Web Filtering & Compliances for Wi-Fi Providers

The demand for public Wi-Fi is increasing constantly due to the increase of smartphone owners and remote workers. Researchers at VPNMentor say that there are approximately 549 million Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. Another survey by Semantic found that 87 percent of U.S. consumers have used the readil...

FBI: Use a Burner Phone at the Olympics

Use a burner phone if you’re traveling to the Olympics, the FBI warned on Tuesday, lest you come home with a nasty case of malware and/or snatched personal data. The FBI didn’t mention specific threats, per se, but its alert warned those traveling to the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and...

Critical SonicWall NAC Vulnerability Stems from Apache Mods

Rapid7 has offered up more details on a SonicWall critical flaw that allows for unauthenticated remote code execution RCE on affected devices, noting that it arises from tweaks that the vendor made to the Apache httpd server. The bug CVE-2021-20038 is one of five vulnerabilities discovered in its...

SEGA’s Sloppy Security Confession: Exposed AWS S3 Bucket Offers Up Steam API Access & More

Gaming giant SEGA Europe recently discovered that its sensitive data was being stored in an unsecured Amazon Web Services AWS S3 bucket during a cloud-security audit, and it’s sharing the story to inspire other organizations to double-check their own systems. Researcher Aaron Phillips with VPN...

U.S. Ban on Sales of Cyberattack Tools Is Anemic, Experts Warn

The launch of a standing offer to pay for Windows virtual private network VPN software zero-day exploits came to light this week, even as the U.S. mulls new regulations on the export of tools that could be used in cyberattacks against the U.S. or its interests. The developments signal that the U....

‘I’m Calling About Your Car Warranty’, aka PII Hijinx

LAS VEGAS – When you sign up on a new website, where does that information go? Some researchers decided to find out. On Wednesday, they released their preliminary information at a Black Hat USA 2021 session called Use and Abuse of Personal Information. Researchers created 300 fake identities,...

Cloud Cryptomining Swindle in Google Play Rakes in Cash

Bogus cryptomining apps for Android available for download on Google Play are estimated to have scammed more than 93,400 victims to date, researchers said, stealing at least $350,000. According to Lookout, the apps – categorized into “BitScam” and “CloudScam” versions – advertise themselves as...

Kaseya Attack Fallout: CISA, FBI Offer Guidance

The REvil cybergang is taking credit for Friday’s massive ransomware attack against managed service provider Kaseya Ltd. The criminals behind the attack claim it infected 1 million systems tied to Kaseya services and are demanding $70 million in bitcoin in exchange for a decryption key. Federal...

Buer Malware Tool Rewritten in E-Z Rust Language

A variant of the Buer malware, which is being distributed in emails disguised as DHL support shipping notices, comes with a fresh code rewrite in the popular Rust language and looks like it may be in the process of prepping for rental to other cybercrooks. Join Threatpost for “Fortifying Your...

Google Play Harbors Malware-Laced Apps Bent on Spying

A malware dropper that paves the way for attackers to remotely steal data from Android phones has been spreading via nine malicious apps on the official Google Play store, according to researchers. The malware is part of a campaign aimed at lifting victims’ financial information, but which also...

Apple Outlines 2021 Security, Privacy Roadmap

Click to Register Apple released its 2021 Platform Security guide, Thursday, outlining its current and year-ahead agenda for its device hardware, software and silicon security. This year’s 192-page report is beefed-up, compared to past reports, with a wealth of new insights into how Apple is...

Android Devices Prone to New Botnet’s DDoS Onslaught

Researchers are warning a new botnet is recycling the Mirai malware framework and is now targeting Android devices in order to launch distributed denial-of-service DDoS attacks. The botnet is dubbed Matryosh after a Matryoshka Russian nesting doll due to many of its functions being “nested” in...

Clearview Facial-Recognition Technology Ruled Illegal in Canada

Canadian authorities have found that the collection of facial-recognition data by Clearview AI is illegal because it violates federal and provincial privacy laws, representing a win for individuals’ privacy and potentially setting a precedent for other legal challenges to the controversial...

Researcher Breaks reCAPTCHA With Google’s Speech-to-Text API

An old attack method dating back to 2017 that uses voice-to-text to bypass CAPTCHA protections turns out to still work on Google’s latest reCAPTCHA v3. That’s according to researcher Nikolai Tschacher, who posted a video proof-of-concept PoC of the attack on Jan. 2. CAPTCHA, introduced in 2014, i...

Scams Ramp Up Ahead of Black Friday Cybercriminal Craze

The number of online holiday shoppers this year is expected to skyrocket due to the pandemic – and consequently, consumers can expect an onslaught of scams, phishing attacks and other malicious activities. The risk of infection is driving consumers to shop from the safety of their homes, rather...

IoT Device Takeovers Surge 100 Percent in 2020

Connected cameras, refrigerators and other seemingly-mundane internet-of-things IoT devices are a cybercriminal favorite this year, with new research showing a sharp increase 100 percent in IoT infections observed on wireless networks. IoT devices are now responsible for 32.72 percent of all...

Software AG Data Released After Clop Ransomware Strike – Report

Clop and the group’s signature malware has struck again — this time hitting a giant target in the form of German software conglomerate Software AG. The company isn’t paying a mammoth $23 million ransom so far, and over the weekend it confirmed that the crooks were releasing company data, accordin...

Google Updates Ad Policies to Counter Influence Campaigns, Extortion

Google is making two changes in its advertising policy as the U.S. moves into the fall election season ahead of the presidential contest in November, in an attempt to thwart disinformation campaigns. For one, Google is updating its Google Ads Misrepresentation Policy to prevent coordinated activi...

Garmin Pays Up to Evil Corp After Ransomware Attack — Reports

Garmin, the GPS and aviation tech specialist, reportedly negotiated with Evil Corp for an decryption key to unlock its files in the wake of a WastedLocker ransomware attack. The attack, which started on July 23, knocked out Garmin’s fitness-tracker services, customer-support outlets and commercia...

Leak Exposes Private Data of Genealogy Service Users

A server containing information of users of a genealogy service has exposed the data of 60,000 users, putting them at risk for fraud, phishing and other cybercriminal activity. Research led by Avishai Efrat at WizCase has discovered the leak, which affected an open and unencrypted ElasticSearch...

Report: Most Popular Home Routers Have ‘Critical’ Flaws

A security review of 127 popular home routers found most contained at least one critical security flaw, according to researchers. The “Home Router Security Report” PDF by Peter Weidenbach and Johannes vom Dorp—both from the German think tank Fraunhofer Institute–found that not only did all of the...

Qbot Trojan Reappears to Go After U.S. Banking Customers

Qbot, an ever-evolving information-stealing trojan that’s been around since 2008, has reappeared after a hiatus to target customers of U.S. financial institutions. Its latest variant features fresh capabilities to help it remain undetected. Qbot a.k.a. Qakbot or Pinkslipbot harvests browsing data...

Dark Basin Hack-For-Hire Group Targeted Thousands Over 7 Years

A hack-for-hire group, called Dark Basin, has been outed after targeting thousands of individuals and organizations worldwide – including advocacy groups and journalists, elected and senior government officials, and hedge funds — over the course of seven years. Dark Basin conducted commercial...

DoubleGun Group Builds Massive Botnet Using Cloud Services

An operation from the China-based cybercrime gang known as DoubleGun Group has been disrupted, which had amassed hundreds of thousands of bots that were controlled via public cloud services, including Alibaba and Baidu Tieba. NetLab 360 researchers, in a recent posting, said that it noticed DNS...

70 Percent of Mobile, Desktop Apps Contain Open-Source Bugs

A full 70 percent of applications being used today have at least one security flaw stemming from the use of an open-source library. According to Veracode’s annual State of Software Security report, these open-source libraries – free, centralized code repositories that provide ready-made applicati...

Sphinx Malware Returns to Riddle U.S. Targets, with Modifications

The Zeus Sphinx banking trojan has seen a recent resurgence in the United States, sporting some modifications and using COVID-19 spam as a lure. Sphinx re-emerged in December but saw a big spike in March via the use of coronavirus themes. Since April, it has been seen attacking U.S. targets with ...

Domain Name Security: Important Measures You Need to Know

Whether you are an individual, a large commercial business, or a small non-profit organization, the creation and protection of your online presence are essential. While many individuals and businesses use social media platforms to connect with followers, customers, or organization members, a doma...

Google: Efforts Against Bad Android Apps on Play Store Are Working

Some of the efforts Google has made over the past few years to bolster the security of Android app users as well as the mobile apps available on its Google Play store are starting to work, according to the tech giant. The company, which historically has struggled mightily to keep bad apps and...

Twitter API Abused to Uncover User Identities

Twitter said that malicious actors, with potential ties to state-sponsored groups, were abusing a legitimate function on its platform to unmask the identity of users. The social media giant said that on Dec. 24, 2019, it discovered a large network of fake accounts abusing a legitimate API...

Video: Zoom Researcher Details Web Conference Security Risks, 2020 Threats

Research unveiled this week at CPX 360, a security event hosted by Check Point, disclosed vulnerabilities discovered in Zoom’s enterprise video conferencing platform. Zoom issued a bevy of security fixes after researchers said the company’s platform used weak authentication that made it possible...

IoT Company Wyze Leaks Emails, Device Data of 2.4M

An exposed Elasticsearch database, owned by Internet of Things IoT company Wyze, was discovered leaking connected device information and emails of millions of customers. Wyze makes smart home cameras and connected devices like connected bulbs and plugs, which can be integrated with smart home...

Why Cloud, Collaboration Breed Insider Threats

When it comes to facing insider threats, many enterprises seem to be suffering from a type of organizational cognitive dissonance – as in, they hold two, seemingly contradictory beliefs when it comes to the cloud and the collaboration tools that they use. Specifically, business leaders and...

Google Will Award $1M-Plus to People Who Can Hack Titan M Security Chip

Google is willing to award up to $1.5 million to hackers who can successfully hack its Titan M security chip on the company’s Pixel devices as part of an expansion of its Android bug-bounty program unveiled this week. The company revealed increased payouts to its Android Security Rewards in a blo...

FTC Cracks Down on Stalkerware With Retina-X App Bans

UPDATE The Federal Trade Commission FTC has barred the sale of three “stalking apps” until their developer can prove they are used legally. The case is the first crackdown by the FTC on “stalkerware,” which is software that can be installed on devices to track their owners’ location, activity and...

Brand-New SystemBC Proxy Malware Spotted Using SOCKS5 for Stealth

A previously undocumented proxy malware, dubbed “SystemBC,” is upping the stealth game by using SOCKS5 to evade detection. It’s being distributed by the Fallout and RIG exploit kits EKs, according to researchers. Proofpoint researchers said on Thursday that in the most recently tracked example, t...

D-Link Cloud Camera Flaw Gives Hackers Access to Video Stream

D-Link has only partially patched critical flaws affecting its consumer WiFi camera, which allow hackers to intercept and view recorded video. They also allow attackers to manipulate the device’s firmware, according to security researchers. The camera in question is D-Link’s DCS-2132L cloud camer...

Unpatched Apple macOS Hole Exposes Safari Browsing History

A design flaw in Apple’s macOS could allow a malicious application to steal victims’ Safari web browsing history. The security hole exists in every version of the Mac’s Mojave operating system, including macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Supplemental Update recently released on Feb. 7. That’s according to Mac...

Intel’s ‘Virtual Fences’ Spectre Fix Won’t Protect Against Variant 4

Spectre and Meltdown fixes for Intel chips announced in March, to be embedded into new CPUs, do not address the newly disclosed Variant 4, sources said. Intel introduced hardware-based safeguards to its new chips to protect against the Spectre and Meltdown flaws that rocked the silicon industry...

New Microsoft Bug Bounty Program Looks To Squash The Next Spectre, Meltdown

In the wake of the Meltdown and Spectre flaws, Microsoft has rolled out a new bug bounty program targeting speculative execution side channel vulnerabilities. The limited time program is open until December 31, and offers up to $250,000 for identifying new categories of speculative execution...

Cisco Issues New Patches for Critical Firewall Software Vulnerability

Cisco has released new patches for a critical vulnerability in its Adaptive Security Appliance software after further investigation revealed additional attack vectors. The company first announced the vulnerability, CVE-2018-0101, on Jan. 29. It received a Common Vulnerability Scoring System base...

Lenovo Patches Networking OS Vulnerability Dating Back to 2004

Lenovo patched a flaw in its networking operating system dating back to 2004 that allowed attackers to perform an authentication bypass attack via a mechanism called “HP Backdoor.” If exploited, an attacker could gain admin-level access on affected switches, Lenovo said. The vulnerability is rate...

Google Discloses Unpatched Microsoft Vulnerability

Google’s security researchers disclosed details of an unpatched Microsoft vulnerability in Windows’ GDI library that allows attackers to steal sensitive data from program memory. The flaw was first addressed by Microsoft last June, but Google said the patch was incomplete. As part of its 90-day...

HA-CFI Technique Checks Mitigation Bypasses Earlier

LAS VEGAS — It wasn’t long ago that ROP, or return-oriented programming, was a hacker’s best friend when it came to bypassing mitigations against memory-based attacks such as DEP and ASLR. ROP, however, is so 2005. In the last couple of years, researchers and attackers have figured out how to...

LizardStresser IoT Botnets Part of 400Gbps DDoS Attacks

LizardStresser, a distributed denial of service botnet, has found new life leveraging hundreds of internet-based webcams in attacks against Brazilian-based banks, government agencies as well as a handful of U.S.-based gaming companies. Researchers at the Arbor’s Security Engineering and Response...

Android Stagefright Exploit Code Released to Public

Joshua Drake, the researcher who found the so-called Stagefright vulnerability in Android, today released exploit code to the public, which he hopes will be used to test systems’ exposure to the flaw. The move comes more than a month after vulnerability details were released in August during...

Chrome 40 Patches 62 Security Vulnerabilities

Google pushed out on Wednesday a new version of its Chrome browser 40.0.2214.91 and along with it paid out more than two dozen bounties, including 16 for memory corruption vulnerabilities. In all, 62 security vulnerabilities were patched, 17 of those considered high severity bugs by Google. Most ...

VMware Begins to Patch Bash Issues Across Product Line

Much like Heartbleed triggered vendors to issue out of band patches to remedy vulnerabilities that popped up earlier this year, Shellshock, the Bash vulnerability, has forced vendors’ hands in a similar fashion. Virtualization firm VMware issued a progress report on fixes for four different types...

August 2014 Microsoft Patch Tuesday Security Bulletins

Microsoft today released its monthly Patch Tuesday Security Bulletins, and the top priority is another cumulative update for Internet Explorer; this one patches 26 vulnerabilities, including one that’s been publicly reported, Microsoft said, and is likely being exploited. All of them are rated...

VMware Patches ESXi Against OpenSSL Flaw, But Many Other Products Still Vulnerable

While the group of vulnerabilities that the OpenSSL Project patched last week hasn’t grown into the kind of mess that the Heartbleed flaw did, the vulnerabilities still affect a huge range of products. Vendors are still making their way through the patching process, and VMware has released an...

Many Flash, Java Users Running Older, Vulnerable Versions

It’s long been known that Java and Flash are favored targets of attackers, thanks to their huge install bases and numerous security issues. And the users who are targeted by these attacks aren’t doing themselves any favors either, as new research shows that 19 percent of business users are runnin...