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Four different rogue packages in the Python Package Index ( PyPI ) have been found to carry out a number of malicious actions, including dropping malware, deleting the netstat utility, and manipulating the SSH authorized_keys file. The packages in question are  aptx ,  bingchilling2 ,  httops , and  tkint3rs , all of which were collectively downloaded about 450 times before they were taken down. While aptx is an attempt to impersonate Qualcomm's  highly popular audio codec  of the same name, httops and tkint3rs are typosquats of https and tkinter, respectively. "Most of these packages had well thought out names, to purposely confuse people," security researcher and journalist Ax Sharma  said . An analysis of the malicious code injected in the setup script reveals the presence of an obfuscated  Meterpreter payload  that's disguised as " pip ," a legitimate package installer for Python, and which can be leveraged to gain shell access to the...

State-backed hackers from North Korea are conducting ransomware attacks against healthcare and critical infrastructure facilities to fund illicit activities, U.S. and South Korean cybersecurity and intelligence agencies warned in a joint advisory. The attacks, which demand cryptocurrency ransoms in exchange for recovering access to encrypted files, are designed to support North Korea's national-level priorities and objectives. This includes "cyber operations targeting the United States and South Korea governments — specific targets include Department of Defense Information Networks and Defense Industrial Base member networks," the authorities  said . Threat actors with North Korea have been  linked  to  espionage ,  financial theft , and cryptojacking operations for years, including the infamous  WannaCry ransomware attacks  of 2017 that infected hundreds of thousands of machines located in over 150 countries. Since then, North Korean nation-stat...

Here are three of the worst breaches, attacker tactics and techniques of 2022, and the security controls that can provide effective, enterprise security protection for them. #1: 2 RaaS Attacks in 13 Months Ransomware as a service is a type of attack in which the ransomware software and infrastructure are leased out to the attackers. These ransomware services can be purchased on the dark web from other threat actors and ransomware gangs. Common purchasing plans include buying the entire tool, using the existing infrastructure while paying per infection, or letting other attackers perform the service while sharing revenue with them. In this attack, the threat actor consists of one of the most prevalent ransomware groups, specializing in access via third parties, while the targeted company is a medium-sized retailer with dozens of sites in the United States. The threat actors used ransomware as a service to breach the victim's network. They were able to exploit third-party creden...

A newly released report by cybersecurity firm CTM360 reveals a large-scale scam operation utilizing fake news websites—known as Baiting News Sites (BNS)—to deceive users into online investment fraud across 50 countries. These BNS pages are made to look like real news outlets: CNN, BBC, CNBC, or regional media. They publish fake stories that feature public figures, central banks, or financial brands, all claiming to back new ways to earn passive income. The goal? Build trust quickly and steer readers toward professional-looking scam platforms like Trap10, Solara Vynex, or Eclipse Earn. Scammers use sponsored ads on Google, Meta, and blog networks to push traffic to these sites. Ads often carry clickbait headlines—"You won't believe what a prominent public figure just revealed"—paired with official photos or national flags to make them feel legit. Clicking the ad directs users to a fake article, which then redirects them to a fraudulent trading platform. Many of these scams follow a...

In a first-of-its-kind coordinated action, the U.K. and U.S. governments on Thursday levied sanctions against seven Russian nationals for their affiliation to the TrickBot, Ryuk, and Conti cybercrime operation. The individuals  designated  under sanctions are Vitaly Kovalev (aka Alex Konor, Bentley, or Bergen), Maksim Mikhailov (aka Baget), Valentin Karyagin (aka Globus), Mikhail Iskritskiy (aka Tropa), Dmitry Pleshevskiy (aka Iseldor), Ivan Vakhromeyev (aka Mushroom), and Valery Sedletski (aka Strix). "Current members of the TrickBot group are associated with Russian Intelligence Services," the U.S. Treasury Department  noted . "The TrickBot group's preparations in 2020 aligned them to Russian state objectives and targeting previously conducted by Russian Intelligence Services." TrickBot, which is attributed to a threat actor named ITG23, Gold Blackburn, and Wizard Spider, emerged in 2016 as a derivative of the Dyre banking trojan and evolved into a  highly...

Popular social news aggregation platform Reddit has disclosed that it was the victim of a security incident that enabled unidentified threat actors to gain unauthorized access to internal documents, code, and some unspecified business systems. The company blamed it on a "sophisticated and highly-targeted phishing attack" that took place on February 5, 2023, aimed at its employees. The attack entailed sending out "plausible-sounding prompts" that redirected to a website masquerading as Reddit's intranet portal in an attempt to steal credentials and two-factor authentication (2FA) tokens. A single employee's credentials is said to have been phished in this manner, enabling the threat actor to access Reddit's internal systems. The affected employee self-reported the hack, it further added. The company, however, stressed that there is no evidence to suggest that its production systems were breached or that users' non-public data had been compromise...

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...

Have you ever stopped to think about the potential consequences of a cyberattack on your organization? It's getting more intense and destructive every day, and organizations are feeling the heat. That's why more and more businesses are turning to  cyber insurance  to find some much-needed peace of mind. Imagine, in the unfortunate event of a successful security breach or ransomware attack, the right policy can help minimize liability and contain losses. However, skyrocketing claims in 2020 sent shockwaves through the insurance industry, forcing insurance providers to reinvent the criteria for acquiring or renewing cyber insurance. As a result, businesses are now navigating a dramatically altered terrain where they must prove their ability to defend against ransomware attacks. This includes implementing a wide range of robust security measures, particularly around identity protection requirements such as MFA coverage and service account protection. The new identity protecti...

A previously unknown threat actor dubbed  NewsPenguin  has been linked to a phishing campaign targeting Pakistani entities by leveraging the upcoming international maritime expo as a lure. "The attacker sent out targeted phishing emails with a weaponized document attached that purports to be an exhibitor manual for PIMEC-23," the BlackBerry Research and Intelligence Team said . PIMEC , short for Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference, is an  initiative  of the Pakistan Navy and is organized by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs with an aim to "jump start development in the maritime sector." It's scheduled to be held from February 10-12, 2023. The Canadian cybersecurity company said the attacks are designed to target marine-related entities and the event's visitors by tricking the message recipients into opening the seemingly harmless Microsoft Word document. Once the document is launched and macros are enabled, a method called  remote templa...

A single ransomware attack on a New Zealand managed service provider (MSP) disrupted several of its clients' business operations overnight, most belonging to the healthcare sector. According to the country's privacy commissioner, " a cyber security incident involving a ransomware attack " in late November upended the daily operations of New Zealand's health ministry when it prevented the staff from accessing thousands of medical records. The Ministry of Justice, six health regulatory authorities, a health insurer, and a handful of other businesses also number among those affected by second-hand damage from the attack. There are ways to  recover from a ransomware attack , but the damage often extends into that attacked organization's customers and vendors.  The targeted MSP in this incident is Mercury IT, a business based in Australia. Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand health ministry, was unable to access at least 14,000 medical records because of the outage at ...