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Showing posts with label Hacking Group. Show all posts
Slack
Data Breach Data Hacking data security Disney Disney data leak Disney Slack breach Hacking Group Personal Information Sensitive data Slack

Disney Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Corporate and Personal Information

 

In July, Disney experienced a significant data breach that exposed far more than initially reported, compromising a wide array of sensitive information. While early reports focused on stolen Slack messages, it has since been revealed that the breach extended deep into the company’s critical corporate files. According to sources, hackers gained access to sensitive information, including financial projections, strategic plans, sales data, and streaming forecasts. 

The breach did not stop at corporate data. Hackers also accessed personal information of Disney Cruise Line members, including passport numbers, visa statuses, contact details, and birthplaces. In addition, data related to theme park pass sales was compromised, potentially impacting thousands of visitors. This breach has raised serious concerns about the security of personal data at Disney, one of the world’s most recognized entertainment companies. 

Initially, Disney reported that over a terabyte of data was leaked, but the full extent of the breach is still under investigation. In an August address to investors, the company acknowledged the severity of the attack, prompting questions about the cybersecurity measures in place not only at Disney but also at other major corporations. The incident has highlighted the growing need for robust and effective cybersecurity strategies to protect against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The hacking group Nullbulge has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

In a blog post, the group boasted of gaining access to internal data on upcoming projects as well as employee details stored in Disney’s Slack system. This claim has raised further alarms about the potential exposure of sensitive company plans and employee information. When asked to comment on the specifics of the breach, Disney declined to provide details. A spokesperson stated, “We decline to comment on unverified information that has purportedly been obtained as a result of illegal activity.” 

This response underscores the complexity and evolving challenges that companies face in safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, this breach serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities even within prominent organizations. It emphasizes the urgent need for businesses to strengthen their cybersecurity measures to protect both corporate and personal data from being compromised in an increasingly digital world.
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Windows zero-day exploit
cybersecurity threat Fudmodule malware Hacking Group Microsoft vulnerability North Korea Vulnerabilities and Exploits Windows zero-day exploit

North Korea Exploited Windows Zero-Day Vulnerability to Install Fudmodule

 

North Korea's Lazarus hacking group has once again exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to deploy malware on targeted devices. On August 13, Microsoft addressed this issue with its monthly Patch Tuesday updates, fixing a flaw in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver (Afd.sys) for WinSock, identified as CVE-2024-38193. Security experts strongly recommend applying this update promptly, as Microsoft has confirmed that the vulnerability is actively being exploited.

The flaw allows attackers to escalate system privileges through a use-after-free memory management issue, potentially granting them elevated system access, according to Rapid7. The advisory underscores the urgency of this patch, highlighting the low complexity of attacks, lack of required user interaction, and minimal privileges needed for exploitation.

The warning proved accurate, as Avast researchers Luigino Camastra and Martin Milanek, who initially discovered and reported the flaw to Microsoft in June, revealed that Lazarus had been exploiting this vulnerability before the fix was issued. Their primary aim was to install a rootkit named Fudmodule on the affected systems, utilizing the zero-day vulnerability to remain undetected by security software.

Details on the specific organizations targeted and their industries have not been disclosed. However, Lazarus is known for its focus on stealing cryptocurrency to support North Korea’s financially strained regime. The regime also uses its hacking teams to gather intelligence on Western nuclear facilities and defense systems.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of North Korean hacking activities targeting Windows drivers. In February, Microsoft patched another vulnerability, CVE-2024-21338, which Lazarus had used to gain system-level access. This flaw was in the appid.sys AppLocker driver, crucial for controlling application execution on Windows systems. Avast had previously reported this vulnerability, which was actively being exploited by Lazarus to install Fudmodule. The updated version of Fudmodule included enhancements, such as disabling antivirus protections like Microsoft Defender and CrowdStrike Falcon.

The rise of "Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver" (BYOVD) attacks, where attackers use legitimate but vulnerable drivers to bypass security measures, has been noted. Lazarus has employed this tactic since at least October 2021, using it to infiltrate systems by loading drivers with known vulnerabilities. Other groups have also utilized similar methods, such as Sophos reporting on RansomHub's use of outdated drivers to disable endpoint detection and response tools, and deploying ransomware.

Overall, as Lazarus and similar groups continue to adapt their strategies, the need for vigilance and timely updates is crucial to protect systems from these sophisticated attacks.
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Tor Website
Cyber Security Hacking Group Ransomware Gang Threat Landscape Tor Website

LockBit is Recruiting Members of ALPHV/BlackCat and NoEscape Ransomware Outfit

 

Recruiting affiliates and developers from the troubled BlackCat/ALPHV and NoEscape ransomware operations is one of the calculated steps being taken by the LockBit ransomware group. An ideal opportunity emerged for LockBit to expand its network due to the recent disruptions and exit scams within NoEscape and BlackCat/ALPHV. 

Affiliates of NoEscape and BlackCat/ALPHV Tor organisations are in disarray due to the sudden inaccessibility of their websites, as well as reports of escape scams and ransom payments being stolen. While the exact reason of the disruptions is unknown, speculations include hardware malfunctions, internal issues, and law enforcement intervention. 

LockBitSupp, the manager of LockBit, has actively recruited affiliates on Russian-speaking hacking forums in response to the chaos surrounding BlackCat and NoEscape. LockBitSupp makes a tempting offer, stating that affiliates who have copies of stolen data can use LockBit's bargaining panel and data leak website to keep blackmailing victims. 

Additionally, LockBitSupp is trying to hire the coder who created the ALPHV encryptor. Although LockBit's relationship to the troubled ransomware gangs is still unknown, there have been reports of a victim who was BlackCat's previous target now showing up on LockBit's data leak website. 

The change emphasises how groups dealing with ransomware experience disruptions, rebranding, and sometimes even changing affiliations. The ransomware ecosystem continues to evolve, and outfits such as LockBit, by taking advantage of other people's vulnerabilities and interruptions, demonstrate the flexibility and intelligence that these nefarious activities possess.

In the always changing threat landscape, this particular situation may lead to additional rebranding and restructuring as it calls into doubt the reliability of ransomware groups such as BlackCat and NoEscape.
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Sensitive data
aerospace giant Boeing data breach CISA report Cybersecurity Data Breach Extortion Hacking Group Lockbit cybercrime Online Threat Ransomware attack Sensitive data

Boeing Evaluates Cyber Group's Data Dump Threat

 

Boeing Co announced on Friday that it is currently evaluating a claim made by the Lockbit cybercrime group, which asserts that it has obtained a significant volume of sensitive data from the aerospace giant. The group has threatened to release this information online unless Boeing pays a ransom by November 2.

To emphasize their ultimatum, the hackers displayed a countdown timer on their data leak website, accompanied by a message stating, "Sensitive data was exfiltrated and ready to be published if Boeing do not contact within the deadline!"

The group conveyed that, for now, they will refrain from providing lists or samples of the data in order to safeguard the company. However, they asserted that this stance may change before the deadline arrives.

Lockbit typically deploys ransomware on an organization's system to encrypt it and also pilfers sensitive information as a means of extortion.

A spokesperson for Boeing stated, "We are assessing this claim" via email.

According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Lockbit was the most active ransomware group globally last year, based on the number of victims it claimed on its data leak blog.

The gang, known for its eponymous ransomware, which emerged on Russian-language cybercrime forums in January 2020, has reportedly conducted 1,700 attacks on U.S. organizations since then, as per CISA's report in June.

Lockbit did not disclose the volume of data it purportedly acquired from Boeing, nor did they reveal the ransom amount they are demanding. Boeing declined to provide further comments.

The hacking group has yet to respond to a request for comment sent to the address mentioned on their data leak site.
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User Privacy
Chinese Hackers Data Breach Hacking Group Malicious actor Phishing Attacks Red Cross Unauthorized access User Privacy

AtlasCross Hackers Target Organizations with Red Cross Phishing Lures

A new hacking group called AtlasCross is targeting organizations with phishing lures impersonating the American Red Cross. The group uses macro-enabled Word documents to deliver backdoor malware to victims' devices.

The phishing emails typically contain a link to a malicious website or an attachment containing a macro-enabled Word document. If the victim opens the attachment and enables macros, the malware will be installed on their device.

The malware used by AtlasCross is called DangerAds and AtlasAgent. DangerAds is a system profiler and malware loader, while AtlasAgent is a backdoor that allows attackers to remotely control the victim's device.

Once the attackers have control of the victim's device, they can steal sensitive data, such as login credentials, financial information, and trade secrets. They can also use the device to launch further attacks against other organizations.

Bill Toulas, CEO of NSS Labs, aptly notes, "The AtlasCross phishing campaign is a reminder that even the most sophisticated organizations can be targeted by cybercriminals. It is important to be vigilant and take steps to protect yourself from these attacks."

How to protect your organization from AtlasCross phishing attacks:

  • Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Emails: Especially those bearing attachments or links.
  • Scrutinize Known Senders: Verify email addresses to confirm legitimacy.
  • Exercise Restraint with Unknown Emails: Refrain from opening attachments or clicking links if authenticity is in doubt.
  • Disable Macros in Microsoft Office: Unless they are absolutely essential, it's prudent to keep macros disabled to thwart potential malware delivery.
  • Maintain Updated Software: Ensure your operating system, web browser, and antivirus software are up-to-date, as these updates frequently contain vital security patches.

Organizations can take the following steps to augment their defense against AtlasCross phishing campaigns:
  • Employee Education: Provide thorough training on recognizing and evading phishing attempts, as employees are the first line of defense.
  • Utilize a Robust Security Solution: Employ a solution adept at detecting and thwarting phishing emails based on various indicators.
  • Segment Your Network: Isolate devices to prevent easy lateral movement in case of a compromise.
  • Enforce Stringent Password Policies: Implement multi-factor authentication to bolster device and account security.
Global organizations and individuals are seriously threatened by the AtlasCross hacking group. The aforementioned advice can help you safeguard yourself from phishing attempts. It is significant to remember that there is a possibility that you could fall victim to a phishing assault even if you take all necessary safeguards. Cybercriminals are continually creating new phishing attack methods as they get more proficient.

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Threat Landscape
Cyber Crime Espionage Campaign Hacking Group Malicious Ads Phishing email Threat Landscape

This Hacker Outfit has Targeted Thousands of Companies Across the Globe

 

ESET's cybersecurity researchers have recently uncovered a relatively new hacker outfit that has had great success targeting organisations all around the world. 

The researchers are still unsure of the group's eventual goal, which goes by the name of Asylum Ambuscade. BleepingComputer claims that over the past three years, it has been active all over the world, but primarily in the West.

It makes use of many different tools, such as the Sunseed malware, Akhbot, and Nodebot, which enable the team to carry out a wide range of malicious operations, such as stealing screenshots, stealing passwords stored in well-known web browsers, deploying Cobalt Strike loaders, running a keylogger, and more. In short, the group's skills encompass everything from espionage to cybercrime. 

They have a wide range of targets, including small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), government officials and organisations, bank customers, cryptocurrency speculators, and traders. 

Modus operandi 

Typically, a phishing email including a malicious script is the first step in an assault. Depending on the target's endpoints, the group selects which extra payloads to send after downloading the Sunseed virus. 

The researchers discovered that in certain cases the group generated Google Ads that drove consumers to websites that included malicious JavaScript code.

Additionally, the organisation appears to be very successful. Researchers at ESET began monitoring the gang's activity in January of last year and have since discovered almost 4,500 victims, which suggests the group targeted 265 businesses and organisations each month.

The group's intentions continue to be the biggest mystery. The researchers are unable to precisely identify what the group is attempting to do because they have access to a wide variety of tools that can be used to commit all types of cybercrime and a diverse list of victims. One explanation contends that the group is just selling knowledge and access to other threat actors, which explains their diverse strategy.
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Toronto-area Police
Cyber Attacks FBI Hacking Group Hive Hive Ransomware Ransomware group Toronto-area Police

Here is How Toronto-area Police Force Helped Take Down a Russian-linked Hacking Group


The Toronto police force has recently been explanatory on how it ended up getting involved with the international attempt on legally hack Hive, one of most ruthless ransomware groups in the world. 

The contributions made by the Peel Regional Police are one of the reasons why Canadian flag is among the icons displayed on what was the dark website for the Russian-linked ransomware group Hive, along with the logos of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and a variety of police forces around the globe. 

According to Detective Const. Karim Hussain in an interview with CTV News Toronto, Peel's detectives got engaged early when a local firm contacted them in 2021 claiming that their systems were down and a text message on their desktops revealed a ransom note. 

“We had one of the first cases in Canada of Hive ransomware[…]It was the first to market. At the time we started gathering evidence, Hive was a fairly new ransomware group. Everything we brought to the table was interesting because no one had seen it before,” he says. 

The attributes of the Hive case were similar to numerous other high-profile incidents, like a hospital in Louisiana where threat actors had accessed data of around 270,000 patients, and a Ohio hospital that was attacked and made them incapable of accepting new patients even during the massive surge of COVID-19. 

Those were only a few of the more than 1,500 attacks throughout the globe that had the digital traces of Hive, an organization whose associates, according to authorities, have made $150 million since 2021 as they demand money from companies in exchange for access to their data or system. 

The attacks are carried out via a "ransomware as a service" (RaaS) model, in which a small group of individuals create malicious software and then distribute it to numerous users, allowing them to quickly scale up their attacks before the security flaws they exploit are addressed. 

“You have an overarching group that provides everything down to the infrastructure, to lesser-capable cyber criminals, and they provide them the tools to conduct the hack,” Hussain said. 

The case brought the RCMP, the FBI, the police from France, Germany, Norway, and Lithuania together with Peel Police and other agencies dealing with Hive's impact. 

In retaliation, the group took over Hive's website earlier this year and replaced it with a landing page with the logos of numerous investigative agencies. “Simply put, using lawful means, we hacked the hackers,” said U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in a press conference in January. 

Adding to this, she says that the police had found and then openly disseminated decryptor keys that may aid anyone who had been assaulted in independently recovering their data or liberating their systems. 

According to Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, these actions have prevented around $130 million in ransom from being paid. “This cut off the gas that is fueling Hive’s fire,” Wray said. 

According to Hussain, the inquiry is still ongoing as the prevalence of ransomware grows. Ransomware assaults made up 11% of all cyber security incidents in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. 

“There’s no end in sight to cybercrime right now,” Hussain said.  

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ransomware attacks
Antwerp Cyber Security Hacking Group Play Website ransomware attacks

Hacking Group Takes Down "Antwerp" from Website

 

The City of Antwerp is no longer listed as one of the organizations that the hacker group Play has compromised on its website. Uncertainty surrounds the meaning of this. Geert Baudewijns, a cyber security specialist, asserts that it's possible that either talk between the hackers and the City of Antwerp is in progress or that there is already a deal in place, in which case a ransom payment may have been made. 

A week and a half ago, the City of Antwerp was the target of a significant cyber-attack, which has since caused the suspension of several of the city's public services. A City Hall position is not often easy to get, and the hacking impacts libraries, museums, and schools. 

The Play hacker collective claimed responsibility for the hacking of its website on the so-called "dark web" not long after the City of Antwerp's websites were compromised. The city officials had until Monday, December 19 to comply with the collective's ransom demand. 

If not, the gang threatens to upload more than 500 gigabytes of information on the city and its residents, including all personal information, to the internet. 

Negotiation or ransomware? 

Only two possible explanations exist for the city's disappearance from the Play website. Geert Baudewijns of Secutec, a cyber-security specialist, told VRT News, a local media outlet, "Either the talks are proceeding apace. or the city has made the payment. Despite the fact that I am not taking part in the negotiations, I can speak from negotiation experience." 

"A firm may occasionally be required to pay a ransom equal to up to 10% of its annual revenue." For municipal or city officials, however, things may be very different. I am unable to remark on that.

According to Tim Verheyden of VRT NWS, Play is well-known in the hacker community. They were in charge of significant cyberattacks against the United States, Canada, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and now the City of Antwerp. The reason it is no longer visible on Play's website has not yet been addressed by the City of Antwerp.
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Void Balaur
Cyber Crime domains Hacking Group Phishing Attacks Russia Telegram User Privacy Void Balaur

Void Balaur Targets Russian Entities

A hacker-for-hire company that was originally revealed in 2019 has extended its scope to target victims with links to Russia in the political and corporate sector. 

Reported to attack a variety of known target groups worldwide, Void Balaur is a very active hacker-for-hire cyber mercenary gang. Since at least 2016, people have seen their services available for purchase online. Private data collection and access to particular online email and social media sites, including Gmail, Outlook, Telegram, Yandex, Facebook, Instagram, and corporate emails, are among the services offered. 

Google claims Since 2012, TAG has been keeping tabs on a diverse group of Indian hackers-for-hire, many of whom have worked briefly for Indian security companies Appin and Belltrox.

The gang often conducts attacks that are both general and opportunistic with the goal of getting illegal access to popular email services, social networks, communications, and corporate accounts.

According to reports, the hack-for-hire service provided by the gang is offered using a variety of guises, including Hacknet and RocketHack. The operators have offered additional services over the years, including real-time location tracking, SMS logs, and remote device access.

Furthermore, the assault infrastructure run by Void Balaur includes more than 5,000 distinct domains that present themselves as portals for public services, authentication services, and email websites.

A wide range of industries, frequently with specific political or business ties to Russia, are among the new targets. Additionally, Void Balaur hunts out targets useful for positioning or assisting upcoming assaults. They have the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and a number of other nations as their targets.

However, in early 2022, one of the group's managed domains resolved to an IP address that belongs to and is run by the Russian Federal Guard Service (FSO), indicating what appears to be an operating oversight and raising the possibility of a connection.

Despite the fact that Void Balaur targets persons and organizations all over the world, ads launched in 2022 have targeted individuals who are active in political and business circumstances that are important to Russia.

The use of highly repeatable phishing emails that look like they are from banks or local governments is common in order to deceive recipients into clicking a malicious link and divulging their account information.

In September 2021, one of the group's most infamous efforts featured attacks that targeted the personal email accounts of lawmakers and government leaders of an Eastern European nation.

In accordance with its reputation as a cyber mercenary, Void Balaur does not confine itself to the geopolitical sphere. Nonetheless,  employing and adopting the proper security measures will help in repelling cyber mercenary attacks.

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User Security
Data Data Breach Data Leak Hackers Hacking Group uber User Data User Privacy User Security

Uber Blames Extortion, Hacking Group Lapsus$ For Recent Data Breach

 

Uber revealed more details about the security incident that occurred last week on Monday, pinning the attack on a threat actor it believes is affiliated with the notorious LAPSUS$ hacking group. 

The financially motivated extortionist group was dealt a massive blow in March 2022 when the City of London Police arrested seven suspected LAPSUS$ gang members aged 16 to 21. Two of them were charged for their actions weeks later. The hacker responsible for the Uber breach, an 18-year-old teenager known as Tea Pot, has also claimed responsibility for breaking into video game publisher Rockstar Games over the weekend.

"This group typically uses similar techniques to target technology companies, and in 2022 alone has breached Microsoft, Cisco, Samsung, NVIDIA, and Okta, among others," the San Francisco-based company said in an update.

As the company's investigation into the incident continues, Uber stated that it is functioning with "several leading digital forensics firms," in addition to cooperating with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department.

In terms of how the attack occurred, the ridesharing company stated that an "EXT contractor" had their personal device compromised with malware and their corporate account credentials stolen and sold on the dark web, correlating with an earlier Group-IB report. The previous week, the Singapore-based company reported that at least two of Uber's employees in Brazil and Indonesia had been infected with Raccoon and Vidar information robbers.

"The attacker then repeatedly tried to log in to the contractor's Uber account," the company said. "Each time, the contractor received a two-factor login approval request, which initially blocked access. Eventually, however, the contractor accepted one, and the attacker successfully logged in."

After gaining access, the miscreant appears to have accessed other employee accounts, giving the malicious party access to "several internal systems" such as Google Workspace and Slack. The company also stated that as part of its incident response measures, it disabled impacted tools, rotated keys to the services, locked down the codebase, and blocked compromised employee accounts from accessing Uber systems or issued password resets for those accounts.

Uber did not say how many employee accounts were potentially compromised, but it emphasised that no unauthorised code changes were made and that there was no evidence the hacker had access to production systems that support its customer-facing apps. The firm also revealed that the attacker gained access to HackerOne bug reports, but added that "any bug reports the attacker was able to access have been remediated."

"There is only one solution to making push-based [multi-factor authentication] more resilient and that is to train your employees, who use push-based MFA, about the common types of attacks against it, how to detect those attacks, and how to mitigate and report them if they occur," Roger Grimes, data-driven defence evangelist at KnowBe4, said in a statement.

According to Chris Clements, vice president of solutions architecture at Cerberus Sentinel, organisations must recognise that MFA is not a "silver bullet" and that not all factors are created equal.
While there has been a transition from SMS-based authentication to an app-based approach to reduce the dangers associated with SIM swapping attacks, the attack against Uber and Cisco shows that security controls that were once thought to be infallible are being circumvented by other means.

The fact that threat actors are relying on attack paths such as adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) proxy toolkits and MFA fatigue (aka prompt bombing) to trick an unsuspecting employee into inadvertently handing over MFA codes or authorising an access request underscores the importance of employing phishing-resistant methods.

"To prevent similar attacks, organizations should move to more secure versions of MFA approval such as number matching that minimize the risk of a user blindly approving an authentication verification prompt," Clements said.

"The reality is that if an attacker only needs to compromise a single user to cause significant damage, sooner or later you are going to have significant damage," Clements added, underscoring strong authentication mechanisms "should be one of many in-depth defensive controls to prevent compromise."
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Ransomware
BianLian Hacking Group malware Ransomware

A New Ransomware Gang BianLian on a Sudden Rise



BianLian has 20 victims 

A new ransomware gang working under the name BianLian surfaced last year and is actively on the rise since then. The group already has a record of twenty victims across various industries (engineering, medicine, insurance, and law). Most of the victim organizations are based in Australia, the UK, and North America.

Cybersecurity firm Redacted published a report regarding the incident, it hasn't attributed the attack to anyone but believes the threat actor "represents a group of individuals who are very skilled in network penetration but are relatively new to the extortion/ransomware business." 

Redacted firm finds the group 

Unfortunately, the Redacted team of experts has found proof that BianLian is now trying to advance its tactics. In August, the experts noticed that a troubling expansion in the rate by which BianLian was bringing new [CBC] servers online. 

"The BianLian group has developed a custom tool set consisting of a backdoor and an encryptor, developing both using the Go programming language," says the report.

The experts currently lack the insight to know the reason for the sudden increase in growth, it may hint that the hacking group is ready to increase its operational tempo, though whatever may be the reason, there isn't much good that comes from a ransomware operator that has resources readily available to him. 

How does BianLian work?

To get initial access into the victim's network, BianLian generally attacks the SonicWall VPN devices, servers that offer remote network access through solutions like Remote Desktop, ProxyShell vulnerability chain 

Once exploited, they deploy either a webshell or a lightweight remote access solution like ngrok as the follow-on payload. Once inside the victim network, BianLian takes upto six weeks to initiate the encryption process. 

As BianLian in the beginning spreads throughout the network, looking for the most important information to steal and find out the most important machines to encrypt, it appears to take steps to reduce observable incidents, via living of the land (LOL) methods to move horizontally. 

In the past, BianLian has occasionally posted teaser information on victim organizations, leaving the victims identities masked, which may have served as an additional pressure mechanism on the victims in an attempt to have them pay the actors ransom demand, says Redacted report. 

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Malicious actor
Cyber Security domains Google Hacking Hacking Group malicious Malicious actor

Google Blocks Malicious Domains Used by Hack-for-hire Groups

About hack-for-hire

Threat Analyst Group (TAG) of Google last week revealed that it blocked around 36 malicious domains used by Hacking groups in Russia, UAE, and India. 

In a technique similar to surveillance ecosystems, hack-for-hire groups give their clients the leverage to launch targeted cyberattacks on corporate organizations, politicians, activists, journalists, and other users that are at high-risk. 


What is Google saying?

Google in its Blog says "as part of our efforts to combat serious threat actors, we use results of our research to improve the safety and security of our products. Upon discovery, all identified websites and domains were added to Safe Browsing to protect users from further harm."  

The only difference in the manners of the two is that while users buy the spyware from commercial vendors and later use it themselves, the actors behind hack-for-hire cyberattacks deploy the hacking attempts on the clients' behalf so that the buyers remain anonymous. 


How does hack-for-hire operate?

The hack-for-hire ecosystem is flexible in two ways, first in how the actors deploy the attacks themselves, and second, in the large range of targets, they seek in a single campaign on their clients' behalf. 

Some hacking groups publicly market their products and services to any user that is willing to pay, however, few operate in a hidden manner and sell their services to a limited public. 

"We encourage any high risk user to enable Advanced Protection and Google Account Level Enhanced Safe Browsing and ensure that all devices are updated. Additionally, our CyberCrime Investigation Group is sharing relevant details and indicators with law enforcement," says Google. 


Other Details


A recent campaign launched by an Indian hacking group attacked an IT company in Cyprus, a fintech organization in the Balkans, an educational institute in Nigeria, and a shopping company in Israel, hinting the wide range of victims. 

According to Google Since 2012, TAG has been tracking an interwoven set of Indian hack-for-hire actors, with many having previously worked for Indian offensive security providers Appin and Belltrox. 

One cluster of this activity frequently targets government, healthcare, and telecom sectors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain with credential phishing campaigns, Google adds. 
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NVIDIA
Customer Care Cyber Blackmail Data Breach FedEx Hacking Group NVIDIA

Lapsus$ Attackers Gained Access to a Support Engineer's Laptop, as per Okta

 

According to Okta, a quick inquiry into the posting of screenshots that appeared to depict a data breach discovered they are linked to a "contained" security incident that occurred in January 2022. 

After the LAPSUS$ hacking group shared screenshots on Telegram which it claimed were taken after gaining access to "Okta.com Superuser/Admin and several other systems," Okta, an enterprise identity, and access management business, initiated an investigation. 

Lapsus$ is a hacking gang that has risen through the ranks by supposedly breaking into the networks of high-profile companies one by one to collect information and threaten to disclose it online until blackmail payments are made.

Sitel, Okta's third-party provider of customer support services, was hacked by the Lapsus$ data extortion gang. "The Okta Security team was notified on January 20, 2022, a new factor had been added to a Sitel customer service engineer's Okta account. It was a password which served as this factor" Okta explains. "Though this individual approach was unsuccessful, it reset the account and contacted Sitel," says the company, which then hired a top forensic agency to conduct an investigation. 

Okta is a publicly-traded corporation based in San Francisco with thousands of users, including several technology companies. FedEx, Moody's, T-Mobile, JetBlue, and ITV are among the company's top clients. 

"Lapsus$ is infamous for extortion, threatening victims with the publication of sensitive information if demands are not met," said Ekram Ahmed, a Check Point spokesperson. "The gang boasts of infiltrating Nvidia, Samsung, and Ubisoft, among others." The public has never fully understood how the gang was able to penetrate these targets. 

Okta claims it was unaware of the scope of the event in January, believing it to be restricted to a failed account takeover attempt aimed at a Sitel support engineer. Sitel's hiring of a forensics firm to investigate the incident and prepare a report also assured Okta at the moment the situation didn't need to be escalated any further.

The stock price of Okta dropped about 20% in less than a week after the company's clumsy announcement of the January hacking event. At first, Okta CEO Todd McKinnon described the event as an "attempt" by malicious attackers to hack a support engineer's account. However, it was eventually discovered the problem had affected 2.5 percent of Okta's clients (366 in total). Sitel's support engineers have restricted access to Jira requests and support systems, but they are not allowed to download, create, or delete client records. 

According to Okta, the screenshots posted by the Lapsus$ group were taken from a compromised Sitel engineer's account with limited access. Regardless, the corporation voiced dissatisfaction with the amount of time it took for the investigation's findings to be released.
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Zoho
APT27 Backdoor Bugs Flaws Hacking Group malware Threat actor Zoho

US Defense Contractors Struck by SockDetour Windows backdoor

 

SockDetour, a new custom malware discovered on US defence contractor computers, has been utilised as a backup backdoor to sustain access to hijacked networks. 

The malicious payload was discovered by Unit 42 security researchers, who believe its administrators kept it hidden for a long time because it has been utilised in the open since at least July 2019. The fact that SockDetour "operates filelessly and socketlessly" on compromised Windows servers by hijacking network connections explains its stealthiness, making it much difficult to identify at the host and network levels. 

The connection hijacking is carried out with the help of the official Microsoft Detours library package, which is used for monitoring and instrumenting Windows API calls.

Unit 42 explained, “With such implementation, SockDetour [..] serves as a backup backdoor in case the primary backdoor is detected and removed by defenders." 

The threat actors utilised a very precise delivery server in one of the attacks, QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) device commonly used by small businesses that had earlier been infected with QLocker ransomware — they most likely utilised the same security vulnerability (the CVE-2021-28799 remote code execution bug) to acquire access to the server. 

On July 27, 2021, the researchers discovered the malware on the Windows server of at least one US defence contractor, which led to the identification of three additional defence organisations being attacked by the same group with the same backdoor. 

"Based on Unit 42’s telemetry data and the analysis of the collected samples, we believe the threat actor behind SockDetour has been focused on targeting U.S.-based defence contractors using the tools. Unit 42 has evidence of at least four defence contractors being targeted by this campaign, with a compromise of at least one contractor," researchers explained. 

What is SockDetour?

The SockDetour backdoor was earlier linked to attacks exploiting various vulnerabilities in Zoho products, including ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus (CVE-2021-40539) and ServiceDesk Plus (CVE-2021-44077), by an APT activity cluster tracked by Unit 42 as TiltedTemple. While Unit 42 analysts suspected in November that the TiltedTemple campaign was the work of a Chinese-sponsored threat group known as APT27, the firm did not link the SockDetour malware to a specific hacking group. 

The partial attribution is based on techniques and harmful tools that match APT27's earlier activities, as well as similar cyber espionage targeting of the same industries (e.g., defence, technology, energy, aerospace, government, and manufacturing). TiltedTemple attacks targeting Zoho vulnerabilities resulted in the compromise of critical infrastructure organisations' networks. 

In three separate campaigns in 2021, TiltedTemple assaults targeting Zoho vulnerabilities resulted in the penetration of networks belonging to critical infrastructure organisations around the world, using: 
• an ADSelfService zero-day exploit between early-August and mid-September, 
• an n-day AdSelfService exploit until late October, 
• and a ServiceDesk one starting with October 25.
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Vulnerability
attacks Belgium Bugs Cyber Attacks Flaws Hacking Group Log4j Security Vulnerability

Hackers Exploit Log4j Flaw to Attack Belgium Defense Ministry

 

The Belgian Ministry of Defense has stated that the Log4j vulnerability was used in a cyberattack on its networks. 

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that an attack on its computer network with internet access was identified on Thursday. They didn't disclose whether the attack was ransomware, but they did state that "quarantine measures" were swiftly implemented to "contain the affected elements." 

The Defense Ministry stated, "Priority was given to the operability of the network. Monitoring will continue. Throughout the weekend, our teams were mobilized to contain the problem, continue our operations and alert our partners." 

"This attack follows the exploitation of the Log4j vulnerability, which was made public last week and for which IT specialists around the world are jumping into the breach. The Ministry of Defense will not provide any further information at this stage." 

Government hacking groups all across the world are using the Log4j vulnerability, according to multiple reports from firms like Google and Microsoft. State-sponsored hackers from China, Turkey, Iran, and North Korea, according to Microsoft, have begun testing, exploiting, and abusing the Log4j issue to spread a range of malware, including ransomware. 

According to multiple sources, since the vulnerability was found over two weeks ago, cybercriminal organisations have attempted to exploit it not only to acquire a foothold in networks but also to sell that access to others. 

To avoid attacks and breaches, governments around the world have advised agencies and companies to fix their systems or devise mitigation strategies. Singapore conducted emergency meetings with vital information infrastructure sectors to prepare them for potential Log4j-related threats, and the US' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency instructed all federal civilian agencies to fix systems before Christmas. 

Katrien Eggers, a spokesperson for the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, told ZDNet that the organisation had also issued a warning to Belgian companies about the Apache Log4j software issue, stating that any organisation that had not already taken action should "expect major problems in the coming days and weeks." 

The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium stated, adding that any affected organizations should contact them. "Because this software is so widely distributed, it is difficult to estimate how the discovered vulnerability will be exploited and on what scale. It goes without saying that this is a dangerous situation."
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Phishing Attacks
APT APT actors BlackBerry Hackers Hacking Group malware phishing Phishing Attacks

BlackBerry Discovers Initial Access Broker Linked to 3 Different Hacker Groups

 

The latest report from BlackBerry revealed an initial access broker termed "Zebra2104" that has links with three harmful cybercriminals groups, and few are involved in phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks Research and Intelligent team at Blackberry discovered that Zebra2104 gave entry points to ransomware groups such as MountLocker, Phobos, and StrongPity APT. 

The access was given to various organizations in Australia and Turkey which fell victim to the attacks. The StrongPity APT attacked Turkish firms in the healthcare sector, and also targeted smaller enterprises. As per Blackberry, its research suggests an access broker having a lot of manpower, or actors might've built large hidden traps on the web. 

The report also suggests that an inquiry confirmed that MountLocker ransomware was working along with StrongPity, an APT group that dates back to 2012, a Turkish state-sponsored group (allegedly). As of now, it might be hard to believe that criminal groups are sharing resources, but the experts have found a common link, enabled by a fourth criminal group termed Zebra2104, which the experts believe to be an Initial Access Broker (IAB). According to experts, there is an abundance of hacking groups working together, more than mentioned in this article. 

The single-domain directed the experts to a path where they discovered various ransomware attacks, and an APT C2 (command and control). The path turned out to be an IAB--Zebra2104 infrastructure. IAB's general gets access to the top bidders in dark web platforms on underground forums. Following that, the winning bidder deploys ransomware or any other malware in the target organization's systems, the campaign depends on the goals of the attack. 

"A few of the domains had been involved in a phishing campaign that went after state government departments in Australia as well as real estate companies there in September 2020. With the help of other Microsoft reports, the researchers were able to trace the campaigns further to an indicator of compromise of a MountLocker intrusion," reports ZD Net.
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Phishing email
Backdoor Hacking Group JavaScript malware Phishing email

FIN7 Hackers Using 'Windows 11 Alpha' Themed Malicious Documents to Drop JavaScript Backdoor



In a recent wave of the spear-phishing campaign, the FIN7 cybercrime group employed Windows 11 Alpha-themed weaponized word documents to deliver a JavaScript payload with a JavaScript backdoor. 

'Phishing Email Campaign' is the initial attack vector, posing as 'Windows 11 Alpha', it contains an infected Microsoft Word document (.doc). The virus is accompanied by this image which convinces a user to click on 'Enable Editing' and further advance towards the installation process. Once the user enables the content, the VBA macro that is contained in the image begins to come into effect. 

VBA macro is populated with junk data such as comments, it is a common strategy employed by criminals to impede analysis. Once the junk data is being pulled out, all we would be left with is a 'VBA macro'. Upon further analyzing the JavaScript, researchers learned that it contained obfuscated strings along with a deobfuscation function. 

Researchers have found that the threat actors behind the malicious campaign – upon detecting languages of certain countries including Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Estonia, and Ukraine – call into action the 'me2XKr' function to delete all the tables and then stops running. They do so in order to prevent execution in the aforementioned countries. 

Primarily targeting the U.S.-based telecommunications, education, retail, finance, and hospitality sectors via meticulously crafted attacks, FIN7 has managed to stay ahead of law enforcement by employing novel and advanced techniques to thwart detection from time and again. The threat group, also identified by some as "Carbanak Group", has increasingly diversified its monetization tactics which allowed the gang to widen the impact of their compromise. As a result, the group acquired a competitive advantage and has targeted a wide range of industries. Although FIN7 is characterized by its mass payment card data theft, the ambitions of the threat group are not limited to the theft of payment card data. In scenarios where end-to-end encryption (E2EE) prevented the attackers to obtain card data, they turned to attack the finance departments of the targeted organizations. 

In an analysis dated 02 September 2021, Anomali Threat Research said, "The specified targeting of the Clearmind domain fits well with FIN7's preferred modus operandi." "The group's goal appears to have been to deliver a variation of a JavaScript backdoor used by FIN7 since at least 2018."
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Ranomware Attack
Babuk Cyber Attacks D.C Police Hacking Group Ranomware Attack

Hacking Group That Targeted D.C. Police Briefly Posts Internal Police Files

 

Hackers who allegedly gained access to the D.C. police department's computer network briefly posted the personnel files of at least five current and former officers, a gambit one security expert believes was intended to show that the group's threats are legitimate. 

On Monday, Babuk issued the first warning to D.C. police by uploading screenshots of files the group claimed to have stolen. The group claims to have 250 GB of data, which is enough to store 70,000 images or thousands of pages. 

According to Brett Callow, an analyst for the New Zealand-based cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, which has been monitoring the hack, the documents posted on Wednesday ran into the hundreds of pages and included names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, financial and housing records, job histories and polygraph assessments. 

In a statement, the hacking group Babuk warned police to "get in touch as soon as possible and pay us, otherwise, we will publish the data." Officials in Washington, D.C., have not commented about whether they are in contact with the group. One of the former officers identified in the leak was contacted by NBC News, who confirmed the information was accurate. The officer's identity was not revealed. 

One of the records reviewed by The Washington Post is marked “background investigation document” and “confidential”. The 576-page file includes details of when an officer was going through a background check to be hired in 2017. It contains the officer's financial and banking details, as well as a photocopy of the officer's driver's license, social media posts, a private cell phone number, and answers to questions about past marijuana usage. 

The records were taken down later on Wednesday, according to Callow. However, the group issued a new alert on its dark Web site sometime Thursday, stating only that the police “now determine if the leak will be or not.” The threat was also removed later. 

This week, D.C. police said they were "aware of unauthorized access on our server" and were trying to "determine the full impact." The FBI was called in to assist with the investigation. Babuk has threatened to reveal confidential sources and reports with titles like "known shooters," "most violent person," "RAP feuds," "gang conflict report," and "strategic crime briefings," among others. 

Acting D.C. police chief Robert J. Contee III sent an email to more than 3,600 officers on Wednesday night, reporting that the hacking group had stolen human resource files containing officers' personal information. Officers are told how to get free copies of their credit reports in the email. Officers may also put "fraud notices" on their credit reports, requiring someone who wants to access the data to seek additional permissions. 

According to Adam Scott Wandt, an assistant professor of public policy in the cybersecurity programme at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, “The data leak could reveal informants, putting their lives in danger. This criminal organization poses a very serious and dangerous threat.” Wandt stated, "The amount of harm that can be done is simply enormous. It has the potential to obstruct ongoing investigations. Imagine looking up your name on Google and seeing a data dump that reveals you're being investigated for fraud or drug dealing.” 

The D.C. police department, according to Callow, "has no good choices." The data will be released if they do not pay. If they pay, all they have to do now is trust the criminals to delete the stolen information. “However, why would they?” 

According to a study released by Emsisoft, 2,354 agencies and businesses were targeted last year in ransomware attacks. There were 113 local, state, and federal governments, 560 healthcare facilities, and 1,681 educational institutions included in the list. The groups also gain access to private networks, shut down systems, and then demand payment to restore services. In 2019, a cyberattack crippled Baltimore's ability to process payments and conduct online real estate transactions. According to the Baltimore Sun, the attack cost the city $18 million in lost revenue as well as money spent to repair systems and boost security.

D.C. cops are being targeted by a new type of extortion scheme in which data is stolen and bribes are demanded to keep it from being published, stated cybersecurity experts. According to Callow, the group appears to have raw knowledge based on Wednesday's postings of real data files.
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