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A cybercrime group that has previously struck Docker and Kubernetes cloud environments has evolved to repurpose genuine cloud monitoring tools as a backdoor to carry out malicious attacks, according to new research. "To our knowledge, this is the first time attackers have been caught using legitimate third party software to target cloud infrastructure," Israeli cybersecurity firm Intezer said in a Tuesday analysis. Using software called Weave Scope , which is used as a visualization and monitoring tool for Docker and Kubernetes services, the TeamTNT threat actor not only mapped the cloud environment of their victims but also executed system commands without having to deploy malicious code on the target server explicitly. TeamTNT has been active at least since late April this year, directing their attacks on misconfigured Docker ports to install a cryptocurrency mining malware and a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) bot. Then last month , the crypto-mining gan

As part of this month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft today released a fresh batch of security updates to fix a total of 129 newly discovered security vulnerabilities affecting various versions of its Windows operating systems and related software. Of the 129 bugs spanning its various products — Microsoft Windows, Edge browser, Internet Explorer, ChakraCore, SQL Server, Exchange Server, Office, ASP.NET, OneDrive, Azure DevOps, Visual Studio, and Microsoft Dynamics — that received new patches, 23 are listed as critical, 105 are important, and one is moderate in severity. Unlike the past few months, none of the security vulnerabilities the tech giant patched in September are listed as being publicly known or under active attack at the time of release or at least not in knowledge of Microsoft. A memory corruption vulnerability ( CVE-2020-16875 ) in Microsoft Exchange software is worth highlighting all the critical flaws. The exploitation of this flaw could allow an attacker to run

Identities now transcend human boundaries. Within each line of code and every API call lies a non-human identity. These entities act as programmatic access keys, enabling authentication and facilitating interactions among systems and services, which are essential for every API call, database query, or storage account access. As we depend on multi-factor authentication and passwords to safeguard human identities, a pressing question arises: How do we guarantee the security and integrity of these non-human counterparts? How do we authenticate, authorize, and regulate access for entities devoid of life but crucial for the functioning of critical systems? Let's break it down. The challenge Imagine a cloud-native application as a bustling metropolis of tiny neighborhoods known as microservices, all neatly packed into containers. These microservices function akin to diligent worker bees, each diligently performing its designated task, be it processing data, verifying credentials, or

Cybersecurity agencies across Asia and Europe have issued multiple security alerts regarding the resurgence of email-based Emotet malware attacks targeting businesses in France, Japan, and New Zealand. "The emails contain malicious attachments or links that the receiver is encouraged to download," New Zealand's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said. "These links and attachments may look like genuine invoices, financial documents, shipping information, resumes, scanned documents, or information on COVID-19, but they are fake." Echoing similar concerns, Japan's CERT (JPCERT/CC) cautioned it found a rapid increase in the number of domestic domain (.jp) email addresses that have been infected with the malware and can be misused to send spam emails in an attempt to spread the infection further. First identified in 2014 and distributed by a threat group tracked as TA542 (or Mummy Spider), Emotet has since evolved from its original roots as a s

Even as Visa issued a warning about a new JavaScript web skimmer known as Baka , cybersecurity researchers have uncovered an authentication flaw in the company's EMV enabled payment cards that permits cybercriminals to obtain funds and defraud cardholders as well as merchants illicitly. The research , published by a group of academics from the ETH Zurich, is a PIN bypass attack that allows the adversaries to leverage a victim's stolen or lost credit card for making high-value purchases without knowledge of the card's PIN, and even trick a point of sale (PoS) terminal into accepting an unauthentic offline card transaction. All modern contactless cards that make use of the Visa protocol, including Visa Credit, Visa Debit, Visa Electron, and V Pay cards, are affected by the security flaw, but the researchers posited it could apply to EMV protocols implemented by Discover and UnionPay as well. The loophole, however, doesn't impact Mastercard, American Express, and JC

Cyberattacks on small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are continuing at a relentless pace, with the vast majority of data breaches coming from outside the organization . Some believe hackers are aggressively targeting these smaller firms because they believe SMBs lack adequate resources and enterprise-grade security tools, making them easier prey than larger businesses. A new report from Cisco, however, challenges this assumption. SMBs have made significant strides enhancing their security protocols and are closing the gap with their bigger counterparts. The report notes 87 percent of SMB business owners rank security a top priority, and more than 99 percent have a dedicated resource focusing on security. SMBs are also becoming more diligent about defining metrics to assess their security effectiveness and implementing security controls and tools at rates similar to large enterprises. No doubt, the emergence of security solutions developed specifically for SMBs is support

An adversary known for targeting the fintech sector at least since 2018 has switched up its tactics to include a new Python-based remote access Trojan (RAT) that can steal passwords, documents, browser cookies, email credentials, and other sensitive information. In an analysis published by Cybereason researchers yesterday, the Evilnum group has not only tweaked its infection chain but has also deployed a Python RAT called "PyVil RAT," which possesses abilities to gather information, take screenshots, capture keystrokes data, open an SSH shell and deploy new tools. "Since the first reports in 2018 through today, the group's TTPs have evolved with different tools while the group has continued to focus on fintech targets," the cybersecurity firm said . "These variations include a change in the chain of infection and persistence, new infrastructure that is expanding over time, and the use of a new Python-scripted Remote Access Trojan (RAT)" to spy

Anyone paying attention to the cybersecurity technology market has heard the term XDR - Extended Detection and Response. XDR is a new technology approach that combines multiple protection technologies into a single platform. All the analyst firms are writing about it, and many of the top cybersecurity companies are actively moving into this space. Why is XDR receiving all the buzz? Combining (or orchestrating) security technologies in a usable manner has become the bane of cybersecurity as technology spread has overwhelmed the space. There's a massive market for cybersecurity technologies that combine and rationalize other cybersecurity technologies (see SIEM and SOAR). However, most companies find selecting, implementing, integrating, normalizing, operating, and maintaining a fully combined set of cybersecurity technologies far too daunting and only within reach of the largest companies with the deepest pockets. XDR Insights Next week, Senior Analyst Dave Gruber of E

Networking equipment maker Cisco has released a new version of its Jabber video conferencing and messaging app for Windows that includes patches for multiple vulnerabilities—which, if exploited, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code. The flaws, which were uncovered by Norwegian cybersecurity firm Watchcom during a pentest, affect all currently supported versions of the Jabber client (12.1-12.9) and has since been fixed by the company. Two of the four flaws can be exploited to gain remote code execution (RCE) on target systems by sending specially crafted chat messages in group conversations or specific individuals. The most severe of the lot is a flaw (CVE-2020-3495, CVSS score 9.9) that's caused by improper validation of message contents, which could be leveraged by an attacker by sending maliciously-crafted Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol ( XMPP ) messages to the affected software. "A successful exploit could allow the