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Unleashing the Power of the Internet of Things and Cyber Security

Unleashing the Power of the Internet of Things and Cyber Security
Oct 20, 2023 Penetration Testing / IoT Security
Due to the rapid evolution of technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way business is conducted around the world. This advancement and the power of the IoT have been nothing short of transformational in making data-driven decisions, accelerating efficiencies, and streamlining operations to meet the demands of a competitive global marketplace. IoT At a Crossroads IoT, in its most basic terms, is the intersection of the physical and digital world with distinct applications and purposes. It is devices, sensors, and systems of all kinds harnessing the power of interconnectivity through the internet to provide seamless experiences for business. Up until today, we, as security professionals, have been very good at writing about the numerous and varying IoT applications and uses and have agreed upon the fact that the security of the IoT is important. However, have we really understood the big picture? And that is for IoT to really reach its full potential as a fully inter

High-Severity Flaws in ConnectedIO's 3G/4G Routers Raise Concerns for IoT Security

High-Severity Flaws in ConnectedIO's 3G/4G Routers Raise Concerns for IoT Security
Oct 09, 2023 Vulnerability / IoT Security
Multiple high-severity security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in ConnectedIO's ER2000 edge routers and the cloud-based management platform that could be exploited by malicious actors to execute malicious code and access sensitive data. "An attacker could have leveraged these flaws to fully compromise the cloud infrastructure, remotely execute code, and leak all customer and device information," Claroty's Noam Moshe  said  in an analysis published last week. Vulnerabilities in 3G/4G routers could expose thousands of internal networks to severe threats, enabling bad actors to seize control, intercept traffic, and even infiltrate Extended Internet of Things (XIoT) things. The shortcomings impacting the ConnectedIO platform versions v2.1.0 and prior, primarily the 4G ER2000 edge router and cloud services, could be chained, permitting attackers to execute arbitrary code on the cloud-based devices without requiring direct access to them. Flaws have also been unea

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future
Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu

DDoS 2.0: IoT Sparks New DDoS Alert

DDoS 2.0: IoT Sparks New DDoS Alert
Sep 15, 2023 IoT Security / Cyber Threat
The  Internet of Things (IoT)  is transforming efficiency in various sectors like healthcare and logistics but has also introduced new security risks, particularly IoT-driven DDoS attacks. This article explores how these attacks work, why they're uniquely problematic, and how to mitigate them. What Is IoT? IoT (Internet of Things) refers to online, interconnected devices that collect and exchange data. This broad category of devices includes sensors, cameras, network routers, and advanced machinery, and their integration into everyday life and work processes results in an ecosystem that can automate operations, improve decision-making, and enhance user experience. IoT: A Breeding Ground for Botnets IoT's rapid adoption amplifies its vulnerability, as poorly secured devices become easy prey for attackers and may become part of a botnet. Controlled by attackers, botnets can scale and rapidly execute various attacks, including DDoS, data theft, ad fraud, cryptocurrency mining, spam a

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

cyber security
websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.

Breaking the Mold: Pen Testing Solutions That Challenge the Status Quo

Breaking the Mold: Pen Testing Solutions That Challenge the Status Quo
Mar 28, 2023 Pen Testing / Artificial Intelligence
Malicious actors are constantly adapting their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to adapt to political, technological, and regulatory changes quickly. A few emerging threats that organizations of all sizes should be aware of include the following: Increased use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning : Malicious actors are increasingly leveraging AI and machine learning to automate their attacks, allowing them to scale their operations faster than ever before. The exploitation of cloud-based technologies:  Cloud-based services are increasingly being targeted by malicious actors due to the lack of visibility and control over these platforms. Increased use of ransomware:  Ransomware is becoming a more popular method of attack, allowing malicious actors to monetize their operations quickly. According to  CompTIA , ransomware attacks grew by 41% in 2022, while identification and remediation for a breach took 49 days longer than average. Phishing attacks  also increas

New Flaws in TPM 2.0 Library Pose Threat to Billions of IoT and Enterprise Devices

New Flaws in TPM 2.0 Library Pose Threat to Billions of IoT and Enterprise Devices
Mar 03, 2023 Enterprise Security / IoT
A pair of serious security defects has been disclosed in the Trusted Platform Module ( TPM ) 2.0 reference library specification that could potentially lead to information disclosure or privilege escalation. One of the vulnerabilities,  CVE-2023-1017 , concerns an out-of-bounds write, while the other,  CVE-2023-1018 , is described as an out-of-bounds read. Credited with discovering and reporting the issues in November 2022 is cybersecurity company Quarkslab. "These vulnerabilities can be triggered from user-mode applications by sending malicious commands to a TPM 2.0 whose firmware is based on an affected TCG reference implementation," the Trusted Computing Group (TCG)  said  in an advisory. Large tech vendors, organizations using enterprise computers, servers, IoT devices, and embedded systems that include a TPM can be impacted by the flaws, Quarkslab  noted , adding they "could affect billions of devices." TPM is a hardware-based solution (i.e., a crypto-pro

New Mirai Botnet Variant 'V3G4' Exploiting 13 Flaws to Target Linux and IoT Devices

New Mirai Botnet Variant 'V3G4' Exploiting 13 Flaws to Target Linux and IoT Devices
Feb 17, 2023 IoT Security / Cyber Attack
A new variant of the notorious Mirai botnet has been found leveraging several security vulnerabilities to propagate itself to Linux and IoT devices. Observed during the second half of 2022, the new version has been dubbed  V3G4  by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, which identified three different campaigns likely conducted by the same threat actor. "Once the vulnerable devices are compromised, they will be fully controlled by attackers and become a part of the botnet," Unit 42 researchers  said . "The threat actor has the capability to utilize those devices to conduct further attacks, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks." The attacks primarily single out exposed servers and networking devices running Linux, with the adversary weaponizing as many as 13 flaws that could lead to remote code execution (RCE). Some of the notable flaws relate to critical flaws in Atlassian Confluence Server and Data Center, DrayTek Vigor routers, Airspan AirSpot, and Geu

Critical Infrastructure at Risk from New Vulnerabilities Found in Wireless IIoT Devices

Critical Infrastructure at Risk from New Vulnerabilities Found in Wireless IIoT Devices
Feb 09, 2023 Network Security / IoT Security
A set of 38 security vulnerabilities has been uncovered in wireless industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices from four different vendors that could pose a significant attack surface for threat actors looking to exploit operational technology (OT) environments. "Threat actors can exploit vulnerabilities in Wireless IIoT devices to gain initial access to internal OT networks," Israeli industrial cybersecurity company Otorio  said . "They can use these vulnerabilities to bypass security layers and infiltrate target networks, putting critical infrastructure at risk or interrupting manufacturing." The flaws, in a nutshell, offer a remote entry point for attack, enabling unauthenticated adversaries to gain a foothold and subsequently use it as leverage to spread to other hosts, thereby causing serious damage. Some of the identified shortcomings could be chained to give an external actor direct access to thousands of internal OT networks over the internet, security

Researchers Detail New Attack Method to Bypass Popular Web Application Firewalls

Researchers Detail New Attack Method to Bypass Popular Web Application Firewalls
Dec 10, 2022 Web App Firewall / Web Security
A new attack method can be used to circumvent web application firewalls (WAFs) of various vendors and infiltrate systems, potentially enabling attackers to gain access to sensitive business and customer information. Web application firewalls are a  key line of defense  to help filter, monitor, and block HTTP(S) traffic to and from a web application, and safeguard against attacks such as cross-site forgery, cross-site-scripting (XSS), file inclusion, and SQL injection (SQLi). The generic bypass "involves appending  JSON syntax  to SQL injection payloads that a WAF is unable to parse," Claroty researcher Noam Moshe  said . "Most WAFs will easily detect SQLi attacks, but prepending JSON to SQL syntax left the WAF blind to these attacks." The industrial and IoT cybersecurity company said its technique successfully worked against WAFs from vendors like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cloudflare, F5, Imperva, and Palo Alto Networks, all of whom have since released updates

Hackers Exploiting Abandoned Boa Web Servers to Target Critical Industries

Hackers Exploiting Abandoned Boa Web Servers to Target Critical Industries
Nov 23, 2022
Microsoft on Tuesday disclosed the intrusion activity aimed at Indian power grid entities earlier this year likely involved the exploitation of security flaws in a now-discontinued web server called Boa . The tech behemoth's cybersecurity division  said  the vulnerable component poses a "supply chain risk that may affect millions of organizations and devices." The findings build on a prior report  published  by Recorded Future in April 2022, which delved into a sustained campaign orchestrated by suspected China-linked adversaries to strike critical infrastructure organizations in India. The cybersecurity firm attributed the attacks to a previously undocumented threat cluster called Threat Activity Group 38. While the Indian government described the attacks as unsuccessful "probing attempts," China denied it was behind the campaign. The connections to China stem from the use of a modular backdoor dubbed  ShadowPad , which is known to be shared among several

Dahua IP Camera Vulnerability Could Let Attackers Take Full Control Over Devices

Dahua IP Camera Vulnerability Could Let Attackers Take Full Control Over Devices
Jul 29, 2022
Details have been shared about a security vulnerability in Dahua's Open Network Video Interface Forum ( ONVIF ) standard implementation, which, when exploited, can lead to seizing control of IP cameras.  Tracked as CVE-2022-30563 (CVSS score: 7.4), the "vulnerability could be abused by attackers to compromise network cameras by sniffing a previous unencrypted ONVIF interaction and replaying the credentials in a new request towards the camera," Nozomi Networks  said  in a Thursday report. The issue, which was  addressed  in a patch released on June 28, 2022,  impacts  the following products - Dahua ASI7XXX: Versions prior to v1.000.0000009.0.R.220620 Dahua IPC-HDBW2XXX: Versions prior to v2.820.0000000.48.R.220614 Dahua IPC-HX2XXX: Versions prior to v2.820.0000000.48.R.220614 ONVIF governs the development and use of an open standard for how IP-based physical security products such as video surveillance cameras and access control systems can communicate with one an

Researchers Disclose 56 Vulnerabilities Impacting OT Devices from 10 Vendors

Researchers Disclose 56 Vulnerabilities Impacting OT Devices from 10 Vendors
Jun 21, 2022
Nearly five dozen security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in devices from 10 operational technology (OT) vendors due to what researchers call are "insecure-by-design practices." Collectively dubbed  OT:ICEFALL  by Forescout, the 56 issues span as many as 26 device models from Bently Nevada, Emerson, Honeywell, JTEKT, Motorola, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Siemens, and Yokogawa. "Exploiting these vulnerabilities, attackers with network access to a target device could remotely execute code, change the logic, files or firmware of OT devices, bypass authentication, compromise credentials, cause denials of service or have a variety of operational impacts," the company said in a technical report. These vulnerabilities could have disastrous consequences considering the impacted products are widely employed in critical infrastructure industries such as oil and gas, chemical, nuclear, power generation and distribution, manufacturing, water treatment and distribution, min

U.S. Warns of APT Hackers Targeting ICS/SCADA Systems with Specialized Malware

U.S. Warns of APT Hackers Targeting ICS/SCADA Systems with Specialized Malware
Apr 14, 2022
The U.S. government on Wednesday warned of nation-state actors deploying specialized malware to maintain access to industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) devices. "The APT actors have developed custom-made tools for targeting ICS/SCADA devices," multiple U.S. agencies  said  in an alert. "The tools enable them to scan for, compromise, and control affected devices once they have established initial access to the operational technology (OT) network." The joint federal advisory comes courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The custom-made tools are specifically designed to single out Schneider Electric programmable logic controllers (PLCs), OMRON Sysmac NEX PLCs, and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) servers. On top of that, the unnamed actors

IoT/connected Device Discovery and Security Auditing in Corporate Networks

IoT/connected Device Discovery and Security Auditing in Corporate Networks
Feb 07, 2022
Today's enterprise networks are complex environments with different types of wired and wireless devices being connected and disconnected. The current device discovery solutions have been mainly focused on identifying and monitoring servers, workstation PCs, laptops and infrastructure devices such as network firewalls, switches and routers, because the most valuable information assets of organizations are being stored, processed and transferred over those devices, hence making them the prime target of security breaches and intrusions. However, a new trend has been emerging in the past four years,  where attackers have been targeting purpose-built connected devices  such as network printers and video conferencing systems as an entry point and data exfiltration route. These devices cannot be identified properly by the current IT asset discovery solutions for the following main reasons: Proprietary protocols are often used for managing and monitoring such devices that are not know
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