Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - February 14–18

Weekly Threat Briefing • February 18, 2022
Weekly Threat Briefing • February 18, 2022
The Good
It has been a good week for cybersecurity. The future of quantum key distribution for secure cryptography is here as researchers from three organizations developed a novel technique that can fight against quantum computing attacks. In a welcome move, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is extending its Emergency Management System to bolster ransomware and breach response.
Researchers from JPMorgan Chase, Ciena, and Toshiba developed a unique Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network for metropolitans, which is resistant to quantum computing attacks. The QKD network sustains encryption of 800Gbps under real-world conditions and can rapidly identify and defend against quantum computing threats.
Singapore to design a quantum-safe network to display crypto-agile connectivity and encourage trials with private and public firms. The initiative is driven by the Quantum Engineering Program (QEP) and includes a quantum security lab for vulnerability research. The project is supported by the National Research Foundation, along with 15 partners from both public and private sectors. The three-year program aims to conduct an extensive analysis of security systems and design guidelines to support organizations adopting quantum-safe technologies.
The U.S. Postal Service announced to expand its Emergency Management System to include ransomware attacks and exploitation of computer vulnerabilities. The new project would put the professional and personal data of the employees and contractors into the federal information ecosystem.
The Bad
Coming to the noteworthy security incidents this week, Ukraine is undergoing a major cybersecurity crisis as several government websites were knocked offline due to a series of massive DDoS attacks. The SquirrelWaffle backdoor is back and is now abusing Microsoft Exchange Server bugs to perform financial fraud. A mysterious threat actor, TA2541, was found staying under the radar since 2017. It has been targeting the aviation sector via off-the-shelf malware.
New Threats
Ice ice everywhere and cybercriminals are grabbing chunks of it. Not actual ice but ice phishing - Microsoft discovered this new campaign targeting blockchain and web3. Multiple times a month. Horrendous! While we are on the topic of crypto, a new scam is targeting NFT buyers. One of the scams has been associated with the Babadeda crypter. The Iran-linked Moses Staff actor was found leveraging StrifeWater RAT. This previously undocumented malware comes with multiple functionalities.