The US government has sanctioned cryptocurrency exchanges used by Russia-based cybercriminals to process illicit funds. The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued sanctions to Cryptex – a crypto currency exchange registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and operating in Russia. One individual has also been sanctioned, Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov, a Russian
Month: September 2024
U.S. federal prosecutors on Friday unsealed criminal charges against three Iranian nationals who are allegedly employed with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for their targeting of current and former officials to steal sensitive data. The Department of Justice (DoJ) accused Masoud Jalili, 36, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, 34, and Yasar (Yaser) Balaghi, 37, of participating
Following an inquiry into Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (MPIL), the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland has fined the firm €91m ($102m) for mishandling social media users’ passwords and GDPR infringement. The DPC launched the initial inquiry in April 2019 after MPIL notified the DPC that it had inadvertently stored certain passwords of social media
Video ESET research examines the group’s malicious wares as used to spy on targets in Ukraine in the past two years 27 Sep 2024 This week, ESET researchers published an extensive analysis of the tools and techniques of Gamaredon, a Russia-aligned threat actor that is currently the most active APT group in Ukraine. Their research
Sep 28, 2024Ravie LakshmananCryptocurrency / Mobile Security Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a malicious Android app on the Google Play Store that enabled the threat actors behind it to steal approximately $70,000 in cryptocurrency from victims over a period of nearly five months. The dodgy app, identified by Check Point, masqueraded as the legitimate WalletConnect open-source
The US government and global partners have urged action to strengthen the security and resiliency of undersea cable infrastructure, thereby protecting global communications and data from compromise. This includes incorporating cybersecurity best practices in the design of undersea cable infrastructure, reducing the risk of these services being hacked. The joint statement, endorsed by the
ESET Research ESET Research has conducted a comprehensive technical analysis of Gamaredon’s toolset used to conduct its cyberespionage activities focused in Ukraine Zoltán Rusnák 26 Sep 2024 • , 5 min. read The war in Ukraine, which started in February 2014 and intensified with Russia’s invasion of the country on February 24th, 2022, exemplifies a
Sep 27, 2024Ravie LakshmananSoftware Security / Vulnerability Progress Software has released another round of updates to address six security flaws in WhatsUp Gold, including two critical vulnerabilities. The issues, the company said, have been resolved in version 24.0.1 released on September 20, 2024. The company has yet to release any details about what the flaws
A massive data leak exposing the personal information of over 100 million US citizens has been reportedly uncovered by security researchers. The breach, discovered by Cybernews and attributed to a misconfigured database at background check firm MC2 Data, allegedly left 2.2TB of sensitive data accessible online without password protection. What Was Exposed in the MC2
Digital Security Keep your cool, arm yourself with the right knowledge, and other tips for staying unshaken by fraudsters’ scare tactics Phil Muncaster 25 Sep 2024 • , 5 min. read We live in fast-paced and often worrying times, and fraudsters are primed to take advantage. Fear can be a powerful weapon and scammers know
Sep 26, 2024Ravie LakshmananAutomotive Industry / Technology Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed a set of now patched vulnerabilities in Kia vehicles that, if successfully exploited, could have allowed remote control over key functions simply by using only a license plate. “These attacks could be executed remotely on any hardware-equipped vehicle in about 30 seconds, regardless of
82% of all phishing sites now target mobile devices. The figure comes from Zimperium’s 2024 zLabs Global Mobile Threat Report, which also shows that 76% of these sites use HTTPS, tricking users into thinking the sites are secure. Additionally, the report reveals a sharp increase in unique malware samples, which surged 13% year-on-year, with riskware
Kids Online Here’s what parents should know about Snapchat and why you should take some time to ensure your children can stay safe when using the app Phil Muncaster 24 Sep 2024 • , 5 min. read Snapchat may only be the 10th most popular social media platform in the world, but it estimates monthly
Sep 25, 2024Ravie LakshmananSecure Coding / Mobile Security Google has revealed that its transition to memory-safe languages such as Rust as part of its secure-by-design approach has led to the percentage of memory-safe vulnerabilities discovered in Android dropping from 76% to 24% over a period of six years. The tech giant said focusing on Safe
Cybercriminals are using a wider-than-ever range of malicious documents to spread malware and gain initial access to target systems, according to HP Wolf Security. Alex Holland, principal threat researcher in the HP Security Lab, told Infosecurity that threat actors have recently shifted their focus. They are now prioritizing script-based phishing techniques over approaches based on
Sep 24, 2024Ravie LakshmananMobile Security / Malware Altered versions of legitimate Android apps associated with Spotify, WhatsApp, and Minecraft have been used to deliver a new version of a known malware loader called Necro. Kaspersky said some of the malicious apps have also been found on the Google Play Store. They have been cumulatively downloaded
A once-overlooked ransomware tool has resurfaced in enterprise attacks under the guise of a more advanced strain, according to research presented by SentinelLabs at LABScon 2024. Kryptina, a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) tool initially available for free on dark web forums, has been adopted by affiliates of theMallox ransomware group, a well-known player in enterprise cyber-attacks. The
Sep 23, 2024Ravie LakshmananCybersecurity / Cyber Threat Hold on tight, folks, because last week’s cybersecurity landscape was a rollercoaster! We witnessed everything from North Korean hackers dangling “dream jobs” to expose a new malware, to a surprising twist in the Apple vs. NSO Group saga. Even the seemingly mundane world of domain names and cloud
HSBC claims to have successfully trialed the first application of quantum-secure technology for buying and selling tokenized physical gold. One year after the bank started tokenizing gold bullions using distributed ledger technology (DLT), HSBC announced on September 19 that it successfully tested quantum-secure methods to protect these assets against potential future quantum computing attacks. For
Sep 21, 2024Ravie LakshmananPrivacy / Artificial Intelligence The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed that professional social networking platform LinkedIn has suspended processing users’ data in the country to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. “We are pleased that LinkedIn has reflected on the concerns we raised about its approach to training generative AI
A lack of cyber security expertise and employee training threatens the protection of cloud environments, according to new research by Check Point Software. In its 2024 Cloud Security Report, the firm found that 61% of organizations experienced at least one security incident related to public cloud use in the past year, a significant increase from
Video With just weeks to go before the US presidential election, the FBI and the CISA are warning about attempts to sow distrust in the electoral process 20 Sep 2024 With just weeks to go before the US presidential election, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are
A hacktivist group known as Twelve has been observed using an arsenal of publicly available tools to conduct destructive cyber attacks against Russian targets. “Rather than demand a ransom for decrypting data, Twelve prefers to encrypt victims’ data and then destroy their infrastructure with a wiper to prevent recovery,” Kaspersky said in a Friday analysis.
Whoever the next US president is, they will have cyber policy measures to consider implementing in order to protect the US from both nation-state adversaries and cybercriminals. In its fourth annual report on implementation, published on September 19, the US Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 (CSC 2.0) has provided the incoming administration and Congress with a
Video How do analyst relations professionals ‘sort through the noise’ and help deliver the not-so-secret sauce for a company’s success? We spoke with ESET’s expert to find out. 19 Sep 2024 The sixth episode of ESET’s Unlocked 403 cybersecurity podcast has host Alžbeta Kovaľová picking the brains of Zuzana Legáthová, ESET’s Senior Manager of Analyst
Law enforcement authorities have announced the takedown of an international criminal network that leveraged a phishing platform to unlock stolen or lost mobile phones. The phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform, called iServer, is estimated to have claimed more than 483,000 victims globally, led by Chile (77,000), Colombia (70,000), Ecuador (42,000), Peru (41,500), Spain (30,000), and Argentina (29,000).
As many as 90% of organizations have been hit by ransomware, and three quarters hit more than once over the past 12 months, according to a US and UK study. The rise in ransomware attacks is being driven by infostealer malware and “digital identity exposure,” researchers at SpyCloud found. Ransomware impacted 75% of organizations this
ESET Research ESET researchers discuss how they uncovered a zero-day Telegram for Android exploit that allowed attackers to send malicious files posing as videos ESET Research 17 Sep 2024 • , 1 min. read Telegram, with nearly a billion monthly users, is a juicy target for cybercriminals, especially if they can exploit a zero-day vulnerability
Until just a couple of years ago, only a handful of IAM pros knew what service accounts are. In the last years, these silent Non-Human-Identities (NHI) accounts have become one of the most targeted and compromised attack surfaces. Assessments report that compromised service accounts play a key role in lateral movement in over 70% of
An overwhelming majority of the critical infrastructure (CI) sector has suffered an email-related security breach over the past 12 months. A study, by Osterman Research and commissioned by CI security vendor OPSWAT, revealed that 80% of organizations were victims of an email-based security breach. Even as criminal hackers target the sector, CI businesses appear to