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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Aiohttp Cyble Internet Ransomware Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Critical Bug in aiohttp: Ransomware Attackers On A Roll

Critical Bug in aiohttp: Ransomware Attackers On A Roll

In the rapidly changing world of cybersecurity, cyber threats have been a nuisance and Ransomware is a constant menace. In a recent incident, cybersecurity firm Cyble found a serious vulnerability that threat actors are exploiting to get unauthenticated remote access to sensitive data from server files. Let's take a look into the concerning issue.

The Aiohttp Library Vulnerability

At the core of this story lies the Aiohttp Python library, a famous web synchronous framework that makes web apps and APIs. Sadly, a bug in the library has allowed hackers to break in. 

How does the vulnerability work?

The vulnerability, known as CVE-2024-23334 is a "directory traversal vulnerability." In other words, it lets unauthorized remote actors obtain files from a server they aren't ethically allowed to. 

This is how the vulnerability works:

1. Not enough Proper Validation: When setting routes for server files, Aiohttp is unable to execute proper validation. Particularly, the problem hits when the follow_symlinks option is set to true. 

2. Accessing files outside the Root Directory: Attackers exploit this flaw to traverse directories and steal files beyond the specified root directory. In simple terms, the attackers can steal sensitive information like databases, configuration files, and other important data. 

The flaw rates 7.5 on the CVSS scale. 

The Damage

The impact of the flaw is concerning:

1. Ransomware Attacks: Ransomware as a service (RaaS) attacks are monetizing on this flaw. Threat actors gain account critical files, encrypt them, and demand heavy randoms for decryption keys. 

2. Global Penetration: Cyble has found around 43,000 web-exposed Aiohttp incidents across the world. A lot of these servers are situated in the USA, Spain, Germany, and different Asian regions. 

3. Data Exposure: Companies using Aiohttp may cluelessly expose sensitive files on the internet. Threat actors can misuse this loophole and steal important data, disrupting user privacy and business operations. 

How to control it?

Follow these steps to protect your systems

1. Security Audits: Perform routine security audits of your web apps. Keep an eye out for incidents of Aiohttp and cross-check that they are using patched versions.

2. Access Controls: Have strict access controls. Restrict the Aiohttp accessible directories to avoid unauthorized traversal. 

3. Update Aiohttp: The Aiohttp development team immediately addressed the problem by releasing version 3.9.2. Make sure to update your Aiohttp installations as soon as possible. 

The ShadowSyndicate Links

Surprisingly, one of the IP addresses related to the hackers was earlier associated with the infamous ShadowSyndicate group. The group has a notorious history of foul play in ransomware attacks. This makes the exploitation of the Aiohttp flaw even more problematic. 

What can we learn?

The digital landscape is evolving, but so do cyber threats. The Aiohttp flaw is a sign that caution and routine updates are a must. We should stay informed, patch our systems timely, and strengthen defenses against ransomware attacks. 

Prevention is better than cure, a vigilant approach today will protect us from tomorrow's data hostility. 

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Windows
Backdoor Command and Control(C2) Cyble Encryption Vulnerabilities and Exploits Vulnerability and Exploits. Windows

BianLian Ransomware Rising Across Networks

The invasion of command-and-control (C2) infrastructure this month by the developers of the newly discovered cross-platform BianLian ransomware is a sign that the firm's operational pace is picking up.

Researchers at Cyble Research Labs claim that BianLian has grown in popularity since it was originally discovered in mid-July and shared details on their analysis of the ransomware in a blog post last week.

It's important to note that the double extortion ransomware family is unrelated to an Android banking virus of the same name that preys on bitcoin and mobile banking apps to steal sensitive data.

With the unique BianLian virus, threat actors have so far targeted a wide range of businesses, including those in media and entertainment, manufacturing, education, healthcare, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), among other industries.

According to Cyble, the media and entertainment industry has suffered the greatest number of BianLian attacks—25% of victims to date—along with 12.5% each in the professional services, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and utilities, and education industries.

Ransomware operation 

The ProxyShell Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities are successfully exploited to get initial access to victim networks and to drop a web shell or a ngrok payload for subsequent actions.

The BianLian actors' display dwells lengths of up to six weeks between the time of initial access and the actual encryption event, a duration that is significantly longer than the median intruder dwell time of 15 days reported in 2021.

The group is known to use a bespoke implant as a backup method for preserving persistent access to the network in addition to utilizing living-off-the-land (LotL) tactics for network profiling and lateral migration.

The main objective of the backdoor is to download arbitrary payloads from a remote server, load them into memory, and then execute them. Similar to Agenda, BianLian can boot servers in Windows safe mode so that it can run its file-encrypting malware while evading detection by the system's security tools.

According to reports, the first C2 server connected to BianLian became live in December 2021. However, since then, the infrastructure has experienced a troubling expansion, surpassing 30 active IP addresses.

BianLian is also another example of cybercriminals' persistent efforts to use hopping techniques to evade detection. It also increases the threat level associated with the use of the fundamental language Go, giving adversaries the ability to quickly modify a single codebase that can subsequently be produced for several platforms.



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VPN
Cyber Security Cyble SCADA Hacking VNC VPN

Cyble: Over 9,000 VNC Sessions Without a Password Found

Virtual network computing (VNC) endpoints that can view and utilize credentials were reported to be vulnerable on at least 9,000 occasions, giving hackers simple access to the data. 

The platform-independent system referred to as Network Computing (VNC) enables users to remotely control other computers, most of which have limited monitoring and adjusting capabilities. Therefore, anyone who compromises VNCs will eventually have access to the underlying systems.

The endpoints can act as access points for unauthorized access, including hackers with malevolent intentions if they are not fully secured with a password, which is frequently the result of neglect, error, or a decision made out of convenience.

As per researchers, the risk of each exposed VNC relies on the kind of underlying system it is in charge of. Some people are discovered to be in charge of a municipality's water control systems, which is quite serious.

Research Analysis 

Over 9,000 vulnerable servers were found when Cyble's security researchers searched the web for internet-facing VNC instances without passwords. China and Sweden are home to the majority of exposed instances, while the United States, Spain, and Brazil round out the top 5 with sizable numbers of unprotected VNCs.

The fact that some of these open VNC instances were for industrial control systems, that should never be accessible to the Internet, only made the situation worse, according to Cyble. Under one of the examined cases, the unencrypted VNC access connected to an HMI for controlling pumps on a remote SCADA system in a nameless manufacturing facility.

Cyble employed its cyber-intelligence systems to keep a watch out for attacks on port 5900, the standard port for VNC, to assess how frequently attackers target these servers. In a single month, Cyble counted more than six million requests. The Netherlands, Russia, and the United States were the major countries from which to access VNC servers.

On hacker forums, there is a large market for accessing vital networks via exposed or compromised VNCs because this kind of access can be utilized for more in-depth network espionage. In other circumstances, security experts provide guidance on how users might actively scan for and find these vulnerable instances.

A long list of exposed VNC instances with very weak or no passwords is presented in a post on a darknet forum that Bleeping Computer has seen.

In this sense, it's crucial to keep in mind that many VNC systems do not accept passwords longer than eight characters, making it essentially unsafe even when both the sessions and the passwords are encrypted.

Servers should never be exposed to the Internet directly, and if they must be accessed remotely, they should at least be hidden behind a VPN to protect access to the servers.
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Ransomware Threat
Conti Ransomware Cyber Security Cyble data security Ransomware Ransomware Threat

Experts Warn Against Ransomware Hitting Government Organizations

Cyble Research Labs noticed an increase in ransomware incidents in the second quarter of 2022, few of these led a deep impact on the victims, like attack against the Costa Rican government which led to the countrywide crisis. 

Experts warn of ransomware operations targeting government organizations, finding 48 government organizations across 21 countries that suffered 13 ransomware attacks this year. Researchers at Cyble say that hacking groups have modified their strategies, going from enterprises to small states threatening to destabilize government operations. 

Small states become easy targets because of the low levels of critical infrastructure security due to low finances to protect them. 

The notorious ransomware group Conti began targeting the Costa Rican government in April 2022. "A similar attack was seen in May 2021, when the gang targeted Ireland’s publicly funded health care system and demanded a ransom of USD20 million. 

The timing could be a pure coincidence; however, Conti was seemingly trying the same tactics with Costa Rica, but this time on a larger scale, shortly after a change in government in the country," reads a Cyble post. 

After the Costa Rica incident, the Conti ransomware gang also attacked Peru. Other incidents of ransomware attacks were reported in Latin America, which includes Brazil and Peru governmental organizations. 

"Cyble Research Labs conducted research over vulnerable instances of the Peruvian government’s cyberinfrastructure and identified 21 instances from 11 ministerial websites with the most exploited CVEs from 2021," says Cyble. Experts also report sales on underground cybercrime platforms of data extraction from the server of government organizations. 

It includes the Federal Court of Malaysia, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Department of Management Services under the Malaysian Ministry of Personnel and Organizational Development, the Civil Service Commission of the Republic of Philippines, and the National Bank of Angola. Experts have highlighted the need for smaller states to strengthen their threat-finding capabilities and to implement quick response mechanisms to cyberattacks. 

Cyble says the importance to spend in capacity building to promote skilled manpower, promote awareness among users, and lessen the technology gap to mitigate their risk impact.
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User Privacy
Android Banking Malware Cerberus Crypto Wallets Cyble Google malware Trojan Attacks User Privacy

Over 467 Apps Hit by the ERMAC 2.0 Android Banking Trojan

 

The ERMAC Android banking virus has been updated to version 2.0, increasing the number of apps targeted from 378 to 467, allowing attackers to steal account passwords and crypto wallets from a much greater number of apps.

Threatfabric researchers found ERMAC in July 2021, notably it is based on the well-known banking trojan Cerberus. Cerberus' source code was released in September 2020 on underground hacking forums after its operators failed an auction. The trojan's goal is to send stolen login credentials to threat actors, who then use them to gain access to other people's banking and cryptocurrency accounts and commit financial or other crimes.

ERMAC is currently available for subscription to members of darknet sites for $5,000 a month, that is a $2k increase over the first release's price, indicating the boost in features and popularity. A bogus Bolt Food application targeting the Polish market is the first malware campaign to use the new ERMAC 2.0 virus. According to ESET researchers, the threat actors disseminated the Android software by impersonating a reputable European food delivery business on the "bolt-food[.]site" website. This phony website is still active. 

Phishing emails, fraudulent social media posts, smishing, malvertising, and other methods are likely to lead users to the false site. If users download the program, they will be confronted with a request for complete ownership of private data.

Following ESET's early discovery, Cyble researchers examined the malware. ERMAC determines whether programs are installed on the host device before sending the data to the C2 server. The answer contains encrypted HTML injection modules which match the application list, which the virus decrypts and saves as "setting.xml" in the Shared Preference file. When the victim tries to run the real program, the injection operation takes place, and a phishing page is displayed on top of the original one. The credentials are forwarded to the same C2 that is responsible for the injections.

The following commands are supported by ERMAC 2.0:

  • downloadingInjections — sends the application list for injections to be downloaded.
  • logs — this command sends the injection logs to the server.
  • checkAP — check the status of the application and transmit it to the server. 
  • registration – sends information about the device.
  • updateBotParams — sends the bot parameters that have been updated.
  • downloadInjection — this function is used to download the phishing HTML page. 

EMAC 2.0 targets financial apps from all over the world, making it appropriate for use in a wide range of nations. A large number of apps supported makes this a dangerous piece of malware, but it's worth mentioning that it would have issues in Android versions 11 and 12, thanks to extra limits implemented by Google to prevent misuse of the Accessibility Service.
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User Privacy
Botnet Crypto Wallet Cyber Attacks Cyble DDOS Attacks Discord Info Stealer Telegram Tokens User Privacy

Telegram is Selling the Eternity Malware Kit, Which Offers Malicious Services 

 

Cybercriminals have recently used Telegram to offer malware and other dangerous tools as services. Researchers have discovered a deadly new malware subscription plan which can be used to facilitate a wide range of attacks. 

The "Eternity Project," a modular malware kit, has capabilities that allow buyers to steal passwords and credit card information, launch ransomware attacks and infiltrate victims with cryptomining software. Each component of the malware toolkit, such as an information stealer, a coin miner, a clipper, ransomware software, a worm spreader, and, finally, a DDoS (distributed denial of service) bot, can be purchased separately. 

The creators share the latest update, usage instructions, and debate feature proposals on a private Telegram channel with over 500 members. Buyers can apparently use the Telegram Bot to assemble the binary automatically after choosing its desired feature set and paying the equivalent amount in cryptocurrency. The malware module is the most premium at $490 per year. The info-stealer, which costs $260 per year, steals passwords, credit cards, bookmarks, tokens, cookies, and autofill data from over twenty different web browsers. 

The malware's versatility is also highlighted through a deep-dive investigation of the infostealer module. Researchers claim that this single tool may gather data from a wide range of apps, including web browsers and cryptocurrency wallets, as well as VPN clients, messaging apps, and more. 

The miner module is $90 a year and includes features such as task manager invisibility, auto-restart once killed, and startup launch persistence. The clipper is a $110 application that scans the clipboard for cryptocurrency wallet credentials and replaces them with wallets controlled by the user. The Eternity Worm is available for $390 from the developer, and it can propagate itself using USB drivers, lan shares, local files, cloud drives, Python projects, Discord accounts, and Telegram accounts.

The authors say it's FUD (completely undetectable), a claim supported by Virus Total data showing zero detections for the strain. Surprisingly, the ransomware module provides an option of setting a timer that, when reached, renders the files entirely unrecoverable. This adds to the victim's pressure to pay the ransom as soon as possible. 

Despite the wide range of hazards posed by Eternity Project malware, Cyble says there are a few precautions consumers can take. Maintaining regular data backups, keeping software up to date, and avoiding visiting untrustworthy websites and email attachments are recommended best practices.
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WeLeakInfo
Cyble Dark Web Data Breach Identity Theft WeLeakInfo

WeLeakInfo's Customer Records Leaked

 

WeLeakInfo.com was an information breach notification service that was permitting its clients to check if their credentials have been compromised in information breaches. The service was guaranteeing a database of more than 12 billion records from over 10,000 data breaches. In mid-2020, a joint operation directed by the FBI in coordination with the UK NCA, the Netherlands National uPolice Corps, the German Bundeskriminalamt, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland resulted in the seizure of the WeLeakInfo.com domain. 

The U.S. Department of Justice in January declared that it seized weleakinfo.com, which existed since 2017. The site sold different subscription levels, making it workable for scammers to access and look through the database. Two 22-year old men,, one in the Netherlands and the other in Northern Ireland, were arrested in connection with running the site, as per the Dutch media source Nu.nl. 

The site additionally vowed to alert members if their own data was stolen and uploaded to the database, with a feature called “Asset Monitoring.” “Get notified when your information is detected in a data breach,” the sales pitch said, according to an archived version of the homepage. “Stay one step ahead of hackers.” 

Weleakinfo, and other sites like it, basically work as a noxious variant of HaveIBeenPwned, a database where guests can check if their data has been compromised. HaveIBeenPwned permits clients to decide whether an email address has been included for different information breaches. 

Security specialists from Cyble saw that a member from a hacking forum professed to have registered in one of the domains of WeLeakInfo,, wli.design, which was enlisted again on March 11 2021. At that point, the actor made an email address for the domain and utilized it to get to the account of the cybercrime group registered on the payment service Stripe. The admittance to the Stripe account permitted the actor to get to clients' details, including email, address, partial card details, and purchase history. 

“The WeLeakInfo operators allegedly used the domain’s email address for payments via Stripe, the actor claimed. The actor claimed to have registered the domain and then created an email address on the registered domain used in their Stripe account gaining access to WeLeakInfo customers details.” reads the post published by Cyble.
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