Incident Response trends Q2 2023: Data theft extortion rises, while healthcare is still most-targeted vertical

Cisco Talos Incident Response Talos IR responded to a growing number of data theft extortion incidents that did not involve encrypting files or deploying ransomware, a 25 percent increase since last quarter and the most-observed threat in the second quarter of 2023. In this type of attack, threat...

Cryptojacking: Understanding and defending against cloud compute resource abuse

In cloud environments, cryptojacking – a type of cyberattack that uses computing power to mine cryptocurrency – takes the form of cloud compute resource abuse, which involves a threat actor compromising legitimate tenants. Cloud compute resource abuse could result in financial loss to targeted...

Over 100,000 Stolen ChatGPT Account Credentials Sold on Dark Web Marketplaces

Over 101,100 compromised OpenAI ChatGPT account credentials have found their way on illicit dark web marketplaces between June 2022 and May 2023, with India alone accounting for 12,632 stolen credentials. The credentials were discovered within information stealer logs made available for sale on t...

GUI-Vil Threat Group Exploits AWS for Crypto Mining

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary GUI-Vil p0-LUCR-1, an Indonesian threat group, conducts unauthorized cryptocurrency mining using personalized infiltration tactics. They exploit AWS, leveraging compromised credentials and vulnerabilitie...

CISA updates ransomware guidance

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA has updated its StopRansomware guide to account for the fact that ransomware actors have accelerated their tactics and techniques since the original guide was released in September of 2020. The StopRansomware guide is set up as a one-stop...

Dr. Active Directory vs. Mr. Exposed Attack Surface: Who'll Win This Fight?

Active Directory AD is among the oldest pieces of software still used in the production environment and can be found in most organizations today. This is despite the fact that its historical security gaps have never been amended. For example, because of its inability to apply any security measure...

Dr. Active Directory vs. Mr. Exposed Attack Surface: Who'll Win This Fight?

Active Directory AD is among the oldest pieces of software still used in the production environment and can be found in most organizations today. This is despite the fact that its historical security gaps have never been amended. For example, because of its inability to apply any security measure...

MERCURY and DEV-1084: Destructive attack on hybrid environment

April 2023 update – Microsoft Threat Intelligence has shifted to a new threat actor naming taxonomy aligned around the theme of weather. MERCURY is now tracked as Mango Sandstorm and DEV-1084 is now tracked as Storm-1084. To learn more about the new taxonomy represents the origin, unique traits,...

PureCrypter Malware Targets Government Entities in Asia-Pacific and North America

Government entities in Asia-Pacific and North America are being targeted by an unknown threat actor with an off-the-shelf malware downloader known as PureCrypter to deliver an array of information stealers and ransomware. "The PureCrypter campaign uses the domain of a compromised non-profit...

#StopRansomware: Cuba Ransomware

Summary Actions to take today to mitigate cyber threats from ransomware: • Prioritize remediating known exploited vulnerabilities. • Train users to recognize and report phishing attempts. • Enable and enforce phishing-resistant multifactor authentication. Note: This joint Cybersecurity Advisory C...

Weak Security Controls and Practices Routinely Exploited for Initial Access

Summary Best Practices to Protect Your Systems: • Control access. • Harden Credentials. • Establish centralized log management. • Use antivirus solutions. • Employ detection tools. • Operate services exposed on internet-accessible hosts with secure configurations. • Keep software updated. Cyber...

Vice Society Ransomware Attackers Targeted Dozens of Schools in 2022

The Vice Society cybercrime group has disproportionately targeted educational institutions, accounting for 33 victims in 2022 and surpassing other ransomware families like LockBit, BlackCat, BianLian, and Hive. Other prominent industry verticals targeted include healthcare, governments,...

US healthcare organizations targeted by Daixin Team ransomware

Threat Level Actor Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary Daixin Team ransomware, and data extortion group has been gaining initial access to victims through virtual private networks VPN servers since June 2022, either by exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in...

Why Ransomware in Education on the Rise and What That Means for 2023

The breach of LA Unified School District LAUSD highlights the prevalence of password vulnerabilities, as criminal hackers continue to use breached credentials in increasingly frequent ransomware attacks on education. The Labor Day weekend breach of LAUSD brought significant districtwide disruptio...

Five Steps to Mitigate the Risk of Credential Exposure

Every year, billions of credentials appear online, be it on the dark web, clear web, paste sites, or in data dumps shared by cybercriminals. These credentials are often used for account takeover attacks, exposing organizations to breaches, ransomware, and data theft. While CISOs are aware of...

Patchable and Preventable Security Issues Lead Causes of Q1 Attacks

Eighty-two percent of attacks on organizations in Q1 2022 were caused by the external exposure of a known vulnerabilities in the victim’s external-facing perimeter or attack surface. Those unpatched bugs overshadowed breach-related financial losses tied to human error, which accounted for 18...

CVE-2022-23724

Use of static encryption key material allows forging an authentication token to other users within a tenant organization. MFA may be bypassed by redirecting an authentication flow to a target user. To exploit the vulnerability, must have compromised user credentials...

CVE-2022-23724

Use of static encryption key material allows forging an authentication token to other users within a tenant organization. MFA may be bypassed by redirecting an authentication flow to a target user. To exploit the vulnerability, must have compromised user credentials...

CVE-2022-23724

Use of static encryption key material allows forging an authentication token to other users within a tenant organization. MFA may be bypassed by redirecting an authentication flow to a target user. To exploit the vulnerability, must have compromised user credentials...

CVE-2022-23724 PingID Integration for Windows Login MFA Bypass

Use of static encryption key material allows forging an authentication token to other users within a tenant organization. MFA may be bypassed by redirecting an authentication flow to a target user. To exploit the vulnerability, must have compromised user credentials...