Cyber Security Threats

Stay informed about the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. Explore the latest developments in malware, ransomware, and zero-day vulnerabilities, and learn how to protect your digital assets from these risks.

Social Media Accounts Hijacks by Banking Terdot Trojan

The Terdot Trojan is a form of Zeus, a highly successful banking Trojan that first was seen in 2009. While Zeus is no longer doing the rounds, its source code has been available since 2011, … Read more

Terdot Trojan Steals Banking Credentials and Hijacks Social Media Accounts

The Terdot Trojan is a new incarnation of Zeus, a highly successful banking Trojan that first appeared in 2009. While Zeus has been retired, its source code has been available since 2011, allowing hackers to … Read more

Advantages of Healthcare Text Messaging Emphasized by New Analysis

Additional evidence has appeared presenting the advantages of healthcare written messaging. A recently published study in the Journal of the American Heart Association obviously indicated that an automatic mHealth interference using Smartphone and text messages tracing applications … Read more

Survey finds US and UK Companies Slow to Prepare for GDPR Compliance

A recent survey, conducted by Dimensional Research, has revealed that the levels of unpreparedness for both US and UK firms for compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are high. Results seen in … Read more

Combosquatting: Study Reveals Extent of Use of Trademarks in Web Attacks

Combosquatting is a popular technique used by hackers, spammers, and scammers to fool users into downloading malware or revealing their credentials. Combosquatting should not be confused with typosquatting. The latter involves the purchasing of domains … Read more

Microsoft Office Attacks Without Macros

Microsoft Office documents that include malicious macros are commonly used to distribute malware and ransomware. However, security experts have now identified Microsoft Office attacks without macros, and the technique is more difficult to block. While … Read more

Phishing Website Key to Equifax Breach Success

The cyberattack on Equifax impacted around 50% of the population of the United States. 143 million U.S. consumers may have had their sensitive data illegally obtained by hackers, as did around 400,000 individuals in the … Read more

IoT Reaper Botnet Growing at Alarming Rate

Last year, the Mirai botnet was used in massive DDoS attacks; however, the IoT Reaper botnet could redefine massive. The Mirai botnet, which mostly consisted of IoT devices, was capable of delivering DDoS attacks in … Read more

Bad Rabbit Ransomware Attacks Detected in last 24 hours

There has been a litany of reports of cyberattacks using Bad Rabbit ransomware in the last 24 hours. Bad Rabbit is a newly identified ransomware variant with similarities to both NotPetya and HDDCryptor. NotPetya was … Read more

FinSpy Malware Installed Using Adobe Flash Player Uopdate Flaw

Last week software giant Adobe issued a new patch for Flash Player to address an actively exploited weakness (CVE-2017-11292) that is being targeted by the hacking group Black Oasis to install FinSpy malware. Finspy is … Read more

New MyEtherWallet Phishing Attacks Witnessed

A new wave of MyEtherWallet phishing attacks has been witnessed which use a convincing domain and MyEtherWallet branding to trick MyEtherWallet users into sharing their credentials and providing criminals with access to their MyEtherWallet accounts. … Read more

Self-Replicating Worm Module Incorporated in Trickbot Malware

Trickbot malware is a banking Trojan that has been around for some time, although its developers have recently created a WannaCry ransomware-style worm module that allows it to spread much more swiftly. The latest NotPetya … Read more

Windows 10 Attacked by Bashware

A new attack method – termed Bashware – could permit hackers to download malware to Windows 10 computing devices without being discovered by security software, according to research published by Check Point. The Windows Subsystem … Read more

Advisory Issues by Department of Education Regarding Hacking and Extortion Threats

TheDarkOverlord hacking group has, in recent time, been targeting K12 schools; obtaining access to networks, stealing data and trying to extort money. As a reaction to the hacking and extortion threats, the U.S. Department of Education … Read more

U.S. Organizations Targeted by FormBook Malware Campaign

Specific industry sectors in the United States and South Korea have been the main targets in the Formbook malware attacks. However there has been some worry that the malware will be used in more widespread … Read more

Flash Player Flaw Used to Deliver FinSpy Malware Exploited by Adobe Patches

Adobe has issued a new update for Flash Player to tackle an actively exploited flaw (CVE-2017-11292) that is being used by the hacking group Black Oasis to send out FinSpy malware. Finspy is not malware … Read more

Zero Day Vulnerabilities Exploited by Microsoft Patches

This Patch Tuesday has seen Microsoft release several updates for serious vulnerabilities, some of which are being constantly exploited in the open. Microsoft is pleading with companies to apply the patches now to keep their … Read more

Public Whois Registry Likely to be Affected by GDPR

The EU GDPR Law will have a significant impact on the businesses that process and manage EU citizens’ data. WHOIS is a member of Domain Name sector that is likely to be affected by the … Read more

GDPR to be incorporated in new UK Data Protection Bill

The British Government has completeded the Data Protection Bill that aims to align the country’s data protection regime with the soon to be introduced European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This will allow UK citizens to have … Read more

HIPAA Compliance and Phishing: Email Attacks Can Result in HIPAA Penalties

A phishing attack on a HIPAA-covered entity has lead to in a $400,000 HIPAA breach fine for non-compliance. This is not the first time a phishing attack has resulted in a penalty from OCR for … Read more

DDoS Attacks Follow Increase in Flusihoc Botnet Activity Increases

DDoS attacks are being implemented using the Flusihoc Botnet, some as recording speeds as quick as 45 Gbps according to investigators at Arbor networks. The Flusihoc botnet has been in action for a minimum two … Read more

Matrix Ransomware Campaign Detected by Security Researcher

A new Matrix ransomware malvertising campaign has been detected by security researcher Jérôme Segura. The campaign employs malicious adverts to send users to a site hosting the Rig exploit kit. Flash and IE weaknesses are … Read more

Hackers Able to Gain Access Using New Rowhammer Exploit

The Rowhammer exploit was first identified three years ago and was seen enabling hackers to access devices by using DRAM memory cells. Rowhammer attacks uses the close proximity of memory cells, making them leak their … Read more

Yahoo Data Breach Saw 3 Billion Accounts Breached in 2013

After it was first discovered the 2013 Yahoo data violation was quickly found to have affected many of the company’s customers and in December 2016 it was announced that 1 billion accounts had been compromised. … Read more

U.S. Organizations Targeted by FormBook Malware Attacks

The majority of Formbook malware cyber attacks have focused on specific industry sectors in the United States and South Korea, but there is some worry that the malware will be employed in more attacks worldwide. … Read more

Multi-Function Printers Flaw Risks Password Security

Ruhr University Researchers have uncovered significant security flaws in multi-function printers which may be exploited remotely by hackers to shut down the printers, or more worryingly, modify documents or steal user passwords. Hackers might aslo … Read more

Beware of Equifax Phishing Scams – Cybercriminals Are Typosquatting to Catch the Unwary

Consumers should be wary of Equifax phishing attacks following massive data breach revealed earlier this month. The 143 million records possibly stolen in the breach will be monetized, which means many will likely be sold … Read more

Lack of Two-Factor Authentication Linked to Deloitte Data Breach

This week, news has emerged about a serious Deloitte data breach that allegedly resulted in ‘several gigabytes’ of sensitive emails sent to and from the accountancy firm’s clients being obtained by hackers. Deloitte is one … Read more

NHS Computers Taken Offline After Barts Health Malware Attack:

A Barts Health malware attack resulted in the shutdown of hospital IT systems on Friday last week as the UK NHS Trust attempted to address the damage caused and limit the infection. Barts Health is … Read more

Equifax Breach Victims Directed to Phishing Website

The cyberattack on Equifax affected almost half the population of the United States. 143 million U.S. consumers potentially had their sensitive data stolen by hackers, as did around 400,000 individuals in the United Kingdom and … Read more

Average Cost of a SMB Data Breach Revealed by New Study

The average cost of a SMB data breach is now $117,000 per incident, according to a large study of data breach costs at small to medium sized businesses. The study was conducted by Kaspersky Lab … Read more

Drupal

Patch Issued for Actively Exploited Drupal Vulnerability

A patch for a vulnerability in Drupal (CVE-2017-6922) that has been activiley exploited for some months was released in June 2017. The flaw affects Drupal v 7.56 and 8.3.4. Drupal was aware of the flaw, … Read more

Rapid Account Verification Being Offered by New Twitter Credit Card Phishing Scam

Proofpoint, the cybersecurity firm, has confirmed that is has discovered a new Twitter credit card phishing scam. Users of the social media platform Twitter are being offered verified account status via native Twitter ads; the … Read more

Windows Dialog Box Mimicked By Newly Discovered Trojan Downloader

Dr. Web, a Russian antivirus firm has recently discovered a new Trojan downloader. The malware uses a popup Windows ‘Save As’ dialog box to install malicious payloads, which have thus far all been adware. The … Read more

SMB File Sharing Protocol Flaw Made Public Before Release of Patch

Details of a SMB file sharing protocol flaw in Windows have been made public some 12 days prior to the release of a patch by Microsoft. Laurent Gaffié, the researcher who published details of the … Read more

Investigation into Ransomware Infection Affecting 19,000 People

One of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield’s (Delaware) subcontractors has fallen victim to a ransomware infection and cyberattack that may have put private information relating to almost ninetenn thousand beneficiaries of employer-paid health plans at … Read more

Beware of Hoeflertext Warnings: Popups Used to Deliver Ransomware

Popup warnings of missing fonts, specifically the Hoeflertext font, are being used to infect users with malware. The Hoeflertext warnings appear as popups when users visit compromised websites using the Chrome or Firefox browsers. The … Read more

Healthcare and Education Sectors hit by Defray Ransomware

Defray ransomware is being used in targeted hacking campaigns on groups in the healthcare and education sectors. The new ransomware variant is being shared via email; however, in contrast to many ransomware campaigns, the emails … Read more

Result of 2017 Spam Study Show Most Malicious Messages Sent During Working Day

The busiest day of the week for email spam is  typically Tuesday and cyber criminals focus on sending messages during the working day, Monday to Friday, according to a 2017 spam study completed by IBM … Read more

Locky Ransomware Spam Campaigns Discovered Sharing Two New Strains

Two new Locky ransomware spam campaigns have been witnessed this month, each being used to distribute a new variant of the cryptoransomware. The campaigns have started after a relatively quiet period for ransomware campaigns, although … Read more

What is the Cost of a Malware Attack? $300 Million for Maersk

The cost of a malware attack is difficult to predict. There are many factors that affect the cost. The type of malware, whether data were stolen, the extent of the infection, how easy it is … Read more

Diagnostics Website Flaw at ‘True Health’ Reveals Private Patient Information

Patients of the True Health Group have had their health reports exposed online due to a law in the True Health Diagnostics website. Moreover, the reports appear to have been viewable by other patients for … Read more

Majority of Malicious Messages Sent During Office Hours According to 2017 Spam Study

The most hectic day of the week for email spam is Tuesday and hackers focus on sharing messages during working hours, Monday to Friday, according to a 2017 spam study facilitated by IBM X-Force. The … Read more

Sentara Healthcare: Investigation into Data Breach

Sentara Healthcare is currently carrying out an investigation into a data breach affecting one of its 3rd-party vendors which allowed a number of patients’ protected health information to be accessed by an unauthorized person. Sentara … Read more

Victims Offered A Criminal Choice by “Popcorn Time” Ransomware

New methods of spreading ransomware are constantly being developed; however, a new ransomware variant discovered by MalwareHunterTeam researchers called “Popcorn Time” appears to use tactics that have never before been seen. When Popcorn Time ransomware … Read more

Molina Healthcare Patients’ Data Exposed by Portal Security Flaw

A security flaw in a patient portal has exposed information concerning patient claims. Claims information had previously been uploaded to the patient portal of Molina Healthcare, which is a managed care company based in Long … Read more

“Patch Tuesday”: Sixty-eight Microsoft Vulnerabilities Repaired

Patch Tuesday 2016: Microsoft has acted to fix 68 vulnerabilities including 6 that had been rated critical. The updates have been spread over fourteen security bulletins. The updates include fixes for 2 vulnerabilities that are … Read more

Victims Being Blackmailed by Newly Discovered Ransomware Variant

Proofpoint researchers have recently identified a previously unknown ransomware variant, known as “Ransoc”, which employs various techniques to extort money from its victims. As opposed to the encryption of a broad range of file types … Read more

Recent Discovery of Social Engineering Scam on LinkedIn

A new LinkedIn social engineering scam has been uncovered by researchers at Heimdal Security which tries to convince LinkedIn users to give their personal information. The attackers have been attempting to obtain access to users’ … Read more

Poor Patch Management Policies Result in Cyberattacks and Huge Settlement

The importance of implementing good patch management policies was clearly highlighted by the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May. The ransomware attacks were made possible due to poor patch management policies at hundreds of companies. The … Read more