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Numbers Don't Lie: Exposing the Harsh Truths of Cyberattacks in New Report

Numbers Don't Lie: Exposing the Harsh Truths of Cyberattacks in New Report

Aug 31, 2023
How often do cyberattacks happen? How frequently do threat actors target businesses and governments around the world? The BlackBerry® Threat Research and Intelligence Team recently analyzed 90 days of real-world data to answer these questions. Full results are in the latest BlackBerry  Global Threat Intelligence Report , but read on for a teaser of several interesting cyber attack statistics. Analyzing Real-World Cyberattacks In their most recent quarterly report, BlackBerry threat researchers analyzed the onslaught of malware-based attacks from December 2022 to February 2023. During that time, BlackBerry's AI-powered endpoint protection solution, detected and blocked a total of  1,578,733  malware-based cyberattacks targeting customers. 90 Days of Cyberattacks Based on analysis of cyberattacks detected and blocked during the 90-day window, the BlackBerry Threat Research and Intelligence Team recorded the following statistics: Total number of malware-based attacks:  1,578,73
Canadian Police obtained Master Key to Crack BlackBerry Messenger Encryption

Canadian Police obtained Master Key to Crack BlackBerry Messenger Encryption

Apr 15, 2016
BlackBerry has long been known for its stance on mobile security, as it was the first mobile phone maker to provide end-to-end encryption. But a new report revealed that the company has provided a master backdoor to law enforcement in its secure devices since 2010. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been in possession of a global decryption key for BlackBerry phones since 2010, according to a new report from Vice News published yesterday. The report suggests that the Canadian police used the master key to intercept and decrypt over 1 Million messages sent using its own encrypted and allegedly secure BlackBerry Messenger ( BBM ) service in a criminal investigation over the course of 2 years. Single Encryption Key to Protect All Customers The issue with Blackberry's security mechanism is that the company uses a single global encryption key to protect all its regular customers, though the corporate BlackBerry phones use their own encryption keys generated
Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu
Protecting Your BlackBerry Smartphone with Security Wipe

Protecting Your BlackBerry Smartphone with Security Wipe

Dec 05, 2011
Protecting Your BlackBerry Smartphone with Security Wipe The BlackBerry device is a wonderful thing. We load our BlackBerries with various softwares and applications to increase our productivity and customize them with interesting themes and ringtones. We watch movies and play games and track day to day activities. All of these things require passwords and usually involve storing data on our devices that is sensitive in nature. So what if you want to wipe your BlackBerry clean? There are a number of reasons why you might want to wipe out your Blackberry. Perhaps you have switched jobs and need to submit your BlackBerry into your new IT department so they can set it up for their network. You wouldn't want them to have access to your previous employers data would you? Perhaps you have purchased a new model of BlackBerry and would like to gift your previous model to a friend or sell it on ebay. The same rule applies, you do not want them to see what you were using your Blackberry for
cyber security

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
BlackBerry Enterprise Servers vulnerable to TIFF Image based Exploit

BlackBerry Enterprise Servers vulnerable to TIFF Image based Exploit

Feb 19, 2013
If you are a BlackBerry Enterprise Network user, here is something you need to be careful about. BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) users have been warned that an image-based exploit could allow hackers to access and execute code on the servers used to support corporate users of BlackBerry smartphones.  The flaw that been rated as high severity and actual vulnerability in BlackBerry Enterprise Servers resulted from how the server processes image files. Scenario to Exploit Vulnerability :  A malicious person writes a special code and then embeds it in a TIFF image file. The person then convinces a Blackberry smart phone user (whose phone is connected to a corporate BES) to view the TIFF file. As soon as the image file loads on the phone, the code runs on the Blackberry Enterprise server and either opens up a back door in the network or causes the network to crash altogether as instructed in the basic code. " RIM is not aware of any attacks on or specifically target
Predictive AI in Cybersecurity: Outcomes Demonstrate All AI is Not Created Equally

Predictive AI in Cybersecurity: Outcomes Demonstrate All AI is Not Created Equally

Nov 03, 2023 Artificial Intelligence / Cyber Threat
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 the de
BlackBerry allows Indian government to Intercept emails and Chats

BlackBerry allows Indian government to Intercept emails and Chats

Jul 13, 2013
In 2010 the Indian authorities threatened to shut down BlackBerry's infrastructure unless it agreed to comply with lawful access requirements providing the government a way to intercept messages in order to prevent terrorist attacks. The long time dispute between the Indian government and BlackBerry over monitoring, tracking and interception is now resolved. Blackberry is ready to provide the Indian authorities with a way to lawful intercept consumers' messages sent and received on its platform including mails and peripherals, chats and browsing history on BlackBerry devices. But BlackBerry Enterprise Server has been left out of the interception solution which means corporate emails won't be under scrutiny. According to an internal document of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), nine out of 10 telecom networks offering Blackberry services were in the process of making it possible for authorities to carry out intercepts. Blackberry train 5
BlackBerry Enterprise Server vulnerable to malicious image file

BlackBerry Enterprise Server vulnerable to malicious image file

Aug 14, 2011
BlackBerry Enterprise Server vulnerable to malicious image file There are remotely and easily exploitable vulnerabilities in the BlackBerry Enterprise Server that could allow an attacker to gain access to the server by simply sending a malicious image file to a user's BlackBerry device. The vulnerabilities are in several version of BES for Exchange, Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise, and Research in Motion said that an attacker who is able to exploit one of the bugs might also be able to move from the compromised BES server to other parts of the network. The company has issued a patch for the BES flaws and says that they are at the top of the severity scale in terms of exploitability. The vulnerability in both the BlackBerry MDS Connection Service and the BlackBerry Messaging Agent is related to the way that the components handle PNG and TIFF image files. Exploiting the vulnerabilities can be as easy as sending a malicious PNG or TIFF file to a BlackBerry user. In some scena
Hacking Facebook Accounts Using Android 'Same Origin Policy' Vulnerability

Hacking Facebook Accounts Using Android 'Same Origin Policy' Vulnerability

Dec 29, 2015
A serious security vulnerability has been discovered in the default web browser of the Android OS lower than 4.4 running on a large number of Android devices that allows an attacker to bypass the Same Origin Policy (SOP). The Android Same Origin Policy (SOP) vulnerability ( CVE-2014-6041 ) was first disclosed right at the beginning of September 2014 by an independent security researcher Rafay Baloch. He found that the AOSP (Android Open Source Platform) browser installed on Android 4.2.1 is vulnerable to Same Origin Policy (SOP) bypass bug that allows one website to steal data from another. Security researchers at Trend micro in collaboration with Facebook have discovered many cases of Facebook users being targeted by cyber attacks that actively attempt to exploit this particular flaw in the web browser because the Metasploit exploit code is publicly available, which made the exploitation of the vulnerability much easier. The Same Origin Policy is one of the guidin
BadAlloc Flaw Affects BlackBerry QNX Used in Millions of Cars and Medical Devices

BadAlloc Flaw Affects BlackBerry QNX Used in Millions of Cars and Medical Devices

Aug 18, 2021
A major vulnerability affecting older versions of BlackBerry's QNX Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) could allow malicious actors to cripple and gain control of a variety of products, including cars, medical, and industrial equipment. The shortcoming (CVE-2021-22156, CVSS score: 9.0) is part of a broader collection of flaws, collectively dubbed  BadAlloc , that was originally disclosed by Microsoft in April 2021, which could open a backdoor into many of these devices, allowing attackers to commandeer them or disrupt their operations. "A remote attacker could exploit CVE-2021-22156 to cause a denial-of-service condition or execute arbitrary code on affected devices," the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)  said  in a Tuesday bulletin. As of writing, there is no evidence of active exploitation of the vulnerability. BlackBerry QNX technology is  used  worldwide by over 195 million vehicles and embedded systems across a wide range of industries,
BlackBerry Security Guide by Incident Response Team (BBSIRT)

BlackBerry Security Guide by Incident Response Team (BBSIRT)

Oct 06, 2011
BlackBerry Security Guide by Incident Response Team ( BBSIRT ) On September 30th, we reported that a Russian security company Elcomsoft , has upgraded a phone-password cracking suite with the ability to figure out the master device password for Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices. In response to this, BlackBerry Security Incident Response Team (BBSIRT) released a small Security guide for Blackberry users: The Elcomsoft tool uses a brute-force attack to guess the smartphone password by attempting to decrypt the contents of a media card that has been removed from the smartphone. For this tool to do what Elcomsoft claims, an IT administrator or the smartphone user must have chosen to encrypt the contents of the media card with the smartphone password only. Furthermore, an attacker must have access to the media card from the smartphone, and the tool would have to successfully guess the password. To then use the password to unlock the smartphone, that attacker would also have to
How Dutch Police Decrypted BlackBerry PGP Messages For Criminal Investigation

How Dutch Police Decrypted BlackBerry PGP Messages For Criminal Investigation

Mar 10, 2017
The Dutch police have managed to decrypt a number of PGP-encrypted messages sent by criminals using their custom security-focused PGP BlackBerry phones and identified several criminals in an ongoing investigation. PGP, or Pretty Good Privacy, an open source end-to-end encryption standard that can be used to cryptographically sign emails, files, documents, or entire disk partitions in order to protect them from being spied on. You'll be surprised to know how the police actually decrypted those PGP messages. In April last year, the Dutch Police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of money laundering and involvement in selling customized BlackBerry Phones with the secure PGP-encrypted network to criminals that were involved in organized crimes. At the time, the police also seized a server belonging to Ennetcom, the company owned by Danny Manupassa, which contains data of end-to-end encrypted communications belong to a large number of criminal groups. Later, in Januar
Malware Unleashed: Public Sector Hit in Sudden Surge, Reveals New Report

Malware Unleashed: Public Sector Hit in Sudden Surge, Reveals New Report

Aug 15, 2023 Threat Intelligence / Cyber Attacks
The just-released BlackBerry Global Threat Intelligence Report reveals a 40% increase in cyberattacks against government and public service organizations versus the previous quarter. This includes public transit, utilities, schools, and other government services we rely on daily. With limited resources and often immature cyber defense programs, these publicly funded organizations are struggling against the double-pronged threat of attacks from both nation-states and the criminal underground.  These are just a few of the findings contained in the  latest edition  of BlackBerry's quarterly cybersecurity benchmarking guide. Covering events between March and May 2023, provides new information for the cybersecurity industry worldwide based on a detailed geopolitical analysis. BlackBerry observed and stopped 1.5 million attacks within the 90-day period.  Here are a few highlights in the report: 90 days by the numbers:  From March 2023 to May 2023, threat actors deployed approximat
BlackBerry Z10 Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

BlackBerry Z10 Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Jun 18, 2013
BlackBerry Z10 users should be aware that there is a privilege escalation vulnerability. The vulnerability potentially allows a hacker to modify or edit data on a stolen BlackBerry Z10 smartphone with BlackBerry Protect enabled, identified as BSRT-2013-006 (CVE-2013-3692) According to the advisory , an escalation of privilege vulnerability exists in the software 'BlackBerry® Protect™' of  Z10 phones, supposed to help users delete sensitive files on a lost or stolen smartphone , or recover it again if it is lost. " Taking advantage of the weak permissions could allow the malicious app to gain the device password if a remote password reset command had been issued through the BlackBerry Protect website, intercept and prevent the smartphone from acting on BlackBerry Protect commands, such as a remote smartphone wipe. " The company says that version 10.0.9.2743 is not affected and that they have found no evidence of attackers exploiting this vulnerability in
Dutch Police Seize Another Company that Sells PGP-Encrypted Blackberry Phones

Dutch Police Seize Another Company that Sells PGP-Encrypted Blackberry Phones

May 11, 2017
The Dutch police arrested four suspects on Tuesday on suspicion of money laundering and involvement in selling custom encrypted BlackBerry and Android smartphones to criminals. The Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), dedicated team within the Dutch National Police Agency aims to investigate advanced forms of cyber crimes, carried out investigation and found that the phone brand "PGPsafe" was selling customized BlackBerry and Android smartphones with the secure PGP-encrypted network to the "possible criminal end users." PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is an open source end-to-end encryption standard that can be used to cryptographically sign emails, documents, files, or entire disk partitions in order to protect them from being spied on. Selling custom security-focused encrypted phones does not involve any crime itself, but Dutch police have discovered evidence, which indicates over the years such phones had been sold to organized criminals involved in
How MDR Helps Solve the Cybersecurity Talent Gap

How MDR Helps Solve the Cybersecurity Talent Gap

Jul 25, 2023 Cyber Threat Intelligence
How do you overcome today's talent gap in cybersecurity? This is a crucial issue — particularly when you find executive leadership or the board asking pointed questions about your security team's ability to defend the organization against new and current threats. This is why many security leaders find themselves turning to managed security services like MDR ( managed detection and response ), which can offer an immediate solution. The right MDR partner can act as an extension of your existing team, while offering a fast and budget-friendly option for uplevelling security at organizations of virtually any size. Here's a look at common staffing challenges that MDR helps solve: Overcoming Cybersecurity Talent Challenges From stopping ransomware to securing the attack surface of the environment, most security teams have more to do than they can manage. This leads to security gaps that increase both cyber risk and frustration for stakeholders across the business. The challe
Billions of Smartphone Users affected by Heartbleed Vulnerability

Billions of Smartphone Users affected by Heartbleed Vulnerability

Apr 13, 2014
Heartbleed has left a worst impression worldwide affecting millions of websites and is also supposed to put millions of Smartphones and tablets users at a great risk. Heartbleed is a critical bug ( CVE-2014-0160 ) in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library, that actually resides in the OpenSSL's implementation of the TLS/DTLS heartbeat extension, which allows attackers to read portions of the affected server's memory, potentially revealing users data such as usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers, that the server did not intend to reveal. OpenSSL is a widely-used cryptographic library which implements the SSL and TLS protocol and protects communications on the Internet, and mostly every websites use either SSL or TLS, even the Apache web server that powers almost half of the websites over internet utilizes OpenSSL. But to assume that the users using desktop browsers to visit websites are vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug, will be wrong. Despite 40
BlackBerry blog site hacked by TriCk – TeaMp0isoN against London riots

BlackBerry blog site hacked by TriCk – TeaMp0isoN against London riots

Aug 09, 2011
BlackBerry blog site hacked by TriCk – TeaMp0isoN against London riots Hacking crew team TriCk – TeaMp0isoN today hack and deface the blog website of BlackBerry against London riots, One of the leading Mobile Company. They post a message also on homepage, as given below . Also There were calls on Tuesday to shut down the BlackBerry Messenger service which is thought to have helped mobilise looters in the riots in London. Mirror of Hack can be seen here . Message posted by TeaMp0isoN on Blog site : This hack is a response to this statement by RIM: "We feel for those impacted by this weekend's riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can. As in all markets around the world Where BlackBerry is available, we cooperate with local telecommunications operators, law enforcement and regulatory officials. Similar to other technology providers in the UK we comply with The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and co-operate fully with the Home Office an
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