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Here is what matters most when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity: Outcomes.  As the threat landscape evolves and  generative AI is added  to the toolsets available to defenders and attackers alike, evaluating the relative effectiveness of various  AI-based security  offerings is increasingly important — and difficult. Asking the right questions can help you spot solutions that deliver value and ROI, instead of just marketing hype. Questions like, "Can your predictive AI tools sufficiently block what's new?" and, "What actually signals success in a cybersecurity platform powered by artificial intelligence?" As BlackBerry's AI and ML (machine learning) patent portfolio attests, BlackBerry is a leader in this space and has developed an exceptionally well-informed point of view on what works and why. Let's explore this timely topic. Evolution of AI in Cybersecurity Some of the earliest uses of ML and AI in cybersecurity date back to th...

Cybersecurity researchers have unearthed a number of WhatsApp mods for Android that come fitted with a spyware module dubbed  CanesSpy . These modified versions of the instant messaging app have been observed propagated via sketchy websites advertising such modded software as well as Telegram channels used primarily by Arabic and Azerbaijani speakers, one of which boasts of two million users. "The trojanized client manifest contains suspicious components (a service and a broadcast receiver) that cannot be found in the original WhatsApp client," Kaspersky security researcher Dmitry Kalinin  said . Specifically, the new additions are designed to activate the spyware module when the phone is switched on or starts charging. It subsequently proceeds to establish contact with a command-and-control (C2) server, followed by sending information about the compromised device, such as the IMEI, phone number, mobile country code, and mobile network code. CanesSpy also transmits det...

A new set of 48 malicious npm packages have been discovered in the npm repository with capabilities to deploy a reverse shell on compromised systems. "These packages, deceptively named to appear legitimate, contained obfuscated JavaScript designed to initiate a reverse shell on package install," software supply chain security firm Phylum  said . All the counterfeit packages have been published by an npm user named  hktalent  ( GitHub ,  X ). As of writing, 39 of the packages uploaded by the author are still available for download. The attack chain is triggered post the installation of the package via an install hook in the package.json that calls a JavaScript code to establish a  reverse shell  to rsh.51pwn[.]com. "In this particular case, the attacker published dozens of benign-sounding packages with several layers of obfuscation and deceptive tactics in an attempt to ultimately deploy a reverse shell on any machine that simply installs one of these ...

The unexpected drop in malicious activity connected with the Mozi botnet in August 2023 was due to a kill switch that was distributed to the bots. "First, the drop manifested in India on August 8," ESET  said  in an analysis published this week. "A week later, on August 16, the same thing happened in China. While the mysterious control payload – aka kill switch – stripped Mozi bots of most functionality, they maintained persistence." Mozi is an Internet of Things (IoT) botnet that  emerged  from the source code of several known malware families, such as Gafgyt, Mirai, and IoT Reaper. First spotted in 2019, it's known to exploit weak and default remote access passwords as well as unpatched security vulnerabilities for initial access. In September 2021, researchers from cybersecurity firm Netlab  disclosed  the arrest of the botnet operators by Chinese authorities. But the  precipitous decline  in Mozi activity – from around 13,300 hosts on Au...

This new product offers SaaS discovery and risk assessment coupled with a free user access review in a unique "freemium" model Securing employees' SaaS usage is becoming increasingly crucial for most cloud-based organizations. While numerous tools are available to address this need, they often employ different approaches and technologies, leading to unnecessary confusion and complexity. Enter Wing Security's new " Essential SSPM " (SaaS Security Posture Management) tool, which aims to simplify the process of securing SaaS usage across the organization. Its business approach is simple: self-onboard, try the product, and if impressed, upgrade to unlock more vital security capabilities.  What's essential SaaS security? According to Wing, three basic yet fundamental capabilities are necessary for organizations aiming to secure their SaaS: discovery, assessment, and control. These align with regulatory security standards such as ISO 27001 and SOC, which emphasize vendo...

The Iranian nation-state actor known as  MuddyWater  has been linked to a new spear-phishing campaign targeting two Israeli entities to ultimately deploy a legitimate remote administration tool from N-able called  Advanced Monitoring Agent . Cybersecurity firm Deep Instinct, which disclosed details of the attacks,  said  the campaign "exhibits updated TTPs to previously reported MuddyWater activity," which has, in the past, used similar attack chains to distribute other remote access tools like  ScreenConnect, RemoteUtilities, Syncro , and  SimpleHelp . While the latest development marks the first time MuddyWater has been observed using N-able's remote monitoring software, it also underscores the fact that the largely unchanged modus operandi continues to yield some level of success for the threat actor. The findings have also been separately confirmed by cybersecurity company Group-IB in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter). The state-sponsore...

As many as 34 unique vulnerable Windows Driver Model ( WDM ) and Windows Driver Frameworks ( WDF ) drivers could be exploited by non-privileged threat actors to gain full control of the devices and execute arbitrary code on the underlying systems. "By exploiting the drivers, an attacker without privilege may erase/alter firmware, and/or elevate [operating system] privileges," Takahiro Haruyama, a senior threat researcher at VMware Carbon Black,  said . The  research  expands on previous studies, such as  ScrewedDrivers  and  POPKORN  that utilized  symbolic execution  for automating the discovery of vulnerable drivers. It specifically focuses on drivers that contain firmware access through port I/O and memory-mapped I/O. The names of some of the vulnerable drivers include AODDriver.sys, ComputerZ.sys, dellbios.sys, GEDevDrv.sys, GtcKmdfBs.sys, IoAccess.sys, kerneld.amd64, ngiodriver.sys, nvoclock.sys, PDFWKRNL.sys ( CVE-2023-20598 ), Rad...