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Threat actors have been observed targeting the construction sector by infiltrating the FOUNDATION Accounting Software , according to new findings from Huntress. "Attackers have been observed brute-forcing the software at scale, and gaining access simply by using the product’s default credentials," the cybersecurity company said . Targets of the emerging threat include plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), concrete, and other related sub-industries. The FOUNDATION software comes with a Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) Server to handle database operations, and, in some cases, has the TCP port 4243 open to directly access the database via a mobile app. Huntress said the server includes two high-privileged accounts, including "sa," a default system administrator account, and "dba," an account created by FOUNDATION, that are often left with unchanged default credentials. A consequence of this action is that threat actors could brute-force th...

A previously undocumented malware called SambaSpy is exclusively targeting users in Italy via a phishing campaign orchestrated by a suspected Brazilian Portuguese-speaking threat actor. "Threat actors usually try to cast a wide net to maximize their profits, but these attackers are focused on just one country," Kaspersky said in a new analysis. "It's likely that the attackers are testing the waters with Italian users before expanding their operation to other countries." The starting point of the attack is a phishing email that either includes an HTML attachment or an embedded link that initiates the infection process. Should the HTML attachment be opened, a ZIP archive containing an interim downloader or dropper is used to deploy and launch the multi-functional RAT payload. The downloader, for its part, is responsible for fetching the malware from a remote server. The dropper, on the other hand, does the same thing, but extracts the payload from the archive...

The cryptojacking operation known as TeamTNT has likely resurfaced as part of a new campaign targeting Virtual Private Server (VPS) infrastructures based on the CentOS operating system. "The initial access was accomplished via a Secure Shell (SSH) brute force attack on the victim's assets, during which the threat actor uploaded a malicious script," Group-IB researchers Vito Alfano and Nam Le Phuong said in a Wednesday report. The malicious script, the Singaporean cybersecurity company noted, is responsible for disabling security features, deleting logs, terminating cryptocurrency mining processes, and inhibiting recovery efforts. The attack chains ultimately pave the way for the deployment of the Diamorphine rootkit to conceal malicious processes, while also setting up persistent remote access to the compromised host. The campaign has been attributed to TeamTNT with moderate confidence, citing similarities in the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed...

Cybersecurity in healthcare has never been more urgent. As the most vulnerable industry and largest target for cybercriminals, healthcare is facing an increasing wave of cyberattacks. When a hospital's systems are held hostage by ransomware, it’s not just data at risk — it’s the care of patients who depend on life-saving treatments. Imagine an attack that forces emergency care to halt, surgeries to be postponed, or a cancer patient’s private health information used for extortion. This is the reality healthcare faces as cybercriminals exploit people who need care. Healthcare accounted for 17.8% of all breach events and 18.2% of destructive ransomware events since 2012 1 , surpassing other sectors like finance, government, and education. This alarming rise in attacks makes one thing clear: poor cybersecurity hygiene is the root cause, and the consequences for failing to address these vulnerabilities are devastating. Organizations that neglect basic cybersecurity practices, like sof...

Microsoft has revealed that a financially motivated threat actor has been observed using a ransomware strain called INC for the first time to target the healthcare sector in the U.S. The tech giant's threat intelligence team is tracking the activity under the name Vanilla Tempest (formerly DEV-0832). "Vanilla Tempest receives hand-offs from GootLoader infections by the threat actor Storm-0494, before deploying tools like the Supper backdoor, the legitimate AnyDesk remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool, and the MEGA data synchronization tool," it said in a series of posts shared on X. In the next step, the attackers proceed to carry out lateral movement through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and then use the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Provider Host to deploy the INC ransomware payload. The Windows maker said Vanilla Tempest has been active since at least July 2022, with previous attacks targeting education, healthcare, IT, and manufacturing secto...