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A critical security vulnerability has been disclosed in the Open Authorization (OAuth) implementation of the application development framework Expo.io. The shortcoming, assigned the CVE identifier  CVE-2023-28131 , has a severity rating of 9.6 on the CVSS scoring system. API security firm Salt Labs  said  the issue rendered services using the framework susceptible to credential leakage, which could then be used to hijack accounts and siphon sensitive data. Under certain circumstances, a threat actor could have taken advantage of the flaw to perform arbitrary actions on behalf of a compromised user on various platforms such as Facebook, Google, or Twitter. Expo, similar to Electron, is an open source platform for developing universal native apps that run on Android, iOS, and the web. It's worth noting that for the attack to be successful, sites and applications using Expo should have configured the AuthSession Proxy setting for single sign-on (SSO) using a third-party...

A new security flaw has been disclosed in the Google Cloud Platform's (GCP) Cloud SQL service that could be potentially exploited to obtain access to confidential data. "The vulnerability could have enabled a malicious actor to escalate from a basic Cloud SQL user to a full-fledged sysadmin on a container, gaining access to internal GCP data like secrets, sensitive files, passwords, in addition to customer data," Israeli cloud security firm Dig  said . Cloud SQL  is a fully-managed solution to build MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server databases for cloud-based applications. The multi-stage attack chain identified by Dig, in a nutshell, leveraged a gap in the cloud platform's security layer associated with SQL Server to escalate the privileges of a user to that of an administrator role. The elevated permissions subsequently made it possible to abuse another critical misconfiguration to obtain system administrator rights and take full control of the database server....

Security researchers have detailed the inner workings of the commercial Android spyware called Predator, which is marketed by the Israeli company Intellexa (previously Cytrox). Predator was  first documented  by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) in May 2022 as part of attacks leveraging five different zero-day flaws in the Chrome web browser and Android. The spyware, which is delivered by means of another loader component known as Alien, is equipped to record audio from phone calls and VoIP-based apps as well as gather contacts and messages, including from Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Its other functionalities allow it to hide applications and prevent applications from being executed upon rebooting the handset. "A deep dive into both spyware components indicates that Alien is more than just a loader for Predator and actively sets up the low-level capabilities needed for Predator to spy on its victims," Cisco Talos  said  in a technical report. Spyware lik...

5G is a game changer for mobile connectivity, including mobile connectivity to the cloud. The technology provides high speed and low latency when connecting smartphones and IoT devices to cloud infrastructure. 5G networks are a critical part of all infrastructure layers between the end user and the end service; these networks transmit sensitive data that can be vital for governments and businesses, not to mention individuals. As a result, 5G networks are a prime target for attackers. For this reason, cybersecurity has been a key consideration in developing the 5G standard. 5G encompasses robust security features that guarantee confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network services and user data. In this article, Seva Vayner, Product Owner of  Gcore's Edge Cloud service , gives a deep dive into five of 5 G's cutting-edge security measures. He also delves into the pivotal performance capabilities of 5G, accompanied by use cases that demonstrate how contemporary, cloud...

A new strain of malicious software that's engineered to penetrate and disrupt critical systems in industrial environments has been unearthed. Google-owned threat intelligence firm Mandiant dubbed the malware  COSMICENERGY , adding it was uploaded to the VirusTotal public malware scanning utility in December 2021 by a submitter in Russia. There is no evidence that it has been put to use in the wild. "The malware is designed to cause electric power disruption by interacting with IEC 60870-5-104 (IEC-104) devices, such as remote terminal units ( RTUs ), that are commonly leveraged in electric transmission and distribution operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia," the company  said . COSMICENERGY is the latest addition to  specialized   malware  like Stuxnet, Havex, Triton, IRONGATE, BlackEnergy2, Industroyer, and PIPEDREAM, which are capable of sabotaging critical systems and wreaking havoc. Mandiant said that there are circumstantial links that it ma...