CyberWire Daily

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Cybercriminals target London drugs. May 24, 2024

Show notes

LockBit drops 300 gigabytes of data from London Drugs. Video software used in courtrooms worldwide contains a backdoor. Google patches another Chrome zero-day. The EU seeks collaboration between research universities and intelligence agencies. Atlas Lion targets retailers with gift card scams. Researchers explore an Apple reappearing photo bug. Hackers access a Japanese solar power grid. Congress floats a bill to enhance cyber workforce diversity. Ben Yelin joins us with a groundbreaking legal case involving AI generated CSAM. Whistling past the expired domain graveyard.

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CyberWire Guest

Ben Yelin, co host of our Caveat podcast and Program Director for Public Policy & External Affairs at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, discusses "FBI Arrests Man For Generating AI Child Sexual Abuse Imagery."

Selected Reading

Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs, company says (The Star)

Crooks plant backdoor in software used by courtrooms around the world (Ars Technica)

Google fixes eighth actively exploited Chrome zero-day this year (Bleeping Computer)

EU wants universities to work with intelligence agencies to protect their research (The Record)

US retailers under attack by gift card-thieving cyber gang (Help Net Security)

Apple wasn’t storing deleted iOS photos in iCloud after all (Bleeping Computer)

Hijack of monitoring devices highlights cyber threat to solar power infrastructure (CSO Online)

New Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce bill to promote inclusivity, provide CISA with millions for outreach (Industrial Cyber)

When privacy expires: how I got access to tons of sensitive citizen data after buying cheap domains (INTI)

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Checkmate at check in. May 23, 2024

Show notes

Spyware is discovered on U.S. hotel check in systems. A Microsoft outage affects multiple services. Bitdefender uncovers Unfading Sea Haze. University of Maryland researchers find flaws in Apple’s Wi-Fi positioning system. Scotland’s NRS reveals a sensitive data leak. Rapid7 tracks the rise in zero-day exploits and mass compromise events. The SEC hits the operator of the New York Stock Exchange with a ten million dollar fine. Operation Diplomatic Specter targets political entities in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The FCC considers AI disclosure rules for political ads. N2K T-Minus Space Daily podcast host Maria Varmazis speaks with guests Brianna Bace and Unal Tatar PhD sharing their work on Legal Perspectives on Cyberattacks Targeting Space Systems. Tone-blasting underwater data centers.

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CyberWire Guest

N2K T-Minus Space Daily podcast host Maria Varmazis speaks with guests Brianna Bace and Unal Tatar PhD sharing their work on their paper: Law in Orbit: International Legal Perspectives on Cyberattacks Targeting Space Systems. You can learn more about their work in this post. Check out T-Minus Space Daily for your daily space intelligence.

Selected Reading

Spyware found on US hotel check-in computers ( TechCrunch)

Microsoft outage affects Bing, Copilot, DuckDuckGo and ChatGPT internet search (Bleeping Computer)

Deep Dive Into Unfading Sea Haze: A New Threat Actor in the South China Sea (Bitdefender)

Apple’s Wi-Fi Positioning Can Be System Abused To Track Users (GB Hackers)

National Records of Scotland Data Breached in NHS Cyber-Attack (Infosecurity Magazine)

Zero-Day Attacks and Supply Chain Compromises Surge, MFA Remains Underutilized: Rapid7 Report (SecurityWeek)

NYSE Operator Intercontinental Exchange Gets $10M SEC Fine Over 2021 Hack (SecurityWeek)

Operation Diplomatic Specter: An Active Chinese Cyberespionage Campaign Leverages Rare Tool Set to Target Governmental Entities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia (Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 Intel)

FCC chair proposes requirement for political ads to disclose when AI content is used (The Record)

Acoustic attacks could be a serious threat to the future of underwater data centers (TechSpot)

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Privacy nightmare or useful tool? May 22, 2024

Show notes

Some say Microsoft’s Recall should be. A breach of a Texas healthcare provided affects over four hundred thousand. Police in the Philippines shut down services following a breach. Ivanti patches multiple products. GitHub fixes a critical authentication bypass vulnerability. Researchers discover critical vulnerabilities in Honeywell’s ControlEdge Unit Operations Controller. The DoD releases their Cybersecurity Reciprocity Playbook. Hackers leak a database with millions of Americans’ criminal records. Mastercard speeds fraud detection with AI. On our Learning Layer segment, host Sam Meisenberg and Joe Carrigan continue their discussion of Joe's ISC2 CISSP certification journey, diving into Domain 5: Identity and Access Management. Remembering a computing visionary.

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Learning Layer

On our Learning Layer segment, host Sam Meisenberg and Joe Carrigan continue their discussion of Joe's ISC2 CISSP certification journey using N2K’s comprehensive CISSP training course, CISSP practice test, and CISSP practice labs. Joe and Sam dive into Domain 5: Identity and Access Management (IAM) and tackle a question together about biometric configuration. Try the question yourself before listening to the discussion!

You are configuring a biometric hand scanner to secure your data center. Which of the following practices is BEST to follow?

Decrease the reader sensitivity
Increase the FAR
Decrease the FRR
Increase the reader sensitivity

Selected Reading

UK watchdog looking into Microsoft AI taking screenshots (BBC)

How the new Microsoft Recall feature fundamentally undermines Windows security (DoublePulsar)

CentroMed Confirms Data Breach Affecting an Estimated 400k | Console and Associates, P.C. (JDSupra)

PNP suspends online services amid data breach probe (Philippine News Agency)

Ivanti Patches Critical Code Execution Vulnerabilities in Endpoint Manager (SecurityWeek)

Critical SAML Auth Bypass Vulnerability Found in GitHub Enterprise Server (Heimdal Security)

Critical Vulnerability in Honeywell Virtual Controller Allows Remote Code Execution (SecurityWeek)

DoD CIO debuts cybersecurity reciprocity playbook to streamline system authorizations, boost cybersecurity efficiency (Industrial Cyber)

Criminal record database of millions of Americans dumped online (Malwarebytes)

Mastercard Doubles Speed of Fraud Detection with Generative AI (Infosecurity Magazine)

Gordon Bell, Legendary Designer of Computers, Dies at 89 (Gizmodo)

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The secrets of a dark web drug lord. May 21, 2024

Show notes

The alleged operator of Incognito Market is collared at JFK. The UK plans new ransomware reporting regulations. Time to update your JavaScript PDF library. CISA adds a healthcare interface engine to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. HHS launches a fifty million dollar program to help secure hospitals. A Fluent Bit vulnerability impacts major cloud platforms. The EPA issues a cybersecurity alert for drinking water systems. BiBi Wiper grows more aggressive. Siren is a new threat intelligence platform for open source software. On our Industry Voices segment, guest Amit Sinha, CEO of DigiCert, joins N2K’s Rick Howard to discuss “Innovation: balancing the good with the bad.” And is it just me, or does that AI assistant sound awfully familiar?

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CyberWire Guest

On our Industry Voices segment, guest Amit Sinha, CEO of DigiCert, joins N2K’s Rick Howard to discuss “Innovation: balancing the good with the bad.” Rick caught up with Amit at the recent RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Selected Reading

“Incognito Market” Owner Arrested for Operating One of the Largest Illegal Narcotics Marketplaces on the Internet (United States Department of Justice)

Exclusive: UK to propose mandatory reporting for ransomware attacks and licensing regime for all payments (The Record)

CVE-2024-4367 in PDF.js Allows JavaScript Execution, Potentially Affecting Millions of Websites: Update Now (SOCRadar)

CISA Warns of Attacks Exploiting NextGen Healthcare Mirth Connect Flaw (SecurityWeek)

Fluent Bit flaw discovered that impacts every major cloud provider (Tech Monitor)

EPA Issues Alert After Finding Critical Vulnerabilities in Drinking Water Systems (SecurityWeek)

New BiBi Wiper version also destroys the disk partition table (Bleeping Computer)

Enhancing Open Source Security: Introducing Siren by OpenSSF (OpenSSF)

HHS offering $50 million for proposals to improve hospital cybersecurity (The Record)

Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her (The New York Times)

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Double key encryption debate. May 20, 2024

Show notes

Germany’s BSI sues Microsoft for more information on recent security incidents. Julian Assange can appeal his U.S. extradition. AI chatbots may have itchy trigger fingers. CISA warns of vulnerabilities affecting Google Chrome and D-Link routers. Ham Radio’s association suffers a data breach. New underground marketplaces pop up to replace BreachForums. An updated banking trojan targets users in Central and South America. Cybercom’s founders share its origin story. Examining gender bias in open source software contributors. For our Industry Voices segment, guest Chris Pierson, CEO at BlackCloak, met up with N2K’s Brandon Karpf at the 2024 RSA Conference to discuss personal cybersecurity risks for executives. College students unlock free laundering — no money required.

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CyberWire Guest

On our Industry Voices segment, guest Chris Pierson, CEO at BlackCloak, met up with N2K’s Brandon Karpf at the 2024 RSA Conference. Chris and Brandon discussed personal cybersecurity risks for executives.

Selected Reading

BSI sues Microsoft for disclosure of information on security disaster (Ground News)

Assange Can Appeal U.S. Extradition, English Court Rules (The New York Times)

ChatGPT likes to fight. For military AI researchers, that’s a problem (Tech Brew)

CISA warns of hackers exploiting Chrome, EoL D-Link bugs (Bleeping Computer)

American Radio Relay League Hit by Cyberattack (SecurityWeek)

FBI seizes BreachForums infrastructure — but successor sites are already popping up (ITPro)

Grandoreiro Banking Trojan is Back With Major Updates (Infosecurity Magazine)

(PDF) Gender bias in open source: Pull request acceptance of women versus men (ResearchGate)

The inside story of Cyber Command’s creation (CSO Online)

Two Santa Cruz students uncover security bug that could let millions do their laundry for free (TechCrunch)

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Encore: Monica Ruiz: Moving ahead when not many look like you. [Policy] [Career Notes] May 19, 2024

Show notes

Cyber Initiative and Special Projects Fellow at the Hewlett Foundation Monica Ruiz shares her career development from aspirations of being a weather woman to her current role as a grantmaker and connector in cybersecurity. Monica discusses how her international study experience changed her outlook and brought her to the field of security. She shares the difficulties she faced as a woman of color when when not that many people look like you, and how she used that as her reason to move forward and better the cybersecurity field through her work. Our thanks to Monica for sharing her story with us.

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From secret images to encryption keys. [Research Saturday] May 18, 2024

Show notes

This week, we are joined by Hosein Yavarzadeh from the University of California San Diego, as he is discussing his work on "Pathfinder: High-Resolution Control-Flow Attacks Exploiting the Conditional Branch Predictor" This paper introduces new methods that let attackers read from and write to specific parts of high-performance CPUs, such as the path history register (PHR) and prediction history tables (PHTs).

These methods allow two main types of attacks. One can reveal a program's control flow history, as shown by recovering a secret image through the libjpeg routines. The other enables detailed transient attacks, demonstrated by extracting an AES encryption key, highlighting significant security risks for these systems.

The research can be found here:

Graph: Growing number of threats leveraging Microsoft API

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10 years on: The 10th anniversary of the first indictment of Chinese PLA actors. [Special Edition] May 18, 2024

Show notes

On this Special Edition podcast, Dave Bittner speaks with guest Dave Hickton, Founding Director, Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security at the University of Pittsburgh, and former US Attorney, on this 10th Anniversary of the first indictment of Chinese PLA actors. Hear directly from Mr. Hickton what lead to the indictment, the emotions that went along with this unprecedented action, and the legacy of the event.

On May 19, 2014, a grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries.

The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to hack into American entities, to maintain unauthorized access to their computers and to steal information from those entities that would be useful to their competitors in China, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In some cases, it alleges, the conspirators stole trade secrets that would have been particularly beneficial to Chinese companies at the time they were stolen. In other cases, it alleges, the conspirators also stole sensitive, internal communications that would provide a competitor, or an adversary in litigation, with insight into the strategy and vulnerabilities of the American entity.

US Attorney Dave Hickton represented the Western District of Pennsylvania and was the signatory on the indictment. His team worked with the FBI Cyber Team in Pittsburgh, PA to bring about this historic action.

Resources:

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MediSecure data breach hits Aussie healthcare. May 17, 2024

Show notes

Australia warns of a large-scale ransomware data breach. The justice department charges five with helping North Korean IT workers evade sanctions. The FCC wants to beef up BGP. Antidot is a new Android banking trojan. The SEC enhances disclosure obligations. Researchers uncover vulnerabilities in GE ultrasound devices. A Baltimore neo-nazi pleads guilty to conspiring to take down an electrical grid. On our Solution Spotlight: N2K’s Simone Petrella speaks with Alicja Cade, Director in Google Cloud's Office of the CISO, about the CISO role, board communication, and cyber workforce development. “Tanks” for the warm water, but you can keep the vulnerabilities.

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CyberWire Guest

On our Solution Spotlight: N2K’s Simone Petrella speaks with Alicja Cade, Director in Google Cloud's Office of the CISO, about the CISO role, board communication, and cyber workforce development. Simone and Alicja spoke at the 2024 RSA Conference.

Selected Reading

Australian government warns of 'large-scale ransomware data breach' (The Record)

US exposes scheme enabling North Korean IT workers to bypass sanctions (Help Net Security)

FCC proposes BGP security measures (Network World)

BGP: What is border gateway protocol, and how does it work? (Network World)

New 'Antidot' Android Trojan Allows Cybercriminals to Hack Devices, Steal Data (SecurityWeek)

SEC beefs up data privacy rules (Investment Executive)

GE Ultrasound Gear Riddled With Bugs, Open to Ransomware & Data Theft (DarkReading)

Baltimore County woman pleads guilty to conspiring with neo-Nazi leader to attack energy grid (The Baltimore banner)

How I upgraded my water heater and discovered how bad smart home security can be (Ars Technica)

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FBI strikes against a cybercrime syndicate. May 16, 2024

Show notes

The FBI seizes BreachForums. NCSC rolls out a 'Share and Defend' initiative. ESports gaming gets a level up in their security. The spammer becomes the scammer. Bitdefender is sounding the alarm. The city of Wichita gets a wake-up call. In our Threat Vector segment, host David Moulton discusses the challenges and opportunities of AI adoption with guest Mike Spisak, the Managing Director of Proactive Security at Unit 42. And no one likes a cyber budgeting blunder.

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CyberWire Guest

In our Threat Vector segment, David Moulton, Director of Thought Leadership at Unit 42, discusses the challenges and opportunities of AI adoption with guest Mike Spisak, Managing Director of Proactive Security at Unit 42. They emphasize the importance of early security involvement in the AI development lifecycle and the crucial role of inventorying AI usage to tailor protection measures. You can listen to the full episode here.

Selected Reading

FBI seize BreachForums hacking forum used to leak stolen data (Bleeping Computer)

New UK system will see ISPs benefit from same protections as government networks (The Record)

Riot Games, Cisco to Connect and Protect League of Legends Esports Through Expanded Global Partnership (Cisco)

To the Moon and back(doors): Lunar landing in diplomatic missions (WeLiveSecurity)

New Black Basta Social Engineering Scheme (ReliaQuest)

IoT Cameras Exposed by Chainable Exploits, Millions Affected (HackRead)

Kimsuky APT Using Newly Discovered Gomir Linux Backdoor (Decipher)

Law enforcement data stolen in Wichita ransomware attack (The Record)

Nigeria Halts Cybersecurity Tax After Public Outrage (Dark Reading)

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