The study, titled “Security Bite: iCloud Mail, Gmail, Others Shockingly Bad at detecting malware, Study Finds,” highlights the shortcomings of popular email service providers in safeguarding users from malicious attachments.
Researchers collected 100 malicious document samples, categorized into four groups:
These samples were sent via Proton Mail to addresses on iCloud Mail, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL.
The study’s findings were alarming:
Implement multi-layered security measures:
It has surfaced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has reached out to around 20,600 individuals to inform them about a data breach that took place last year. The breach, disclosed in a letter sent on February 1, 2024, brings to light an unintentional exposure of multiple email messages by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the DOD's military intelligence branch. This incident occurred between February 3 and February 20, 2023, and has raised concerns about the security of personal information.
This breach was traced back to an unsecured U.S. government cloud email server hosted on Microsoft's cloud service for government clients. The server, due to a misconfiguration, was accessible without a password, potentially putting sensitive information at risk. The compromised server contained around three terabytes of internal military emails, including data related to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and personnel information.
The breach was first identified by security researcher Anurag Sen, who discovered the exposed data online. After seeking assistance from TechCrunch, the information was reported to SOCOM on February 19, leading to the server's securement on February 20. The DOD is now in the process of notifying affected individuals about the incident.
According to DOD spokesperson Cdr. Tim Gorman, the affected server was promptly removed from public access, and the service provider resolved the issues that led to the exposure. The DOD continues to collaborate with the service provider to enhance cyber event prevention and detection. However, it remains unclear why the DOD took a year to investigate the incident and notify those affected.
The exposed emails were accessible using only a web browser and included sensitive, unclassified information such as questionnaires from prospective federal employees seeking security clearances. Microsoft, the cloud service provider, has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
In the aftermath of the breach, it's crucial for individuals to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect their personal information. The incident underscores the importance of cybersecurity measures and highlights potential risks associated with misconfigurations in cloud services.
As the DOD strives to improve its cybersecurity protocols, ongoing communication with affected individuals and transparency about the incident are paramount. Readers are encouraged to stay informed about cybersecurity best practices and be cautious with online data to mitigate potential risks in an increasingly interconnected digital world.
Mozilla Firefox, a well-known web browser, has significantly improved the protection of users' email addresses in an age where internet privacy and security have elevated worries. The addition of additional built-in technologies has made Firefox even more capable of protecting your online identity.
The latest feature, known as 'Email Masks,' is designed to keep your email address safe from prying eyes and potential phishing attacks. This innovation has been widely welcomed by the online community and security experts alike.
Email Masks work by allowing users to generate a unique and temporary email address, often referred to as an alias or a mask. Instead of using your primary email address for online services, you can create a disposable one within Firefox. This means that even if a website you've registered with gets hacked or sells your data, your actual email address remains hidden and secure.
To use this feature, simply right-click on the email field when signing up for a new service or website, and Firefox will offer the option to generate an Email Mask. You can then choose an alias that suits the purpose, and all emails sent to this alias will be forwarded to your primary inbox.
What makes Email Masks even more impressive is their flexibility. You can easily disable or delete a mask if you no longer wish to receive emails from a particular source. This ensures that you have complete control over your digital identity and who can reach your primary email address.
Furthermore, Firefox has integrated its popular Relay service into the browser. Firefox Relay helps you manage these Email Masks efficiently and provides an additional layer of security by forwarding only the legitimate emails while filtering out spam and potential threats.
This move aligns with Mozilla's commitment to prioritizing user privacy and security. By offering these tools natively within the browser, Firefox makes it more convenient for users to protect themselves against phishing attempts and data breaches.
The strategies used by cybercriminals change as the internet does. These new features highlight Mozilla's pro-active approach to user protection and show their commitment to staying ahead of these dangers.
The Internet has revolutionized the way we accomplish tasks, offering unprecedented convenience and opportunities, such as remote work and instant mobile transactions. However, this rapid evolution also brings forth numerous threats from cybercriminals. As we dive deeper into the digital age, it becomes increasingly crucial to address these dangers and fortify our digital security.
Are you a YouTube user? Beware of a new phishing scam that has been making rounds lately! In recent times, YouTube users have been targeted by a new phishing scam. The scammers use an authentic email address from YouTube, which makes it difficult to differentiate between a genuine email and a fraudulent one.
Phishing scams are fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by disguising themselves as trustworthy entity in electronic communication. Typically, scammers use social engineering techniques to trick users into clicking on a malicious link or downloading malware.
The new YouTube phishing scam involves the use of an authentic email address from YouTube. The email appears to be from YouTube's support team, and it informs the user that their channel is at risk of being deleted due to a copyright infringement violation.
The email contains a link to a website where the user is asked to enter their YouTube login credentials. Once the user enters their login credentials, the scammers can access the user's account and potentially steal sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions.
The new YouTube phishing scam is difficult to identify because the email address used by the scammers appears to be genuine. However, there are a few signs that you can look out for to identify the scam:
To protect yourself from the new YouTube phishing scam, follow these tips:
The new phishing scam using an authentic email address is a serious threat to YouTube users. However, by following the tips mentioned in this blog, you can protect yourself from falling victim to the scam. Always be vigilant and cautious when dealing with emails that request sensitive information. Remember, if you are unsure, do not click on the link.
Charming Kitten, a state-sponsored Iranian hacking group is using a new tool to download emails from targeted Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, and Gmail accounts.
The utility is called Hyperscraper and like many hackers' operations and tools, it is in no way sophisticated. But its lack of sophistication is balanced by effectiveness, letting the threat actors hack a target's e-mail inbox without leaving any traces of the intrusion.
In a recent technical report, experts from Google's TAG (Threat Analyst Group), shared information about Hyperscraper's capabilities and said that it is under active development.
Google TAG links the tool to Charming Kitten, a threat group based in Iran that is also called APT35 and Phosphorus, and said the earliest samples were found from 2020.
The researchers discovered Hyperscraper in December 2021 and analysed it using a Gmail test account. Hyperscraper isn't a hacking tool but an instrument that lets threat actors steal email data and store it on their devices after getting into the victim's email account.
Getting the login credentials for the victim's inbox is done in an earlier stage of the attack, generally by stealing them.
Hyperscraper has an embedded browser and fools the user agent to imitate an outdated web browser, it provides a basic HTML view of the Gmail account's details.
Google TAG says that once logged in, the tool changes the account’s language settings to English and iterates through the contents of the mailbox, individually downloading messages as .eml files and marking them unread.
When the extraction is completed, Hyperscraper changes the language settings to English and moves through the contents of the email inbox, downloading messages individually as .eml files extension and marking them unread.
Google TAG experts said earlier variants of Charming Kitten's utility could get data from 'Google Take-out,' a feature that lets users shift data from their Google account for making a backup or using it with a third-party service.
While running, Hyperscraper works via the C2 (Command and Control) server, waiting for a 'go' sign to start the exfiltration process.
The operator can change the tool with important parameters (identifier string, operation mode, path to valid cookie file) via command-line arguments or using a minimal user interface.
If the path to the cookie file isn't given over the command line, the operator has the option to drag and drop it into a new form. After the cookie has been parsed successfully and embedded in the local cache of the web browser,
Hyperscraper makes a 'Download' folder where it throws the contents of the target inbox. The victims of Charming Kitten who were attacked with Hyperscraper have been informed about the government-backed attacks.
"Users that received such a warning are encouraged to bolster their defenses against more sophisticated attackers by enrolling in Google’s Advanced Protection Program (AAP) and by activating the Enhanced Safe Browsing feature, both provided an added security layer to existing protection mechanisms," said Bleeping Computers.