips, Embedded Systems (darkreading.com)
Ransomware Victims
Australian Government Says Its Data Was Stolen in Law Firm Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek
Hackers threaten to release photos of Beverly Hills plastic surgery patients (bitdefender.com)
Norton Parent Says Employee Data Stolen in MOVEit Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek
BlackCat gang threatens to leak plastic surgery photos • The Register
Reddit confirms BlackCat ransomware gang stole its data • The Register
Adur and Worthing Councils investigating after contractor data breach | The Argus
Iowa’s largest school district confirms ransomware attack, data theft (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers warn University of Manchester students’ of imminent data leak (bleepingcomputer.com)
USDA is investigating a 'possible data breach' related to global Russian cyber criminal hack | CNN
Avast, Norton Parent Latest Victim of MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (darkreading.com)
MOVEit Vulnerability Breaches Targeted Fed Agencies (trendmicro.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Cyber crime: what does psychology have to do with phishing? – podcast | Science | The Guardian
Hackers Will Be Quick to Bypass Gmail's Blue Check Verification System (darkreading.com)
UPS discloses data breach after exposed customer info used in SMS phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)
Insurance companies neglect basic email security - Help Net Security
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Artificial Intelligence
How generative AI is creating new classes of security threats | VentureBeat
Over 100,000 Stolen ChatGPT Account Credentials Sold on Dark Web Marketplaces (thehackernews.com)
‘With hackers adopting AI, it’s a cat-and-mouse game’ | Mint (livemint.com)
ChatGPT and data protection laws: Compliance challenges for businesses - Help Net Security
Google Tells Employees to Stay Away from Its Bard Chatbot (gizmodo.com)
Malware
Attacker seizes abandoned S3 bucket to launch malicious payloads | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Hackers use fake OnlyFans pics to drop info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Researchers Discover New Sophisticated Toolkit Targeting Apple macOS Systems (thehackernews.com)
Mysterious Mystic Stealer Spreads Like Wildfire in Mere Months (darkreading.com)
Hackers infect Linux SSH servers with Tsunami botnet malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
To kill BlackLotus malware, patching is a good start, but... • The Register
Microsoft Teams bug allows malware delivery from external accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)
APT37 hackers deploy new FadeStealer eavesdropping malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
ScarCruft Hackers Exploit Ably Service for Stealthy Wiretapping Attacks (thehackernews.com)
Chinese Hacker Group 'Flea' Targets American Ministries with Graphican Backdoor (thehackernews.com)
USB Drives Spread Spyware as China's Mustang Panda APT Goes Global (darkreading.com)
NSA shares tips on blocking BlackLotus UEFI malware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Chinese malware accidentally infects networked storage • The Register
ChamelDoH: New Linux Backdoor Utilising DNS-over-HTTPS Tunneling for Covert CnC (thehackernews.com)
Mobile
SMS delivery reports can be used to infer recipient's location (bleepingcomputer.com)
Apple fixes zero-days used to deploy Triangulation spyware via iMessage (bleepingcomputer.com)
Android spyware camouflaged as VPN, chat apps on Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)
Botnets
Romanian cyber crime gang Diicot builds DDoS botnet with Mirai variant | CSO Online
New Condi malware builds DDoS botnet out of TP-Link AX21 routers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers infect Linux SSH servers with Tsunami botnet malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mirai botnet targets 22 flaws in D-Link, Zyxel, Netgear devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Police crack down on DDoS-for-hire service active since 2013 (bleepingcomputer.com)
New Condi malware builds DDoS botnet out of TP-Link AX21 routers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Zeeland port website hit by DDOS attack, possibly by Russian hackers | NL Times
From Cryptojacking to DDoS Attacks: Diicot Expands Tactics with Cayosin Botnet (thehackernews.com)
Internet of Things – IoT
Romanian cyber crime gang Diicot builds DDoS botnet with Mirai variant | CSO Online
Smart Pet Feeders Expose Personal Data - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Security for embedded devices is ignored by too many companies, expert says | Fierce Electronics
Our cities are becoming increasingly automated—and we’re not ready (fastcompany.com)
US Military Personnel Receiving Unsolicited, Suspicious Smartwatches - SecurityWeek
Mirai botnet targets 22 flaws in D-Link, Zyxel, Netgear devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
Data leak at Australian law firm spooks government, business • The Register
Australian Government Says Its Data Was Stolen in Law Firm Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek
Mondelez says crooks stole staff data in security breach • The Register
UPS discloses data breach after exposed customer info used in SMS phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)
Reddit hackers threaten to leak data stolen in February breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyber attacks since late 2022 - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)
SSD missing from SAP datacenter turns up on eBay • The Register
Smart Pet Feeders Expose Personal Data - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Hackers warn University of Manchester students’ of imminent data leak (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Crypto and Cyber Security: A Complex Relationship (analyticsinsight.net)
Cyber attackers Got More Creative Post-Pandemic, Proofpoint Study Finds - MSSP Alert
The Great Exodus to Telegram: A Tour of the New Cyber crime Underground (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Crypto and Cyber Security: A Complex Relationship (analyticsinsight.net)
Blockchain security: Everything you should know for safe use | TechTarget
From Cryptojacking to DDoS Attacks: Diicot Expands Tactics with Cayosin Botnet (thehackernews.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Influencers in firing line as France tackles scams - BBC News
Keep Job Scams From Hurting Your Organisation (darkreading.com)
Impersonation Attacks
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Capita faces first legal Letter of Claim over mega breach • The Register
Why assessing third parties for security risk is still an unsolved problem | CSO Online
Mondelez says crooks stole staff data in security breach • The Register
Untangling the web of supply chain security with Tony Turner - Help Net Security
Software Supply Chain
Cloud/SaaS
Growing SaaS Usage Means Larger Attack Surface (darkreading.com)
Explainer: How MOVEit breach shows hackers' interest in corporate file transfer tools | Reuters
A new threat to financial stability lurks in the cloud | Financial Times (ft.com)
Cloud CISO Perspectives: Early June 2023 | Google Cloud Blog
Western Digital Blocks Unpatched Devices From Cloud Services - SecurityWeek
Attacker seizes abandoned S3 bucket to launch malicious payloads | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Attackers discovering exposed cloud assets within minutes | TechTarget
Cloud-native security hinges on open source - Help Net Security
Hybrid Microsoft network/cloud legacy settings may impact your future security posture | CSO Online
US cyber ambassador says China can win on AI, cloud • The Register
Hybrid/Remote Working
Shadow IT
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
Quantum hacking alert: Critical vulnerabilities found in quantum key distribution (techxplore.com)
The US Navy, NATO, and NASA are using a shady Chinese company’s encryption chips | Ars Technica
Physics - Long-Range Quantum Cryptography Gets Simpler (aps.org)
API
Open Source
Hackers infect Linux SSH servers with Tsunami botnet malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cloud-native security hinges on open source - Help Net Security
ChamelDoH: New Linux Backdoor Utilising DNS-over-HTTPS Tunneling for Covert CnC (thehackernews.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
The future of passwords and authentication - Help Net Security
These are the most hacked passwords. Is yours on the list? | ZDNET
Social Media
Influencers in firing line as France tackles scams - BBC News
Reddit hackers threaten to leak data stolen in February breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Training, Education and Awareness
Digital Transformation
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
ChatGPT and data protection laws: Compliance challenges for businesses - Help Net Security
Bill allowing CISA to assist foreign governments passes Senate committee | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Fulfilling Expected SEC Requirements for Cyber security Expertise at Board Level - SecurityWeek
Models, Frameworks and Standards
The significance of CIS Control mapping in the 2023 Verizon DBIR - Help Net Security
What is PCI Compliance? 12 Requirements and More Explained | Definition from TechTarget
Secure Disposal
Data Protection
ChatGPT and data protection laws: Compliance challenges for businesses - Help Net Security
Consumer Data: The Risk and Reward for Manufacturing Companies (darkreading.com)
IT Staff Increasingly Saddled with Data Protection Compliance (darkreading.com)
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
8 notable entry-level cyber security career and skills initiatives in 2023 | CSO Online
UK military is struggling to recruit tech experts, says report | Financial Times (ft.com)
Certifications are no guarantee of security - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Google announces $20 million investment for cyber clinics | CyberScoop
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Police crack down on DDoS-for-hire service active since 2013 (bleepingcomputer.com)
Megaupload duo will go to prison at last, but Kim Dotcom fights on… – Naked Security (sophos.com)
A Russian national charged for committing LockBit Ransomware attacks - Security Affairs
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Killnet Threatens Imminent SWIFT, World Banking Attacks (darkreading.com)
A Newly Named Group of GRU Hackers is Wreaking Havoc in Ukraine | WIRED
Russia sent its reserve team to wipe Ukrainian hard drives • The Register
Russian APT Group Caught Hacking Roundcube Email Servers - SecurityWeek
Hacktivist group Anonymous Sudan a ‘bear in wolf’s clothing’ | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Russian APT28 hackers breach Ukrainian govt email servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Strategies for staying ahead of modern cyber warfare - CyberTalk
German intelligence services point to increased hybrid security threats – EURACTIV.com
Nation State Actors
Microsoft Pins Early June DDoS Attacks on Russian-linked Cyber Crew - MSSP Alert
US DOJ Launches Cyber Unit to Prosecute Nation-State Threat Actors - SecurityWeek
US Military Personnel Receiving Unsolicited, Suspicious Smartwatches - SecurityWeek
USB Drives Spread Spyware as China's Mustang Panda APT Goes Global (darkreading.com)
CISA orders govt agencies to patch bugs exploited by Russian hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)
US Cyber Ambassador says China can win on AI, cloud • The Register
Cadet Blizzard emerges as a novel and distinct Russian threat actor | Microsoft Security Blog
The Israeli weapons and spyware falling into the hands of despots | Financial Times (ft.com)
The US Navy, NATO, and NASA are using a shady Chinese company’s encryption chips | Ars Technica
Zeeland port website hit by DDOS attack, possibly by Russian hackers | NL Times
A Russian national charged for committing LockBit Ransomware attacks - Security Affairs
Hacktivist group Anonymous Sudan a ‘bear in wolf’s clothing’ | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
APT37 hackers deploy new FadeStealer eavesdropping malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
ScarCruft Hackers Exploit Ably Service for Stealthy Wiretapping Attacks (thehackernews.com)
20-Year-Old Chinese APT15 Finds New Life in Foreign Ministry Attacks (darkreading.com)
Chinese Hacker Group 'Flea' Targets American Ministries with Graphican Backdoor (thehackernews.com)
North Korean APT targets defectors, activists with infostealer malware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
China-sponsored APT group targets government ministries in the Americas | CSO Online
Chinese malware accidentally infects networked storage • The Register
Trellix Detects Leading Threat Actor Countries Behind Nation-State Activity - MSSP Alert
Vulnerability Management
Guess what happened to this US agency that didn't patch? • The Register
EU Council mulls pan-European platform to handle cyber vulnerabilities – EURACTIV.com
Vulnerabilities
VMware warns of critical vRealize flaw exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft Teams Vulnerability: The GIFShell Attack (latesthackingnews.com)
Patch Now: Cisco AnyConnect Bug Exploit Released in the Wild (darkreading.com)
Zyxel addressed critical flaw CVE-2023-27992 in NAS Devices - Security Affairs
Microsoft Teams bug allows malware delivery from external accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)
Chrome and Its Vulnerabilities - Is the Web Browser Safe to Use? - SecurityWeek
Critical WordPress Plugin Vulnerabilities Impact Thousands of Sites - SecurityWeek
SMB Edge Devices Walloped With Asus, Zyxel Patch Warnings (darkreading.com)
VMware fixes vCenter Server bugs allowing code execution, auth bypass (bleepingcomputer.com)
Azure AD 'Log in With Microsoft' Authentication Bypass Affects Thousands (darkreading.com)
Western Digital Blocks Unpatched Devices From Cloud Services - SecurityWeek
Risk & Repeat: Mandiant sheds light on Barracuda ESG attacks | TechTarget
ASUS warns router customers: Patch now, or block all inbound requests – Naked Security (sophos.com)
Firmware Backdoor Discovered in Gigabyte Motherboards, Hundreds of Models Affected - CPO Magazine
Apple fixes zero-days used to deploy Triangulation spyware via iMessage (bleepingcomputer.com)
A (cautionary) tale of two patched bugs, both under exploit • The Register
Millions of GitHub repos likely vulnerable to RepoJacking, researchers say (bleepingcomputer.com)
Windows 11 KB5027231 also breaks Chrome for Cisco, WatchGuard EDR users (bleepingcomputer.com)
Gaps in Azure Service Fabric’s Security Call for User Vigilance (trendmicro.com)
Tools and Controls
Getting Over the DNS Security Awareness Gap (darkreading.com)
Zscaler CEO: Firewalls Are Going The Way Of The Mainframe | CRN
The future of passwords and authentication - Help Net Security
Increased spending doesn't translate to improved cyber security posture - Help Net Security
Placing People & Realism at the Center of Your Cyber security Strategy (darkreading.com)
Security investments that help companies navigate the macroeconomic climate - Help Net Security
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
Boris Johnson’s notebooks cause national security alarm (thetimes.co.uk)
Keep it, Tweak it, Trash it – What to do with Aging Tech in an Era of Consolidation - SecurityWeek
Cyber attacks on OT, ICS Lay Groundwork for Kinetic Warfare (darkreading.com)
Why CISOs should be concerned about space-based attacks | CSO Online
Legal firms urged to strengthen cyber defences with latest... - NCSC.GOV.UK
GCHQ’s top hacker James Babbage quits to join NCA in blow to UK cyber force (telegraph.co.uk)
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 09 April 2021
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 09 April 2021: Ransomware Attacks Grew By 485% In 2020; Cyber Insurance Firm Suffers Cyber Attack; Ransom Gangs Emailing Victim Customers For Leverage; 'We Have Your Porn Collection' - The Rise Of Extortionware; Should Firms Be More Worried About Firmware Cyber Attacks; Armed Conflict Draws Closer As State-Backed Cyber Attacks Intensify; Coca-Cola Trade Secret Theft Underscores Importance Of Insider Threat Early Detection; Attackers Blowing Up Discord, Slack With Malware
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
Ransomware Attacks Grew By 485% In 2020
Ransomware attacks increased by an astonishing 485% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Bitdefender’s 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape Report, which highlighted the ways cyber criminals targeted the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, nearly two-thirds (64%) of the ransomware attacks took place in the first two quarters of 2020.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-attacks-grow-2020/
Cyber Insurance Firm Suffers Sophisticated Ransomware Cyber Attack; Data Obtained May Help Hackers Better Target Firm’s Customers
One of the largest insurance firms in the US CNA Financial was reportedly hit by a “sophisticated cyber security attack” on March 21, 2021. The cyber attack disrupted the company’s employee and customer services for three days as the company shut down “out of an abundance of caution” to prevent further compromise.
Ransom Gangs Emailing Victim Customers For Leverage
Some of the top ransomware gangs are deploying a new pressure tactic to push more victim organisations into paying an extortion demand: Emailing the victim’s customers and partners directly, warning that their data will be leaked to the dark web unless they can convince the victim firm to pay up.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/04/ransom-gangs-emailing-victim-customers-for-leverage/
'We Have Your Porn Collection': The Rise Of Extortionware
Experts say the trend towards ransoming sensitive private information could affect companies not just operationally but through reputation damage. It comes as hackers bragged after discovering an IT Director's secret porn collection. The targeted US firm has not publicly acknowledged that it was hacked. In its darknet blog post about the hack last month, the cyber-criminal gang named the IT director whose work computer allegedly contained the files.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56570862
Should Firms Be More Worried About Firmware Cyber Attacks?
Microsoft recently put out a report claiming that businesses globally are neglecting a key aspect of their cyber security - the need to protect computers, servers, and other devices from firmware attacks. Its survey of 1,000 cyber security decision makers at enterprises across multiple industries in the UK, US, Germany, Japan, and China has revealed that 80% of firms have experienced at least one firmware attack in the past two years. Yet only 29% of security budgets have been allocated to protect firmware.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56671419
Armed Conflict Draws Closer As State-Backed Cyber Attacks Intensify
The world is coming perilously close to nation states retaliating against cyber attacks with conventional weapons, according to a new HP report. Publicly available reports into state-sponsored attacks and interviews with scores of experts. It claimed there has been a 100% increase in “significant” state-backed attacks between 2017-20, and an average of over 10 publicly attributed attacks per month in 2020 alone.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/armed-conflict-closer-state/
Coca-Cola Trade Secret Theft Underscores Importance Of Insider Threat Early Detection
The trial of Xiaorong You started in Greenville, TN, this week. She is accused of trade secret theft and economic espionage after allegedly stealing technologies owned by several companies, including her former employers Coca-Cola and Eastman Chemical Company. The value placed on the development of the stolen technologies is $119.6 million. Other affected companies include Azko-Nobel, Dow Chemical, PPG, TSI, Sherwin Williams and ToyoChem.
The details of the case suggest that the damages the accused is allegedly responsible for could have been minimized if better real-time insider threat detection methods had been in place. They also outline possible motives for the theft of the intellectual property: ego and money.
Attackers Blowing Up Discord, Slack With Malware
Workflow and collaboration tools like Slack and Discord have been infiltrated by threat actors, who are abusing their legitimate functions to evade security and deliver info-stealers, remote-access trojans (RATs) and other malware. The pandemic-induced shift to remote work drove business processes onto these collaboration platforms in 2020, and predictably, 2021 has ushered in a new level cyber criminal expertise in attacking them.
https://threatpost.com/attackers-discord-slack-malware/165295/
Scraped Data Of 500 Million LinkedIn Users Being Sold Online, 2 Million Records Leaked As Proof
An archive containing data purportedly scraped from 500 million LinkedIn profiles has been put for sale on a popular hacker forum, with another 2 million records leaked as a proof-of-concept sample by the post author. The four leaked files contain information about the LinkedIn users whose data has been allegedly scraped by the threat actor, including their full names, email addresses, phone numbers, workplace information, and more.
While users on the hacker forum can view the leaked samples for about $2 worth of forum credits, the threat actor appears to be auctioning the much-larger 500 million user database for at least a 4-digit sum, presumably in bitcoin.
Massive Facebook Data Breach Leaks Info On Millions Of Users
The personal information of hundreds of millions of Facebook users across the globe has been leaked online. Around 533 million Facebook users are thought to have been affected by the data breach, with phone numbers, Facebook ID, full name, location, past location, birthdate, email address, account creation date, relationship status, and personal bios all available. The data is thought to be the same set that was leaked in January 2021 and was available to purchase online, meaning Facebook has failed to secure its users once again.
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/massive-facebook-data-breach-leaks-info-on-millions-of-users
Threats
Ransomware
Phishing
Malware
Mobile
IOT
Vulnerabilities
Critical Zoom vulnerability triggers remote code execution without user input
Bug allows attackers to hijack Windows time sync software used to track security incidents
AMD admits Zen 3 processors are vulnerable to Spectre-like side-channel attack
SAP Bugs Under Active Cyberattack, Causing Widespread Compromise
Data Breaches
Adult content from hundreds of OnlyFans creators leaked online
A huge trove of credit card records and Social Security numbers just got hacked
Booking.com fined €475,000 for late reporting of data breach
Nation State Actors
Privacy
Other News
Ubiquiti is accused of covering up a ‘catastrophic’ data breach — and it’s not denying it
VISA: Hackers increasingly using web shells to steal credit cards
Cloud-native watering hole attack: Simple and potentially devastating
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