Cyber Crime

Pierluigi Paganini August 16, 2017
ShadowPad backdoor was spread in corporate networks through software update mechanism

Kaspersky Lab discovered attackers were able to modify the NetSarang software update process to include a malware tracked as ShadowPad backdoor. Software update mechanism could be an efficient attack vector, news of the day is that hackers compromised the update process for a popular server management software package developed by NetSarang. Attackers were able to […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 15, 2017
CVE-2017-0199: Crooks exploit PowerPoint Slide Show files to deliver malware

According to Trend Micro, cyber criminals abuse the CVE-2017-0199 vulnerability to deliver malware via PowerPoint Slide Show. In April Microsoft fixed the CVE-2017-0199  vulnerability in Office after threat actors had been exploiting it in the wild. Hackers leveraged weaponized Rich Text File (RTF) documents exploiting a flaw in Office’s Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) interface to deliver malware such […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 15, 2017
The Disdain exploit kit appears in the threat landscape

The Disdain exploit kit is available for rent on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis for prices of $80, $500, and $1,400 respectively. The security researcher David Montenegro discovered a new exploit kit dubbed Disdain that is offered for rent on underground hacking forums by a malware developer using the pseudonym of Cehceny. https://twitter.com/CryptoInsane/status/895151680861253632 The Disdain exploit […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 15, 2017
WannaCry hero Marcus Hutchins pleads not guilty

The 23-year-old expert Marcus Hutchins pleaded “not guilty” during a court hearing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His trial has been scheduled for October. Yesterday, Marcus Hutchins, the WannaCry hero, has pleaded not guilty to charges of creating and selling malware at a hearing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The court decided to relax the expert bail terms, allowing him to […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 14, 2017
North Korea-Linked Lazarus APT targets U.S. Defense contractors

The North Korea-linked Lazarus APT group as Lazarus is believed to be behind attacks targeting United States defense contractors. According to Palo Alto Networks, the North Korea-linked Lazarus APT group as Lazarus is believed to be behind attacks targeting United States defense contractors. The activity of the Lazarus APT Group surged in 2014 and 2015, […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 13, 2017
MUGHTHESEC, a signed Mac adware that hijacks the victim’s browser for profit

Experts spotted a new signed Mac adware dubbed MUGHTHESEC that hijacks victim’s browser for profit and can be removed only reinstalling the OS. According to the expert Patrick Wardle, Director of Research at Synack, a new strain of Mac adware is threatening Mac users, once infected a machine the only way to remove it is to reinstall […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 12, 2017
Variety reports a failed attempt of HBO to Offer a ‘Bug Bounty’ to hackers

According to a report from a leaked memo by Variety, in response to the incident, HBO offered a reward of $250,000, a figure far from the HBO annual budget. Cyber criminals claiming to have hacked television group HBO networks were demanding millions of dollars in ransom payments from the company while threatening to release more material. The alleged […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 11, 2017
Ukrainian Man charged with spreading the NotPetya ransomware

The Cyber Police of Ukraine arrested a Ukraine man that allegedly distributed the NotPetya/ExPetr malware resulting in the infection of 400 computers. Sergey Neverov, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested, on Saturday 5 August, by Ukrainian Cyber Police on accusations of distributing a version of the NotPetya(Petya.A) ransomware after the initial attack event of late […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 09, 2017
FBI masqueraded the NIT in a video-bait to unmask sextortionist on Tor

The FBI used a NIT involving a specially crafted video file to unmask a sextortionist that via Tor was threatening youngsters. The FBI has used once again the network investigative technique (NIT) for unmasking Tor users, this time the feds used it to arrest a suspected sextortionist. The man is accused of having tricked young […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 09, 2017
Mamba ransomware is back and targets organizations in Brazil and Saudi Arabia

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab discovered a new wave of attack leveraging the Mamba ransomware that hit organizations in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Mamba ransomware is one of the first malware that encrypted hard drives rather than files that was detected in public attacks. Mamba leverages a disk-level encryption strategy instead of the conventional file-based one. A […]