Microsoft MSHTML Flaw Exploited by Ryuk Ransomware Gang

Criminals behind the Ryuk ransomware were early exploiters of the Windows MSHTML flaw, actively leveraging the bug in campaigns ahead of a patch released by Microsoft this week. Collaborative research by Microsoft and RiskIQ revealed campaigns by Ryuk threat actors early on that exploited the fla...

2021’s Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses

Mitre Corp. recently updated its list of the top 25 most dangerous software bugs, and it’s little surprise that a number of them have been on that list for years. The Common Weakness Enumeration CWE list represents vulnerabilities that have been widely known for years, yet are still being coded...

Amazon’s Plan to Track Worker Keystrokes: A Sign of Controls to Come?

Data theft, insider threats and imposters accessing sensitive customer data have apparently gotten so bad inside Amazon, the company is considering rolling out keyboard-stroke monitoring for its customer-service reps. A confidential memo from inside Amazon explained that customer service credenti...

Israeli Government Agencies Visit NSO Group Offices

UPDATE Authorities from multiple agencies of the Israeli government paid a visit the offices of the NSO Group as part of a new investigation into claims that the secretive firm is selling its spyware to threat actors for targeted attacks, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. A single twe...

SonicWall Warns Firewall Hardware Bugs Under Attack

Security vendor SonicWall is warning customers to patch its enterprise secure VPN hardware to thwart an “imminent ransomware campaign using stolen credentials” that’s exploiting security holes in current models and those running legacy firmware. Targeted are the company’s Secure Mobile Access SMA...

Colonial Pipeline’s Ransomware Attack Sparks Emergency Declaration

The Biden administration has declared a state of emergency that covers 17 states and Washington D.C. in the wake of the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline Co., and is working with Colonial to restart operations. On Monday morning, FireEye also confirmed to Threatpost that it’s been called...

Election Security: Beyond Mail-In Voting

As a highly publicized event, every four years the U.S presidential election comes with inevitable security risks — and interest from high-level hackers and sophisticated cybercriminals looking to sway its results. The upcoming election ups the stakes — it has captured the attention of everyone...

Adobe Fixes 16 Critical Code-Execution Bugs Across Portfolio

Adobe has released 18 out-of-band security patches in 10 different software packages, including fixes for critical vulnerabilities that stretch across its product suite. Adobe Illustrator was hit the hardest. There are 16 critical bugs, all of which allow arbitrary code execution in the context o...

Edison Mail iOS Bug Exposes Emails to Strangers

Edison Mail, a popular third-party email app, has warned thousands of iOS users that their emails may have been compromised after a security flaw exposed emails to complete strangers. Edison Mail, owned by Edison Software Inc., is in the top 100 productivity apps on the Apple app store, and touts...

High-Severity Cisco IOS XE Flaw Threatens SD-WAN Routers

Cisco has patched a high-severity vulnerability in its router software, which if exploited could enable a local, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. The flaw exists in Cisco IOS XE. This Linux-based version of Cisco’s Internetworking Operating System IOS is...

Apple, Google Team on Coronavirus Tracking – Sparking Privacy Fears

Apple and Google are teaming up to launch technology that traces the spread of the coronavirus, via apps for iOS and Android users. Despite the companies’ insistence that privacy will be “of utmost importance,” some in the security space remain wary of data privacy concerns around the newly...

Zoom Taps Ex-Facebook CISO Amid Security Snafus, Lawsuit

As it faces a major lawsuit, Zoom is taking a significant step to bolster security and privacy efforts by recruiting an industry heavy-hitter – former Facebook CISO Alex Stamos – to provide special counsel. It has also named third-party expert security advisory teams. The popular videoconferencin...

AMD Downplays CPU Threat Opening Chips to Data Leak Attacks

AMD is seeking to downplay side-channel attacks that can leak potentially sensitive data from its processors released between 2011 and 2019. The “Take A Way” attack, so-called by researchers with the Graz University of Technology in a new analysis this weekend, is a side-channel attack...

WhatsApp Bug Allows Malicious Code-Injection, One-Click RCE

Security researchers have identified a JavaScript vulnerability in the WhatsApp desktop platform that could allow cybercriminals to spread malware, phishing or ransomware campaigns through notification messages that appear completely normal to unsuspecting users. And, further investigation shows...

Apple Fixes ‘AirDoS’ Bug That Cripples Nearby iPhones, iPads

Apple fixed a bug in its file-swapping feature AirDrop, Tuesday, which allows nearby hackers to render iPhones and iPads inoperable. The bug opens the door for a type of denial-of-service attack, allowing an attacker to infinitely spam all nearby iPhones and iPads with AirDrop share popup...

Three Areas to Consider, to Focus Your Cyber-Plan

How’s this for concerning news: Half of all organizations don’t have the wherewithal to stop malicious actors from stealing sensitive information, taking down critical assets or damaging customer trust. According to a recent report from FireEye, 51 percent of organizations don’t believe they are...

Sophisticated Spy Kit Targets Russians with Rare GSM Plugin

A sophisticated cyberespionage platform called Attor has come to light, sporting an unusual capability for fingerprinting mobile devices as part of its attacks on government and diplomatic victims. According to researchers at ESET, Attor, which has flown under the radar since at least 2013, also...

These Hacks Require Literally Sneaking in the Backdoor

After slipping past security, picking a backdoor lock and gaining access to a company’s inner sanctum, a skilled hacker can cause mayhem. They can plant malware on a network, grab physical files and walk out the front door with a donut pilfered from the employee break room. Meet the world of a...

Google Squashes High-Severity Blink Browser Engine Flaw

Google is urging users of its Chrome browser to update after a high-severity vulnerability – which could enable remote attackers to execute code and carry out other malicious attacks – was uncovered. The vulnerability CVE-2019-5869, a use-after-free flaw, specifically exists in Blink, an...

WordPress Plugins Exploited in Ongoing Attack, Researchers Warn

Researchers are warning of an ongoing campaign exploiting vulnerabilities in a slew of WordPress plugins. The campaign is redirecting traffic from victims’ websites to a number of potentially harmful locations. Impacted by the campaign is a plugin called Simple 301 Redirects – Addon – Bulk Upload...

Apache Security Advisories Red Flag Wrong Versions in Patching Gaffe

Researchers have pinpointed errors in two dozen Apache Struts security advisories, which warn users of vulnerabilities in the popular open-source web app development framework. They say that the security advisories listed incorrect versions impacted by the vulnerabilities. The concern from this...

Black Hat 2019: Addressing Supply-Chain Risk Starts with People, Microsoft Says

LAS VEGAS – Supply-chain attacks have nabbed headlines lately thanks to high-profile incidents like the Wipro news last April, where attackers were able to compromise the staffing agency’s network and pivot to their customers. That incident pointed out that supply-chain risk should be thought of ...

North Korea's Hidden Cobra Strikes U.S. Targets with HOPLIGHT

A never-before-seen spyware variant called HOPLIGHT is targeting U.S. companies and government agencies in active attacks, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In an advisory this week, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team US-CERT said that there are nine differen...

Google Patches Critical Bluetooth RCE Bug

Eleven critical Android bugs were patched as part of Google’s March Security Update. Three of them were tied to Android’s media framework and core system, while the others were related to faulty Qualcomm chip components. Out of those critical bugs, Google patched three critical remote...

ToRPEDO Privacy Attack on 4G/5G Networks Affects All U.S. Carriers

Privacy-breaking flaws in the 4G and 5G mobile protocols could allow attackers to intercept calls, send fake amber alerts or other notifications, track location and more, according to a research team from Purdue University and the University of Iowa. In a paper presented at Mobile World Congress ...

Threatpost News Wrap Podcast For Feb. 22

Threatpost editors Lindsey O’Donnell and Tom Spring discuss the biggest news of the week ended Feb. 22, including a report about flaws in password managers, and a 19-year-old flaw found in WinRAR. The Threatpost team also discussed an upcoming webinar on Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. ET. Patrick Hevesi of...

ATM Jackpotting Malware Hones Its Heist Tools

The WinPot ATM jackpotting malware is evolving, as its authors look to solve the obstacles that get in their way. The latest is an effort to help ATM hackers, a.k.a. jackpotters, better target their efforts in order to steal more cash in a lesser amount of time. Thieves infect ATMs through physic...

Exposed: Instagram, OKCupid, Mumsnet All Face Data Concerns

It has once again been busy on the data privacy/exposure front as the week kicks off, with Instagram, dating site OKCupid and the UK’s powerhouse discussion site, Mumsnet, all making recent news. A report on GDPR breach notifications rounds out the latest. First up, Instagram users are apparently...

JenX Botnet Has Grand Theft Auto Hook

Researchers at Radware have discovered a new botnet that uses vulnerabilities linked with the Satori botnet and is leveraging the Grand Theft Auto videogame community to infect IoT devices. Satori is a derivative of Mirai, the notorious botnet that in 2016 infamously managed to take down Dyn, a D...

Microsoft Patches Publicly Disclosed IE, Edge Vulnerabilities

Microsoft today patched a half-dozen critical browser vulnerabilities that have been publicly disclosed, but apparently not used in attacks as of yet. The critical Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge bulletins are among six released today, along with six others with a severity rating of importan...

Critical MySQL Vulnerability Disclosed

A researcher has published details and a limited proof-of-concept exploit for a critical vulnerability in MySQL that has been patched by some vendors, but not yet by Oracle. The vulnerability allows an attacker to remotely or locally exploit a vulnerable MySQL database and execute arbitrary code,...

IE Memory Attacks Net ZDI $125,000 Microsoft Bounty

When Microsoft introduced use-after-free mitigations into Internet Explorer last summer, certain classes of exploits were closed off, and researchers and black hats were left to chase new ways to corrupt memory inside the browser. A team of experts from HP’s Zero Day Initiative were among those w...

Microsoft Protects User Accounts with New Security Features

Microsoft announced yesterday that it will complement the two-factor authentication it enabled for account holders in April with additional security features designed to deny account hijacking and unauthorized access. Windows PC and mobile users, along with Outlook, SkyDrive, Xbox, Skype and othe...

Charming Kitten Sharpens Its Claws with PowerShell Backdoor

The Iranian advanced persistent threat APT Charming Kitten is sharpening its claws with a new set of tools, including a novel PowerShell backdoor and related stealth tactics, that show the group evolving yet again. The new tools may signal that it’s getting ready to pounce on new victims,...

Linux Servers at Risk of RCE Due to Critical CWP Bugs

Researchers have discovered two critical bugs in Control Web Panel CWP – a popular web hosting management software used by 200,000+ servers – that could allow for remote code execution RCE as root on vulnerable Linux servers. CWP, formerly known as CentOS Web Panel, is an open-source Linux contro...

Windows Hello Bypass Bug Patch is Faulty, Researchers Say

LAS VEGAS – Microsoft Windows 10 biometric user authentication systems Windows Hello can be bypassed, using a single infrared image of a user’s face planted on a tampered clone of an external USB-based webcam. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-34466, CVSS score: 5.7, was patched by Microsoft...

Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices

With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and workers trickling back to offices, threat actors are sharpening their spear phishing ploys. The latest scam includes pelting recipients with emails purportedly from their CIOs welcoming employees back into offices. The emails outline a company’s post-pandemi...

1.3M Clubhouse Users’ Data Dumped in Hacker Forum for Free

Clubhouse, the startup invitation-only chat app, is the latest social-media platform to see mammoth troves of user data collected and posted in underground forums. An SQL file containing the personal data of 1.3 million Clubhouse users has been posted in a hacker forum for free. Names, user IDs,...

Cyberattackers Serve Up Custom Backdoor for Oracle Restaurant Software

ModPipe, a previously unknown backdoor, has been purpose-built to attack restaurant point-of-sale PoS solutions from Oracle. It’s notable for its unusual sophistication, according to researchers, evidenced by its multiple modules. The code is specifically taking aim at the Oracle MICROS Restauran...

Ring's Flying In-Home Camera Drone Escalates Privacy Worries

Ring’s newly announced robot drone – a connected device that flies around homes taking security footage – is causing privacy experts’ concerns to take off. Amazon on Thursday unveiled the Always Home Cam as part of its Ring division, which will cost $249.99 and starts shipping next year. The...

Shadow IT: Why It’s Still a Major Risk in Today’s Environments

Shadow IT is nothing new. Employees have long adopted software applications or cloud services without the knowledge or approval of their organization’s IT department, most often in search of easier ways to get their jobs done. People typically utilize unsanctioned apps not because they’re seeking...

Critical WordPress e-Learning Plugin Bugs Open Door to Cheating

Researchers have disclosed critical-severity flaws in three popular WordPress plugins used widely by colleges and universities: LearnPress, LearnDash and LifterLMS. The flaws, now patched, could allow students to steal personal information, change their grades, cheat on tests and more. The...

Beyond Zoom: How Safe Are Slack and Other Collaboration Apps?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen, remote-collaboration platforms – now fixtures in many workers’ “new normal” – are facing more scrutiny. Popular video-conferencing app Zoom may currently be in the cybersecurity hot seat, but other collaboration tools, such as Slack, Trello, WebEx...

Top 10 Breaches and Leaky Server Screw Ups of 2019

Top 10 Breaches and Leaky Server Screw Ups of 2019 From massive credential spills on the Dark Web and hacked data to card-skimming and rich profiles exposed by way of cloud misconfigurations, 2019 was a notable year for data breaches. Big names like Capital One, Macy’s and Sprint were impacted, a...

Pwn2Own Tokyo Roundup: Amazon Echo, Routers and Smart TVs Fall to Hackers

Another Pwn2Own has drawn to a close, with Team Fluoroacetate researchers Amat Cama and Richard Zhu taking home the Master of Pwn title for the third year in a row. Overall, contestants in the Tokyo 2019 event earned more than $315,000 over the two-day hacking contest, for uncovering 18 different...

How to Secure Critical Infrastructure When Patching Isn't Possible

Cyberattacks are on the rise and threatening our digital life and our most intimate information — but also our operational realities. Attacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants, water works, airports and the like transportation ranks among the highest-value targets for cyberattackers...

Trump, Putin and Politics Name-Dropped to Peddle Malware

With the U.S. presidential elections looming, bad actors are tapping into the political craze with several malware distribution campaigns, using high-profile political names to tap into victims’ emotions and convince them to click on malicious links. Researchers have uncovered hundreds of...

New Presentation Template: Incident Response Reporting for Management

Every security professional knows it’s only a matter of time before their organization is breached. And even though most security-conscious organizations have implemented procedures and products to facilitate the incident response process, many security decision-makers find much more of a challen...

Malvertising Attack Hijacks 1B+ Sessions With Webkit Exploit

Researchers have discovered a new wave of attacks launched by the threat group eGobbler where victims are redirected to websites with malicious payloads. Security experts believe eGobbler was behind this year’s prolific Easter malvertising attack. This time, more than 1 billion ad impressions wer...

Adobe Fixes Critical Flash Player Code Execution Flaws

Adobe has issued patches for critical vulnerabilities in Flash Player which, if exploited, could lead to arbitrary code execution. Overall, as part of its September Security Bulletin, Adobe patched three vulnerabilities, including two critical-severity flaws in Flash Player and one “important”...