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A newly uncovered security flaw in the Windows operating system can be exploited to coerce remote Windows servers, including Domain Controllers, to authenticate with a malicious destination, thereby allowing an adversary to stage an  NTLM relay attack  and completely take over a Windows domain. The issue, dubbed " PetitPotam ," was discovered by security researcher Gilles Lionel, who shared technical details and proof-of-concept (PoC) code last week, noting that the flaw works by forcing "Windows hosts to authenticate to other machines via MS-EFSRPC EfsRpcOpenFileRaw function." MS-EFSRPC  is Microsoft's Encrypting File System Remote Protocol that's used to perform "maintenance and management operations on encrypted data that is stored remotely and accessed over a network." Specifically, the attack enables a domain controller to authenticate against a remote NTLM under a bad actor's control using the MS-EFSRPC interface and share its authen

A malware known for targeting macOS operating system has been updated once again to add more features to its toolset that allows it to amass and exfiltrate sensitive data stored in a variety of apps, including apps such as Google Chrome and Telegram, as part of further "refinements in its tactics." XCSSET was  uncovered  in August 2020, when it was found targeting Mac developers using an unusual means of distribution that involved injecting a malicious payload into Xcode IDE projects that's executed at the time of building project files in Xcode. The malware comes with numerous capabilities, such as reading and dumping Safari cookies, injecting malicious JavaScript code into various websites, stealing information from applications, such as Notes, WeChat, Skype, Telegram, and encrypting user files. Earlier this April, XCSSET  received an upgrade  that enabled the malware authors to target macOS 11 Big Sur as well as Macs running on M1 chipsets by circumventing new sec

The introduction of Open AI's ChatGPT was a defining moment for the software industry, touching off a GenAI race with its November 2022 release. SaaS vendors are now rushing to upgrade tools with enhanced productivity capabilities that are driven by generative AI. Among a wide range of uses, GenAI tools make it easier for developers to build software, assist sales teams in mundane email writing, help marketers produce unique content at low cost, and enable teams and creatives to brainstorm new ideas.  Recent significant GenAI product launches include Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and Salesforce Einstein GPT. Notably, these GenAI tools from leading SaaS providers are paid enhancements, a clear sign that no SaaS provider will want to miss out on cashing in on the GenAI transformation. Google will soon launch its SGE "Search Generative Experience" platform for premium AI-generated summaries rather than a list of websites.  At this pace, it's just a matter of a short time befo

After more than 20 years in the making, now it's official: APIs are everywhere. In a 2021 survey,  73% of enterprises reported that they already publish more than 50 APIs , and this number is constantly growing. APIs have crucial roles to play in virtually every industry today, and their importance is increasing steadily, as they move to the forefront of business strategies. This comes as no surprise: APIs seamlessly connect disparate apps and devices, bringing business synergies and efficiencies never witnessed before.  However, APIs have vulnerabilities just like any other component of the software. Adding to that, if they aren't rigorously tested from a security standpoint, they can also introduce a whole new array of attack surfaces and expose you to unprecedented risks. If you wait until production to discover API vulnerabilities, you can incur substantial delays. APIs are attractive to attackers, not just businesses Keep in mind that APIs do more than simply connect

Law enforcement authorities in the Netherlands have  arrested  two alleged individuals belonging to a Dutch cybercriminal collective who were involved in developing, selling, and renting sophisticated phishing frameworks to other threat actors in what's known as a "Fraud-as-a-Service" operation. The apprehended suspects, a 24-year-old software engineer and a 15-year-old boy, are said to have been the main developer and seller of the phishing frameworks that were employed to collect login data from bank customers. The attacks primarily singled out users in the Netherlands and Belgium. The 15-year-old suspect has since been released from custody "pending further investigation," Dutch police said. Believed to be active since at least 2020, the cybercriminal syndicate has been codenamed " Fraud Family " by cybersecurity firm Group-IB. The frameworks come with phishing kits, tools designed to steal information, and web panels, which allow the fraudsters

Nearly three weeks after Florida-based software vendor Kaseya was hit by a  widespread supply-chain ransomware attack , the company on Thursday said it obtained a universal decryptor to unlock systems and help customers recover their data. "On July 21, Kaseya obtained a decryptor for victims of the REvil ransomware attack, and we're working to remediate customers impacted by the incident," the company  said  in a statement. "Kaseya obtained the tool from a third-party and have teams actively helping customers affected by the ransomware to restore their environments, with no reports of any problem or issues associated with the decryptor." It's not immediately unclear if Kaseya paid any ransom. It's worth noting that REvil affiliates had  demanded a ransom of $70 million  — an amount that was subsequently lowered to $50 million — but soon after, the ransomware gang mysteriously  went off the grid , shutting down their payment sites and data leak portal

An advanced persistent threat (APT) actor has been tracked in a new campaign deploying Android malware via the Syrian e-Government Web Portal, indicating an upgraded arsenal designed to compromise victims. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the group has been publicly observed using malicious Android applications as part of its attacks," Trend Micro researchers Zhengyu Dong, Fyodor Yarochkin, and Steven Du  said  in a technical write-up published Wednesday. StrongPity , also codenamed  Promethium  by Microsoft, is believed to have been active since 2012 and has typically focused on targets across Turkey and Syria. In June 2020, the espionage threat actor was  connected  to a wave of activities that banked on watering hole attacks and tampered installers, which abuse the popularity of legitimate applications, to infect targets with malware. "Promethium has been resilient over the years," Cisco Talos  disclosed  last year. "Its campai

Organizations today must give attention to their cybersecurity posture, including policies, procedures, and technical solutions for cybersecurity challenges.  This often results in a greater burden on the IT service desk staff as end-users encounter issues related to security software, policies, and password restrictions.  One of the most common areas where security may cause challenges for end-users is password policies and password changes. What are these issues? How can organizations reduce end-user password change frustration? First, let's consider the standard password policy, its role, and general settings affecting end-users. What are password policies? Most organizations today have a password policy in place. So, what is a password policy? Password policies define the types and content of passwords allowed or required of end-users in an identity and access management system. Various aspects of the password that businesses control may include the password's required