Microsoft discloses 5 critical vulnerabilities in June's Patch Tuesday, no zero-days

Microsoft released its monthly security update Tuesday, disclosing 69 vulnerabilities across its suite of products and software. Five of these vulnerabilities are considered to be critical, 45 of them are listed as being high severity, 17 of them are medium severity and two are of low severity. F...

".Zip" top-level domains draw potential for information leaks

Googles recent offering of the ".zip" top-level domain TLD has led security researchers and likely threat actors to register numerous domains for red teaming and phishing attacks, respectively, causing new challenges for organizations and cybersecurity professionals. As a result of user...

Threat Roundup for June 2 to June 9

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between June 2 and June 9. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Now’s not the time to take our foot off the gas when it comes to fighting disinformation online

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. In the wake of the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, it seemed like big tech companies were taking the fight against disinformation seriously. Social media outlets set up new fact-checking procedures and got more aggressive about...

Adversaries increasingly using vendor and contractor accounts to infiltrate networks

Cisco Talos Incident Response Talos IR has repeatedly observed attackers targeting and using compromised vendor and contractor accounts VCAs during recent emergency response engagements. While high-profile software supply chain compromise events garner significant media attention e.g., the recent...

How Joe Marshall helps defend everything from electrical grids to grain co-ops across multiple continents

Joe Marshall was a security practitioner before he even knew it. Marshall started his career in information technology as a systems administrator. On the surface, he jokes that he was a "white-collar plumber" -- fixing IT issues as they arose, handing out new credentials and asking users if they...

Threat Roundup for May 26 to June 2

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between May 26 and June 2. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes: A blueprint for protection

One of the primary reasons why cybersecurity remains a complex undertaking is the increased sophistication of modern cyber threats. As the internet and digital technologies continue to advance, so do the methods and tools cybercriminals use. This means that even the most secure systems are...

Legislation alone isn’t enough to stop spyware

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. The use of spyware continues to make headlines across the globe. While primarily used by authoritarian regimes to track potentially sensitive subjects like political opponents or activists, governments from all over the world are guil...

New Horabot campaign targets the Americas

Cisco Talos has observed a threat actor deploying a previously unidentified botnet program Talos is calling "Horabot," which delivers a known banking trojan and spam tool onto victim machines in a campaign that has been ongoing since at least November 2020. The threat actor appears to be targetin...

Threat Roundup for May 19 to May 26

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between May 19 and May 26. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Memory corruption vulnerability in Mitsubishi PLC could lead to DoS, code execution

Cisco Talos recently discovered a memory corruption vulnerability in the Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-F FX5U programmable logic controller that is caused by a buffer overflow condition. The iQ-F FX5U is one offering in Mitsubishis MELSEC PLC line of hardware that comes with a built-in processor, power...

What is a web shell?

Editors note: The Need to Know is a new series from Talos, which focuses on cybersecurity terms, threats, tools and tactics that are discussed in our broader threat research. Think of this as a living encyclopedia of security terms and trends. Cisco Talos Incident Response recently released our...

It’s apparently hip to still be using Windows 7

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. As a longtime macOS user, I must admit Im behind the times when it comes to Microsoft Windows. Since buying a Steam Deck, Ive actually come to learn more about Linux and the Proton compatibility layer than I ever did about Windows. Bu...

Mercenary mayhem: A technical analysis of Intellexa's PREDATOR spyware

We would like to thank The Citizen Lab for their cooperation, support and inputs into this research. Commercial spyware use is on the rise, with actors leveraging these sophisticated tools to conduct surveillance operations against a growing number of targets. Cisco Talos has new details of a...

It’s really OK to take a break sometimes, especially in security

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. You probably already know this by now, but May is Mental Health Awareness Month across the globe. Many people will apply this time of reflection and education to their personal lives -- its easy to discuss anxiety, depression and othe...

Newly identified RA Group compromises companies in U.S. and South Korea with leaked Babuk source code

Cisco Talos recently discovered a new ransomware actor called RA Group that has been operating since at least April 22, 2023. The actor is swiftly expanding its operations. To date, the group has compromised three organizations in the U.S. and one in South Korea across several business verticals,...

Threat Roundup for May 5 to May 12

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between May 5 and May 12. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (May 11, 2023) — So much for that ransomware decline

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. I wrote a few weeks ago about how, between the public and private sectors, the security community was making some strides in fighting back against ransomware. Reports indicate that revenue for ransomware actors was down in 2022, and...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Authentication bypass, use-after-free vulnerabilities found in a library for the µC/OS open-source operating system

Kelly Leuschner of Cisco Talos discovered these vulnerabilities. Cisco Talos recently discovered two vulnerabilities in a library for µC/OS, an open-source operating system developed by Micrium. µC/OS is an embedded operating system that supports TCP/IP, USB, CAN bus and Modbus. The two...

New phishing-as-a-service tool “Greatness” already seen in the wild

A previously unreported phishing-as-a-service PaaS offering named "Greatness" has been used in several phishing campaigns since at least mid-2022. Greatness incorporates features seen in some of the most advanced PaaS offerings, such as multi-factor authentication MFA bypass, IP filtering and...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday for May 2023 — Fewest vulnerabilities disclosed in a month in three-plus years

Microsoft disclosed 40 vulnerabilities across its suite of products and software Tuesday, the fewest the companys included in a Patch Tuesday since December 2019. However, two of the vulnerabilities is being actively exploited in the wild, according to Microsoft, the fourth month in a row in whic...

Researcher Spotlight: Jacob Finn creates his own public-private partnership at Talos

After working in government for several years, this Talos threat hunter is diving into the dark web Growing up, Jacob Finn says he wanted to be a detective or maybe a veterinarian, but theres still plenty of time for that. Today with Talos, hes a detective. And while hes still hunting for bad...

Threat Roundup for April 28 to May 5

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between April 28 and May 5. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (May 4, 2023) — Recapping the biggest headlines to come out of RSA

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. I didnt attend the RSA Conference in person, and on top of that, I was at the NFL Draft while the conference was going on. Im behind on the biggest talks, panels and presentations that came out during the annual security conference, s...

Threat Roundup for April 21 to April 28

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between April 21 and April 28. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (April 27, 2023) — New Cisco Secure offerings and extra security from Duo

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. Im writing this earlier in the week as I get ready for some personal travel everyone is lucky I passed on writing another Cybersecurity Mock Draft, so apologies if I miss anything major that happens at RSA. But Cisco beat everyone to...

Quarterly Report: Incident Response Trends in Q1 2023

Web shell usage spikes in Q1 compared to previous quarters, correlating with higher instances of exploitation of public-facing applications. In a novel increase compared to previous quarters, Cisco Talos Incident Response Talos IR reports that web shells were the most-observed threat in the first...

Video: Everything you need to know about ongoing state-sponsored attacks targeting network infrastructure across the globe

Cisco and Talos are continuing to track and research a series of ongoing cyber attacks and espionage targeting out-of-date and unpatched network hardware. In this video, Hazel Burton interviews Matt Olney and J.J. Cummings from Talos to discuss the "Jaguar Tooth" campaign the U.K. government and...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Vulnerabilities in IBM AIX could lead to command injection with elevated privileges

Tim Brown of Cisco Security Advisory EMEA discovered these vulnerabilities and contributed to this blog post. A Cisco security researcher recently discovered two vulnerabilities in the IBM AIX Unix platforms that could be exploited to inject commands and logs into targeted systems with elevated...

Threat Roundup for April 14 to April 21

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between April 14 and April 21. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (April 20, 2023) — Preview of Cisco and Talos at RSA

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. Were firing up the conference circuit again for 2023, kicking things off next week with the RSA Conference in San Francisco. Cisco has a ton of exciting announcements, keynotes and talks lined up for the week, but there are also plent...

State-sponsored campaigns target global network infrastructure

Cisco is deeply concerned by an increase in the rate of high-sophistication attacks on network infrastructure -- that we have observed and have seen corroborated by numerous reports issued by various intelligence organizations -- indicating state-sponsored actors are targeting routers and firewal...

Threat Roundup for April 7 to April 14

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between April 7 and April 14. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (April 13, 2023) — Dark web forum whac-a-mole

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. Law enforcement organizations across the globe notched a series of wins over the past few weeks against online forums for cybercriminals. On March 23, the FBI announced it disrupted the online cybercriminal marketplace BreachForums,...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Hard-coded password vulnerability could allow attacker to completely take over Lenovo Smart Clock

Kelly Leuschner and Thorsten Rosendahl discovered this vulnerability. Cisco Talos researchers recently discovered a vulnerability in the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential that could allow an attacker to completely take over the device if they have access to the network the clock is connected to...

How threat actors are using AI and other modern tools to enhance their phishing attempts

Phishing attacks are increasingly more targeted and customized than in the past. The proliferation of additional communications channels such as mobile devices and social media provides attackers with new avenues to phish users. The technology behind phishing attacks evolves as necessary for...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday for April 2023 — Snort rules and prominent vulnerabilities

Microsoft released its monthly round of security updates and patches today, continuing its trend of fixing zero-day vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday. Aprils security update includes one vulnerability thats actively being exploited in the wild. There are also eight critical vulnerabilities and the...

Researcher Spotlight: Giannis Tziakouris first learned how to fix his family’s PC, and now he’s fixing networks all over the globe

Giannis Tziakouris had a problem growing up: He kept breaking his PC. He loved experimenting on his familys home computer, but things didnt always go as planned. Thats when his dad told him he had to learn how to fix the PC and get it back up and running, or hed revoke Giannis computer access...

Threat Roundup for March 31 to April 7

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between March 31 and April 7. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Source newsletter (April 6, 2023) — Another friendly reminder about supply chain attacks

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. It seems like we cant go a full calendar year without a major supply chain attack. In late 2020 we had the SolarWinds incident which, doesnt that somehow seem like five years ago but also yesterday?, then the REvil ransomware group...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Vulnerabilities in popular Japanese word processing software could lead to arbitrary code execution, other issues

A Cisco Talos researcher discovered these vulnerabilities. Cisco Talos recently discovered four vulnerabilities in Ichitaro, a popular word processing software in Japan produced by JustSystems that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Ichitaro uses the ATOK input method IME and uses the...

Typhon Reborn V2: Updated stealer features enhanced anti-analysis and evasion capabilities

The developer of the Typhon Reborn information stealer released version 2 V2 in January, which included significant updates to its codebase and improved capabilities. Most notably, the new version features additional anti-analysis and anti-virtual machine VM capabilities to evade detection and ma...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Buffer overflow vulnerability in ADMesh library

Francesco Benvenuto of Cisco Talos discovered this vulnerability. Cisco Talos recently discovered an improper array index validation vulnerability in a functionality of the ADMesh library. ADMesh is a C library used to process 3-D triangular meshes. Talos found an improper array index validation...

Threat Roundup for March 24 to March 31

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats weve observed between March 24 and March 31. As with previous roundups, this post isnt meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats weve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics,...

Threat Advisory: 3CX Softphone Supply Chain Compromise

Cisco Talos is tracking and actively responding to a supply chain attack involving the 3CX Desktop Softphone application. This is a multi-stage attack that involves sideloading DLLs, seven-day sleep routines, and additional payloads dependent on a now-removed GitHub repository for Windows-based...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Vulnerability in ManageEngine OpManager could lead to XXE attack

Marcin "Icewall" Noga of Cisco Talos discovered this vulnerability. Cisco Talos recently discovered a vulnerability in ManageEngine OpManager that could lead to an XML external entity XXE attack. OpManager is network monitoring software that allows users to track and manage the performance of...

Threat Source newsletter (March 30, 2023) — It’s impossible to tell if your home security camera or doorbell is truly safe

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Threat Source newsletter. Everyone loves a good video of someone slipping on their icy steps in the winter, captured thanks to their home security camera or smart doorbell. But what about when that camera is just kind of chilling out and not catching the momen...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Specially crafted files could lead to denial of service, information disclosure in OpenImageIO parser

Lilith of Cisco Talos discovered these vulnerabilities. Cisco Talos recently discovered three vulnerabilities in the OpenImageIO image-parsing library that many popular pieces of 3-D rendering software use. OpenImageIO is a library that converts, compares and processes various image files. Blende...

Vulnerability Spotlight: SNIProxy contains remote code execution vulnerability

Keane OKelley of Cisco ASIG discovered this vulnerability. Cisco ASIG recently discovered a remote code execution vulnerability in the SNIProxy open-source tool that occurs when the user utilizes wildcard backend hosts. SNIProxy proxies incoming HTTP and TLS connections based on the hostname...