Amid Bug Bounty Hype, Sometimes Security is Left in the Dust

In January, the European Union kicked-off over a dozen new bug bounty programs targeting a bevy of popular open-source programs used by its members. The effort was supposed to be met with cheers. But instead, the launch sparked an unexpected backlash from the security community. The EU’s program...

RSA Conference 2019: BEC Scammer Gang Takes Aim at Boy Scouts, Other Nonprofts

SAN FRANCISCO – A Nigeria-based scammer gang dubbed “Scarlet Widow” has been launching email fraud attacks against thousands of targets – including universities, the Salvation Army, and Boy Scouts of America. Researchers with Agari detailed the attack during an RSA Conference session on Tuesday...

New GandCrab Decryptor Unlocks Files of Updated Ransomware

Yet another free decryptor is available for GandCrab ransomware victims. The tool, released Tuesday, is the third decryptor update in the past year that thwarts the prolific and fast-evolving GandCrab ransomware. Europol police announced availability of the update, which now unlocks data encrypte...

Double-Stuffed: Dunkin’ Hit by Another Credential-Stuffing Attack

Dunkin’ Donuts may have just launched its first double-filled doughnut, but another doubling up is not quite as tasty. The chain has suffered its second credential-stuffing attack in three months. Like the first incident, the attack targeted pastry aficionados that have DD Perks accounts, which i...

High-Severity Flaws in Cisco Secure Internet Gateway Service Patched

Two high-severity vulnerabilities have been disclosed in Cisco’s security platform that could allow an attacker to gain administrative privileges – and take full control of the impacted machine. The glitches, disclosed Wednesday, affect two parts of Cisco Umbrella, a secure internet gateway that...

Researchers Blame ‘Monolithic’ Linux Code Base for Critical Vulnerabilities

In an exhaustive study of critical Linux vulnerabilities, a team of academic and government-backed researchers claim to have proven that almost all flaws could be mitigated to less than critical severity – and that 40 percent could be completely eliminated – with an OS design based on a verified...

Severe PHP Exploit Threatens WordPress Sites with Remote Code Execution

UPDATE Researchers have created a proof-of-concept exploit that would enable bad actors to target a severe vulnerability in the PHP programming language behind several major CMS companies, including WordPress. The vulnerability remains unresolved – more than a year after it was reported. The...

Mirai Variant Targets Financial Sector With IoT DDoS Attacks

A variant of the Mirai botnet was used to launch a series of distributed denial of service campaigns against financial sector businesses. The attacks utilized at least 13,000 hijacked IoT devices generating traffic volumes up to 30 Gbps, considerably less intense than the original Mirai assaults...

Microsoft Patch Tuesday Update Fixes 19 Critical Vulnerabilities

Microsoft today released patches for 19 critical vulnerabilities, one of which was publicly known prior to the update. In all, 54 vulnerabilities were patched in Windows, Edge, Internet Explorer, Office and Exchange as part of Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday release; 32 flaws were rated importa...

Code Execution Vulnerability Found in Libpurple IM Library

A severe vulnerability has been disclosed in libpurple, the library used in the development of a number of popular instant messaging clients, including Pidgin and Adium for the macOS platform. Adium 1.5.10.2 is vulnerable and can be exploited to run arbitrary code remotely. A researcher who goes ...

Google Discloses Another 'High Severity' Microsoft Bug

Google Project Zero disclosed Monday a “high severity” vulnerability it found in Microsoft’s Edge and Internet Explorer browsers that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The revelation adds yet another vulnerability to a growing list of known bugs Microsoft has been warned...

PowerWare Ransomware Uses PowerShell for Fileless Infections

Attackers are not through testing the limits of what they can do with new features in ransomware samples. That latest found in the wild is called PowerWare and it was discovered a week ago targeting a company in the healthcare industry, researchers at Carbon Black told Threatpost. What sets...

May 2015 Microsoft Patch Tuesday Security Bulletins

Patch Tuesday as we know it may be on its last legs, but it’s certainly not going quietly. A little more than a week after Microsoft announced how it would revamp patch distribution and security updates starting with Windows 10, the company today released its scheduled round of bulletins—13 in al...

Angler Exploit Kit, Bedep Malware Inflating Video Views

A new sort of hacktivism emerged last week when experts from Trustwave published new research revealing that attackers are using the Angler exploit kit and the Bedep Trojan in order to drive artificial views to politically controversial videos. The motivation for the scheme, it appears, is to...

Oracle Patch Update Delivers 98 Fixes

Released alongside patches from Microsoft and Adobe yesterday, Oracle’s regularly scheduled Critical Patch Update fixed 98 issues across a handful of products, including Oracle’s Database, Fusion Middleware, Java SE, and MySQL, to name a few. One of the most pressing issues the update resolves is...

POS Service Confirms Goodwill Breach Lasted 18 Months

Third-party payment vendor C&K Systems released further details this week regarding a breach that affected its systems for 18 months and went on to affect customers who shopped at Goodwill, in addition to two unnamed retailers. The company provided an update on the breach via a press release Mond...

VMware Patches Apache Struts Flaws in vCOPS

VMware has patched several serious security vulnerabilities in its vCenter Operations Center Management suite, one of which could lead to remote code execution on vulnerable machines. All of the vulnerabilities that the company patched lie in the Apache Struts Java application framework, and the...

Threatpost News Wrap, June 23, 2014

Dennis Fisher and Mike Mimoso discuss the latest security news, including the possible fork of TrueCrypt, Microsoft’s new information sharing platform, the FBI’s cybercrime task force and the US team’s crushing tie with Portugal. Download: digitalunderground156.mp3 Music by Chris Gonsalves...

Microsoft Advisory Warns of Word Zero-Day Attacks

Targeted attacks have been spotted against a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2010, leading Microsoft to issue a special security advisory and produce a Fix-it solution for users until a patch is ready. Microsoft also said that its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit EMET is a temporar...

Google Patches Four Pwn2Own Bugs in Chrome 33

Now that the dust has settled after the Pwn2Own contest, the browser manufacturers are beginning to roll out patches for the vulnerabilities exploited by contestants. Google on Monday released fixes for a number of bugs in Chrome discovered and exploited during Pwn2Own, releasing new versions of...

BlackBerry Z10 Privilege Escalation Security Vulnerability

BlackBerry has released a security update resolving an escalation of privilege vulnerability that existed in “BlackBerry Protect” enabled devices running version 10.0.10.261 and earlier operating systems. The company says that version 10.0.9.2743 is not affected and that they have found no eviden...

DHS Chief Uses 'Sandy' to Underscore Cybersecurity Threats

While the eastern United States recovers from this week’s devastasting storm, the nation’s Homeland Security chief used “Superstorm Sandy” to promote the importance of national cybersecurity protection. “One of the possible areas of attack, of course, is attacks on our nation’s control systems —...

Microsoft Publishes Workaround for Oracle Outside In Vulnerability

Microsoft gave its users steps earlier this week to sidestep a vulnerability in one of Oracle’s Outside In libraries. The company published some mitigations for the bug, but said it isn’t aware of any active attacks against it yet. The Oracle technology is licensed by software developers like...

PHP Group Set to Release Another Patch for CVE-2012-1823 Flaw

The PHP Group on Tuesday is planning to release another new version of the scripting language that’s designed to address, again, the remotely exploitable flaw that came to light last week. That bug, which requires no authentication, was supposed to have been fixed in new releases pushed out on Ma...

New Java Malware Exploits Both Windows And Mac Users

Symantec has discovered a new form of Java malware that infects both Apple and Windows machines, according to research posted on the company’s Security Response blog. The entry, penned by researcher Takashi Katsuki, describes a strain of Java Applet malware that either drops a Python-based malwar...

Attacks Continuing Against IE Flaw as Microsoft Preps Patch

Microsoft officials said on Sunday that they are continuing to investigate the attacks that are exploiting the unpatched flaw in Internet Explorer, but that the attacks right now are limited to specifically targeted activity against enterprise networks. The company said that it doesn’t look like...

Microsoft Cleans Up Bugs After Biggest Patch Release

After releasing its largest-ever group of security patches two weeks ago, Microsoft has done a little cleaning up. Over the past few days, the company has re-released two security updates and issued a workaround for a Windows CryptoAPI patch that caused Microsoft’s own instant-messaging server to...

Microsoft Confirms SMB2 Flaw, Heightens Severity

Microsoft has issued a formal security advisory to confirm the remote reboot flaw in its implementation of the SMB2 protocol, going a step further to warn that a successful attack could lead to remote code execution and full system takeover. The vulnerability, which was originally released as a...

Adam Shostack on the Science of Security and Value of Thinking Differently

Dennis Fisher talks to Adam Shostack of Microsoft, about the evolution of thinking around “The New School of Information Security,” his new group blog and what surprised him most when he went to work at Microsoft. Download Subscribe to the Digital Underground podcast on Podcast audio courtesy of...

Malware Builder Leverages Discord Webhooks

On April 23rd, 2022, a Discord user with the handle “Portu” began advertising a new password-stealing malware builder. Malware builders are programs which so-called script kiddie hackers can craft their own executables on top of. Script kiddie is cybersecurity parlance for a novice hacker who use...

Zerodium Spikes Payout for Outlook Zero-Days

Zerodium has jacked up its offering price for Microsoft Outlook zero-day exploits. Act fast if you have the goods and the moral equanimity, to make up to $400,000 for a zero-click, remote code-execution RCE exploit. “Zero-click” means that targets neither have to read a malicious email message no...

2FA Bypassed in $34.6M Crypto.com Heist

Early Thursday morning, Crypto.com acknowledged that it had lost $34.65 million worth of cash, Bitcoin and Ethereum after getting ransacked in an attack that slipped fat transactions past two-factor authentication 2FA. Users had complained over the weekend that their accounts had been drained:...

Apple iOS Update Fixes Cringey iPhone 13 Jailbreak Exploit

As if the Log4Shell hellscape wasn’t already driving everybody starkers, it’s time to update iOS 15.2 and a crop of other Apple iGadgets, lest your iPhone get taken over by a malicious app that executes arbitrary code with kernel privileges. To paraphrase one mobile security expert, the iOS 15.2...

Microsoft Spills 38 Million Sensitive Data Records Via Careless Power App Configs

For months, Microsoft’s Power Apps portals exposed personal data tied to 38 million records ranging from COVID-19 vaccination status, Social Security numbers and email addresses. Consumers most affected by what is being called a “platform issue” are those doing business with American Airlines,...

Law Firm to the Fortune 500 Breached with Ransomware

Campbell Conroy & O’Neil, P.C. – U.S. law firm to a dazzling array of huge companies – told its star-studded clientele that an intruder may have groped their data. It was hit with ransomware in February and is now suffering the data-breach fallout. That client list spans a slew of industries and...

Netgear Authentication Bypass Allows Router Takeover

Netgear has patched three bugs in one of its router families that, if exploited, can allow threat actors to bypass authentication to breach corporate networks and steal data and credentials. Microsoft security researchers discovered the bugs in Netgear DGN-2200v1 series routers while they were...

Critical Palo Alto Cyber-Defense Bug Allows Remote ‘War Room’ Access

A critical security bug in Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XSOAR could allow remote attackers to run commands and automations in the Cortex XSOAR War Room and to take other actions on the platform, without having to log in. Found internally by Palo Alto, the bug CVE-2021-3044 is an...

Nim-Based Malware Loader Spreads Via Spear-Phishing Emails

The TA800 threat group is distributing a malware loader, which researchers call NimzaLoader, via ongoing, highly-targeted spear-phishing emails. While previous Twitter analysis identified this loader as a mere variant of TA800’s existing BazaLoader malware, new research cites evidence that...

RTM Cybergang Adds New Quoter Ransomware to Crime Spree

The Russian-speaking group behind the infamous RTM banking trojan is now packing a trifecta of threats as it turns up the heat – part of a massive new money-grab campaign. Beyond the banking malware it is known for, attackers have enlisted a recently-discovered ransomware family called Quoter as...

LogoKit Simplifies Office 365, SharePoint 'Login' Phishing Pages

A newly-uncovered phishing kit, dubbed LogoKit, eliminates headaches for cybercriminals by automatically pulling victims’ company logos onto the phishing login page. This gives attackers the tools needed to easily mimic company login pages, a task that can sometimes be complex. Cybercriminals hav...

ElectroRAT Drains Cryptocurrency Wallet Funds of Thousands

A new remote access tool RAT has been discovered being used in an extensive campaign. The attack has targeted cryptocurrency users in an attempt to collect their private keys and ultimately to drain their wallets. The never-before-seen RAT at the center of the campaign, which researchers dub...

Tech Giants Lend WhatsApp Support in Spyware Case Against NSO Group

Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp has received new high-caliber support in its case against Israeli intelligence company NSO Group. The court case aims to hold NSO Group accountable for distributing its Pegasus spyware on the popular WhatsApp messaging service with the intent of planting its spyware o...

Universal Health Services Ransomware Attack Impacts Hospitals Nationwide

A ransomware attack has shut down Universal Health Services, a Fortune-500 owner of a nationwide network of hospitals. The attack occurred in the wee hours of the morning on Monday, according to reports coming in from employees on Reddit and other platforms. On Reddit, a discussion with hundreds ...

Mozi Botnet Accounts for Majority of IoT Traffic

The Mozi botnet, a peer-2-peer P2P malware known previously for taking over Netgear, D-Link and Huawei routers, has swollen in size to account for 90 percent of observed traffic flowing to and from all internet of things IoT devices, according to researchers. IBM X-Force noticed Mozi’s spike with...

Zoom Faces More Legal Challenges Over End-to-End Encryption

Video-conferencing behemoth Zoom has been hit with yet another lawsuit stemming from its claim to offer end-to-end encryption for sessions. The suit, filed in a Washington D.C. court PDF this week by a nonprofit advocacy group called Consumer Watchdog, alleges that the company falsely told users...

Agent Tesla Spyware Adds Fresh Tricks to Its Arsenal

Since COVID-19 cast its pall in March, the Agent Tesla remote-access trojan RAT has exploited the pandemic and added a raft of functionality that has helped it dominate the enterprise threat scene. Though Agent Tesla first made a splash six years ago, it hasn’t lost any momentum – in fact, it is...

OkCupid Security Flaw Threatens Intimate Dater Details

Researchers have discovered a slew of issues in the popular OkCupid dating app, which could have allowed attackers to collect users’ sensitive dating information, manipulate their profile data or even send messages from their profile. OkCupid is one of the most popular dating platforms worldwide,...

FTC Slams Children’s App Developer for COPPA Violations

Children’s app developer HyperBeard has agreed to pay $150,000 after being accused by the Federal Trade Commission FTC of illegally collecting children’s data without parental consent. HyperBeard‘s website says it’s the largest mobile game developer and publisher in Mexico, with various games suc...

Google Faces Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking Users in Incognito Mode

Google faces a $5 billion class-action lawsuit over claims that it has been collecting people’s browsing information without their knowledge even when using the incognito browsing mode that’s meant to keep their online activities private. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in San Jose,...

News Wrap: Ransomware Extortion Tactics, Contact-Tracing App Security Worries

Threatpost editors discuss the top news stories of the week ended May 15, including: Recent ransomware attacks, including ones targeting healthcare giant Magellan, the IT office that supports Texas appellate courts and judicial agencies, and a popular law firm that works with several A-list...