The Good

In the evolving landscape of digital security, significant advancements have been made to protect sensitive information and bolster cybersecurity measures. The NIST's Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 has been updated to provide comprehensive guidance for organizations of all types, introducing new focus areas. Meanwhile, the Biden administration's executive order targets the safeguarding of Americans' sensitive personal data from foreign threats.

• The NIST updated its Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 to cater to all types of organizations, with a new focus on governance and a suite of tailored resources for different audiences. The updated framework includes new categories for incident response management and supply chain risk response, aiming to future-proof organizations against evolving cyber threats. It aims to future-proof organizations and has received positive feedback from industry players.

• Apple introduced the PQ3 post-quantum cryptographic protocol to iMessage to defend encryption from quantum computing-powered attacks, providing Level 3 security. PQ3 integrates the Kyber algorithm for post-quantum cryptographic needs and implements a periodic post-quantum rekeying mechanism for maximum security. The new protocol ensures compromise-resilient encryption, initial key establishment, and ongoing key regeneration, making it a significant advancement in communication security.

• The Biden administration issued an executive order that aims to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans' sensitive personal data to countries of concern, safeguarding genomic, biometric, personal health, geolocation, and financial data, and certain types of PII. The order also addresses the risks associated with the transmission of data via network infrastructure and the access to healthcare-related data. It seeks to address the threat while minimizing disruption to commercial activity and maintaining open, global, and secure data flows across borders.

• The Department of Energy is investing $45 million in 16 cybersecurity projects to protect the electric grid and other energy infrastructure from cyber threats. This funding comes from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and aims to improve threat detection and authentication systems. The Energy Department is working to identify pilot projects for securing energy systems and refine industrial control systems to support engineers and technicians.

The Bad

In a disconcerting wave of cybersecurity incidents, the digital safety landscape faces severe challenges. Golden Corral revealed a data breach affecting over 180,000 individuals, compromising sensitive information such as SSNs and medical details. Simultaneously, YX International suffered a leak exposing crucial security codes for major social platforms, while pharma giant Cencora encountered a cyberattack on its IT systems, the extent of financial and operational repercussions still unclear.

• Pepco Group's Hungarian business was hit by a sophisticated phishing attack, resulting in a loss of approximately €15.5 million (~ $16.8 million). While efforts to recover the funds are underway, the incident does not involve customer, supplier, or colleague data. Experts suggest the attack resembles the BEC scam tactic. The group is thoroughly reviewing systems and processes to bolster security.

• Golden Corral, a popular American restaurant chain, disclosed an August 2023 data breach, compromising the personal information of over 180,000 individuals, including current and former employees and their beneficiaries. The breach involved sensitive data such as SSNs, financial account information, and medical details.

• An exposed database belonging to an Asian technology company, YX International, was found to be leaking sensitive data, including one-time security codes for Facebook, Google, and TikTok accounts. The exposed database contained text messages, password reset links, and internal email addresses with passwords associated with the company. The database had monthly logs dating back to July 2023.

• U.S. law firm Houser LLP disclosed experiencing a system breach in May 2023, potentially exposing personal data, including credit card numbers, of over 325,000 individuals. The breached data included sensitive information such as SSNs, financial account details, individual tax identification number, and medical information.

• Pharma giant Cencora, formerly AmerisourceBergen, disclosed a cyberattack that resulted in data theft from its corporate IT systems. Financial and operational impacts are yet to be determined. The firm asserted that the attack was unrelated to the Optum ransomware incident. Notably, there's no indication of the perpetrator, and no ransomware group has claimed responsibility.

• The BlackCat ransomware group attacked Verbraucherzentrale Hessen, a consumer advice center in Germany. Verbraucherzentrale Hessen confirmed the attack on its IT infrastructure, leading to temporary accessibility issues. Meanwhile, doubts arise regarding the group’s claim of targeting Electro Marteix, SL in Spain, as no evidence of an attack was found.

• The highly sophisticated Xeno RAT has been openly shared on GitHub by its creator, moom825. Compatible with Windows 10 and 11, this RAT offers a wide array of features for remote system management, including a SOCKS5 reverse proxy, real-time audio recording, and a hidden virtual network computing (hVNC) module. Notably, Xeno RAT is built from scratch, providing a unique approach to RAT development, and includes a builder for crafting customized malware variants.

• Jeff "Jihoz" Zirlin, one of the co-founders of the blockchain game Axie Infinity and the related Ronin Network, had almost $10 million (3,248 ETH coins) stolen. While the attack was limited to his personal accounts and unrelated to the operation of Ronin or Axie Infinity, it's unclear how the intruders gained access to his wallets. Analysts traced the stolen funds to activity on Tornado Cash, a mixer popularly used for cryptocurrency laundering.

• The IntelBroker group allegedly compromised a Los Angeles International Airport database, stealing the confidential data of private plane owners. The breach impacted 2.5 million records containing full names, CPA numbers, email addresses, company names, plane model numbers, and tail numbers. No customer or traveler data was affected. Criminals claimed to have exploited a bug in the airport's CRM system.

• Insomniac Games, a Sony subsidiary known for its popular video games, alerted data breach notification letters to employees whose personal information was stolen and leaked online following a Rhysida ransomware attack last year. The breach resulted in the theft of over 1.3 million files, including personal data belonging to current and former employees and independent contractors. Meanwhile, Sony continues to investigate the breach.

• LockBit has reestablished its leak site following a law enforcement takedown. In a lengthy statement attributed to its leader, LockBit accuses the FBI of exploiting a PHP vulnerability to breach its servers but vows not to retreat from the criminal underground. Law enforcement has not commented on the claims. Despite LockBit's comeback attempt, experts believe the takedown has permanently damaged its reputation and effectiveness in the cybercriminal world.

• loanDepot, a major U.S. loan and mortgage company, revealed that almost 17 million customers had their sensitive personal information stolen in a ransomware attack that occurred last month. The stolen data includes names, dates of birth, email and postal addresses, financial account numbers, phone numbers, and SSNs. loanDepot did not disclose whether it paid a ransom.

New Threats

Innovative threats are marking a concerning trend for digital security worldwide. In Mexico, tax-themed phishing campaigns are distributing TimbreStealer malware. Concurrently, researchers uncovered SPIKEDWINE's attack on European diplomats, leveraging a deceptive PDF to deploy the WINELOADER backdoor. Moreover, UAC-0184 adopted steganography to spread Remcos RAT via phishing in Finland.

• Unit42 researchers discovered a new Linux variant of the Bifrost RAT, named BIFROSE, that evades detection by using a deceptive domain resembling a legitimate VMware domain. The malware is distributed through email attachments and malicious websites, and it allows attackers to gather sensitive information from victims' computers. The researchers noted a spike in Bifrost activity and the presence of an ARM version, indicating an expanding attack surface.
• Security researchers uncovered a significant campaign of repository confusion attacks on GitHub, impacting over 100,000 repositories and potentially millions more. This sophisticated cyberattack targets developers by tricking them into downloading and using malicious repositories disguised as legitimate ones. Attackers clone popular repositories, inject them with malware, and upload them on GitHub with identical names.
• Security experts noted an updated WarZone RAT (v3) being advertised on hacking forums. It boasts enhanced features like the "Smart Updater" for stealthy tool updates and the ability to uninstall old files when the news is executed successfully. Its new capabilities include client control, file management, and remote system control, empowering attackers with extensive control over compromised systems.
• Mexican users have been facing tax-themed phishing attacks distributing TimbreStealer, a sophisticated Windows malware. The threat actors use geofencing and other evasive techniques to avoid detection and target various sectors. The malware includes checks to detect sandbox environments, embedded modules for decryption, and the ability to harvest a wide range of data.
• Zscaler's ThreatLabz discovered a targeted attack by SPIKEDWINE involving a suspicious PDF masquerading as an invitation letter from the Ambassador of India. The PDF contains the previously undocumented WINELOADER backdoor and targets European diplomats with advanced tactics. Threat actor exploits geopolitical relations, utilizing compromised infrastructure and themes related to wine.
• Bitdefender researchers uncovered a new variant of the AMOS Stealer, dubbed Atomic, targeting macOS systems. This variant combines features of information stealers, keyloggers, and cryptocurrency mining tools. It utilizes Python and Apple Script code to target browser files, system information, and crypto wallets. Bitdefender has provided Indicators of Compromise to aid in detection and mitigation efforts.
• Microsoft Outlook disclosed a critical security flaw (CVE-2024-21413) abused by malicious actors. Rated CVSS 9.8, the vulnerability bypasses protected view settings, enabling malicious files to open in editing mode rather than protected mode. While Outlook uses the default browser for http:// or https:// links, certain protocols like "file://" lack warning dialogs, allowing attackers to access resources and exploit SMB protocol flaws, revealing NTLM credentials.
• The hacking group UAC-0184 has evolved its tactics, employing steganographic image files to distribute the Remcos RAT to a Ukrainian entity in Finland. The attack was initiated through carefully crafted phishing emails, utilizing a modular malware loader, named IDAT, that employs sophisticated evasion techniques, such as dynamic loading of Windows API functions, HTTP connectivity tests, process blocklists, and syscalls.
• An ad fraud campaign, dubbed SubdoMailing, has come to light that utilizes over 8,000 legitimate domains and 13,000 subdomains, to bypass security filters. It includes the likes of major brands, such as MSN, VMware, and eBay, that criminals abuse to send millions of scam emails daily. By hijacking abandoned subdomains of trusted brands, threat actors launch fraudulent schemes via fake giveaways or surveys to trick users. The daily number of emails reaching targets exceeds 5,000,000.