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A new piece of research from academics at ETH Zurich has identified a number of critical security issues in the MEGA cloud storage service that could be leveraged to break the confidentiality and integrity of user data. In a paper titled " MEGA: Malleable Encryption Goes Awry ," the researchers point out how MEGA's system does not protect its users against a malicious server, thereby enabling a rogue actor to fully compromise the privacy of the uploaded files. "Additionally, the integrity of user data is damaged to the extent that an attacker can insert malicious files of their choice which pass all authenticity checks of the client," ETH Zurich's Matilda Backendal, Miro Haller, and Kenneth G. Paterson said in an analysis of the service's cryptographic architecture. MEGA, which  advertises  itself as the "privacy company" and claims to provide user-controlled end-to-end encrypted cloud storage, has more than 10 million daily active users, w...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered severe cryptographic issues in various end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) cloud storage platforms that could be exploited to leak sensitive data. "The vulnerabilities range in severity: in many cases a malicious server can inject files, tamper with file data, and even gain direct access to plaintext," ETH Zurich researchers Jonas Hofmann and Kien Tuong Truong said . "Remarkably, many of our attacks affect multiple providers in the same way, revealing common failure patterns in independent cryptographic designs." The identified weaknesses are the result of an analysis of five major providers such as Sync, pCloud, Icedrive, Seafile, and Tresorit. The devised attack techniques hinge on a malicious server that's under an adversary's control, which could then be used to target the service providers' users. A brief description of the flaws uncovered in the cloud storage systems is as follows - Sync, in which a maliciou...

Introduction: Steal It Today, Break It in a Decade Digital evolution is unstoppable, and though the pace may vary, things tend to fall into place sooner rather than later. That, of course, applies to adversaries as well. The rise of ransomware and cyber extortion generated funding for a complex and highly professional criminal ecosystem. The era of the cloud brought general availability of almost infinite amounts of storage. So there is literally nothing that stops criminals from stealing and trafficking heaps of data, be it encrypted or not.  Patient adversaries are employing a "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) strategy. They are quietly accumulating encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it later using quantum computers. Any data requiring long-term security, such as trade secrets or classified designs, is vulnerable because its lifespan will inevitably outlive its current encryption. Therefore, it is crucial that organizations begin planning their PQC migrati...

Huntress is warning of a new actively exploited vulnerability in Gladinet's CentreStack and Triofox products stemming from the use of hard-coded cryptographic keys that have affected nine organizations so far. "Threat actors can potentially abuse this as a way to access the web.config file, opening the door for deserialization and remote code execution," security researcher Bryan Masters said . The use of hard-coded cryptographic keys could allow threat actors to decrypt or forge access tickets, enabling them to access sensitive files like web.config that can be exploited to achieve ViewState deserialization and remote code execution, the cybersecurity company added. The vulnerability has not been assigned a CVE identifier. At its core, the issue is rooted in a function named "GenerateSecKey()" present in "GladCtrl64.dll" that's used to generate the cryptographic keys necessary to encrypt access tickets containing authorization data (i.e., User...

It’s the age of surveillance what made the Use of Encryption so widely that it has become a need of law enforcement agencies, cyber criminals as well as every individual. But, encryption is not so easy. To solve this problem, a 23-year old Cryptocat developer Nadim Kobeissi is ready to release a simple solution to deliver strong encryption at the HOPE hacker conference in New York later this month, which may soon come as an extension for Google Chrome web browser, Wired reported . The encryption program is dubbed as miniLock , which is a free and open-source browser plugin designed to let anyone encrypt and decrypt files in seconds using a drag-and-drop interface with practically unbreakable cryptographic protection. “ The tagline is that this is file encryption that does more with less, ” says Kobeissi, activist and security consultant. “ It’s super simple, approachable, and it’s almost impossible to be confused using it. ” Drag-and-drop interface here means, miniL...

Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently addressed two security vulnerabilities in its messaging app for Android that could have been exploited to execute malicious code remotely on the device and even exfiltrate sensitive information. The flaws take aim at devices running Android versions up to and including Android 9 by carrying out what's known as a "man-in-the-disk" attack that makes it possible for adversaries to compromise an app by manipulating certain data being exchanged between it and the external storage. "The two aforementioned WhatsApp vulnerabilities would have made it possible for attackers to remotely collect TLS cryptographic material for TLS 1.3 and TLS 1.2 sessions," researchers from Census Labs  said  today.  "With the TLS secrets at hand, we will demonstrate how a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack can lead to the compromise of WhatsApp communications, to remote code execution on the victim device and to the extraction of Noise protocol keys u...

Air-gapped computers that are isolated from the Internet and other computers are long considered to be the most secure and safest place for storing data in critical infrastructures such as industrial control systems, financial institutions, and classified military networks. However, these systems have sometimes been targeted in the past, which proves that these isolated systems are not completely secure. Previous techniques of hacking air gap computers include: AirHopper that turns a computer's video card into an FM transmitter to capture keystrokes; BitWhisper that relies on heat exchange between two computer systems to stealthily siphon passwords or security keys; Hacking air-gapped computer using a basic low-end mobile phone with GSM network; and Stealing the secret cryptographic key from an air-gapped computer placed in another room using a Side-Channel Attack. Now, researchers have devised a new method to steal data from an infected computer even if it has no...

Blockchain is best known for its use in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but it also holds significant applications for online authentication. As businesses in varying sectors increasingly embrace blockchain-based security tools, could the technology one day replace passwords? How blockchain works  Blockchain is a secure way to maintain, encrypt, and exchange digital records of transactions. Its security benefits stem from its decentralized nature: this distributed ledger can be accessed by participants across various nodes , and is unalterable. All users retain control as a group, meaning no single person can change the ledger. How could this provide security benefits? One advantage is the ability to create a ‘self-sovereign ID’ that alters the way that a user identifies themselves online. Essentially, it creates a private ID for a user that they control, rather than relying on a centralized institution : they can logon to a particular website or service using their identity on...

A group of academics from Tel Aviv University have disclosed details of now-patched "severe" design flaws affecting about 100 million Android-based Samsung smartphones that could have resulted in the extraction of secret cryptographic keys. The shortcomings are the result of an analysis of the cryptographic design and implementation of Android's hardware-backed Keystore in Samsung's Galaxy S8, S9, S10, S20, and S21 flagship devices, researchers Alon Shakevsky, Eyal Ronen, and Avishai Wool  said . Trusted Execution Environments ( TEEs ) are a secure zone that provide an isolated environment for the execution of Trusted Applications (TAs) to carry out security critical tasks to ensure confidentiality and integrity. On Android, the hardware-backed  Keystore  is a system that facilitates the creation and storage of cryptographic keys within the TEE, making them more difficult to be extracted from the device in a manner that prevents the underlying operating system fr...

In the realm of cybersecurity, the stakes are sky-high, and at its core lies secrets management — the foundational pillar upon which your security infrastructure rests. We're all familiar with the routine: safeguarding those API keys, connection strings, and certificates is non-negotiable. However, let's dispense with the pleasantries; this isn't a simple 'set it and forget it' scenario. It's about guarding your secrets in an age where threats morph as swiftly as technology itself. Lets shed some light on common practices that could spell disaster as well as the tools and strategies to confidently navigate and overcome these challenges. In simple words this is a first step guide for mastering secrets management across diverse terrains.  Top 5 common secrets management mistakes Alright, let’s dive into some common secrets management mistakes that can trip up even the savviest of teams: Hard coding secrets in code repositories:  A classic mistake, hard codin...

Despite significant investments in advanced technologies and employee training programs, credential and user-based attacks remain alarmingly prevalent, accounting for 50-80% of enterprise breaches [1] , [2] . While identity-based attacks continue to dominate as the leading cause of security incidents, the common approach to identity security threats is still threat reduction, implementing layers of controls to reduce risk while accepting that some attacks will succeed. This methodology relies on detection, response, and recovery capabilities to minimize damage after a breach has already occurred, but it does not prevent the possibility of successful attacks.  The good news? Finally, there’s a solution that marks a true paradigm shift: with modern authentication technologies, the complete elimination of identity-based threats is now within reach. This groundbreaking advancement moves us beyond the traditional focus on risk reduction, offering organizations a way to fully neutraliz...

A comprehensive analysis of the cryptographic protocols used in the Swiss encrypted messaging application Threema has revealed a number of loopholes that could be exploited to break authentication protections and even recover users' private keys. The seven attacks span three different threat models,  according  to ETH Zurich researchers Kenneth G. Paterson, Matteo Scarlata, and Kien Tuong Truong, who reported the issues to Threema on October 3, 2022. The weaknesses have since been addressed as part of  updates  released by the company on November 29, 2022. Threema is an encrypted messaging app that's used by more than 11 million users as of October 2022. "Security and privacy are deeply ingrained in Threema's DNA," the company  claims  on its website. Officially used by the Swiss Government and the Swiss Army, it's also advertised as a secure alternative alongside other services such as Signal, Meta-owned WhatsApp, and Telegram. While Threema has been ...