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A new ChromeLoader malware campaign has been observed being distributed via virtual hard disk (VHD) files, marking a deviation from the ISO optical disc image format. "These VHD files are being distributed with filenames that make them appear like either hacks or cracks for Nintendo and Steam games," AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC)  said  in a report last week. ChromeLoader  (aka Choziosi Loader or ChromeBack) originally surfaced in January 2022 as a browser-hijacking credential stealer but has since evolved into a more potent,  multifaceted   threat  capable of stealing sensitive data, deploying ransomware, and even dropping  decompression bombs . The primary goal of the malware is to  compromise  web browsers like Google Chrome, and modify the browser settings to intercept and direct traffic to dubious advertising websites. What's more, ChromeLoader has emerged as a conduit to  carry out click fraud  by lever...

Government entities in Asia-Pacific and North America are being targeted by an unknown threat actor with an off-the-shelf malware downloader known as PureCrypter to deliver an array of information stealers and ransomware. "The PureCrypter campaign uses the domain of a compromised non-profit organization as a command-and-control (C2) to deliver a secondary payload," Menlo Security researcher Abhay Yadav  said . The different types of malware propagated using PureCrypter include  RedLine Stealer ,  Agent Tesla ,  Eternity ,  Blackmoon  (aka  KRBanker ), and  Philadelphia  ransomware. First documented in June 2022, PureCrypter is  advertised  for sale by its author for $59 for one-month access (or $245 for a one-off lifetime purchase) and is capable of distributing a multitude of malware. In December 2022, PureCoder – the developer behind the program –  expanded  the slate of offerings to include a logger and informat...

The  PlugX  remote access trojan has been observed masquerading as an open source Windows debugger tool called x64dbg in an attempt to circumvent security protections and gain control of a target system. "This file is a legitimate open-source debugger tool for Windows that is generally used to examine kernel-mode and user-mode code, crash dumps, or CPU registers," Trend Micro researchers Buddy Tancio, Jed Valderama, and Catherine Loveria  said  in a report published last week. PlugX, also known as  Korplug , is a post-exploitation  modular implant , which, among other things, is known for its multiple functionalities such as data exfiltration and its ability to use the compromised machine for nefarious purposes. Although first documented a decade ago in 2012, early samples of the malware date as far as February 2008, according to a  Trend Micro report  at the time. Over the years, PlugX has been used by threat actors with a Chinese nexus as w...

The Dutch police announced the arrest of three individuals in connection with a "large-scale" criminal operation involving data theft, extortion, and money laundering. The suspects include two 21-year-old men from Zandvoort and Rotterdam and an 18-year-old man without a permanent residence. The arrests were made on January 23, 2023. It's estimated that the hackers stole personal data belonging to tens of millions of individuals. This comprised names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, bank account numbers, credit cards, passwords, license plates, social security numbers, and passport details. The Politie said its cybercrime team started the investigation nearly two years ago, in March 2021, after a large Dutch company suffered a security breach. The name of the company was not disclosed but some of the firms that were hit by a cyber attack around that time included  RDC ,  Shell , and  Ticketcounter , the last of which was also a victim of an extortion att...

Google said it's working with ecosystem partners to harden the security of firmware that interacts with Android. While the Android operating system runs on what's called the application processor (AP), it's just one of the many processors of a system-on-chip ( SoC ) that cater to various tasks like cellular communications and multimedia processing. "Securing the Android Platform requires going beyond the confines of the Application Processor," the Android team  said . "Android's defense-in-depth strategy also applies to the firmware running on  bare-metal environments  in these microcontrollers, as they are a critical part of the attack surface of a device." The tech giant said the goal is to bolster the security of software running on these secondary processors (i.e., firmware) and make it harder to exploit vulnerabilities over the air to achieve remote code execution within the Wi-Fi SoC or the cellular baseband. To that end, Google noted tha...

Are you prepared to tackle the top SaaS challenges of 2023? With high-profile data breaches affecting major companies like Nissan and Slack, it's clear that SaaS apps are a prime target for cyberattacks. The vast amounts of valuable information stored in these apps make them a goldmine for hackers. But don't panic just yet. With the right knowledge and tools, you can protect your company's sensitive data and prevent cyberattacks from wreaking havoc on your business. Join us for an  upcoming webinar  that will equip you with the insights you need to overcome the  top SaaS challenges of 2023 . Led by Maor Bin, CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Shield, this highly informative session will provide practical tips and actionable strategies for safeguarding your SaaS applications from potential threats. To better prepare and effectively safeguard your organization, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the potential entry points and challenges within the ever...

The use of AI in cybersecurity is growing rapidly and is having a significant impact on threat detection, incident response, fraud detection, and vulnerability management. According to a report by Juniper Research, the use of AI for fraud detection and prevention is expected to save businesses $11 billion annually by 2023. But how to integrate AI into business cybersecurity infrastructure without being exposed to hackers? In terms of detecting and responding to security threats in a more efficient and effective manner, AI has been helping businesses in lots of ways.  Firstly, it can analyze large amounts of data and identify patterns or anomalies much faster and with greater accuracy than humans. AI detects and responds to security threats in real-time, reducing the time it takes to identify and remediate security incidents. The algorithms can learn from past incidents and adapt to new threats as they emerge. With it, cybersecurity systems can become smarter and more effective...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is urging organizations and individuals to increase their cyber vigilance, as Russia's military invasion of Ukraine officially  enters one year . "CISA assesses that the United States and European nations may experience disruptive and defacement attacks against websites in an attempt to sow chaos and societal discord on February 24, 2023, the anniversary of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine," the agency  said . To that end, CISA is  recommending  that organizations implement cybersecurity best practices, increase preparedness, and take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood and impact of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The advisory comes as the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA)  revealed  that Russian nation-state hackers breached  government websites  and planted backdoors as far back as December 2021. CERT-UA attributed the activity to a...

An investigation into data safety labels for Android apps available on the Google Play Store has uncovered "serious loopholes" that allow apps to provide misleading or outright false information. The  study , conducted by the Mozilla Foundation as part of its  *Privacy Not Included  initiative, compared the privacy policies and labels of the 20 most popular paid apps and the 20 most popular free apps on the app marketplace. It  found  that, in roughly 80% of the apps reviewed, "the labels were false or misleading based on discrepancies between the apps' privacy policies and the information apps self-reported on Google's  Data safety form ." "The apps aren't self-reporting accurately enough to give the public any meaningful reassurance about the safety and privacy of their data," Mozilla further said, adding consumers are being led to "believe these apps are doing a better job protecting their privacy than they are." Three of the...