Author: admin

More Apple zero-days – mobile devices, laptops and desktops affected. Update now!

Whoever came up with the name “Spring4Shell” didn’t help at all… we cut through the Spring Bug confusion

Latest episode – listen now!

Ghostwriter is one of 3 campaigns using war-themed attacks, with cyber-fire coming in from government-backed actors in China, Iran, North Korea & Russia.

A bug in Honda is indicative of the sprawling car-attack surface that could give cyberattackers easy access to victims, as global use of ‘smart car tech’ and EVs surges.

QNAP is warning clients that a recently disclosed vulnerability affects most of its NAS devices, with no mitigation available while the vendor readies a patch.

Mystified? Now’s the time to learn about cryptocurrency-associated risks: Listen to KnowBe4’s Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos explain blockchain, NFTs and how to stay safe.

North Korean hackers have been exploiting a zero-day in Chrome.

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2022-0609, was exploited by two separate North Korean hacking groups. Both groups deployed the same exploit kit on websites that either belonged to legitimate organizations and were hacked or were set up for the express purpose of serving attack code on unsuspecting visitors. One group was dubbed Operation Dream Job, and it targeted more than 250 people working for 10 different companies. The other group, known as AppleJeus, targeted 85 users.

Details:

The attackers made use of an exploit kit that contained multiple stages and components in order to exploit targeted users. The attackers placed links to the exploit kit within hidden iframes, which they embedded on both websites they owned as well as some websites they compromised.

The kit initially serves some heavily obfuscated javascript used to fingerprint the target system. This script collected all available client information such as the user-agent, resolution, etc. and then sent it back to the exploitation server. If a set of unknown requirements were met, the client would be served a Chrome RCE exploit and some additional javascript. If the RCE was successful, the javascript would request the next stage referenced within the script as “SBX”, a common acronym for Sandbox Escape. We unfortunately were unable to recover any of the stages that followed the initial RCE.

Careful to protect their exploits, the attackers deployed multiple safeguards to make it difficult for security teams to recover any of the stages. These safeguards included:

• Only serving the iframe at specific times, presumably when they knew an intended target would be visiting the site.
• On some email campaigns the targets received links with unique IDs. This was potentially used to enforce a one-time-click policy for each link and allow the exploit kit to only be served once.
• The exploit kit would AES encrypt each stage, including the clients’ responses with a session-specific key.
• Additional stages were not served if the previous stage failed.

Although we recovered a Chrome RCE, we also found evidence where the attackers specifically checked for visitors using Safari on MacOS or Firefox (on any OS), and directed them to specific links on known exploitation servers. We did not recover any responses from those URLs.

If you’re a Chrome user, patch your system now.

The White House recently reissued a warning to American businesses in response to the unprecedented economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Russia for the Ukraine invasion, stating, “There is now evolving intelligence that Russia may be exploring options for potential cyberattacks.”  

Along with this statement, the White House published a fact sheet outlining the new and ongoing steps the government is taking to protect its infrastructure and technologies, along with steps that private businesses can take to protect themselves from attacks as well.  

Of course, any successful attack on government operations and the operations of private businesses could potentially affect households as well—such as in the case of data breaches where data or information is stolen from a system, often the personal data and information of individuals. 

Word of potential attacks understandably leaves people feeling uncertain and may further leave them wondering if there’s anything they can do to protect themselves. With regards to data breaches and the cases of identity theft that typically follow, there are several steps people can take to keep safer online.  

Let’s break down what a data breach looks like, how it can affect you, and what you can do in advance of a breach to protect yourself. 

Examples of data breaches in the past 

We’ve certainly seen data breaches make the news over the years, which are often (but not always) associated with malicious hackers or hacker organizations. A quick list of some of the largest and most impactful breaches we’ve seen in recent years: 

• Facebook – 2019: Two datasets leaked the records of more than 530 million users, including phone numbers, account names, Facebook IDs, and more. 
• Marriott International (Starwood) – 2018. Leakage of 500,000 guest names, emails, actual mailing addresses, phone numbers, passport numbers, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, and information about stays. 
• Equifax – 2017. Approximately 147 million records, including name, address, date of birth, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security Numbers were leaked, as well as credit card information for a further 200,000 victims. 

Healthcare facilities have seen their data breached, along with the operations of popular restaurants. Small businesses find themselves in the crosshairs as well, with one report stating that 43% of data leaks target small businesses. Those may come by way of an attack on where those businesses store their records, a disgruntled employee, or by way of a compromised point-of-sale terminal in their store, office, or location. 

What differs with the White House warning is who may end up being behind these potential attacks—a nation-state rather than what are financially motivated hackers or hacking groups. (Some research indicates that nearly 90% of breaches are about the money.) However, the result is the same. Your personal information winds up loose in the world and possibly in the hands of a bad actor.   

What can get exposed in a data breach?  

The fact is that plenty of our information is out there on the internet, simply because we go about so much of our day online, whether that involves shopping, banking, getting results from our doctors, or simply hopping online to play a game once in a while.  

Naturally, that means the data in any given breach will vary from service to service and platform to platform involved. Certainly, a gaming service will certainly have different information about you than your insurance company. Yet broadly speaking, there’s a broad range of information about you stored in various places, which could include:  

• Username and password 
• E-mail address 
• Phone numbers and home address 
• Contact information of friends and family 
• Date of birth 
• Driver’s license number 
• Credit card and debit card numbers, bank account details 
• Purchase history and account behavior history 
• Patient information (in the case of healthcare breaches) 
• Social Security Number or Tax ID Number 

As to what gets exposed and when you might find out about it, that can vary greatly as well. One industry research report found that 60% of breaches were discovered in just days from the initial attack while others could take months or even longer detect. Needless to say, the timeline can get rather stretched before word reaches you, which is a good reason to change your passwords regularly should any of them get swept up in a breach. (An outdated password does a hacker no good—more on that in a bit.) 

What do cybercriminals do with this kind of information? 

The answer is plenty. In all, personal information like that listed above has a dollar value to it. In a way, your data and information are a kind of currency because they’re tied to everything from your bank accounts, investments, insurance payments—even tax returns and personal identification like driver’s licenses.  

With this information in hand, a crook can commit several types of identity crimes—ranging from fraud to theft. In the case of fraud, that could include running up a bill on one of your credits cards or draining one of your bank accounts. In the case of theft, that could see crooks impersonate you so they can open new accounts or services in your name. Beyond that, they may attempt to claim your tax refund or potentially get an ID issued in your name as well. 

Another possibility is that a hacker will simply sell that information on the dark marketplace, perhaps in large clumps or as individual pieces of information that go for a few dollars each. However it gets sold, these dark-market practices allow other fraudsters and thieves to take advantage of your identity for financial or another gain.  

Protecting yourself from the effects of data breaches 

The succinct answer is to sign up for an identity protection service. It can monitor dozens of types of personal information and then alert you if any of them are possibly being misused, so you can address any issues right away before they become a potentially much bigger problem.  

Further, pairing identity protection with online protection software can protect you even more. With an all-up view of your overall online security—how well you’re protecting yourself and your identity online—it can guide you through steps that can shore up your protection and make you safer still. 

Identity protection such as ours gives you the added benefit of a professional recovery specialist who can assist with restoring your affairs in the wake of fraud or theft, plus up to $1 million in insurance coverage. 

What if I think I’m the victim of identity theft? 

When a business, service, or organization falls victim to a breach, it doesn’t always mean that you’re automatically a victim too. Your information may not have been caught up in it. However, it’s best to act as if it was. With that, we strongly suggest you take these immediate steps. 

Change your passwords and use two-factor authentication 

Given the possibility that your password may be in the hands of a bad actor, change it right away. Strong, unique passwords offer one of your best defenses against hackers. Update them regularly as well. As mentioned above, this can protect you in the event a breach occurs and you don’t find out about it until well after it’s happened. You can spare yourself the upkeep that involves a password manager that can keep on top of it all for you. If your account offers two-factor authentication as part of the login process, make use of it as it adds another layer of security that makes hacking tougher.  

Keep an eye on your accounts 

If you spot unusual or unfamiliar charges or transactions in your account, bank, or debit card statements, follow up immediately. That could indicate improper use. In general, banks, credit card companies, and many businesses have countermeasures to deal with fraud, along with customer support teams that can help you file a claim if needed. 

Sign up for an identity theft protection service 

As outlined above, identity protection like ours can monitor a broad set of your personal information and provide you guidance for making it more secure, in addition to getting help from a professional recovery specialist.  

For an even closer look at identity theft, we have two articles that can help guide the way if you think you’re a victim, each featuring a series of straightforward steps you can take to set matters right: 

• Top Signs of Identity Theft 
• How to Report Identity Theft to Social Security 

Proactively protecting yourself and your family 

No matter how uncertain news of possible cyberattacks may any of us feel, you can take steps to set some of that uncertainty aside. An identity protection service is a strong first move against possible identity theft, as is pairing it with online protection software that keeps you safer online overall. Likewise, knowing the signs of possible identity theft and what you can do to address it right away offer further assurance still—like having the services of a professional recovery specialist to help.  

In all, there’s no need to leave yourself wondering at the news from the White House. As an individual, you have it in your power to make yourself and your family safer than they are now. 

The post White House Announces Possible Rise in Cyberattacks—What You Can Do to Stay Safe appeared first on McAfee Blog.

Let’s play a game. Go to the Photos app on your phone and look at the total number of videos and images on your device – all those precious memories of family vacations, clips from your favorite concert, and countless snapshots of your furry companion. Next, open your laptop or desktop and check to see how many documents you have saved — perhaps all the research reports you have saved to defend your graduate thesis or an important slideshow you’re presenting to your boss on Monday. If you had to guess, would you say the total number of these various pieces of data is into the thousands? Now imagine if all this data was suddenly gone. What would you do?  

You might be thinking, “That will never happen to me.” However, this situation is more common than you think. More than 60 million computers will fail worldwide this year, and over 200,000 smartphones are lost or stolen every year. That’s why we’re celebrating World Backup Day by sharing how you can properly back up your files and find peace of mind knowing that your data is safe and sound.  

What Are Backups and Why Are They Important? 

A backup is a separate copy of your important and sentimental digital files and information. Storing all that data in one place, like a personal computer or smartphone, can prove unsafe. Creating another copy of that data through a backup will ensure that it’s stored and kept safe somewhere else should your device get wiped or stolen. 

It’s important to recognize that data loss isn’t something that only happens to huge corporations or unsuspecting victims in spy movies. Everyone is susceptible to data loss or theft and backing up that data is an easy step to protect all your information and prevent cybercriminals from taking what isn’t theirs. 

Data Storage 101 

Data is one of the most important assets in the modern world. As we illustrated earlier, people collect countless files that contain valuable information they want to keep safe. Luckily, there are two common and inexpensive ways that a user can store their data and their ever-important backups.  

Cloud storage  

Although “the cloud” became a major buzzword years ago, its definition is still cloudy for some folks. The cloud exists in remote data centers that you can access via the internet. Any data you’ve uploaded to the cloud exists on dedicated servers and storage volumes housed in distant warehouses, often situated on campuses full of such warehouses. Data centers are owned by cloud service providers, who are responsible for keeping the servers up and running.  

To keep your data physically safe from theft and destruction, and to make sure it’s available whenever you want to access it, data centers run extensive cooling systems to keep the electronics from overheating and have at least one backup generator in case of power outages. But how do they make sure that this data is secure in the cybersphere? Cloud systems use authentication processes like usernames and passwords to limit access, and data encryption to protect data that is stolen or intercepted. However, it’s important to remember that passwords can be hacked. Typically, the service provider holds the encryption keys to your data, meaning that rogue employees could, theoretically, access it. Likewise, your data could also potentially be searched and seized by government entities. 

This begs the question: Trust or don’t trust? Because cloud storage companies live and die by their reputation, you can rest assured knowing that they go to great lengths to use the most advanced security techniques and provide the most reliable service possible. To help ensure the security of your data should you choose to store or back it up to the cloud, keep anything truly sensitive in a private cloud behind a firewall.  

External hard drive  

With an external hard drive, you can manually back up all your data and files yourself onto a physical device that you can access anytime. These drives are a reliable way to achieve data redundancy. An external hard drive doesn’t rely on internet access like cloud-based services and is an easy fix when transferring data to a new device. However, using external hard drives requires a more hands-on approach to backing up your data. It’s your responsibility to regularly perform backups yourself and store your hard drive in a safe location. While cloud solutions offer huge amounts of storage, storage space on hard drives are limited, so you may have to purchase more than one device. Look for an external drive with at least a terabyte of space to accommodate all your data, which tends to accumulate quickly. 

Kickstart Your Digital Spring Cleaning  

As you’re cleaning out your garage and tidying up your home, take the same care to do some digital spring cleaning this World Backup Day. Give your devices, apps, and online accounts a good decluttering and gain more peace of mind knowing that all your valuable data is stored in a safe, secure place … and that you have a backup in case something goes awry. Remember, proactivity goes a long way toward shoring up your cybersecurity and protecting your information.   

The post It’s World Backup Day! Here’s How You Can Preserve Your Files appeared first on McAfee Blog.