X-Industry

The Snake implant is considered the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool designed and used by Center 16 of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for long-term intelligence collection on sensitive targets.  To conduct operations using this tool, the FSB created a covert peer-to-peer (P2P) network of numerous Snake-infected computers worldwide.  Many systems in this P2P network serve as relay nodes that route disguised operational traffic to and from Snake implants on the FSB’s ultimate targe

With power grids increasingly targeted by domestic extremists in the US, Oregon State University (OSU) researchers are warning that a basic utility device can be corrupted.  Digital devices called “smart meters” are commonly used by utility companies.  They can measure customers’ electricity data or remotely shut off power to those with unpaid bills.[1]  All this with the use of computers and hackers.

An OSU associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at OSU said that hack

Most documented cyber-attacks against individual vessels have historically been executed by jamming and spoofing navigation signals.  Red Sky Alliance has been sharing Vessel Spoofing reports for many years now which highlight phishing emails.  So, what’s New?  ChatGPT   Vessels are increasingly threatened by a wider range of attacks, including ransomware.  Recently, 1000 shipping vessels were affected when DNV’s ShipManager software system was hit by a cyberattack.  Luckily many vessels maintai

The FBI and CISA issued a joint advisory to warn that the Bl00dy Ransomware gang is now also actively exploiting a PaperCut remote-code execution vulnerability to gain initial access to networks.  The US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency mentions that the threat actor has focused their attacks on the education sector, which has a significant public exposure of the flaw.

"In early May 2023, according to FBI information, the Bl00dy Ransomware Gang gained access to victim networks acro

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said last month’s effort to bring down the Genesis Market represents a departure from its traditional cyber enforcement actions. “Operation Cookie Monster” was not about nabbing masterminds but about making it harder for JV hackers to level up in online fraud.  Cookie Monster is often associated with children, or in this case – Script Kiddies.

Lisa Monaco (Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco): We focus on disruptions and not always just looking for the prosecut

The ransomware group Play, which is taking credit for the hacking of Lowell Massachusetts municipal network on 24 April.  Play has released 5 gigabytes of data from that theft and posted it to the dark web.

The cybercriminal group, which has been active since last year, posted a link to the data, which a threat analyst with cybersecurity provider Emsisoft, said is available for viewing and download by any user on that system.  "The info is out there, and while at the moment it's on the dark web,

The risk of a cyber-attack is the “main worry” for broadcasters staging the Eurovision song contest on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, a BBC executive has said.  Experts from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre have been drafted in to help thwart any attempts by pro-Russian hackers to sabotage the competition’s public vote on Saturday.

The UK’s BBC director of unscripted programs, said there was no specific intelligence about an attack but that there were “so many contingency plans” in place if

The New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) shared the attached Public Safety Threat Alliance (PSTA) Finished Intelligence Report and is being provided to assist agencies and organizations in guarding against the persistent malicious actions of cyber criminals.[1]

Cyber-attacks against public safety answering points (PSAPs) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems can result in disruptions to emergency calls and delays to first responder dispatching, which can and ha

The US President expected pick to helm the US Marine Corps’ digital warfighting branch is caught in a monthslong hold on senior military promotions and nominations in the Senate led by a Republican lawmaker.  Maj. Gen. Joseph “Jay” Matos has been tapped to assume command of Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, according to three people familiar with the decision.  Matos, the organization’s deputy chief, was nominated for his second star in December.  The full Senate approved his promotion — a

The Internet continues to expand and connect more devices every minute.  The number of connected devices is now over 10 billion, so the need for effective cyber threat intelligence sharing has never been greater.  Cyber-attacks have increased in frequency and sophistication, presenting significant challenges for organizations that must defend their data and systems from capable threat actors.   Cyber threat information is any information that can help an organization identify, assess, monitor, a

FortiGuard Labs has encountered new samples of the RapperBot campaign active since January 2023.  RapperBot is a malware family primarily targeting IoT devices.  It has been observed in the wild since June 2022.  FortiGuard Labs reported on its previous campaigns in August 2022 and December 2022.  Those campaigns focused on brute-forcing devices with weak or default SSH or Telnet credentials to expand the botnet’s footprint for launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

In this camp

The US government and several other countries have been grappling with a key question over the last year: Should ransomware payments be banned, with select waivers available for special situations?

Speaking at a Ransomware Task Force event on Friday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger said ransomware payment bans have been a topic of discussion among members of the Counter Ransomware Initiative, which she said has evolved rapidly since it was created in 2021.

According t

FortiGuard Labs researchers have come across a file name or e-mail subject that makes us sit up and take notice. Of course, it may turn out to be nothing.  But every once in a while, one of these turns out to be incredibly interesting.

We recently came across one such file that referenced an Indian state military research organization and an in-development nuclear missile.  The file was meant to deploy malware with characteristics matching the APT group “SideCopy.”  With activities dating back t

The cost of cybercrime is expected to hit $8 trillion in 2023 and grow to $10.5 trillion by 2025.  In a world where sophisticated hackers find creative new ways to pounce, companies constantly try to stay ahead and not become the latest cyberattack headline.  Skilled cybersecurity professionals are in demand, investments in cybersecurity technologies are at all-time highs, and state and national regulations abound.  The US government issued a new cybersecurity strategy memo in early March, calli

When you transfer data from an Android to an iOS device, the Move to an iOS app is the go-to solution for any mobile user. However, many users have complained that this app doesn’t work at the final step when importing backup.  Or some data is not completely transferred.  So, is there an alternative to the Move to iOS app that is safe, secure, and capable of doing the job?

IToolab WatsGo fits the description of a worthy solution pretty well.  We have discussed its features and working, too.  Thi

Almost everyone in 2023 has some level of computing power.  From smart phones to laptops and now the rising computer technology in ICE and EV cars, all are touched by computers.  All these variations of computing technology need one critical component – electricity.  The current question is being batted around by experts – can our current electric generation and grid handle the quickly rising demand for electric power?  Belden Inc. presented a recent White Paper on the New Class 4 Electric Syste

A recent analysis by cyber threat investigators of over 70 billion DNS records has led to the discovery of a new sophisticated malware toolkit named Decoy Dog targeting enterprise networks.  Decoy Dog, as the name implies, is evasive and employs techniques like strategic domain aging and DNS query dribbling, wherein a series of queries are transmitted to the command-and-control (C2) domains not to arouse any suspicion.

Decoy Dog is a cohesive toolkit with several highly unusual characteristics t

The ongoing Magecart campaign has attracted the attention of cybersecurity researchers for leveraging realistic-looking fake payment screens to capture sensitive data entered by unsuspecting users.  The cyber threat actor used original logos from the compromised store and customized a web element known as a modal to hijack the checkout page perfectly.  Interestingly, the “skimmer” page looks more authentic than the original payment page.  It must be the improved graphics.[1]

The term Magecart is

Sword2033

The Chinese nation-state group named Alloy Taurus is using a Linux variant of a backdoor called PingPull as well as a new undocumented tool codenamed Sword2033.  That is according to findings from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, which discovered recent malicious cyber activity carried out by the group targeting South Africa and Nepal.

Alloy Taurus is the constellation-themed moniker assigned to a threat actor that is known for its attacks targeting telecom companies since at least 2012.  I

Europol reveals German law enforcement was behind the ‘Monopoly Market’ takedown.  Europol announced on 2 May 2023 that 288 suspects involved in drug trafficking on the Darknet marketplace “Monopoly Market” have been arrested globally following an unannounced takedown in December 2021.  The announcement is the first confirmation that Monopoly Market’s disappearance was the result of law enforcement action.

Users across multiple forums had previously expressed concerns about being victims of an e