Threat Intelligence Blog
Contact us to discuss any insights from our Blog, and how we can support you in a tailored threat intelligence report.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 December 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 29 December 2023:
-UK Ministers Publicly State Fears of Potential Widescale Power Grid Disruptions
-Countries Brace for Influence Operations, AI and Hacking Campaigns Ahead of Historic 2024 Election Year, Could Upset World Balance
-The Most Popular Passwords of 2023 are Easy to Guess and Crack
-Dangerous Malware Pretends to be Some of Your Most Used Business Software
-MFA Helps You Stay Resilient, But Nothing is a Silver Bullet
-Ransomware Leak Site Victims Reached Record-High in November
-MOVEit, Capita, CitrixBleed and More: The Biggest Data Breaches of 2023
-Europol Warns 443 Online Shops Infected with Credit Card Stealers
-Physical Access Systems Open Door to IT Networks
-Simple Hacking Techniques Prove Successful in 2023 Cyber Attacks
-Daily Malicious Files Rise to 411,000 a day in 2023
-Android Malware Actively Infecting Devices to Take Full Control
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 Ministers Publicly State Fears of Potential Widescale Power Grid Disruptions
The UK’s power network has long been an attractive target for enemies of the state and that remains true today. In fact, according to the UK Government, the risk of the whole country’s electricity system being shut down is growing. So are the dangers to citizens if it happens.
The UK’s National Risk Register, the official document assessing 89 different possible threats to the country, explains that a cyber attack on the National Grid could be launched by culprits “encrypting, stealing or destroying data upon which critical systems depend, or via disruption to operational systems”.
Source: [iNews]
Countries Brace for Influence Operations, AI and Hacking Campaigns Ahead of Historic 2024 Election Year, Could Upset World Balance
Billions of people around the world are expected to go to the polls and vote in 2024, in what will be the most significant election year in recent memory, and cyber security and government officials have already warned about countries using technology to influence operations. This includes disinformation campaigns and hacking attempts. Officials have further warned that artificial intelligence will likely be used to fuel such campaigns.
Sources: [The Record] [Security Affairs]
The Most Popular Passwords of 2023 are Easy to Guess and Crack
NordPass released a list of the top 200 common passwords recently, which included “123456” and “admin” as the top two. Of particular note, the top 40 passwords were all deemed to take less than 12 seconds to crack, or could be determined by an actor with no knowledge of the password. Many people would argue that there are so many passwords needed these days that it becomes hard to remember, hence their choice of easier passwords, and often reusing or recycling them across multiple sites and services. The use of a password manager can greatly reduce this need, requiring the user to only remember one password whilst also allowing for more complex and harder to crack passwords.
Source: [gHacks]
Dangerous Malware Pretends to be Some of Your Most Used Business Software
Hackers are using an old form of banking malware, known as Carbanak, to launch damaging ransomware attacks. Hackers are using compromised websites to host the malware, impersonating popular business-related software such as HubSpot, Veeam, or Xero.
Source: [TechRadar]
MFA Helps You Stay Resilient, But Nothing is a Silver Bullet
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a great resource for improving your organisation’s cyber resilience, but no technology is 100% secure and the human element will nearly always remain. With notable security breaches bypassing MFA to compromise organisations including Uber, games company EA, and authentication business Okta, organisations need to be aware that it is a possibility. As such, organisations need to ensure they implement MFA effectively and educate their users in their implementation; even the strongest of controls are rendered useless if they can be bypassed with one social engineering phone call.
Source: [Help Net Security]
Ransomware Leak Site Victims Reached Record-High in November
Corvus Threat Intel observed 484 new ransomware victims posted to leak sites in November. This represents a 39% increase from October and a 110% increase compared with November 2022. Further, this is the eleventh consecutive month in which there has been a year-on-year increase in ransomware victims, and the ninth with a victim count over 300.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
MOVEit, Capita, CitrixBleed and More: The Biggest Data Breaches of 2023
2023 was a colossal year for data breaches, with the likes of MOVEit, Capita, Citrix, Royal Mail, MGM resorts and 3CX among some of the most significant victims. Such attacks have involved a number of vectors, such as file transfer vulnerabilities, social engineering, supply chain attacks and zero-day exploits. The result? Millions of people’s data compromised, and hundreds of millions paid out to attackers; the attack on MGM resorts alone is reported to have costed upwards of $100 million.
Source: [TechCrunch]
Europol Warns 443 Online Shops Infected with Credit Card Stealers
Europol has notified over 400 websites that their online shop had been hacked, with malicious scripts that steal card information from paying customers. The scripts are designed to intercept and steal payment card numbers, expiration dates, verification numbers, names, and shipping addresses, which are then uploaded to an attacker. This information is then used, or sold on the dark web to be used. Unfortunately, some of these attacks can go undetected for weeks or even several months.
Source: [Bleeping Computer]
Physical Access Systems Open Door to IT Networks
Cyber attackers can exploit access control measures installed on supposedly secure facility doors to gain unauthorised building access to sensitive locations, as well as breach internal IP networks directly from these systems, research has shown. At a recent leading security conference, analysts demonstrated this is an attack. Assets such as these can often be forgotten about and therefore omitted from protections, highlighting the need for organisations to have an up to date and accurate asset register.
Source: [Dark Reading]
Simple Hacking Techniques Prove Successful in 2023 Cyber Attacks
Hacking can be sophisticated, but often it is not sophisticated at all. Some of the biggest hacks this year started with what seemed like an innocent phone call, but which in fact were fairly simple social engineering attacks. Additionally, hackers continued to target companies that failed to promptly update their systems, even after patches were released to fix critical vulnerabilities. The best first step to protect an organisation is to establish a culture of good cyber security hygiene across people, operations and technology.
Source: [Pymnts]
Daily Malicious Files Rise to 411,000 a day in 2023
Cyber criminals unleashed an average of 411,000 malicious files every day in 2023, representing a 3% increase from the previous year, according to Kaspersky. Malicious desktop files in particular rose by 53%. Cyber criminals favoured Microsoft Office services’ vulnerabilities, which represented 69% of all exploited vulnerabilities.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
Android Malware Actively Infecting Devices to Take Full Control
Android Malware is actively being used to take control of devices for illicit purposes, such as stealing sensitive information and enabling remote attacks, and least 327,000 devices are reported to have been infected with such malware. Research has found that amongst the most targeted countries are the UK and US. Often, for the malware to work, users need to allow it access to information such as contacts, email. In some cases, the user would only be aware they have consented if they were to manually check the apps settings. For organisations, this can mean employees bringing personal or work phones into the corporate environment, with malware potentially along for the ride.
Source: [GBhackers]
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Rethinking data security in the age of ransomware and AI - SiliconANGLE
Carbanak Banking Malware Resurfaces with New Ransomware Tactics (thehackernews.com)
Do the casino ransomware attacks make the case to pay? • The Register
Windows CLFS and five exploits used by ransomware operators | Securelist
Cyber crime experts reveal how to infiltrate ransomware gangs • The Register
How ransomware operators try to stay under the radar | Malwarebytes
How many times are you going to think about ransomware in 2024? (betanews.com)
Ransomware Victims
MOVEit, Capita, CitrixBleed and more: The biggest data breaches of 2023 | TechCrunch
Lockbit ransomware disrupts emergency care at German hospitals (bleepingcomputer.com)
Integris Health patients get extortion emails after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware Group Claims 100 Gb of Data Stolen From Nissan Australia - Security Week
Indian IT services giant HCL Technologies hit by ransomware | TechRadar
LockBit gang claims to have breached accountancy firm Xeinadin (securityaffairs.com)
Rockstar Employee Details Reportedly Leaked By Hackers (thegamer.com)
Australia’s Largest Auto Dealer Group Hit By Massive Cyber Attack | Carscoops
Artificial Intelligence
Elections 2024, Artificial Intelligence could upset world balances (securityaffairs.com)
Malicious GPT Can Phish Credentials, Exfiltrate Them to External Server: Researcher - Security Week
Rethinking data security in the age of ransomware and AI - SiliconANGLE
GenAI Tools Will Permeate All Areas of the Enterprise (darkreading.com)
Why data, AI, and regulations top the threat list for 2024 - Help Net Security
5 Ways that AI Is Set To Transform Cyber Security (informationweek.com)
The Emerging Landscape of AI-Driven Cyber Security Threats: A Look Ahead - Security Week
Skynet Ahoy? What to Expect for Next-Gen AI Security Risks (darkreading.com)
2FA/MFA
Malware
Carbanak Banking Malware Resurfaces with New Ransomware Tactics (thehackernews.com)
Iran's 'Peach Sandstorm' Cyber Attackers Target Global Defence Network (darkreading.com)
Decoy Microsoft Word Documents Used to Deliver Nim-Based Malware (thehackernews.com)
This growing malware threat actor is set to unleash a surge of attacks, experts warn | TechRadar
'BattleRoyal' Hackers Deliver DarkGate RAT Using Every Trick (darkreading.com)
Microsoft disables MSIX protocol handler abused in malware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
UAC-0099 Using WinRAR Exploit to Target Ukrainian Firms with LONEPAGE Malware (thehackernews.com)
New Sneaky Xamalicious Android Malware Hits Over 327,000 Devices (thehackernews.com)
Russian military hackers target Ukraine with new MASEPIE malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Fake VPN Chrome extensions force-installed 1.5 million times (bleepingcomputer.com)
Kimsuky Group Using Weaponized file Deploy AppleSeed Malware (cybersecuritynews.com)
New Rugmi Malware Loader Surges with Hundreds of Daily Detections (thehackernews.com)
Game mod on Steam breached to push password-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
How the new Instegogram threat creates liability for organisations | CSO Online
Mobile
TikTok makes users give iPhone passwords, reasons unclear (nypost.com)
Android Malware Actively Infecting Devices to Take Full Control (gbhackers.com)
Chameleon Android Malware Can Bypass Biometric Security - Security Week
SMS Scams Set to Peak on Saturday in UK - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Essential DDoS statistics for understanding attack impact - Help Net Security
How to Prepare for DDoS Attacks During Peak Business Times (darkreading.com)
In Cyber Security and Fashion, What's Old Is New Again (darkreading.com)
Internet of Things – IoT
Tech gifts you shouldn’t buy your family and friends for the holidays | TechCrunch
Physical Access Systems Open Door to IT Networks (darkreading.com)
Ho Ho Home For Christmas? Tips For Avoiding Tech Terrors This Festive Season - IT Security Guru
Data Breaches/Leaks
MOVEit, Capita, CitrixBleed and more: The biggest data breaches of 2023 | TechCrunch
Mortgage firm LoanCare warns 1.3 million people of data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Real estate agency exposes details of 690k customers (securityaffairs.com)
Insomniac Games Releases Statement Over Recent Cyber Attack - Gameranx
Ubisoft says it's investigating reports of a new security breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Rockstar Employee Details Reportedly Leaked By Hackers (thegamer.com)
Inmate, Staff Information Stolen in Rhode Island Prison Data Breach - Security Week
Mint Mobile discloses new data breach exposing customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers steal customer data from Europe’s largest parking app operator | Hacking | The Guardian
Yakult Australia confirms 'cyber incident' after 95 GB data leak (bleepingcomputer.com)
CBS, Paramount owner National Amusements says it was hacked | TechCrunch
Panasonic discloses data breach after December 2022 cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Customers warned after major car dealership group Eagers Automotive hacked | The West Australian
Cyber Attacks Impacts Two Major Australian Companies Including Leaked Passports | The Epoch Times
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Simple Hacking Techniques Prove Successful in Cyber Attacks (pymnts.com)
Hackers stole $2 billion in crypto in 2023, data shows | TechCrunch
Hacking or Social Engineering? What You Need to Know to Keep Yourself Safe | HackerNoon
3 Clues That Hackers May Know More About Your Business Than You Do | Inc.com
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Hackers stole $2 billion in crypto in 2023, data shows | TechCrunch
Warning: Poorly Secured Linux SSH Servers Under Attack for Cryptocurrency Mining (thehackernews.com)
Hacking group Pink Drainer strikes again, pilfering $4.4M from just 1 victim (cointelegraph.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Third-party issues disrupt 45% of firms despite cyber security spends (securitybrief.co.nz)
MOVEit, Capita, CitrixBleed and more: The biggest data breaches of 2023 | TechCrunch
Cloud/SaaS
Researchers uncover major security issue in Microsoft Azure - here's what we know | TechRadar
Data security and cost are key cloud adoption challenges for financial industry - Help Net Security
The Future of Hybrid Cloud: What to Expect in 2024 and Beyond (techtarget.com)
Encryption
Warning: Poorly Secured Linux SSH Servers Under Attack for Cryptocurrency Mining (thehackernews.com)
Linux and Open Source
Warning: Poorly Secured Linux SSH Servers Under Attack for Cryptocurrency Mining (thehackernews.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
The most popular passwords of 2023 are easy to guess and crack - gHacks Tech News
Malicious GPT Can Phish Credentials, Exfiltrate Them to External Server: Researcher - Security Week
Social Media
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Europe Sees More Hacktivism, GDPR Echoes, and New Security Laws Ahead for 2024 (darkreading.com)
Why data, AI, and regulations top the threat list for 2024 - Help Net Security
Europe classifies three adult sites as worthy of its toughest internet regulations • The Register
5 US cyber security compliance deadlines in 2024 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
EU updates product liability regime to include software, Artificial Intelligence – EURACTIV.com
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Backup and Recovery
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Cyber Employment 2024: Sky-High Expectations Fail Businesses & Job Seekers (darkreading.com)
Top Tips from CISOs for CISOs - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
How leaders can look after information security professionals | ITPro
Building Mental Resilience: A CISO's Journey - GovInfoSecurity
What Does the Future Hold for Today’s Cyber Security Leaders? (huntress.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Ministers fear a cyber attack cutting all our electricity – this is why (inews.co.uk)
How Cyber Criminals Will Sway 2024 US Elections, Or Try To (darkreading.com)
Nation State Actors
China
Russia
Ukrainian remote workers targeted in new espionage campaign (therecord.media)
UAC-0099 Using WinRAR Exploit to Target Ukrainian Firms with LONEPAGE Malware (thehackernews.com)
Russian firms subjected to new cyber espionage campaign | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Cloud Atlas' Spear-Phishing Attacks Target Russian Agro and Research Companies (thehackernews.com)
Inside the World of Deep-Cover Russian Spies Who Are Infiltrating the West (businessinsider.com)
Russian military hackers target Ukraine with new MASEPIE malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Iran
Iran's 'Peach Sandstorm' Cyber Attackers Target Global Defence Network (darkreading.com)
Israel and Iran are waging a cyber war in the shadows - opinion - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)
A cyber attack targets Albanian Parliament’s data system, halting its work | Stars and Stripes
North Korea
Kimsuky Group Using Weaponized file Deploy AppleSeed Malware (cybersecuritynews.com)
Kim Jong Un Expected To Conduct Military, Cyber Attacks During US Elections - Benzinga
Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerabilities
Researchers uncover major security issue in Microsoft Azure - here's what we know | TechRadar
Barracuda fixed a new ESG zero-day exploited by Chinese group UNC4841 (securityaffairs.com)
CISA Warns of FXC Router, QNAP NVR Vulnerabilities Exploited in the Wild - Security Week
Google Releases Eighth Zero-Day Patch of 2023 for Chrome (darkreading.com)
Windows CLFS and five exploits used by ransomware operators | Securelist
Apache OFBiz RCE flaw exploited to find vulnerable Confluence servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Tools and Controls
Physical Access Systems Open Door to IT Networks (darkreading.com)
Even cyber security pros don't fully trust AI just yet | TechRadar
GenAI Tools Will Permeate All Areas of the Enterprise (darkreading.com)
Verification roadblocks cause frustration for digital nomads - Help Net Security
Strengthening Resilience: Navigating the Cyber Security Landscape (darkreading.com)
API security in 2024: Predictions and trends - Help Net Security
Other News
5 Things You Can Do Today to Prepare for 2024’s Security Threats (informationweek.com)
Pensions Regulator publishes updated cyber security guidance for trustees | Mayer Brown - JDSupra
All I really need to know about cyber security, I learned in kindergarten (venturebeat.com)
New insights into the global industrial cyber security landscape - Help Net Security
NASA Releases First Space Cyber Security Best Practices Guide (inforisktoday.com)
Unveiling the true cost of healthcare cyber security incidents - Help Net Security
Hackers see wealth of information to steal in kids' school records (cnbc.com)
A cyber attack targets Albanian Parliament’s data system, halting its work | Stars and Stripes
How Cyber Criminals Will Sway 2024 US Elections, Or Try To (darkreading.com)
Post-pandemic Cyber Security: Lessons from the global health crisis (att.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
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 25 August 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 25 August 2023:
-Cloud Hosting Firm Loses All Customer Data After Ransomware Attack
-Would You Infect Others to Rid Yourself of Ransomware?
-Artificial Intelligence and USBs Drive 8% Rise in Cyber Attacks
-Ransomware Attacks Broke Records in July, Mainly Driven By One Group
-Cyber Risk in The Boardroom
-Malware-Infected Advertising Grows Ever More Sophisticated, And More Damaging
-Cyber Security is Everyone’s Responsibility
-QR Code Hacks Are Another Thing to Worry About Now
-Security Basics Aren’t So Basic Anymore
-Apple MacOS Security Myths
-Security Leaders Report Misalignment of Investments and Risk Reduction
-Many CISOs Tout SaaS (Cloud) Cyber Security Confidence, but 79% Admit to SaaS Incidents, New Report Finds
-If You Ever Used Duolingo, Watch Out for Phishing Email
-91% of Security and IT Professionals Agree Cyber Criminals are Already Using AI in Email Attacks
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
Cloud Hosting Firm Loses All Customer Data After Ransomware Attack
CloudNordic, a Danish cloud hosting provider, has told customers to consider all of their data as having been lost following a ransomware infection that encrypted the large Danish cloud provider. The threat actors had destroyed the organisation’s backups, which prevented the firm from recovering effectively. The attack also impacted AzeroCloud, which is owned by the same company.
Worryingly, many organisations believe that having backups and using the cloud is enough for them to be able to recover from any cyber incident; unfortunately, as shown in the CloudNordic and AzeroCloud attacks, it is not enough. Organisations need to have a recovery plan in place which is tested and improved, to best strengthen themselves in the event of a cyber incident.
Sources: [The Register] [Bleeping Computer] [Help Net Security]
Would You Infect Others to Rid Yourself of Ransomware?
Hackers continually develop ransomware with new and creative attack methods that keep internet security professionals on their toes and pose challenges for people trying to detect threats. Victims of ransomware usually see messages asking them to pay for file access restoration; however, the Popcorn Time ransomware group takes a different approach to getting victims involved.
The Popcorn Time ransomware approach works via the referral method. The ransomware group is willing to give victims access to their files if they send the referral link to two other people, extending the attacker’s reach. Most people would hesitate to distribute a ransomware link through email, WhatsApp, or another method that is easy for victims to identify them as the perpetrators. Law enforcement bodies categorise ransomware attacks as crimes that come with hefty fines and prison time. Even those choosing to send the links to people they know face disastrous consequences beyond law enforcement, including the loss of jobs and relationships.
Source: [CyberNews]
Artificial Intelligence and USBs Drive 8% Rise in Cyber Attacks
Checkpoint’s 2023 Mid-Year Security Report shows an 8% surge in global weekly cyber attacks during Q2, marking the most significant increase in two years. The report highlights the fusion of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology with traditional tools like USB devices used for disruptive cyber attacks.
Other significant findings include the evolution of ransomware tactics. The report found that ransomware groups are exploiting vulnerabilities in common corporate software and shifting focus from encrypting data to stealing it. USB devices have resurfaced as threats, employed by both state-affiliated groups and cyber-criminals to distribute malware globally. The misuse of AI has escalated, as attackers use generative AI tools for phishing emails, keystroke monitoring malware and basic ransomware code.
Source: [InfoSecurity Magazine]
Ransomware Attacks Broke Records in July, Mainly Driven By One Group
A number of ransomware actors are utilising the threat of releasing sensitive data to get organisations to pay ransoms; in some cases this is combined with encryption to give the actor two avenues of payment. A report has found there were over 500 attacks last month, an increase of 153% compared to one year ago, and a 16% increase compared to June. Within Europe, there was a 59% increase in ransomware attacks from June to July.
Part of the significant rise is due to the ransomware group called Cl0p, whose attack on the MOVEit software has accounted for hundreds of victims this year. The Cl0p ransomware group has kept its promise to publish files on the clearweb of all its victims if contact was not made. The clearweb is simply what we know as the internet; anyone can access it. As such, there will be many organisations who are now having their sensitive data published and readily viewable for anyone who has access to the internet.
Sources: [Gov Info Seccurity] [Security Week] [ZDNET] [Cyber News]
Cyber Risk in The Boardroom
The relationship between the CISO and the wider boardroom has become increasingly cooperative, with 77% of CEO’s seeing cyber as a strategic function and a potential source of competitive advantage. While it is ultimately up to the board to take steps to keep cybersecurity high on the agenda, the CISO also has a responsibility to press the message and bridge any gaps.
CISOs must deliver concerns, strategies and recommendations in a business-first manner, while avoiding jargon and overly technical language. Attracting and retaining good quality senior security professionals is very challenging in the current market and Black Arrow offer a fractional CISO service, giving access to a whole team of specialists with wider expertise, experience and backgrounds, for less than the cost of hiring one individual.
Sources: [Security Week] [TechRadar]
Malware-Infected Advertising Grows Ever More Sophisticated, And More Damaging
The malware exploits known as malware-infected ads, or malvertising, have been around for decades, but new reports point to a steady rise in efficacy. With malvertising, the infected ads are typically placed on legitimate ad networks, which makes them more difficult to spot and remove. The technique continues to use more and more sophisticated mechanisms for getting their infections spread throughout the web and keeping them running for a long time. The exploits can operate in one of several ways, including intercepting a user’s clickstream on random hyperlinks and substituting them with redirects to advertising websites.
Adblockers either on endpoints or at the network level can also help to prevent malvertising from causing harm.
Source: [SiliconAngle]
Cyber Security is Everyone’s Responsibility
A recent survey found that 41% of respondents said that poor quality training, or a lack of training altogether, and insider threats were impacting their organisation’s security. Cyber security involves everyone as any employee can be an entry point for a cyber incident, but they also have the power to prevent one. It is important to make sure all employees are provided adequate training. Not every role requires the same training however, so it is important for organisations to identify and provide training that is appropriate to employees. Black Arrow provide live in person and online instructor lead cyber security training, both through Cyber Risk and Governance Workshops for Senior Leadership and Awareness, Behaviour and Culture Training for employees and contractors.
Source: [IT Pro Today]
QR Code Hacks Are Another Thing to Worry About Now
One of the upcoming technologies thrust upon us is QR codes. At this point, you can find them at most restaurants and parking sites. You simply scan the code and you are taken to the relevant site, for example, the menu for the restaurant. Attackers have cottoned on to this and started to use QR codes in phishing attacks; the idea being that the victim will scan the code without scrutinising it and be taken to a malicious website instead.
Source: [Bloomberg]
Security Basics Aren’t So Basic Anymore
The basics of cyber security, it turns out, aren’t so basic anymore. What was considered basic has moved way beyond just having firewalls and antivirus, and the most basic controls nowadays include more advanced controls such as robust identity and access management, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and patching and vulnerability management. Many of these now basic controls are lacking or non-existent across the economy according to cyber security experts. A report found that only 28% of Microsoft users had MFA enabled as 2022 closed.
You can’t solve all the problems at once. However, progress on these fronts also relies heavily on the need for a cultural shift. Organisations need to get to the point where they view cyber security in the same light as locks on doors and seatbelts in cars.
Source: [CioDive]
Apple MacOS Security Myths
Apple has maintained a reputation as being more secure than other manufacturers, and whilst Apple has put many different security mechanisms into its operating system, no technology is bulletproof. Assuming an Apple device is invulnerable can lead users to believe that their Mac will not get viruses or be subject to a plethora of other cyber threats. As a result, this can lead to poor cyber hygiene from the individual, as they assume they are safe regardless of what they do. Apple users need to remain every bit as aware of risks, social engineering, keeping devices up to date, and having appropriate security controls.
Source: [Huntress]
Security Leaders Report Misalignment of Investments and Risk Reduction
The cyber risk landscape was analysed in a recent report that examined the amount of risk that organisations are willing to accept, their resource constraints and key priorities for approaching cyber risk in the future. The report found 66% of respondents indicating that they have limited visibility and insight into their cyber risk profiles, hindering their ability to prioritise investments and allocate resources effectively. 67% of organisations experienced a breach requiring attention within the last two years despite having traditional threat-based security measures in place. Further, 61% of security executives expressed concerns over the current misalignment between cyber security investments and their organisation's risk reduction priorities.
Source: [InfoSecurity Magazine]
Many CISOs Tout SaaS (Cloud) Cyber Security Confidence, but 79% Admit to Incidents
Cyber security, IT, and business leaders alike recognise SaaS (cloud) cyber security as an increasingly important part of the cyber threat landscape. And at first glance, respondents appear generally optimistic about their SaaS cyber security as 85% answered that they are confident or very confident in their company's or customer's data security in sanctioned SaaS apps.
Despite the confidence, 79% of respondents confirmed that their organisation had identified SaaS cyber security incidents over the past 12 months. Many of those incidents occurred in environments with cyber security policies in place and enforced, as 66% of respondents claimed in their responses.
Source: [The Hacker News]
If You Ever Used Duolingo, Watch Out for Phishing Email
Users of Duolingo, past and present, should be wary of phishing emails as data on about 2.6 million accounts were scraped through an exposed application programming interface (API), and then offered on a hacking forum back in January. Login and real names, email addresses, phone numbers, and courses studied were part of the collection, which went for $1,500. Now that data has resurfaced on a different forum, and at a substantially lower cost of just a few dollars, users of the service can expect this data to be used in fresh phishing campaigns.
Source: [PCWorld]
91% of Security and IT Professionals: Criminals are Already Using AI in Email Attacks
Recent research found that 91% of security and IT professionals are noticing cyber criminals already using AI as part of email attack campaigns, with 74% indicating they have experienced an increase in the use of AI by cyber criminals in the past six months. This is worrying as 52% reported that email security is among one of their top three concerns.
Organisations need to make sure that their technologies, procedures and policies are updated to factor in AI-enabled email attacks to help reduce the risk they pose to the organisation. Such improvements should also include employees.
Source: [PR Newswire]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Cyber security 'number one on the agenda in boardrooms,' Cramer says (cnbc.com)
Firms have mere hours to deflect cyber attacks, warns cyber security CEO (cointelegraph.com)
The End of “Groundhog Day” for the Security in the Boardroom Discussion? - SecurityWeek
How Cyber Security Leaders Can Help Lower Expenses While Reducing Risk (informationweek.com)
Cyber crime: A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry (thecyberwire.com)
How the downmarket impacted enterprise cyber security budgets - Help Net Security
The Changing Landscape of Cyber Security Education (inforisktoday.com)
Protect Your Cyber Security Budget and Your Organisation | Dell USA
Rapid cyber attacks demand modernised security, says Palo Alto CEO (crypto.news)
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Cl0p dumps all MOVEit victim data on clearnet, threat insiders talk ransom strategy | Cybernews
Cuba ransomware gang looking for unpatched Veeam installations: Report | IT Business
Ransomware attacks broke records in July, mainly driven by this one group | ZDNET
Hosting firm says it lost all customer data after ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Would You Infect Others to Rid Yourself of Ransomware? (makeuseof.com)
How Application Allowlisting Combats Ransomware Attacks (securityintelligence.com)
Akira ransomware gang spotted targeting Cisco VPN products to hack organisations-Security Affairs
Why Ransomware Gangs Opt for Encryption-Less Attacks (govinfosecurity.com)
MOVEit Health Data Breach Tally Keeps Growing (inforisktoday.com)
British intelligence is tipping off ransomware targets to disrupt attacks (therecord.media)
What the Hive Ransomware Case Says About RaaS and Cryptocurrency (darkreading.com)
Three trends to watch in the growing threat landscape (betanews.com)
Ransomware Victims
Cl0p dumps all MOVEit victim data on clearnet, threat insiders talk ransom strategy | Cybernews
Hosting firm says it lost all customer data after ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
BlackCat ransomware group claims the hack of Seiko network -Security Affairs
Mysterious Cyber Attack Shuts Down Yet More Telescopes For Weeks | IFLScience
St Helens Council hit by suspected Ransomware cyber attack | St Helens Star
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
91% of security pros say cyber criminals are using AI in email attacks | Security Magazine
Cyber criminals turn to AI to bypass modern email security measures - Help Net Security
New Generation of Phishing Hides Behind Trusted Services (securityintelligence.com)
New phishing campaign recognised in Europe and South America | Security Magazine
If you ever used Duolingo, watch out for phishing emails | PCWorld
Open redirect flaws increasingly exploited by phishers - Help Net Security
How to spot phishing on a hacked WordPress website | Kaspersky official blog
New Telegram Bot "Telekopye" Powering Large-scale Phishing Scams from Russia (thehackernews.com)
eBay Users Beware Russian 'Telekopye' Telegram Phishing Bot (darkreading.com)
Phish in a Barrel: Real-World Cyber Attack Examples (govinfosecurity.com)
Email Security: Top 5 Threats and How to Protect Your Business - ReadWrite
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Blockchain Capital’s Bart Stephens Lost $6.3 Million In SIM-Swap Hack (forbes.com)
What Is Virtual Kidnapping and How Can You Fight It? (makeuseof.com)
Artificial Intelligence
Cyber criminals turn to AI to bypass modern email security measures - Help Net Security
Tricks for making AI chatbots break rules are freely available online | New Scientist
What Is Virtual Kidnapping and How Can You Fight It? (makeuseof.com)
Generative AI Is Scraping Your Data. So, Now What? (darkreading.com)
Fake versions of Google Bard are spreading malware | TechRadar
AI and the evolution of surveillance systems - Help Net Security
Thinking of Deploying Generative AI? You May Already Have (govinfosecurity.com)
Three trends to watch in the growing threat landscape (betanews.com)
Careful -- Hackers are targeting Google Bard ads for malware | Digital Trends
Malware
Serious WinRAR Flaw Can Be Exploited to Launch Malware (pcmag.com)
Hackers use VPN provider's code certificate to sign malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
HiatusRAT Malware Resurfaces: Taiwan Firms and US Military Under Attack (thehackernews.com) Ask the Mac Guy: macOS Security Myths (huntress.com)
New Variant of XLoader macOS Malware Disguised as 'OfficeNote' Productivity App (thehackernews.com)
Researchers Uncover New Lazarus Group Malware Details | Decipher (duo.com)
Mobile
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
TP-Link smart bulbs can let hackers steal your WiFi password (bleepingcomputer.com)
When Your Home Security System Turns the Camera on You | The Epoch Times
Anticipating the next wave of IoT cyber security challenges - Help Net Security
The Physical Impact of Cyber Attacks on Cities (darkreading.com)
Smart Cities: Utopian Dream, Security Nightmare, or Political Gimmick? - SecurityWeek
Data Breaches/Leaks
Tesla Data Breach Investigation Reveals Inside Job (darkreading.com)
Leak of 75k staff records was insiders' fault, Tesla claims • The Register
Guernsey CCTV investigation widened after more footage leaked | Bailiwick Express Jersey
Scraped data of 2.6 million Duolingo users released on hacking forum (bleepingcomputer.com)
Thousands of Charity Donors Have Details Leaked Onto Dark Web | The Epoch Times
How a Christie’s website revealed where people kept their art | The Seattle Times
Defence contractor Belcan leaks admin password with a list of flaws-Security Affairs
What lessons must be learned from the Electoral Register cyber attack? | theHRD (thehrdirector.com)
5 Early Warning Indicators That Are Key to Protecting National Secrets (darkreading.com)
University of Minnesota Confirms Data Breach, Says Ransomware Not Involved - SecurityWeek
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Check Point reveals 8% spike in global cyber attacks by mid-2023 (securitybrief.co.nz)
UK Court Convicts Lapsus$ Hacker for Breaching ISP BT and EE UPDATE - ISPreview UK
Cyber crime: A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry (thecyberwire.com)
Hacking group KittenSec claims to 'pwn anything we see' to expose corruption | CyberScoop
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Blockchain Capital’s Bart Stephens Lost $6.3 Million In SIM-Swap Hack (forbes.com)
What the Hive Ransomware Case Says About RaaS and Cryptocurrency (darkreading.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Leak of 75k staff records was insiders' fault, Tesla claims • The Register
Three trends to watch in the growing threat landscape (betanews.com)
Phish in a Barrel: Real-World Cyber Attack Examples (govinfosecurity.com)
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Interpol arrest 14 who allegedly scammed $40m from victims • The Register
Germany Hunts for Cyber Criminals Amid Billion-Euro Scams - Bloomberg
Sneaky Amazon Google ad leads to Microsoft support scam (bleepingcomputer.com)
Blockchain Capital’s Bart Stephens Lost $6.3 Million In SIM-Swap Hack (forbes.com)
Surge in identity crime victims reporting suicidal thoughts - Help Net Security
Impersonation Attacks
Deepfakes
Insurance
Cyber security insurance is missing the risk - Help Net Security
Cyber Security Insurance Market Size & Share Analysis - (globenewswire.com)
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Cloud/SaaS
Cloud hosting firms hit by devastating ransomware attack - Help Net Security
Warning: Attackers Abusing Legitimate Internet Services (inforisktoday.com)
Maintaining consistent security in diverse cloud infrastructures - Help Net Security
How API authentication vulnerabilities are at the center of cloud security concerns | CSO Online
Lack of visibility into cloud access policies leaves enterprises flying blind - Help Net Security
Cloud services are creating more cyber-risks for telcos - Mobile Europe
Identity and Access Management
Ongoing Duo outage causes Azure Auth authentication errors (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cisco's Duo Security suffers major authentication outage • The Register
Encryption
API
Understanding how attackers exploit APIs is more important than ever - Help Net Security
How API authentication vulnerabilities are at the centre of cloud security concerns | CSO Online
Biometrics
ICO publishes guidance on use of biometric data in the UK - Tech Monitor
Is Facial Recognition Technology Becoming a Privacy Risk? (makeuseof.com)
Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) Statistics for 2023 (techreport.com)
Social Media
Malvertising
Sneaky Amazon Google ad leads to Microsoft support scam (bleepingcomputer.com)
Malware-infected advertising grows ever more sophisticated, and lethal - SiliconANGLE
Careful -- Hackers are targeting Google Bard ads for malware | Digital Trends
Training, Education and Awareness
2023 Cyber Security Awareness Month Appeal: Make Online Security Easier (govtech.com)
The Changing Landscape of Cyber Security Education (inforisktoday.com)
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Apple security updates could be banned by British government (9to5mac.com)
How EU lawmakers can make mandatory vulnerability disclosure responsible - Help Net Security
Morgan Stanley Fined for UK Energy Trading WhatsApp Breach (yahoo.com)
Controversial Cyber crime Law Passes in Jordan (darkreading.com)
Experian Pays $650,000 to Settle Spam Claims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Strengthening Cyber Security In Finance: A Look At EU DORA Regulations (forbes.com)
Backup and Recovery
Data Protection
ICO publishes guidance on use of biometric data in the UK - Tech Monitor
Experian Pays $650,000 to Settle Spam Claims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Unrealistic expectations exacerbate the cyber security talent shortage - Help Net Security
It's Time to Approach The Cyber Security Skills Gap Differently - IT Security Guru
How To Become Chief Information Security Officer - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)
4 ways simulation training alleviates team burnout - Help Net Security
Tens of thousands of students receive free training to build cyber skills - The Business Magazine
5 Ways SMBs Can Bridge the Cyber Security Skills Gap | Mimecast
The Importance of Accessible and Inclusive Cyber Security (securityintelligence.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Interpol arrest 14 who allegedly scammed $40m from victims • The Register
UK Court Convicts Lapsus$ Hacker for Breaching ISP BT and EE UPDATE - ISPreview UK
Germany Hunts for Cyber Criminals Amid Billion-Euro Scams - Bloomberg
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Russia
Incident response lessons learned from the Russian attack on Viasat | CSO Online
Ukrainian hackers claim to leak emails of Russian parliament deputy chief (therecord.media)
New Telegram Bot "Telekopye" Powering Large-scale Phishing Scams from Russia (thehackernews.com)
China
Mounting Cyber Espionage and Hacking Threat from China - Modern Diplomacy
HiatusRAT Malware Resurfaces: Taiwan Firms and US Military Under Attack (thehackernews.com)
New Supply Chain Attack Hit Close to 100 Victims—and Clues Point to China | WIRED
Exposed: the Chinese spy using LinkedIn to hunt UK secrets (thetimes.co.uk)
FBI: Suspected Chinese actors continue Barracuda ESG attacks | TechTarget
Microsoft says Chinese hacking crew is targeting Taiwan | CyberScoop
US space companies face foreign spy threat, intelligence agencies say (usatoday.com)
North Korea
N. Korean Kimsuky APT targets S. Korea-US military exercises-Security Affairs
Researchers Uncover New Lazarus Group Malware Details | Decipher (duo.com)
Misc/Other/Unknown
Vulnerability Management
NCSC issues warning on cyber vulnerabilities (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
How EU lawmakers can make mandatory vulnerability disclosure responsible - Help Net Security
Vulnerabilities
Juniper Networks fixes flaws leading to RCE in firewalls and switches - Help Net Security
Serious WinRAR Flaw Can Be Exploited to Launch Malware (pcmag.com)
Ivanti issues fix for third zero-day flaw exploited in the wild | TechTarget
Ivanti Ships Urgent Patch for API Authentication Bypass Vulnerability - SecurityWeek
FBI: Patches for Recent Barracuda ESG Zero-Day Ineffective - SecurityWeek
Critical Adobe ColdFusion Flaw Added to CISA's Exploited Vulnerability Catalog (thehackernews.com)
3,000 Openfire Servers Exposed to Attacks Targeting Recent Vulnerability - SecurityWeek
Western Digital patches potentially dangerous security flaw, so update now | TechRadar
Tools and Controls
How Cyber Security Leaders Can Help Lower Expenses While Reducing Risk (informationweek.com)
Security leaders report misalignment of investments and risk reduction | Security Magazine
Cyber security insurance is missing the risk - Help Net Security
Bolstering Cyber Security: Why Browser Security Is Crucial (inforisktoday.com)
How Application Allowlisting Combats Ransomware Attacks (securityintelligence.com)
The Vanishing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Category - IT Security Guru
Unveiling the Hidden Risks of Routing Protocols (darkreading.com)
Hackers use VPN provider's code certificate to sign malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Network detection and response in the modern era - Help Net Security
What’s Beyond SASE? The Next Steps (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Prevention First: Don’t Neglect Endpoint Security | CSO Online
More Than Half of Browser Extensions Pose Security Risks (darkreading.com)
Protect Your Cyber Security Budget and Your Organisation | Dell USA
How the downmarket impacted enterprise cyber security budgets - Help Net Security
SEC Cyber Security Rules: Considerations for Incident Response Planning
Maintaining consistent security in diverse cloud infrastructures - Help Net Security
How API authentication vulnerabilities are at the centre of cloud security concerns | CSO Online
The Needs of a Modernized SOC for Hybrid Cloud (securityintelligence.com)
2023 Cyber Security Awareness Month Appeal: Make Online Security Easier (govtech.com)
The MOVEit hack and what it taught us about application security (bleepingcomputer.com)
The Changing Landscape of Cyber Security Education (inforisktoday.com)
Akamai Survey Finds Third-Party Defences Help Reduce Risk from Online Threats (prnewswire.com)
5 Best Practices for Implementing Risk-First Cyber Security (darkreading.com)
What's Going on With LastPass, and is it Safe to Use? (securityintelligence.com)
Malicious web application transactions skyrocket 500% (securitybrief.co.nz)
Other News
Our health care system may soon receive a much-needed cyber security boost | Ars Technica
Swan Retail cyber attack: 300 retailers crippled by breach (techmonitor.ai)
Cyber Attack on Energy One affects corporate systems in Australia and the UK | CSO Online
Vendors criticize Microsoft for repeated security failings | TechTarget
Microsoft's become a cyber security titan. That could be a problem - Tech Monitor
Global Naval Communication Market Research Report (globenewswire.com)
IT's rising role in physical security technology - Help Net Security
Hackers knocked out San Francisco's main real estate database | Fortune
Microsoft's 6 Biggest Hacks: Is Better Security Needed? (makeuseof.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
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.