Microsoft Patch Tuesday - September 2017

Microsoft has released its monthly set of security advisories for vulnerabilities that have been identified and addressed in various products. This month's advisory release addresses 81 new vulnerabilities with 27 of them rated critical, 52 rated important, and 2 rated moderate. These...

Vulnerability Spotlight: TALOS-2017-0430/0431: Multiple Vulnerabilities in FreeXL Library

Vulnerability discovered by Marcin Noga of Cisco TalosOverviewTalos has discovered two remote code execution vulnerabilities in the the FreeXL library. FreeXL is an open source C library to extract valid data from within an Excel .xls spreadsheet. Exploiting these vulnerabilities can potentially...

Another Apache Struts Vulnerability Under Active Exploitation

This post authored by Nick Biasini with contributions from Alex Chiu.Earlier this week, a critical vulnerability in Apache Struts was publicly disclosed in a security advisory. This new vulnerability, identified as CVE-2017-9805, manifests due to the way the REST plugin uses XStreamHandler with a...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Content Security Policy bypass in Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Apple Safari

The vulnerabilities were discovered by Nicolai Grdum of Cisco.Today, Talos is releasing details of vulnerabilities discovered in Microsoft Edge browser as well as older versions of Google Chrome CVE-2017-5033 and browsers based on the Webkit such as Apple Safari CVE-2017-2419 . An attacker may be...

Graftor - But I Never Asked for This…

This post is authored by Holger Unterbrink and Matthew MolyettOverviewFree software often downloaded from large freeware distribution sites is a boon for the internet, providing users with functionality that otherwise they would not be able to use. Often users, happy that they are getting somethi...

Threat Round Up for Aug 25 - Sep 1

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between August 25 and September 1. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior...

Back to Basics: Worm Defense in the Ransomware Age

This post was authored by Edmund Brumaghin "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George SantayanaThe PrequelIn March 2017, Microsoft released a security update for various versions of Windows, which addressed a remote code execution vulnerability affecting a protocol...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Multiple Gdk-Pixbuf Vulnerabilities

OverviewToday, Talos is disclosing the discovery of two remote code execution vulnerabilities which have been identified in the Gdk-Pixbuf Toolkit. This toolkit used in multiple desktop applications including Chromium, Firefox, GNOME thumbnailer, VLC and others. Exploiting this vulnerability allo...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Code Execution Vulnerability in LabVIEW

Vulnerability discovered by Cory Duplantis of Cisco Talos.Update: 9/1/17 - National Instruments has published the following advisoryOverviewLabVIEW is a system design and development platform released by National Instruments. The software is widely used to create applications for data acquisition...

Beers with Talos EP11 - This is How the World Ends, Not with a Whimper but with Cyber Mercenaries

Beers with Talos BWT Podcast Episode 11 is now available. Download this episode and subscribe to Beers with Talos:If iTunes and Google Play aren't your thing: www.talosintelligence.com/podcastBeers wi...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Lexmark Perceptive Document Filters Code Execution Bugs

OverviewTalos is disclosing a pair of code execution vulnerabilities in Lexmark Perceptive Document Filters. Perceptive Document Filters are a series of libraries that are used to parse massive amounts of different types of file formats for multiple purposes. Talos has previously discussed in...

Threat Round-up for Aug 11 - Aug 18

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between August 11 and August 18. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior...

Booters with Chinese Characteristics: The Rise of Chinese Online DDoS Platforms

This post was authored by Dave LiebenbergIn the past few months, Talos has observed an uptick in the number of Chinese websites offering online DDoS services. Many of these websites have a nearly identical layout and design, offering a simple interface in which the user selects a target’s host,...

When combining exploits for added effect goes wrong

IntroductionSince public disclosure in April 2017, CVE-2017-0199 has been frequently used within malicious Office documents. The vulnerability allows attackers to include Ole2Link objects within RTF documents to launch remote code when HTA applications are opened and parsed by Microsoft Word.In...

WinDBG and JavaScript Analysis

This blog was authored by Paul Rascagneres.IntroductionJavaScript is frequently used by malware authors to execute malicious code on Windows systems because it is powerful, natively available and rarely disabled. Our previous article on .NET analysis generated much interest relating to how to use...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday - August 2017

Microsoft has released its monthly set of security advisories for vulnerabilities that have been identified and addressed in various products. This month's advisory release addresses 48 new vulnerabilities with 25 of them rated critical, 21 rated important, and 2 rated moderate. These...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Adobe Reader DC Parser Confusion

Parser vulnerabilities in common software packages such as Adobe Acrobat Reader pose a significant security risk to large portions of the internet. The fact that these software packages typically have a large footprints often gives attackers a broad attack surface they can potentially leverage fo...

On Conveying Doubt

This post was authored by Matt Olney.Typically, Talos has the luxury of time when conducting research. We can carefully draft a report that clearly lays out the evidence and leads the reader to a clear understanding of our well supported findings. A great deal of time is spent ensuring that the...

Threat Round-up for July 28 - August 4

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between July 28 and August 04. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior characteristic...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Kakadu SDK Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities discovered by Aleksandar Nikolic and Tyler Bohan of Cisco Talos.Today, Talos is disclosing multiple vulnerabilities that have been identified in the Kakadu JPEG 2000 SDK. The vulnerabilities manifest in a way that could be exploited if a user opens a specifically crafted JPEG 2000...

Taking the FIRST look at Crypt0l0cker

This post is authored by Matthew Molyett.Executive SummaryIn March, Talos reported on the details of Crypt0l0cker based on an extensive analysis I carried out on the sample binaries. Binaries -- plural -- because, as noted in the original blog, the Crypt0l0cker payload leveraged numerous executab...

Vulnerability Spotlight: EZB Systems UltraISO ISO Parsing Code Execution Vulnerability

Discovered by Piotr Bania of Cisco Talos.Today, Talos is releasing details of a new vulnerability discovered within the EZB Systems UltraISO ISO disk image creator software. TALOS-2017-0342 CVE-2017-2840 may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely on the vulnerable system when a...

Vulnerability Spotlight: FreeRDP Multiple Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities discovered by Tyler Bohan of TalosOverviewTalos has discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the FreeRDP product. FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol RDP originally developed by Microsoft. RDP allows users to connect remotely to systems so they can be...

Threat Round-up for July 14 - July 21

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between July 14 and July 21. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior characteristics,...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Multiple Vulnerabilities in CorelDRAW X8

Today, Talos is disclosing several vulnerabilities that have been identified in CorelDRAW X8. CorelDRAW X8 is graphics suite used for manipulating raster and vector images and is a common alternative to Adobe Creative Cloud. Several of the vulnerabilities being disclosed today specifically affect...

Vulnerabilities in ProcessMaker, WebFOCUS, and OpenFire Identified and Patched

Today, Talos is disclosing several vulnerabilities that have been identified by Portcullis in various software products. All four vulnerabilities have been responsibly disclosed to each respective developer in order ensure they are addressed. In order better protect our customers, Talos has also...

Unravelling .NET with the Help of WinDBG

This blog was authored by Paul Rascagneres and Warren Mercer.Introduction.NET is an increasingly important component of the Microsoft ecosystem providing a shared framework for interoperability between different languages and hardware platforms. Many Microsoft tools, such as PowerShell, and other...

PyREBox, a Python Scriptable Reverse Engineering Sandbox

This post was authored by Xabier Ugarte PedreroIn Talos, we are continuously trying to improve our research and threat intelligence capabilities. As a consequence, we not only leverage standard tools for analysis, but we also focus our efforts on innovation, developing our own technology to...

Memcached - A Story of Failed Patching & Vulnerable Servers

This blog authored by Aleksandar Nikolich and David Maynor with contributions from Nick BiasiniMemcached - Not secure, Not Patched Fast Enough Recently high profile vulnerabilities in systems were used to unleash several global ransomware attacks that greatly impacted organizations. These types o...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday - July 2017

Today, Microsoft has release their monthly set of security updates designed to address vulnerabilities. This month's release addresses 54 vulnerabilities with 19 of them rated critical, 32 rated important, and 3 rated moderate. Impacted products include Edge, .NET Framework, Internet Explorer,...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Iceni Infix PDF Editor Memory Corruption

Today, Talos is disclosing a vulnerability that has been identified in Iceni Infix PDF Editor that could lead to arbitrary code execution on affected hosts. This vulnerability manifests in a way that could be exploited if a user opens a specifically crafted PDF file that triggers this flaw. Talos...

Attack on Critical Infrastructure Leverages Template Injection

Contributors: Sean Baird, Earl Carter, Erick Galinkin, Christopher Marczewski & Joe Marshall Executive SummaryAttackers are continually trying to find new ways to target users with malware sent via email. Talos has identified an email-based attack targeting the energy sector, including nuclear...

Threat Round-up for June 30 - July 07

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between June 30 and July 07. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior characteristics,...

Vulnerability Spotlight: TALOS-2017-0311,0319,0321 - Multiple Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Poppler PDF library

Vulnerability discovered by Marcin Noga, Lilith Wyatt and Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos.OverviewTalos has discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the freedesktop.org Poppler PDF library. Exploiting these vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to gain full control over the victim's machine. If a...

New KONNI Campaign References North Korean Missile Capabilities

This blog was authored by Paul RascagneresExecutive SummaryWe recently wrote about the KONNI Remote Access Trojan RAT which has been distributed by a small number of campaigns over the past 3 years. We have identified a new distribution campaign which took place on 4th July. The malware used in...

The MeDoc Connection

This Post Authored by David Maynor, Aleksandar Nikolic, Matt Olney, and Yves YounanSummaryThe Nyetya attack was a destructive ransomware variant that affected many organizations inside of Ukraine and multinational corporations with operations in Ukraine. In cooperation with Cisco Advanced Service...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Dell Precision Optimizer and Invincea Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities discovered by Marcin ‘Icewall’ Noga of Cisco Talos.OverviewTalos are releasing advisories for vulnerabilities in the Dell Precision Optimizer application service software, Invincea-X and Invincea Dell Protected Workspace. These packages are pre-installed on certain Dell systems...

New Ransomware Variant "Nyetya" Compromises Systems Worldwide

Note: This blog post discusses active research by Talos into a new threat. This information should be considered preliminary and will be updated as research continues.Update 2017-07-06 12:30 EDT: Updated to explain the modified DoublePulsar backdoor.Since the SamSam attacks that targeted US...

Threat Round-up for June 16 - June 23

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between June 16 and June 23. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior characteristics,...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Multiple Vulnerabilities in InsideSecure MatrixSSL

These vulnerabilities were discovered by Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco TalosOverviewMatrixSSL is a TLS/SSL stack offered in the form of a Software Development Kit SDK that is geared towards application in Internet of Things IOT devices and other embedded systems. It features low resource overhead a...

Player 1 Limps Back Into the Ring - Hello again, Locky!

This post was authored by Alex Chiu, Warren Mercer, and Jaeson Schultz. Sean Baird and Matthew Molyett contributed to this post.Back in May, the Necurs spam botnet jettisoned Locky ransomware in favor of the new Jaff ransomware variant. However, earlier this month Kaspersky discovered a...

Talos Targets Disinformation with Fake News Challenge Victory

This post was authored by Sean Baird with contributions by Doug Sibley and Yuxi PanExecutive SummaryFor the past several months, the problem of “fake news” has been abuzz in news headlines, tweets, and social media posts across the web. With historical roots in information warfare and...

Delphi Used To Score Against Palestine

This blog was authored by Paul Rascagneres and Warren Mercer with contributions from Emmanuel Tacheau, Vanja Svajcer and Martin Lee.Executive SummaryTalos continuously monitors malicious emails campaigns. We identified one specific spear phishing campaign launched against targets within Palestine...

Vulnerability Spotlight: Multiple Foscam C1 Vulnerabilities Come in to Focus

Executive SummaryThe Foscam C1 is a webcam that is marketed for use in a variety of applications including home security monitoring. As an indoor webcam, it is designed to be set up inside of a building and features the ability to be accessed remotely via a web interface or from within a mobile...

BASS - BASS Automated Signature Synthesizer

This blog post was authored by Jonas Zaddach and Mariano Graziano.Executive SummaryGiven the rapid pace of change in the threat landscape with new threats emerging and existing ones evolving, there are bound to be challenges defenders face. These challenges can manifest in multiple ways, such as...

Deep dive in Lexmark Perceptive Document Filters Exploitation

This post authored by Marcin Noga with contributions from Nick BiasiniIntroductionTalos discovers and releases software vulnerabilities on a regular basis. We don't always publish a deep technical analysis of how the vulnerability was discovered or its potential impact. This blog will cover these...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday - June 2017

Today, Microsoft has release their monthly set of security updates designed to address vulnerabilities. This month's release addresses 92 vulnerabilities with 17 of them rated critical and 75 rated important. Impacted products include Edge, Internet Explorer, Office, Sharepoint, Skype for Busines...

BWT EP6: Enter the Talos, But Please Use a Unique Password

LISTEN HERE:Listen via iTunesListen directly on the Talos Podcasts page.Episode Notes:The team discusses how to get into threat intel and join a team like Talos. There are many routes to enter the Talos, but no exits. Seriously, they won’t let me leave. Passwords, vaults, and other access control...

Threat Round-up for June 2 - June 9

Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we've observed between June 02 and June 09. As with previous round-ups, this post isn't meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we've observed by highlighting key behavior characteristics,...

The Internet of Vulnerable Things

IntroductionTechnological progress is resulting in computing systems that are smaller, cheaper and consuming less power. These micro-computing systems are able to be integrated into everyday objects; when coupled with ubiquitous wireless connectivity these devices form the “Internet of Things”. T...