The recent tsunami of Cl0p-driven ransomware attacks via the MOVEit Transfer exploit is a painful reminder of the general idea behind the pessimistic âthe cloud is just someone elseâs computerâ analogy.
DepositFiles, a service boasting that itâs the âperfect place to keep your precious files in safety and share them,â does not alleviate these concerns. The Cybernews research team discovered DepositFilesâ publicly hosted environment configuration (config) file, a crucial record of how to run software. Environment configuration file exposed:
âThe extent of potential attacks against the service and its users is profoundly significant. DepositFilesâ clients are at risk of their personally identifiable information, files, and passwords being stolen. Attackers could also target the company with malware, ransomware, unauthorized access to business payment systems, etc.,â researchers said.
Based on indexing of another sensitive file we believe that the environment configuration file was exposed starting from February 2023. DepositFiles fixed the issue after the team reached out to them. We contacted the company for comment but did not receive a reply before publishing this article.
Why is exposing config files dangerous?
The config file is an essential part of any system. As the name implies, the files hold values and settings necessary for a system to run in a specific environment.
Itâs like a âhow-toâ book for the software. Leaving it open in a public place means that anyone can operate the software however they see fit.
The team discovered that the DepositFiles config file contained highly sensitive information such as credentials for multiple databases, email credentials, and payment system credentials, as well as credentials for social media accounts.
In the wrong hands, the exposed data can greatly jeopardize DepositFilesâ user privacy and the company itself. According to the team, thereâs more than enough data for attackers to carry out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, deploy ransomware, or cause financial losses.
âCybercriminals could take over the official communication channels of DepositFiles, including social media accounts and abuse & support emails. This would make it extremely complicated for the company to inform its clients about a data breach or to warn them of malware attacks,â researchers said.
What DepositFiles data was exposed?
The exposed file had credentials for the Redis database, allowing anyone to read, edit, or delete data stored there. It might lead to data breaches, data manipulation, or unauthorized access to sensitive information.
While we can only speculate what type of information DepositFiles stored on Redis, if itâs used as a part of the companyâs broader infrastructure, attackers could use the exposed credentials to escalate privileges, move laterally, and attack other vital systems.
Another database with exposed credentials was named âbillingâ and âuploads,â indicating that it was likely used to store sensitive financial information. Having credentials to the database could allow attackers to abuse the instanceâs contents in any way they please.
âCybercriminals could take over the official communication channels of DepositFiles, including social media accounts and abuse & support emails. This would make it extremely complicated for the company to inform its clients about a data breach or to warn them of malware attacks.âresearchers said.
DepositFiles exposed credentials
According to the team, the exposed file had credentials for abuse & support mail. Cybercriminals could employ them to access and read confidential correspondence and take over a trusted email account to send phishing emails to clients and third parties.
âCybercriminals may exploit hacked email accounts to distribute harmful files or links to unwary users within the company or externally. These emails could be infected by malware or ransomware,â researchers said.
Researchers have also discovered a payment wall secret key, a critical authentication code used to verify that a request comes from a legitimate website, not a malicious actor. Attackers could abuse the exposed key to make fraudulent transactions.
The leaked data included DepositFilesâ credentials for Twitter, Facebook, and VKontakte social media accounts, allowing potential attackers to hijack the companyâs online presence.
Worryingly, the team found that the config file exposed the companyâs Google App ID and Secret, used to authenticate access to Google services and application programming interfaces (APIs).
âMalicious actors can use credentials for unauthorized access to DepositFilesâ Google services, possibly compromising sensitive data or engaging in criminal behavior. Also, using the exposed credentials, an attacker can mimic the companyâs app or service,â researchers said.
Payment service credentials, including username, password, and endpoint, were also exposed via the config file. Cybercriminals could use the data to log in to the payment service DepositFiles use and make unauthorized transactions, modify payment settings, or access sensitive payment data.
Exposed app data
According to the team, the publicly accessible config file included DF Android and iOS, PHP unit client, DF VPN app IDs, and salt values. DF Android and iOS stand for âdata flow,â followed by the operating system it is used for.
Meanwhile, a PHP unit client is a development environment that allows running and testing software based on PHP code. DF VPN provides a secure connection for data flow, and salt is a security measure added to a password before it is encrypted and stored.
âAnother risk is malicious API requests â App ID and salt are sometimes used in API authentication and authorization operations. If these credentials are compromised, attackers may attempt to create malicious API calls, bypass security controls, obtain unauthorized access to sensitive resources, or undertake unauthorized activities,â researchers said.
If you want to know more about the recommendations that CyberNews provided to DepositFiles give a look at the original post at:
https://cybernews.com/security/deposit-files-data-leak/
About the author: Vilius Petkauskas Senior Journalist at CyberNews
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(SecurityAffairs â hacking, DepositFiles)