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BinDiff is a constant presence inside a security researcher’s toolbox, ideal for patch and malware analysis or reverse engineering of code. The Google-owned software allows researchers to conduct side-by-side comparisons of binary files in disassembled code looking for differences in the samples. Until last week, BinDiff came with a price, but on Friday Google announced that it was making the plug-in available for free. Researchers still have purchase the Hex-Rays IDA Pro disassembler, 6.8 or later to use the plug-in, however.
Nonetheless, researchers are quick to applaud the fact that Google has removed a barrier to entry for advanced analysis. “BinDiff is an invaluable tool for security researchers, allowing one to rapidly see what’s different between programs,” said Mark Dufresne, director of malware research and threat intelligence at Endgame. “With polymorphism becoming increasingly common and the rate of change in malicious software accelerating, BinDiff’s abilities to help researchers cluster new samples to known malware families and isolate new behaviors in malware are both critical. |
Simple UsageBad Passwd
is a simple app: you open it, enter a password, tap the Check Password button, and find out if the password has appeared in a data breach or password dump.
This app uses the Have I Been Pwned? API v2
) to check password hashes.
❓ The only permission required is Internet access.
💾 No user entered data is stored by the app.
⌨️ The hash prefix (first 5 characters of the SHA-1 hash of the password) is updated as you type a password and is displayed next to the Check Password button.
🌐 A tap of a button is required before an API request is made over the Internet, and the only URL that will be requested is https://api.pwnedpasswords.com/range/HASH, where HASH is that displayed next to the button.
⬆️ The only domain name accessed is api.pwnedpasswords.com, and redirects are disabled.
♿ Accessible to those using accessibility tools such as TalkBack.
👂 All visual hints of the app doing something in the background have a verbal equivalent for text to speech users.
🚫 For the password input screen of the app, taking screenshots is disabled.
🤐 Switching away from the app clears any entered password, clears the displayed results of any password hash lookup (including how many times it has appeared in data breaches), and resets the password visibility toggle.
👁️ The password visibility toggle is coloured a shade of red when passwords are displayed, as a compromise between security and functionality.
🌙 This app has a dark/night mode. |
Somebody poisoned the waterhole!
As a summer 2018 SULI intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I simulated synthetic cyber-attacks on water distribution systems with naïve augmentations of sensor data. Then I performed deep transfer learning on synthetic-attack data to detect real cyber-attacks.
These two graduate projects extend my previous work by first replacing the naïve attack engine with deep learning, then with network interdiction.
6.883 Modeling with Machine Learning:
From Algorithms to Applications Spring 2019
In my final project for this course, I built an adversarial variational autoencoder (VAE) to generate synthetic attacks. The adversarial VAE variant includes a second neural network branch from the latent space whose task is to classify the reconstructed sensor readings as clean or compromised. The loss function is a linear combination of KL-divergence and binary cross-entropy to enforce smooth and clustered encoding.
This approach achieved slight attack detection improvement over the naïve engine.
1.208 Resilient Networks
In this course’s final project I turned to network interdiction models to add domain-specific knowledge for synthetic attack generation. I used network interdiction outcomes to identify critical links or network components which an attacker might target to maximize the effect of a single cyber-layer interference. These targeted links were translated into a distribution over the water distribution network’s cyber components. I used this distribution to model a potential adversary’s topological priorities.
I generated synthetic attacks over the cyber components proportionally to the simulated component priority distributions. The results indicated that topology-informed synthetic attacks enable more sensitive, more specific, and less paranoid detection of true cyber-attacks than the topology-agnostic attack engines. |
Explore the fundamentals of computer networking security and monitoring.
In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Describe the client-server network model.
- Describe the difference between authentication and authorization.
- List the different network firewall types.
- List the types of items to monitor in a network.
- Map core network components to Azure networking. |
In the real life you can’t have a medicine without going to the dr who will tell you to analyze your blood so he can know what type of infection you have then he can give you the right cure .
Malware analysis is one of the most important work in information security field , you may be the dr who will give the cure or the one who will analyze the system for the infection , today we will be the analyzer and the dr :D .
First How To Define The Symptoms For The Infection :
As a Dr you will take a look at the systems and try to notice suspicious behavior like :
- Cpu work at 100% when no user programs are running.
- Icons on task bar for programs user didn’t install.
- Network is always busy and everyone have slow connection .
- Unknown programs runs at startup .
- Document and files encrypted.
- Web pages open automatically on startup or when using the system.
- Messages sent without user interaction through skype or other messengers.
- Strange mouse motion like it controlled by someone.
- Applications won’t start , some times another program run.
- Browser Popups and ads in websites have no ads.
Second – How To Define The Infection Type :
After you noticed a suspicious behavior now you will search for a malware that have similar behavior .
to find this malware we must begin with a start point which may be :
- If the infection in browser we must get the name of the website that open as default page , search the plugins for suspicious plugins we didn’t install .
- If the infection is a Desktop Popups , we must get the info displayed in these popups .
- If the infection in process that use 100% from cpu , we get the name of the process .
- If the infection in programs that show in taskbar , we get the name of this programs .
- If the infection is encryption of files , we get the extension of this encrypted files .
- If the infection is making the network slow , we get a capture of data transmitted to internet ( how to explained later ) .
now we search google for these info , you must know that the malware infected you has a probability of 70% that is infected other users and the anti-malware company’s caught him , so there is high probability that you will find the cause , name of malware , and the way to remove it .
Third – New Malware ? Lets Analyze And Make A Cure .
In malware analysis you must get a sample of the malware ( infection ) so you can isolate it from other programs and do your test in virtulized environment and gather info about what the malware can do and how to reverse and delete any record or infection done .
when you analyze malware you should know from where to gather information and what the locations malware usualy left a trace in it , as human body huge and complicated Operating systems also huge there is many location for malware to hide but there is a locations which malware must interact with in order to keep running in the system and to do its dirty work , so we must search in these location in order to analyze the malware right :
- watch every Folder or file open when malware run .
- Watch any edit on registry when malware run .
- Watch any traffic out from network interface .
Drs have their own tools to analyze the microbics , as system Drs we have our own tools to analyze and gather even smallest information about the target malware .
from a various great tools we chosen those :
- Regshot : this tool can analyze the registry before and after the infection then compare them to get the difference which will be what the malware did .you can dowload it from here
- Process monitor : great tool from microsoft that watch every process and get any small detail of the task did by this process .you can dowload it from here
- Dirwatch : this tool watch every attempt to read , write in any folder in the system .you can dowload it from here
- Process Explorer : this tool from microsoft will give us all details about the running process . you can dowload it from here
- Wireshark : a great tool that will capture all the traffic out from network interface so we can analyze it later . you can dowload it from here |
New registration of .CLOUD domains.
Renewal of .CLOUD domains per year.
Transfer of .CLOUD domains to us.
Learn more about .CLOUD domains
The .CLOUD domain is a so-called gTLD domain name.
The abbreviation gTLD stands for Generic Top Level Domain. These are essentially domains that cannot be assigned to a country. The best known are .com or .net.
The domain is managed by
ARUBA PEC S.p.A. |
A new Android banking trojan is targeting financial institutions, crypto-wallets, and the retail industry. Dubbed S.O.V.A., the Russian word for Owl, the feature-rich malware abuses device accessibility services to steal personal identifiable information and banking credentials. S.O.V.A. is still in its development phase and, if authors deliver on future capabilities promised, this already dangerous malware could become one of the most damaging banking trojans to date.
S.O.V.A. is currently targeting users in the U.S., Spain, and others with malicious mobile apps. These apps are impersonating brands to convince a user to download the malware onto their mobile device. Once the victim opens the app, the trojan requests permission to use Android’s Accessibility Service. This will give the attacker the ability to intercept and monitor all activities occurring on the device screen.
S.O.V.A. will create listeners on the infected device that trigger action from the attacker every time an event occurs. Events include uploading data, opening a targeted application, or receiving an SMS. Each time a listener is triggered, the details of that event are sent to the attacker’s command-and-control (C&C) server. The attacker will then perform their desired action.
Current actionable features:
- Send and Intercept SMS
- Notification Control
- Add or Delete Apps
- Clipboard Manipulation
- Session Cookie Stealer
Two of the more advanced functions include clipboard manipulation and the ability to steal session cookies.
Operators have the ability to modify the victim’s clipboard. This function can be used to substitute cryptocurrency addresses and redirect stolen funds to the criminal’s wallet. Specifically, if the data happens to be a Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance, or TRON wallet address, S.O.V.A. operators can remove and replace it with a corresponding address that is tied to the attacker.
The ability to steal session cookies is not unheard of with Android malware, however it is uncommon. S.O.V.A. carries out this action by creating a WebView that will mimic the target’s intended login page. Once the victim provides credentials and logs in, the actor can steal cookies via Android CookieManager. Once in possession of a session cookie, the actor has access to the victim’s logged in account, rendering banking credentials nonessential. S.O.V.A. creators plan to automate this feature in future versions.
Along with S.O.V.A.’s already robust set of capabilities, future features indicate the malware will be particularly advanced, including:
- Automatic Cookie and Overlay Injections
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
- Virtual Network Computing (VNC)
- Deploy Ransomware
- 2FA Interception
S.O.V.A.’s authors have not been shy about announcing these features, going as far as to provide videos and screenshots of what is to come. Additionally, modifications to the malware have been made to include IP checks to avoid targeting the CIS region and increased support for Chinese phone manufacturers.
Since its discovery in July, S.O.V.A. has differentiated itself not only with the wide-variety of features it is capable of executing, but also the extensive list of future functions not usually seen in mobile malware. If these are executed, S.O.V.A. could set a new and dangerous standard for Android banking malware .
Suspected C2 Endpoints:
PhishLabs will continue to monitor S.O.V.A. for new activity and updates. |
The Cat Ransomware is a file-locking Trojan that's a variant of the Xorist Ransomware, a freely-available programming project. The Cat Ransomware attempts to stop users from opening their files by encrypting them and creates a ransom note in Cyrillic that recommends texting an SMS number for help. Users should always have backups safely protected to recover any files and let their PC's security solutions delete the Cat Ransomware as needed.
The Cat Came from Russia to Nip at Files
With 'freebie' programs like the Xorist Ransomware of GitHub fame, anyone in the world can pick up and deploy a Trojan without much coding knowledge. The Cat Ransomware, a new variant in kind, seems that it's from Russia – or, at least, concerning itself with attacking users in that area. Between Cyrillic text, SMS messaging, and limited recovery attempts, this Trojan-in-progress is more interesting than its family's simpler variants.
For comparison, readers might glance at the Files Fixer Ransomware, the AAC Ransomware, the Xorist-Frozen Ransomware, the Xorist-XWO Ransomware, or the YaKo Ransomware, all of which also are family members. These Trojans all target Windows systems with an encryption feature for locking documents, databases, pictures, audio and other media files. Users should note that this attack is reversible in some cases, with the help of free decryption applications.
The Cat Ransomware also adds 'cat' extensions onto the files it so blocks. As per usual, the ransom warning it offers victims provides some clues as to the attacker's background and level of expertise. The Trojan provides Cyrillic-based instructions without English translation and warns that too many attempts at entering the decryption code will destroy the files. It also has the novelty of preferring SMS messaging for negotiations, but the number is a non-working placeholder.
Skinning a Cat without Harm to Any Media
Updates to the Cat Ransomware will, almost certainly, provide a working contact for the threat actor, who may demand anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands – or more – dollars in ransom. These transactions usually invoke cryptocurrency, which protects the attacker from refunds by the victim. However, it also places the victim in the threatening position of risking their money for a solution they might not receive.
Besides free decryption options unique to Xorist Ransomware, users should also protect their work for recovery through secured backups. Backups on detachable devices or cloud services are safer than local ones, which most Trojans will delete or encrypt. For most file-locking Trojans, encryption isn't reversible without the threat actor's information, even with conclusive samples and the help of a dedicated cyber-security specialist.
Residents of Russia will have to deal with their country's history with the threat landscape sooner or later, but whatever actions they take should include well-maintained backup precautions. Without that bare minimum solution, the Cat Ransomware, or another threat just like it, will have every opportunity of turning their files into coinage.
Use SpyHunter to Detect and Remove PC Threats
If you are concerned that malware or PC threats similar to Cat Ransomware may have infected your computer, we recommend you start an in-depth system scan with SpyHunter. SpyHunter is an advanced malware protection and remediation application that offers subscribers a comprehensive method for protecting PCs from malware, in addition to providing one-on-one technical support service.
Why can't I open any program including SpyHunter? You may have a malware file running in memory that kills any programs that you try to launch on your PC. Tip: Download SpyHunter from a clean computer, copy it to a USB thumb drive, DVD or CD, then install it on the infected PC and run SpyHunter's malware scanner. |
XIA supports direct communication with different types of destination, e.g., hosts (red), replicated services (green) and content that can be cached 'anywhere' (blue). The set of destination types can evolve over time through the use of fallback addressing: destination addresses can list multiple ways of reaching a destination, including identifiers for new (e.g., content -- CID) and well-established (e.g., host -- HID) destination types. The use of cryptographic identifiers allows nodes to verify easily that they are communicating with the intended destination. The figure also illustrates the two network deployments planned for XIA: a vehicular network and large scale video streaming. Research on control protocols supporting secure network operations are another focus area for the next phase of XIA. |
A security toll gate is a checkpoint or control point to manage access to a secure area or system. The security toll gate can take many forms, from physical gates or barriers to electronic systems requiring authentication and authorization. The purpose of a security toll gate is to provide an additional layer of security to protect against potential threats and help maintain the integrity and confidentiality of the protected area or system. Effective security toll gates protect against cyber-attacks, data breaches, and other security threats.
In this blog, we will discuss about how to build an effective security toll gates for Azure and on-premises resources.
Let’s consider a scenario where a customer has infrastructure on Azure and on-premises, and they want to deploy a solution around threat protection, prevention of attacks, and monitoring their hybrid infrastructure.
Business Challenges: Below are some of the business challenges customers want to solve.
Note: We strongly recommend automatic provisioning, but you can manage it manually and turn off this policy.
Note: If you have a proxy server in your environment, go to the Advanced option and configure the proxy server URL and Port number.
Azure Infrastructure Architect |
Charlottesville City Schools employs a filter to reduce the amount of spam (unsolicited junk email) and virus-infected email that you receive in your inbox. This filter works by scanning all incoming mail for viruses, spam, and potentially malicious attachments (i.e. those usually associated with viruses). It will then analyze the results of the scan and quarantine any mail that is suspect.
The intent of the filter is to increase the likelihood that the mail in your mailbox is legitimate mail. It will not completely eliminate unwanted email or viruses. You must still use good judgment and common sense when opening email messages, especially those with attachments. Junk mail may still be delivered to your mailbox as no filter is 100% effective at catching all spam. Filters are always playing catch-up and reacting to the new and creative strategies that spammers employ. Also, newsletters and other email that you have opted to receive, even though you may consider them junk, may not be blocked by the filter. Virus infected messages may also be delivered to your mailbox before they have been identified as viruses by the anti-virus vendors we use.
Due to the technology used to scan mail, filters will occasionally mistakenly identify legitimate mail messages as spam. You will need to check your quarantine periodically to ensure that there are no legitimate messages (false-positives) stored there.
Do not rely on a filter, to block all undesirable messages. Immediately delete messages that are suspicious. Do not open attachments that you are not expecting. |
Once all the leaf nodes have been assigned meaningful values for each indicator, you can continue on to perform analysis on the tree. The basic kind of analysis used is called Pruning. While it it not as accurate as other methods, it is a simple analysis method which is easy to understand.
To create a pruning tree, click on the Analyze menu, and then select Create Pruning Tree.
You will be prompted to enter a name; this is generally the name of the particular adversary. In our example, we will be pruning based on a script kiddie's abilities.
We assume that a script kiddie, while by definition having access to computers (perhaps belonging to his parents, or school), does not have much money to spend on attack-related equipment. Furthermore, he is unlikely to posess a great degree of computer skills. While downloading and perhaps compiling exploit code from the Internet is well within his skill level, it is unlikely that he can discover and exploit an unknown buffer overflow, for example.
Now that we have decided what resource and skills our stereotypical script kiddie possesses, we can now define this within the profile. Click on the black hat icon in the toolbar to define our adversary's abilities.
Select the Indicator Name (for instance, Cost of Attack), the Operator (usually <= for ranged indicators), and the value (in this case, $100).
This means that we assume our adversary cannot spend more than $100 on a particular attack. Repeat this for all the indicators in your tree, clicking Apply after each. When you are complete, hit OK to return to the tree.
You will now see that a number of nodes have been removed. These are the attacks which are beyond the capability of the attacker. For instance, if an attack cost $1,000 and we assume the attacker only has $100 at his disposal, then the attack is removed from the tree.
By clicking on the Analysis -> Attack Scenarios menu item, you can now see which attacks are still available to the adversary given the limitations as previously defined.
Note that there are now only ~40 possible scenarios, as opposed to over 500 before pruning. By allowing analysts to focus on a smaller subset of attacks, SecurITree can help in the process of determining which vulnerabilities are more critical than others.
This procedure can be repeated with other threat agents (we could have perhaps used an industrial spy, a disgruntled employee, etc.). Each of these threat agents have different abilities, motivations, etc., and thus can each perform different classes of attacks. While it would be possible to perform all of these calculations by hand, it would take days to do what we just did in three minutes using SecurITree. By greatly reducing the time needed for analysis, SecurITree allows us to ask 'what-if' questions and model the answers.
At this point, you should have a decent grasp of how basic pruning is performed and the value of this analysis. If you want to review the information again, you can hit the Refresh button; if you want to print this demonstration, you can do so using your browser's Print button. Otherwise, please continue on to the next slideshow: Advanced Analysis, or return to the main demo page. |
Anomaly Detection on Streams
Anomaly detection generally refers to the process of automatically detecting events or behaviors which deviate from those considered normal. It is an unsupervised process, and can thus detect anomalies which have not been previously encountered. It is based on estimating a model of typical behavior from past observations and consequently comparing current observations against this model. It can be performed either on a single stream or among multiple streams. Anomaly detection encompasses outlier detection as well as change detection and therefore is closely related to forecasting and clustering methods.
Anomaly detection in streams has close connections to traditional outlier detection, as well as to change detection. The former is a common and widely studied topic in statistics . The latter emerged in the context of statistical monitoring and control for continuous processes and the widely used CUSUM algorithm was proposed as early as 1954 . With the emergence of data stream management systems, anomaly detection in this setting has received significant attention, with applications in network management and intrusion detection, environmental monitoring, and surveillance, to mention a few.
Anomaly detection is closely related to outlier detection and change detection. After a review of the main ideas, the streaming case is presented.
The existing approaches to outlier detection can be broadly classified into the following categories. Typically, outlier detection relies on a model for the data. Model parameters are estimated based on appropriately chosen historical data. As new observations arrive, they are either compared directly against the model and are declared outliers if the fit is poor. Alternatively, a second set of model parameters may be estimated from recent observations. If there is a statistically significant difference among the two sets of parameters, the new observations are declared as outliers.
Clustering-Based and Forecasting-Based Approaches
Many clustering and forecasting algorithms detect outliers as by-products. However, not all clustering or forecasting procedures can be easily turned into outlier detection procedures.
Methods in this category are typically found in statistics textbooks. They deploy some standard distribution model (e.g., Gaussian) and flag as outliers those objects which deviate from the model. These work well in many occasions, but may be unsuitable for high-dimensional data sets, or when reasonable assumptions about the distribution of data points cannot be made.
Distance-Based and Density-Based Approaches
A point in a data set is a distance-based outlier if at least a fraction β of all other points are further than r from it. This outlier definition is based on a single, global criterion determined by the parameters r and β. This can lead to problems when the data set has both dense and sparse regions. Density-based approaches aim to remedy this problem, by relying on the local density of each point’s neighborhood.
Sequential hypothesis testing and sequential change detection arose out of problems in statistical process control. Assume a collected sequence of observations, modeled as random variables X 1, X 2,…, X t ,…. Additionally, assume that X t are drawn from a distribution with parameter θ and that a test of whether the true parameter is θ 0 or θ 1 is desired.
The Sequential Likelihood Ratio Test (SLRT) relies on the logarithm of likelihood ratios z t := log(p(x t ; θ 0)∕p(x t ; θ 1)) and tests the cumulative sum z 1 +…+ z t to decide upon the true parameter.
This can be extended to other settings, such as detecting changes in other distribution parameters. For example, in its simplest form, CUSUM tests for a shift in the mean by essentially applying SLRT, assuming points independently drawn from a Gaussian distribution with known variance. Many other versions have appeared since the CUSUM test was first proposed , relaxing or modifying some of these assumptions.
In general, change detection is closely related to outlier detection; in fact, change detection may also be viewed as outlier detection along the time axis.
Limited resources. In a streaming setting, a large number of observations arrives over time and the total volume of data grows indefinitely. However processing and storage capacity are limited, in comparison to the amount of data. Therefore, data summarization or sketching techniques need to be applied, in order to extract a few, relevant features from the raw data.
Concept drift. In an indefinitely growing collection of observations, changes in the underlying features (e.g., distribution parameters) may not necessarily correspond to anomalies, but rather be part of normal changes in the behavior of the system. Thus, mechanisms to handle such non-stationarity or concept drift and adapt to changing behavior are necessary .
Next, several of the approaches that have been studied in the literature are reviewed.
In the past several year, a number of techniques for sketch or synopsis construction have appeared, with applications to many stream processing problems. Some examples include CM sketches, AMS sketches, FM sketches, and Bloom filters . Other summarization techniques specifically for data clustering on streams have appeared, such as those in [1, 4], which can be easily extended for outlier detection on streams.
In many applications, the appearance of sudden bursts in the data often signifies an anomaly. For example, in a network monitoring application, a burst in the traffic volume to a particular destination may signify a denial of service (DoS) attack. Thus, burst detection on streams has received significant attention. Examples of such work include and .
Often a collection of multiple streams is available and measurements from different streams may be highly correlated with each other. If the strength of correlations changes over time or the number of correlated components varies , this often signifies changes in the underlying data-generating process that may be due to anomalies.
More generally, detecting significant changes has been studied in the context of stream processing .
With the widespread adoption of the internet, various forms of malware (e.g., viruses, worms, trojans, and botnets) have become a serious and costly issue. Most intrusion detection systems (IDS) rely on known signatures to identify malicious payloads or behaviors. However, there are several efforts underway for automatic detection of suspicious activity on the fly, as well as for automating the signature extraction process.
Maintenance costs for large computer clusters or networks is traditionally labor-intensive and contributes a large fraction of total cost of ownership. Hence, autonomic computing initiatives aim at automating this process. An important first step is the automatic, unsupervised detection of abnormal events (e.g., node or link failures) based on continuously collected system metrics. Streaming anomaly detection methods are used to address this problem.
Applications in quality control and industrial process control have traditionally provided much of the impetus for the development of change detection methods. Machinery used in a production chain (e.g., food preparation or chip fabrication) typically monitor a large number of process parameters at each step. Early detection of sudden changes in those parameters is important to identify potential flaws in the process which can severely affect end product quality.
Small and cheap sensors which can continuously monitor patient physiological data (e.g., temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, ECG measurements, glucose levels, etc.) are becoming widely available. Anomaly detection methods can prove essential in enabling early diagnosis of potential life-threatening conditions, as well as preventive healthcare.
Early detection of faults by continuously monitoring civil infrastructure components (e.g., bridges, buildings, and roadways) can reduce maintenance costs and increase safety. Similarly, surveillance systems on urban environments rely on anomaly detection methods to spot suspicious activities and increase security.
Certain anomalies can be detected only by taking into account information collected from a large number of different sources. Even if data ownership issues are resolved, collecting all this information at a central site is often infeasible due to its large volume. A number of efforts have tackled this problem in the past few years, but much remains to be done, especially as the scale of information collected increases. Also related to this trend is anomaly detection on more complex data, such as time-evolving graphs.
- 1.Aggarwal CC, Han J, Wang J, and Yu PS. A Framework for clustering evolving data streams. In: Proceeding of the 29th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, 2003, p. 81–92.Google Scholar
- 5.Hulten G, Spencer L, and Domingos P. Mining time-changing data streams. In: Proceeding of the 7th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, 2001, p. 97–106.Google Scholar
- 7.Kleinberg J. Bursty and hierarchical structure in streams. In: Proceeding of the 8th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, 2002, p. 91–101.Google Scholar
- 10.Papadimitriou S, Sun J, and Faloutsos C. Streaming pattern discovery in multiple time-series. In: Proceeding of the 31st International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, 2005, p. 697–708.Google Scholar
- 12.Wang H, Fan W, Yu PS, and Han J. Mining concept-drifting data streams using ensemble classifiers. In: Proceeding of the 9th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, 2003, p. 226–35.Google Scholar
- 13.Zhu Y and Shasha D. StatStream: statistical monitoring of thousands of data streams in real time. In: Proceeding of the 28th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, 2002, p. 358–69.Google Scholar
- 14.Zhu Y and Shasha D. Efficient elastic burst detection in data streams. In: Proceeding of 9th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, 2003, p. 336–45.Google Scholar |
High security without incorrect detection
With the intelligent engine COCEP*, it can detect manipulated attacks and unknown attacks immediately. Provides accurate detection through semantic analysis and heuristic attack method analysis. Blocks the DDoS at the application level. Provides accurate personal information verification and blocking by using the verification mechanism (Luhn algorithm: ISO/IEC7812).
* COCEP: Contents Classification and Evaluation Processing
Stable and high performance
Provides high performance by optimizing attack detection. Provides high-performance processing by adopting In-Memory Computing technology. Maintains high performance at the high-level security detection setting. Allows expansion of bandwidth by supporting bonding.
Supports various network environments. (EtherChannel, Multi-Segment, VLAN, etc.)
Easy and convenient security management
Installable without changing the existing network environment. A GUI-based setup wizard allows easy and convenient security setup. Applies security features by registering in the Web server and domain.
Supports various web environments
Supports various network environments, including Inline, Reverse Proxy, Transparent Proxy, and HA. Provides various product lineups for small-/mid-/large-scale web service environments. |
An adversary disables the network route between two targets. The goal is to completely sever the communications channel between two entities. This is often the result of a major error or the use of an "Internet kill switch" by those in control of critical infrastructure. This attack pattern differs from most other obstruction patterns by targeting the route itself, as opposed to the data passed over the route.
The adversary requires knowledge of and access to network route.
Typical Likelihood of Exploit
Disabling a network route denies the availability of a service.
More information is available — Please select a different filter.
Page Last Updated or Reviewed:
July 31, 2017
Use of the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification dictionary and classification taxonomy, and the associated references from this website, are subject to the |
2015 wasn’t very long ago, but when we look at significant events in computing, that was the year that the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) was founded to promote the use of containers in the cloud. The first project the CNCF adopted was Kubernetes, a project built and maintained by Google.
The goal of Kubernetes was to provide an open source framework for automating the deployment and management of container-based applications. Within four years, it has risen in prominence to become a dominant player within the container space. With the support of Google, and adoption by major IT players like Intel, Evernote, Starbucks, and Yahoo, among others, it appears to be not only here to stay — It’s continuing to take the world by storm.
In this article, we’re going to talk about Kubernetes security and access control. We’re going to discuss mechanisms in place within the Kubernetes ecosystem to authenticate and authorize users, and we’re going to consider the benefits of using a central security service to manage not only Kubernetes, but also our entire IT infrastructure.
Kubernetes Authentication and Authorization
Access within a Kubernetes cluster consists of two distinct operations. Users of the cluster authenticate through a variety of means before they can gain access. Different providers of Kubernetes hosting may use different strategies, but in general, a user needs to authenticate through one of the following:
- Authentication proxy
- Bearer token
- Client certificate
- HTTP basic authentication
After authentication, a user can access all resources within the cluster. We can limit this access by configuring authorization, which determines which resource they can access within the cluster. Authorization can be configured to grant or deny all access to users — or for a more granular approach, you can enable one of the following authorization methods.
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
RBAC provides the most straightforward and comprehensive control of what and how users can access resources.
In its most basic form, RBAC involves the creation of different roles. Roles could include administrators, supervisors, users with full access, and users with read-only access. Users are then assigned a role based on the access they require.
The benefit of the RBAC approach is that you don’t need to assign access rights at the user’s level. When you consider the different permutations between rights and the number of users, managing such a system would require tremendous overhead, have a high risk for errors, and would be an auditing nightmare.
RBAC dramatically simplifies the process of assigning rights to users, and in so doing, reduces the time for administration and the propensity for errors. Determining roles and assigning those roles for each cluster is in itself a potential mammoth task, so perhaps we should consider a system which encompasses the benefits of RBAC, but on a global level.
The Benefits of a Centralized Security Service
CyberArk Conjur is a security service which can support the security needs of your organization within a central service. An RBAC model, which is controlled by policies, creates users, groups, and resources, and maintains the relationships between them. Integrations with LDAP further simplify administration, automatically adding and removing users as they join, move within, or leave your organization.
Conjur uses industry-standard cryptography and has been professionally audited to ensure your data and secrets are as safe as possible. All communication between Kubernetes and Conjur is encrypted through TLS, keeping your secrets secure. Conjur is also highly scalable and built to support containerized applications, which makes it the perfect security service to support your Kubernetes clusters.
Using RBAC with Conjur
Conjur provides detailed documentation of how to connect and use Conjur with your Kubernetes, OpenShift or Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). I’m going to highlight some of the benefits and walk through the steps at a high level, including links to additional information as appropriate.
As I mentioned above, using Conjur centralizes all your security requirements, allowing developers to focus on developing and deploying applications, while your security team maintains the access policies in Conjur. Conjur also supports rotation of secrets and encryptions keys and centralized auditing.
Create Policies for the Cluster
The first step in integrating your cluster and Conjur is to create the policies needed to support authorization and authentication. You’ll find example policies here, and you’ll want to make sure you create policies for:
- Users and groups
- Any services which need access
- Kubernetes authentication identities
Initialize the CA
The CA certificate ensures that communication between the cluster and Conjur is encrypted and safe from unauthorized access or manipulation. The steps to initialize and apply the CA certificate are here.
Configure the Conjur Authenticators
The authenticators are defined within a Conjur policy, and each cluster includes the value of the authenticator as an environment variable.
Configure the Authenticator Client
You can download the authenticator client from DockerHub. You can include the client as an init container, or as a sidecar application. The application manifest for each option is listed below.
Each approach requires configuration with the Conjur Appliance information, which is detailed here.
Configure a Shared Volume
To manage tokens between the container and the authenticator, you’ll need to create a shared, in-memory volume which is mounted to both the container and the authenticator at /run/conjur.
Configure the Application
The application needs access to information about the Conjur Appliance. A detailed description of the required parameters is here. The application manifest also needs to be configured with the authenticator client name, as shown here.
Accessing Secrets with Conjur
As an added benefit, the connection to Conjur for authentication and authorization also allows you to use Conjur to store passwords which can be specific to the user, or the service being accessed. You can access these secrets using Summon, the Conjur API, or a variety of client libraries for Ruby, Go, Java and .NET.
If the secrets for your application need to be loaded into Conjur, you’ll need to add these to the appropriate policy and set them through the Conjur CLI, or REST API.
If you’ve followed these steps, all that remains is to start your application. You’ll find additional information in the Conjur documentation, and you can also connect with Conjur and other users on the CyberArk Commons or GitHub. |
The U.S. cybersecurity experts: It provides 25 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) known to be recently leveraged or scanned.
Cyber Threats Observatory has been improved with stereotypes for each tracked malware family in three different behaviors: Domains, Files and Processes
Cyber Threats Observatory has been improved with the introduction of clustering stereotypes for each tracked malware family in three different behaviors: Domains, Files and Processes. Every malicious code, in fact, does specific actions on domains, files and processes realms by meaning that every sample contacts several domain names, spawns specific processes and eventually saves file on HD. Collecting everything coming from their execution and clustering on strings similitude would highlight several stereotypes that would be interesting for further studies or similitude blocking lists. The dashboard, developed by the cyber security expert and Yoroi’s founder Marco Ramilli, monitor trends over thousands even millions of samples, providing quantitative analyses on what has observed during the performed automatic analyses. The data inside are totally auto-generated without control and with no post-processing, and are divided in six sections: Malware Families Trends, Malware Families, Distribution Types, Threat Level Distribution, Stereotypes, and TOP domains. |
Delaware, USA – November 28, 2018 — This month, researchers discovered attacks spreading a new ransomware family. Scroboscope ransomware was created using PHP Devel Studio 3.0 and is distributed as EXE files. It is assumed that the most likely distribution vector is malspam campaigns with malicious attachments, but it is also possible that attackers hack RDP connections and manually install the malware. After infection, Scroboscope Ransomware creates its copies in certain directories, starts several processes, scans the system and deletes shadow copies. After that, it modifies the Windows registry to run at startup and encrypts user data using RC2, adding .N0JJC extension to the encrypted files. Then malware drops ransom note as a text file; attackers suggest contacting them in order to receive instructions for paying ransom in bitcoins and getting a decryptor. For now, it is impossible to decrypt files for free.
Since Scroboscope Ransomware appeared less than a month ago, not all antiviruses are able to detect it on time. Removing shadow copies and the persisting mechanisms prevent files from being restored from backup. To detect such attacks, you can use the Ransomware Hunter rule pack, which leverages statistical profiling and behavioral analysis methods to spot signs of ransomware at every stage of Cyber Kill Chain. Also, you can use VPN Security Monitor to detect signs of abuse or unauthorized access to the RDP connections. |
DNSTwist – OSINT Tool in Linux
DNSTwist allows one to detect phishing, typo squatters, and attack domains that are based on an inputted domain. If you are an owner of a site or have the responsibility of your company’s domain management and brand safety, Dnstwist can be of great use in seeing sites that are trying to harm other people by pretending to be your brand.
- Provides a variety of highly effective domain fuzzing algorithms.
- Unicode domain names (IDN).
- Gives additional domain permutations using dictionary files.
- Efficient multithreaded task distribution.
- Can detect live phishing webpage.
- Rogue MX host detection (intercepting misdirected e-mails).
- Provides geoIP location.
git clone https://github.com/elceef/dnstwist.git cd dnstwist pip install dnstwist
First let’s see the optional arguments Dnstwist provides, type the following command:
Without registered argument:
Let’s start with a simple scan, type the following command:
The empty space in front of some domains shows that they are not registered. To remove these unregistered domains, use a registered argument.
Geoip and Registered argument:
Type the following command to get the geoip of registered domains only.
dnstwist.py --geoip --registered dropbox.com
As we can see that in the previous screenshot geolocation was not shown whereas when we put the geoip flag in our command, we got the geolocation of the domains.
Now let’s fetch web pages and compare their fuzzy hashes to evaluate similarity, type the following command:
dnstwist.py --ssdeep --registered dropbox.com
In conclusion, dnstwist is a very powerful tool written in python and can be used to gather information about other domains name similar to your domain name. |
Android banking scam malware known as shark bot It’s resurfaced on the official Google Play store, posing as a file manager that bypasses app marketplace restrictions.
Most of the users who downloaded the malicious apps resided in the UK and Italy, and the Romanian cybersecurity company Bitdefender Said In an analysis released this week.
SharkBot, first discovered by Clafy towards the end of 2021, Repeated Mobile threats are distributed on both the Google Play store and other third-party app stores.
One of the main purposes of this Trojan is to initiate money transfers from a compromised device using a technique called “Automated Money Transfer System” (ATS), transactions triggered via banking apps are intercepted and in the background the recipient’s account is swapped for an actor-controlled account.
When a user attempts to open a legitimate banking app, it can provide a fake login overlay and steal credentials in the process.
Often such apps offer seemingly harmless functions and sneak into the Google Play Store disguised as antivirus software or cleaners. However, once installed on the device, it also acts as a dropper that can retrieve the malware payload.
Dropper apps that are currently being removed are: –
- X-File Manager (com.victorsoftice.llc) – 10,000+ downloads
- FileVoyager (com.potsepko9.FileManagerApp) – 5,000+ downloads
- LiteCleaner M (com.ltdevelopergroups.litecleaner.m) – Over 1,000 downloads
LiteCleaner M is still available for download from a third-party app store called Apksos, which also houses a fourth SharkBot artifact named “Phone AID, Cleaner, Booster” (com.sidalistudio.developer.app).
The X-File Manager app, accessible only to users in Italy, was downloaded over 10,000 times before being removed. With Google steadily cracking down on permission abuse, it’s no surprise that the attackers chose to use File Her Manager as a decoy.
Google’s developer program policy is Restrict Permission to install external packages (REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES) in several app categories: web browsers, instant messengers with attachment support, file managers, enterprise device management, backup and restore, and device transfer.
Invariably, this permission is abused to download and install malware from remote servers. Banking apps targeted include Bank of Ireland, Bank of Scotland, Barclays, BNL, HSBC UK, Lloyds Bank, Metro Bank and Santander.
“application [i.e., the dropper] We target users in the UK and Italy by running an anti-emulator check and verifying if the SIM ISO is IT or GB ready,” Bitdefender researchers said.
Users who have installed the above apps are advised to remove them and change their bank account passwords immediately.It is recommended that users also enable Play Store Protectscrutinize app ratings and reviews before downloading. |
On July 30th, 2020 the EU Commission has imposed restrictive measures against six individuals and three entities responsible for or involved in various cyber-attacks. These attacks include the one against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and those that are known as ‘WannaCry’, ‘NotPetya’, and ‘Operation Cloud Hopper’.
The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze. Furthermore, EU persons and entities cannot fund those listed.
The legal framework, that includes targeted restrictive measures against cyber-attacks, was adopted in May 2019 and recently renewed. Sanctions are one of the options available in the EU cyber diplomacy toolbox to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities against the EU or its member states. This is the first time the EU has used this tool.
The target individuals include two personas from China, linked to APT10 and designated in connection with Operation Cloud Hopper. The organization employing them is sanctioned too. Operation Cloud Hopper was an espionage campaign that has targeted managed IT service providers (MSPs), allowing the APT10 group unprecedented potential access to the intellectual property and sensitive data of those MSPs and their clients globally.
The other four persons are Russian with different roles in the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GU/GRU). The team of four Russian military intelligence officers attempted to gain unauthorised access to the Wi-Fi network of the OPCW in The Hague, the Netherlands, in April 2018. The cyber-attack aimed at hacking into the Wi-Fi network of the OPCW. If successful, would have compromised the security of the network and the OPCW’s ongoing investigatory work. The Netherlands Defence Intelligence and Security Service disrupted the attempted cyber-attack, thereby preventing serious damage to the OPCW.
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is sanctioned too it is responsible for cyber-attacks with a significant effect: those publicly known as “NotPetya” or “EternalPetya” in June 2017 and the cyber-attacks directed at a Ukrainian power grid in the winter of 2015 and 2016. The actor publicly known as “Sandworm” which is also behind the attack on the Ukrainian power grid, carried out “NotPetya” or “EternalPetya”. The Main Directorate of the General Staff had an active role in the cyber-activities undertaken by Sandworm and can be linked to Sandworm.
The other sanctioned organization is Chosun Expo because it supported and facilitated cyber-attacks against to the Union or its Member States.
These attacks include “WannaCry”, those against the Polish Financial Supervision and Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as cyber-theft from the Bangladesh and the Vietnam Tien Phong Bank. WannaCry was carried out by the actor publicly known as “APT38” or “Lazarus Group”. The links between Chosun Expo and APT38/the Lazarus Group are the accounts used for the attacks.
The attribution of the various attacks has been known for a long time and books and papers have been written on the attributions, but now it is written on an official document maybe to raise an alert on future cyber and hybrid attacks. However, with a bit of hypocrisies, the press release specifies that
“Targeted restrictive measures have a deterrent and dissuasive effect and should be distinguished from attribution of responsibility to a third state.” |
Source port number
Destination port number
The device compares the head information against the preset ACL rules and processes (discards or
forwards) the packet based on the comparison result.
An ASPF implements status-based packet filtering, and provides the following functions:
Transport layer protocol inspection (generic TCP and UDP inspection)—ASPF checks a TCP/UDP
packet's source and destination addresses and port numbers to determine whether to permit the
packet to pass through the firewall into the internal network.
Application layer protocol inspection—ASPF checks application layer information for packets, such
as the protocol type and port number, and monitors the application layer protocol status for each
connection. ASPF maintains status information for each connection, and based on status
information, determines whether to permit a packet to pass through the firewall into the internal
network, thus defending the internal network against attacks.
ASPF also supports other security functions, such as port to application mapping, Java blocking, ActiveX
blocking, ICMP error message inspection and first packet inspection for TCP connection.
At the border of a network, an ASPF can work in coordination with a packet-filter firewall to provide the
network with a security policy that is more comprehensive and better meets the actual needs.
ALG processes payload information for application layer packets.
Working with NAT, ALG implements address translation in packet payloads. Working with ASPF, ALG
implements data connection detection and application layer status checking.
Session management is a common feature designed to implement session-based services such as NAT,
ASPF, and intrusion protection. Session management tracks the connection status by inspecting the
transport layer protocol (TCP or UDP) information, and regards packet exchanges at transport layer as
sessions, performing unified status maintenance and management of all connections.
In actual applications, session management works together with ASPF to dynamically determine whether
a packet can pass the firewall and enter the internal network according to connection status, thus
The session management function only implements connection status tracking. It does not block potential
To protect internal network resources (hosts or servers) and correctly allocate system resources on the
device, you can configure connection limit policies to collect statistics and limit the number of connections,
connection establishment rate, and connection bandwidth.
Attack detection and protection
ARP attack protection
Although ARP is easy to implement, it provides no security mechanism and is vulnerable to network
attacks. An attacker can exploit ARP vulnerabilities to attack network devices. HP has provided a |
In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about the Application Control module. Application Control has been created to control which processes (or applications) can be executed on client machines and how they are executed. You can define a set of rules that describe what processes are allowed or blocked on the endpoints in your environment using details like Software Name, Paths, Publisher, MD5, Signature, or Wildcard Path.
Application Control allows you to accelerate your application approval or denial flow for files with default ruling and create or modify flows for individual users or AD groups. You can handle how a process (it can get automatic elevation from the Privileged Access Management module, if so configured) or a child process (it can allow or block all processes spawned by the process matched by the rule) should run.
HOW DOES APPLICATION CONTROL WORK?
Application Control is a product/service under the HEIMDAL Agent that controls the processes that are allowed to run or not on a computer. It is designed to work on regular Windows clients. Although it can be enabled on Windows Servers as well, it is NOT recommended to have it enabled on servers as it might cause high CPU usage when the operating system is processing a lot of files/processes/applications. When processes are allowed to run, they can be allowed to run with an Administrator role and they can be allowed to spawn child processes. Application Control is managed by the Heimdal ProcessLock service that captures every process that is started and checks if it’s allowed to run or not.
A. Blocked processes
A process can be blocked from running by creating a block rule in the HEIMDAL Dashboard to match the process in question (a rule can be defined based on Software Name, Paths, Publisher, MD5, Signature, or Wildcard Path). In order to block a process, Application Control intercepts it and kills it along with all its services in a maximum 5-second interval (processes that are already running when the blocking rule is applied will not be killed, because they are not intercepted when they are already running, but when they are getting run). If the blocked process is executed for the first time, the process might start but it will be killed immediately. During the interception, the process is registered in a blocking repository. When the process is executed a second time, the process won’t start at all, because it is already present in the blocking repository. The intercepting repository consists of a list of items stored in the local Windows Registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options). For each blocked process, Application Control adds a redirect path to a console application (Heimdal.ProcessLock.Trigger.exe) that is run by Application Control instead of running the blocked process. The Heimdal ProcessLock service will log the attempt and send it to HEIMDAL Dashboard, if necessary. Heimdal.ProcessLock.Trigger.exe won’t appear on the user’s screen and will be opened for a few seconds max.
B. Allowed processes
A process can be allowed to run by creating an allow rule in the HEIMDAL Dashboard to match the process in question (a rule can be defined based on Software Name, Paths, Publisher, MD5, Signature, or Wildcard Path). In order to allow a process, Application Control intercepts it and checks the blocking repository to see if the process is blocked or not. If the process is not on the block list, it is allowed to run.
C. Allow with Auto Elevation
In the case of a process that is allowed to run with auto elevation, Application Control intercepts the process that was started as a Standard user (not as Administrator), kills it, and re-starts it as Administrator using the Run with AdminPrivilege functionality (the process is run by the NT Authority\System user). This functionality is independent of the Privileged Access Management module. The blocking repository (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options) is used by the auto elevation functionality to identify a process that has been configured to be Allowed with Auto Elevate rule in the HEIMDAL Dashboard. The Heimdal.ProcessLock.FileElevator.exe is the console application that runs the process and sends a message to the Heimdal ProcessLock service, in order to log the execution and start that process with Administrator permissions.
- When Default File Action is set to Allow and there aren’t any rules created, Application Control clears all registries that were created/updated by the module. If there are still any rules defined in Group Policy, Application Control will search for each process blocked in registries and remove only those processes that are not blocked anymore (either by default action or rule);
- When it comes to system processes (that are required by the Operating System to run), they are hardcoded to be allowed to run by default;
- Every time a Group Policy update event is triggered, Application Control clears all the registries for this kind of rule(s) and recreates all entries based on Full Path rules;
- When the Heimdal ProcessLock service is stopped, we remove all registry values for those files.
HEIMDAL AGENT - APPLICATION CONTROL
On the HEIMDAL Agent's home page view, you can see the current status of the Agent and the modules that are enabled for your computer. The Application Control module displays information about the Process Name and the Status of each intercepted process.
APPLICATION CONTROL view
The Application Control view displays a table with all the intercepted processes that are running on the computers inside your organization. Newly-intercepted processes are visible in the HEIMDAL Dashboard 24 hours after the interception made by the HEIMDAL Agent. The processes that were already intercepted will be displayed in the HEIMDAL Dashboard in real time. On the top, you see a statistic regarding the number of Pending Requests and the number of used Admin Rights.
The collected information is placed in the following views: Full logging, Matching Allowed rules, Matching Blocked rules, and Matching Allowed with auto elevation.
- Full logging
This view displays a table with all the processes that are intercepted by the Application Control module and the following details: Process Name, Number of Executions, Publisher, Software Name, Version, MD5, Status, and Timestamp. The data in this view updates in real-time for the processes that have already been intercepted, but it updates overnight when it comes to newly intercepted processes.
- Matching Allowed rules
This view displays a table with all the allowed processes that are intercepted by the Application Control module and the following details: Process Name, Number of Executions, Publisher, Software Name, Version, MD5, Status and Timestamp.
- Matching Blocked rules
This view displays a table with all the blocked processes that are intercepted by the Application Control module and the following details: Process Name, Number of Executions, Publisher, Software Name, Version, MD5, Status, and Timestamp.
- Matching Allowed with auto elevation
This view displays a table with all the processes that are allowed with the Auto Elevation feature by the Application Control module and the following details: Process Name, Number of Executions, Publisher, Software Name, Version, MD5, Status, and Timestamp.
- Raw data
This view displays a table with all the processes that are intercepted by the Application Control module with the following details: Process Name, Number of Executions, Publisher, Software Name, Version, MD5, Status, and Timestamp. The data in this view updates in real-time and requires a short timeframe selection due to the 10,000-entry limitation of our database. We recommend a timeframe of hours/minutes.
You can Allow or Block one or multiple processes by selecting them from the Full Logging or Raw Data views. Clicking on the Number of Executions will redirect you to the process details where you can see the Process Name, the Software Name, the Publisher, the MD5, the Hostname of the computer, the Username, the Version, the Intercepted time, the Group Policy applying to the computer and the Status.
From any of the views, you can select one process and Allow it or Block it in Application Control. Once you select a process, you can choose whether to Block or Allow the process from the dropdown menu:
After hitting the Allow or the Block button, a modal that enables the configuration of the rule will appear:
Global Update - creates the rule in all existing Group Policies;
Custom Policy Update - creates the rule in the selected Group Policies;
Rule Type - Path (you can specify the process' file path), Software name (you can specify the process' name as it appears in Control Panel -> Programs and Features), MD5 (you can specify the process' MD5 hash), Publisher (the Publisher information is taken from the CN value of the Subject field inside the Certificate of a signed file or the Company Name detail of an unsigned file), Signature (you can specify the process' digital signature thumbprint), Wildcard Path (you can specify a wildcard path), Command Line (C:\Documents\test.pdf, *.pdf, C:\*\My Folder\*.pdf);
Subject - add the value of the selected Rule Type. Selecting a Rule Type will automatically fill in the Subject field;
Priority - rules are processed based on priority numbers (the higher the number is the higher the priority is). Leaving gaps between each rule is recommended (10, 20, 30, 40, etc.) to have an easy and neat rule organization, without having to edit existing rules (priority ranges between 0 and 1000);
Allow auto elevation - allows the process to run as Administrator (available only for Allow rules);
Include spawns - allows the process to spawn other child processes (available only for Allow rules).
The Download CSV functionality allows you to generate and download a CSV report that includes all the information in Standard or Verbose mode corresponding to each view.
The Filters functionality allows you to filter entries by Status.
APPLICATION CONTROL settings
The Application Control module allows you to control how processes (and applications) are executed on endpoints inside your organization. You can define a set of rules that describe what processes are allowed or blocked on your machines (in your environment) using details like Software Name, Paths, Publisher, MD5, Signature, or Wildcard Paths. Application Control can handle how a process (it can get automatic elevation from the HEIMDAL Privileged Access Management module, if so configured) or child process (it can allow or block all processes spawned by the process defined by the rule) should run.
Application Control - turn ON/OFF the Application Control module;
Privileged Access Management to bypass the ruleset - allows the Privileged Access Management module to bypass any defined rules during the elevation session;
App Control driver interception - installs and uses a kernel mini-filter driver, improving the speed of the ruleset, as well as blocking any process until the rule is processed;
Apply default action to scripts - allows applying the default action to scripts. The option can be enabled only when Rulseset mode is set to Enable, with the Default file action set to Block.
Full Logging Mode - allows the HEIMDAL Agent to intercept any process(es) running on the endpoints that are applying this Group Policy;
User token elevation - installs a kernel mini-driver that allows the user to elevate files only under the User context (Run with Admin Privilege under the User context, instead of the System context);
Internal port for AppControl - allows you to edit the internal port used by the Application Control module. 8001 is the default port number used by Application Control;
Enable AppControl driver interception - installs and uses the Application Control kernel mini-filter driver that enhances the speed of the HEIMDAL Agent when intercepting and blocking a process;
Reporting mode - scans and logs all the processes with Zero-Trust Execution Protection to the HEIMDAL Dashboard without taking any action (allow or block);
Ruleset Mode - allows you to turn on/off the ruleset or to report the processes matched by the defined rules and to take action on them;
- Disable - disables the rules set in the ruleset;
- Enable - enables the rules set in the ruleset;
- Reporting only - intercepts and reports (in the Application Control view) the processes matched by in the ruleset;
Default file action - this dropdown allows you to select the default action that will be performed (allow or block) if the processes that are executed do not match any rules set in the Ruleset. System Files will be allowed to run unless they are matched on the Ruleset list;
If the Ruleset Mode is set to Enable and the Default file action is set to Block, the Apply default action to script tickbox is activated to be enabled or not. This means that you can allow the selected script extensions from the dropdown field to run no matter the Default file action.
Application Control Rules
You can add a rule to match a process based on several conditions:
- Priority - the higher the priority value, the higher the priority is;
- Subject - depending on the rule type, you can specify a Software name (Microsoft Edge), Path (C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe), MD5 (eaa5674047232d4a08e3f5a80ae41847), Publisher (Microsoft Corporation - the Publisher information is taken from the CN value of the Subject field inside the Certificate of a signed file or the Company Name detail of an unsigned file), Signature (c774204049d25d30af9ac2f116b3c1fb88ee00a4), Wildcard path (%SystemRoot%, %SystemDrive%, %SystemDirectory%, %ProgramFiles%, %ProgramFiles(x86), %ProgramData%, %AppData%, %TEMP%, %SystemDrive%\Test\*\download.exe, C:\test\*\download.exe, C:\test\*), Command Line (C:\Documents\test.pdf, *.pdf, C:\*\My Folder\*.pdf), Certificate subject (CN=Google*C=US*) - the rule will match the first part of the process certificate subject until the first *;
- Friendly name - a friendly name that can be used to search between rules;
- Allow Auto Elevation - specify whether the matched process will run under Administrator elevation or not. For Rule Types other than Path/Wildcard Path, you need to enable App. Control driver interception for the Auto Elevation functionality to work; Note: To gain access and use the"Allow auto elevation" functionality you will require a Privileged Access Management (PAM) module license.
- Spawns - specify whether the matched process will allow the spawns of other child processes or not;
- Rule type - define the rule by Software Name, Path, MD5, Publisher, Signature, Wildcard path, Command Line Arguments, Certificate subject;
- Action Type - allows you to select between Allow and Block;
- Action - allows you to allow or block the defined process;
In the Ruleset table, you can enable Allow auto elevation for the selected rule to allow the matched process to run with Administrator permissions (requires the Application Control driver to be enabled, otherwise the Allow auto elevation will be available only for Path and Wildcard path-type rules). The Spawns tickbox allows the process to spawn other processes. The Deny file permissions tickbox will deny user permissions (Full Control, Read, Write, etc.) when the user is trying to a access file matching the rule that is set to Block. You also have the possibility of searching through the rules and using the Download button to download a .csv file with all the rules in the Ruleset.
Due to possible performance issues, we recommend you keep the number of rules as low as you can (at least when it comes to MD5-type rules). This scenario is also impacted by the size of the files that are matched by rules. The performance issue is not caused by the HEIMDAL Agent itself, but by the fact that the MD5 needs to be computed every time the process is launched (especially with big executable files).
Zero - Trust Execution Process - enables the protection against zero-hour threats compromising your environment (it can be enabled/disabled from the Endpoint Detection -> Next-Gen Antivirus module and from the Privileges & App Control -> Privileged Access Management module as well). Zero-Trust Execution Protection checks the unsigned executable files and blocks their execution if deemed untrusted;
Reporting mode - allows the scan and logging of the applications with Zero - Trust Execution Protection, without taking any action: allow, block.
Exclusions - the exclusion area allows you to exclude a process from the Zero-Trust Execution Protection by File Name, File Path, Directory, or MD5;
Microsoft processes present in the system32 folder are allowed by default but they can be blocked through a block rule in the Application Control ruleset. |
The Privacy Filter is one of the most important parts of the Portmaster: It protects your privacy by blocking connections that are deemed a privacy intrusion deemed by you or the Portmaster itself.
It evaluates all connections leaving or entering your system. Filters are applied to both DNS queries as well as network connections. Every request or connection is run through a long list of checks and settings in order to protect your privacy as best possible.
In addition to rule lists and block lists, the Privacy Filter provides a big set of advanced and dynamic filtering options. It also blocks attempts to circumvent the filtering and enforces it everywhere, all the time.
ICMP/v6 echo requests and replies(no process attribution)
- Any other IP based protocol (no process attribution)
There is a small portion of protocols that are absolutely critical for operating systems to correctly bootstrap and interact with the network itself. In order to guarantee network interoperability, the Portmaster always allows
ICMP/v6 control and error messages.
Because the Portmaster operates on the Network Layer (Layer 3), it does not see Data Link Layer (Layer 2) data or packets. As these can only live within the local network’s broadcast domain, they do not pose a privacy threat. Regarding other Network Layer protocols, alternatives to IP existed, but they can be safely viewed as extinct.
These are the stages which every connection goes through when being evaluated - from top to bottom:
Special and Edge Cases
Before any further processing takes places, Portmaster checks if the connections is one of a few special cases that are always allowed in order to keep everything operational. These are:
- Network Management Connections
- Automatic network configuration via DHCP and DHCPv6
- Network error messages via ICMP and ICMPv6
- Portmaster Itself
- Outgoing connections from Portmaster (Corresponding features can be disabled)
- Device-Local incoming connections to Portmaster
- Internal App Connections
- Connections that come from and go to the same app/binary, even if they are different processes.
If you are using the Simple User Interface, then connections matching these criteria will not show up in order to not confuse you. The Advanced and Developer Interface will show some of these connections.
Connections are blocked according to their scope if enabled by Force Block Internet Access , Force Block LAN or Force Block Device-Local Connections . This applies to both incoming and outgoing connections.
Connections are matched against the rule list:
- Outgoing Rules
- Rules that apply to outgoing network connections. Cannot overrule the above mentioned Connection Scopes and Connection Types.
- Incoming Rules
- Rules that apply to incoming network connections. Cannot overrule the above mentioned Connection Scopes and Connection Types.
Numerous systems and softare use a special domain in order to determine if they are online or not. The Portmaster grants special access to these domains only while Portmaster has not yet detected that the device is online. This improves network bootstrapping.
Processes are prevented from bypassing Portmaster if enabled by Block Secure DNS Bypassing . This includes:
- Notifying Firefox that it should not use its own DNS-over-HTTPS resolver, but fall back to plain DNS, which the Portmaster then handles securely for you.
- Blocking known domains and IPs of DoH and DoT nameservers.
Blocks connection if the domain or IP address is listed in one of the activated Filter Lists .
The Portmaster applies some basic heuristics to detect malicious behaviour in the DNS system if enabled by Enable Domain Heuristics . This currently is rather primitive, but should be able to block the most obvious domains generated by malware, but also DNS tunnels.
Default Network Action
If nothing up to this point wanted to have a say in the decision, the Default Network Action is applied.
The Filter Lists module is responsible for fetching the filter lists, managing them and providing lightning fast access to them.
All these sources are fetched regularly and repackaged into incremental updates, which are distributed via the update system. High frequency lists are updated every hour to give you the best possible protection.
These incremental updates are then “stitched back together” in the Portmaster, as well as fed into a bloom filter in order to provide lightning fast inclusion checks.
The filter lists can be configured in the settings and can be selected by category or indiviually.
This modules provides IP address metadata. This is usually referred to as “GeoIP”, but in reality there is much more important information in there than just location.
We currently build our own IP metadata database, which includes:
- ASN (Autonomous System Number)
- Owner (Organization)
We will also add more detailed logical Internet location information from our own gathering system in the future. |
What is Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A infection?
In this post you will certainly discover about the interpretation of Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A and its negative effect on your computer system. Such ransomware are a kind of malware that is specified by on-line frauds to require paying the ransom by a sufferer.
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
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Most of the instances, Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A virus will certainly advise its sufferers to initiate funds move for the purpose of neutralizing the modifications that the Trojan infection has presented to the target’s gadget.
These alterations can be as adheres to:
- Attempts to connect to a dead IP:Port (1 unique times);
- A process attempted to delay the analysis task.;
- Expresses interest in specific running processes;
- Reads data out of its own binary image. The trick that allows the malware to read data out of your computer’s memory.
Everything you run, type, or click on your computer goes through the memory. This includes passwords, bank account numbers, emails, and other confidential information. With this vulnerability, there is the potential for a malicious program to read that data.
- Drops a binary and executes it. Trojan-Downloader installs itself to the system and waits until an Internet connection becomes available to connect to a remote server or website in order to download additional malware onto the infected computer.
- Uses Windows utilities for basic functionality;
- Attempts to remove evidence of file being downloaded from the Internet;
- Sniffs keystrokes;
- Installs itself for autorun at Windows startup. There is simple tactic using the Windows startup folder located at:
C:\Users\[user-name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\StartMenu\Programs\Startup. Shortcut links (.lnk extension) placed in this folder will cause Windows to launch the application each time [user-name] logs into Windows.
The registry run keys perform the same action, and can be located in different locations:
- Creates a hidden or system file. The malware adds the hidden attribute to every file and folder on your system, so it appears as if everything has been deleted from your hard drive.
- Uses suspicious command line tools or Windows utilities;
- Ciphering the records found on the victim’s disk drive — so the target can no more use the information;
- Preventing normal access to the target’s workstation. This is the typical behavior of a virus called locker. It blocks access to the computer until the victim pays the ransom.
The most common networks through which Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A Trojans are infused are:
- By ways of phishing e-mails;
- As a consequence of user winding up on a source that organizes a destructive software application;
As quickly as the Trojan is effectively infused, it will either cipher the data on the sufferer’s computer or stop the tool from functioning in a proper manner – while additionally putting a ransom money note that mentions the requirement for the victims to impact the settlement for the objective of decrypting the files or bring back the documents system back to the initial problem. In the majority of circumstances, the ransom note will certainly turn up when the customer restarts the COMPUTER after the system has currently been harmed.
Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A distribution channels.
In different edges of the world, Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A expands by jumps and bounds. Nonetheless, the ransom money notes as well as methods of extorting the ransom money amount may differ depending on certain regional (regional) settings. The ransom money notes and techniques of obtaining the ransom amount might vary depending on specific regional (regional) settings.
Faulty notifies about unlicensed software.
In particular locations, the Trojans usually wrongfully report having detected some unlicensed applications made it possible for on the victim’s device. The sharp after that requires the customer to pay the ransom money.
Faulty declarations about prohibited material.
In nations where software piracy is much less prominent, this method is not as efficient for the cyber fraudulences. Alternatively, the Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A popup alert may incorrectly assert to be stemming from a law enforcement establishment and also will certainly report having situated child pornography or other unlawful data on the gadget.
Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A popup alert might incorrectly assert to be obtaining from a legislation enforcement institution as well as will report having located youngster porn or other unlawful information on the tool. The alert will likewise have a need for the customer to pay the ransom.
File Info:crc32: 74828E56md5: 2b9fb0bf80596d9e8279db2739d58281name: 2B9FB0BF80596D9E8279DB2739D58281.mlwsha1: 12edfb5c480261866f5fb2a2ae6f73a9e0364553sha256: 3aae6d2b2be3fa55d906719a5ff6b5f07c1c19ec500b762fb75d601362b58878sha512: a548db7f48f11a9fc6fd2ebd49215f35be1c871461604947b1b0bf59ef2684d5c8b1ee3e13c11feab2a87d75cb709284329fde75e7222fdd11653164f50d502cssdeep: 12288:+hxp3lZnT9bDfOI3hI7hexS7gXJMZRBpNBIszykNPgA:+Jlh9bDfOIRFqUJMnbz5NPgAtype: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windows
Version Info:0: [No Data]
Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A also known as:
|K7AntiVirus||Trojan ( 0056f59e1 )|
|Cynet||Malicious (score: 100)|
|K7GW||Trojan ( 0056f59e1 )|
|ESET-NOD32||a variant of Generik.JZRHFAY|
|MAX||malware (ai score=81)|
How to remove Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A ransomware?
Unwanted application has ofter come with other viruses and spyware. This threats can steal account credentials, or crypt your documents for ransom.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft1
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent PC threats than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft2.
Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A files and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Are Your Protected?
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will scan and clean your PC for free in the trial period. The free version offer real-time protection for first 2 days. If you want to be fully protected at all times – I can recommended you to purchase a full version:
If the guide doesn’t help you to remove Backdoor:Win32/Dodiw.A you can always ask me in the comments for getting help.
User Review( votes) |
What is Cinobi?
Cinobi is Trojan-type malware capable of stealing banking credentials (and is hence classified as a banking Trojan). Research shows that cyber criminals target mostly clients of Japanese banks, however, they might also target those of other banks. If you believe that this banking Trojan might be installed on the operating system, remove it immediately.
Research shows that there are two Cinobi versions: one performs form-grabbing and can be used to modify accessed web pages; the other has the capabilities of the first and can also communicate with a Command and Control (C&C) server through Tor proxy.
The malicious programs are capable of grabbing forms and target internet banking information. They capture confidential information such as credentials (usernames and passwords) directly from the browser form or website. I.e., Trojan-type programs such as Cinobi record information entered into forms based on the their designer's/creator's specifications.
Typically, cyber criminals use stolen information to make fraudulent purchases and transactions, or they sell it to third parties. Cinobi can also be used to perform web injection attacks, which allow cyber criminals to change website content on the victim's side. Therefore, it can be used to make fake forms or web pages, and perform other actions.
Injection attacks are employed to change the appearances of displayed websites and steal identities. Victims of Cinobi attacks might thus become victims of identity theft, suffer monetary loss, experience online privacy issues and other problems. If this banking Trojan is installed on your computer, remove it immediately.
|Threat Type||Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware.|
|Detection Names||Avast (Win32:Trojan-gen), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.33017051), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win64/Agent.SC), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic), Full List (VirusTotal)|
|Detection Names (malicious Logitech Capture installer proliferating Cinobi)||Avast (Win32:Trojan-gen), Combo Cleaner (Gen:Variant.Bulz.52873), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/Agent.ACFG), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Agent.gen), Full List (VirusTotal)|
|Symptoms||Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine|
|Distribution methods||Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'|
|Damage||Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet|
|Malware Removal (Windows)||
To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner.
Other examples of Trojan-type malicious programs designed to steal sensitive information include LatenBot, Grandoreiro and KBOT. Trojans are often designed to spread other malware (e.g., ransomware). Cyber criminals attempt to trick unsuspecting users into installing this software seek to generate as much revenue as possible.
How did Cinobi infiltrate my computer?
Research shows that cyber criminals attempt to proliferate Cinobi through spam campaigns and the Bottle exploit kit, which delivers malware via 'malvertising' (malicious advertisements). Typically, when cyber criminals seek to infect computers with malware through spam campaigns they send emails that contain a malicious attachment and hope that recipients will open/execute it. They commonly send emails that contain a website link that, if opened, downloads a malicious file. In any case, computers become infected when recipients execute the malicious file.
How to avoid installation of malware
Software and files should not be downloaded or installed through third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), freeware download pages, free file hosting sites or other similar channels. All software should be downloaded from official, trustworthy websites and via direct links.
Do not open attachments or web links within irrelevant emails that are sent from unknown, suspicious addresses. Note that cyber criminals often disguise their emails as official, important. Therefore, never open the contents of received emails unless you are sure it is safe to do so.
Furthermore, installed software must be activated and updated with tools/functions that are provided by official software developers. Avoid third party updaters, activators, etc. What is more, it is illegal activate licensed software with 'cracking' tools.
Keep computers/operating systems safe by regularly scanning them for threats with reputable antivirus or anti-spyware software. If you believe that your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Update August 18, 2021 - Cinobi trojan has been noted being proliferated through a malvertising campaign targeting Japanese users. The campaign aims to infect victims' devices with this trojan and subsequently obtain their usernames/passwords from eleven Japanese financial institutions, three of which are based on cryptocurrency trading.
The malicious ads spreading Cinobi have been observed advertising the following products - an animated pornographic video game, video streaming platforms/services, and an app for generating reward points. Victims who click these adverts are redirected to a webpage urging them to download a ZIP archive file, which supposedly contains a 2018 version of the Logitech Capture application. However, the trojanized files are designed to initiate Cinobi's download/installation - upon execution.
Screenshot of files within the virulent archive proliferated through the malvertising campaign:
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
How to remove malware manually?
Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically. To remove this malware we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:
If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example, using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:
Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:
Restart your computer into Safe Mode:
Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button. In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.
In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.
Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.
You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".
After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, be sure to remove it.
Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs. These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.
To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. |
Cyber Detection at Its Best
SNOW is a lightweight cross-platform endpoint detection/response sensor that enables micro and macro level detection and analysis against threat events using proprietary threat detection algorithms and telemetry data gathered from endpoint devices.
More specifically, SNOW is recording and detecting native execution of binaries, loading modules, changes made to the file system (registry) and network connections in order to provide a continuous collection of data for analysis and development of a timeline.
Approximately 1.5-2.0 MB per day per machine of uncompressed data is gathered and approximately 500KB per day per machine of compressed data is transferred to the cloud.
Yes: it’s encrypted using the AES-256 cipher with the key transmitted using 2048-bit RSA. Additionally, HTTPS transport has been implemented. |
I recently came across a piece of malware that is being distributed as an email attachment, posing as a PDF document with a fake file name and icon. It seems like a usual executable malware or botnet client being spammed that does its thing when executed, but after looking into it further, I find it very interesting how simply it was written and how it uses some network administration tools to effectively steal users sensitive info from its computer.
The file was received as zip file attachment to an email and inside the zip file, it contained the file named “document.exe” with a fake PDF file icon.
The file “document.exe” is actually a self-extracting RAR file, and this RAR file contains 7 files as shown in the image below:
As you can see from the image, the file contains a .vbs script file, an .aes file and a couple of .pdf files, but these .pdf files are actually not real PDF document files. They are just renamed to .pdf files to trick users into thinking that they are not malicious. Each file will be explained as we go along.
Since the “document.exe” file is a self-extracting RAR file, it is able to extract the files automatically and it can also be set to automatically execute or open any of the files after extracting. In this case, when document.exe file is executed, it will extract the files to the folder “C:\users\public\Public Document\Adobe” and after extracting, it will run the file “Areader.vbs” which is obviously a VBS script file. This vbs file will then rename the file “Adobe.pdf” to “Adobe.bat”, and then opens a command shell to execute the “Adobe.bat” file which is obviously a Windows CMD Batch file. Now that we know that the “Adobe.pdf” file is actually a Batch file, I will go over the rest of the files and explain what they are.
Adobe.pdf – a renamed Windows CMD batch file. It contains the main commands to install this malware to the system.
bar.zip.aes – this is an encrypted zip fils. It contains other files that hold the password-stealing capabilities of this malware.
crb.pdf – a renamed Windows executable file which is actually an AES Encryption/Decryption tool. This is used to decrypt the file “bar.zip.aes”.
docs.pdf – this is a real blank PDF document which will be opened by the batch file.
unzip.pdf – a renamed Windows executable file which is actually the “unzip.exe” tool that is used to unzip the decrypted “bar.zip.aes” file.
202.pdf – this is a renamed text file which contains FTP scripts that is used for uploading stolen data to the malware authors FTP server.
As mentioned, the Adobe.bat batch file will first open the real pdf file 202.pdf, so that users will think that they are opening a real PDF file. But in the background, it installs the malware to the system by first decrypting the file bar.zip.aes using the mentioned AES Encryption/Decryption tool. When decrypted, the contents of the zip file (shown below) will be extracted in the same directory.
After the files are extracted, the batch file will then call and execute the file “saj.vbs” which will then call the “adb.bat” file. And this “adb.bat” file is the actual script that does the password stealing functions of this malware.
As shown above, there are 4 executable files (.exe), which already look malicious by just looking at their filenames. However, they are not actually malicious but they are some of the Network and System administration forensic tools that can be downloaded from http://securityxploded.com. This is a community based website that focuses on Information Security R & D, and on this site you can find some helpful write-ups, research articles and downloadable tools. These tools are explained as follows:
AcrobatR.exe – this is a command-line base tool called Internet Explorer Password Decryptor Tool. It is used to recover all passwords that has been stored in the Internet Explorer (IE) browser from its Autocomplete and Basic HTTP Authentication.
AdobeT.exe - this is a command-line base tool called Browser Password Dump. Just like the file AcrobatR.exe, but this can now recover passwords stored on different browsers such as IE, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.
AdbeR.exe – this is a command-line tool called “All-in-One Email Password Recovery Tool. It is used to recover email passwords from popular email and chat applications such as MS Outlook, MS Outlook Express, Thunderbird, MSN Messenger, etc.
AcrobaP.exe – although this is not from the “Securityxploded” website, this is a patched version of the tool called “Keep Running” (keeprun.exe) which is developed by a company called JPElectron. It is a tool that can launch an application and ensures that it stays running. In this case, it uses the configuration file keeprun.ini.
As for the rest of the files:
keeprun.ini - the configuration file for the “Keep Running” (AcrobaP) tool. It is set to make sure that the file “iej.bat” will run every 3600 seconds.
Adb.bat and iewk.bat – These are the same files but just with different file names. As mentioned, these are the main scripts for this malware.
aagj.bat – a batch file that runs the “AcrobaP.exe” and registers the registry file “cogj.reg”.
cogj.reg – a registry file that is used to set the malware to run every time the computer starts. It also changes some email settings.
This registry file will create the following registry entries:
These entries will automatically execute the batch file aagj.bat which will then execute the file AcrobaP.exe (Keep Running Tool) to make sure that the malware will execute every 3600 seconds.
dj.vbs – a vbs script file that calls and runs the file “iewk.bat” when executed.
Iej.bat - a Windows CMD batch file that runs the file “dj.vbs”.
Saj.vbs – a vbs script file that calls and runs the file adb.bat.
To continue, when the adb.bat is executed, it will first try to rename all .pdf files to .exe files (e.g. AcrobatR.pdf to AcrobatR.exe). This is because at the end of this script, all .exe files will be renamed to .pdf, thus on the next execution, these .pdf files need to be renamed back to .exe. It will then create the folder “%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Msn\Msn2” and copies all the files to it.
It will then run the command “ipconfig /all” and save the output to a text file called adip.klc. This is to get the network info of the infected machine and it will be part of the data to be stolen.
It will then run the file AcrobatR.exe (IE Password Tool) to get all stored IE passwords and stores the output to the text file wmsn.klb.
After getting the IE passwords, it will now run the AdbeR.exe (Email Password Tool)to recover and gather all stored email accounts and passwords and stores the output to the text file amsn.klc.
It then runs the file AdobeT.exe (Browser Password Dump Tool) to get all stored password from all other browsers installed on the system and stores the output to the text file “wmsn.klc”.
Then, output files amsn.klc and adip.klc will be combined into one output file msn.klc. This file now contains the network info and the email accounts with the username and passwords gathered. Lastly, the output files will be uploaded to the malware author’s ftp server. But before that, it will first rename the output files as follows:
"msn.klc" = "001_<current_date>_<current_time>.036" ex. 001_201415We_072944.036
"wmsn.klb" = "001_<current_date>_<current_time>.037" ex. 001_201415We_072947.037
"wmsn.klc" = "001_<current_date>_<current_time>.038" ex. 001_201416Th_080635.038
The contents of the output files will look like this:
- Output file with stolen Email address
- Output file with stolen passwords from Internet Browsers.
As clearly seen from the above, the user’s Outlook Email account and passwords as well as the user’s accounts on different websites were successfully retrieved by these tools from SecurityXploded and are now ready to be uploaded to the malware author’s FTP site.
Finally, these files will be uploaded to an FTP site being hosted from freehostia.com. And to do this, the malware will just use the FTP script file contained in the file 202.pdf mentioned earlier. I tried accessing the said FTP server and found hundreds of these files in there.
To summarize, with the readily available and easy access to these so-called Network Admin / Forensic Tools, and by just using simple scripts, anyone with malicious intent will be able to easily steal any users Email and Website accounts and passwords.
CYREN Inc.’s AntiMalware scanner engine detects these malicious scripts and tools as:
Password Stealing Trojan VBS/SecXploded.A and BAT/SecXploded.A and Security Risk Tool W32/SecXploded.A. |
Metafor Software is an IT infrastructure monitoring software solution that uses anomaly detection to enhance security and performance. The program works with virtually any type of IT asset data source and uses machine learning to understand how a network environment normally functions. In the event that the system detects a performance anomaly, users can pull up areas that house potential security threats and performance issues. Users can also detect internal threats, such as data leakage, network misuse and poor configurations on devices. Lastly, Metafor Software uses configuration analytics to pinpoint the underlying causes of anomalies. |
You want to:
1. Deny anyone downloading a file greater than a certain size.
2. Ensure proper functionality if the response header does not have a content-length header.
3. Use Visual Policy Manager (VPM) to control this.
To block download file size based on the "Content-Length" header, complete the following steps:
1. Open the VPM.
2. Create or open a Web Access Layer.
3. Create the following rule:
Destination: Set > New > Response Header; select Header Name: Content-Length, and put Header Regex: $. Name it as No_Content_Length, then right-click and select NEGATE.
Explanation of Rule1: ALLOW any sites that does not have a content-length header in its response header.
Destination: Set > New > Response Header; select Header Name: Content-Length, and put in the desired Regex from the list below (for example: 50MB). Name it, then right-click and select NEGATE.
Explanation of Rule 2: DENY any file size that does not match Regex from the list (file size is larger than the regex number).
Currently, the only way that you can limit the size of HTTP objects returned is by creating policy that matches on the content-length header of the object returned. Objects that are not returned with a content-length will not match the following policy. Proxied FTP requests are not affected by this policy because they are not returned with a content-length header. |
An IP blacklist is a list of IPs that have been flagged as malicious. Blacklists can be useful in protecting a website or email server from a malicious bot. They are also used to track spam behavior.
There are several different types of IP blacklists. They range from those that are time-based to those that are completely automated. In order to remove an IP from a blocklist, you need to file a removal request.
If you’re looking to get your IP removed from IP blacklist, it’s important to know the ins and outs of removing your domain from a blacklist. There are numerous sites online that will give you information about the various blacklists out there. However, the process to get rid of your domain from a blocklist is a bit complicated.
The most common method of removing your IP from a blocklist is by making a removal request. This is usually the best way to go, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be removed.
You can also try to eliminate your IP from a blacklist yourself. This is a relatively simple process, but it can take a few days to perform. That being said, a good business will be able to mitigate the consequences of this.
You’ll need to make sure your network is secure, and you can install the proper operating system updates to avoid malware attacks. Furthermore, you’ll need to make sure your email server is configured correctly. |
According to the ethical hacking training from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), a group of researchers has discovered a new variety of fileless malware attacking mainly clients of some Banks in countries like Brazil and Thailand, using a hacking tool and at least two tools for information theft.
Ethical hacking training specialists mention that malware (Trojan.BAT.BANLOAD.THBAIAI) connects to hxxp://35[.]227[.]52[.]26/Mods/AL/MD[.]zipmn to download PowerShell codes. Subsequently, the malware connects to hxxp://35[.]227[.]52[.]26/Loads/20938092830482 to run the codes and contact other URL before renaming your files to look like legitimate Windows functions.
Finally, malware causes the infected computer to restart to display a fake lock screen, intended for the victim to enter their logon credentials.
As you start to remove all your loads, the malware downloads two other hacking tools. The First (TrojanSpy.Win32.BANRAP.AS) initiates the victim’s Outlook and sends the stored email addresses to their command and control server. The second tool (HKTL_RADMIN) allows a hacker to gain administrator privileges on the compromised system.
When the user logs on again, the malware releases a file to load the third hacking tool (Trojan.JS.BANKer.THBAIAI), which takes control of the victim-visited site history by searching for bank information. When you find something of your interest, collect the information and send it to your C&C.
This campaign is one more example of the pronounced growth experienced by file-free malware attacks in recent times; According to specialists in cybersecurity, about 35% of the cyberattacks registered in 2018 used a variety of malware without files.
According to the specialists of the ethical hacking training specialists, a professional cybersecurity service can defend an organization against most of this kind of threats by periodically updating software. To complement this work, each organization’s IT teams must have an appropriate defense plan, combining automatic learning and tools such as the sandbox environment to ensure the best protection against fileless malware attacks.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities. |
In the current cloud era, the focus has moved from securing physical premises to securing identities. Microsoft's cloud-based Identity and Access Management system, Azure AD, is used by over 90 per cent of private and public sector organizations globally. This makes Azure AD a tempting target for threat actors.
Keeping your identities secure requires securing your Azure AD. Threat actors have many known and unknown attack vectors to be exploited. These attack vectors are commonly known as Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs). Most of the TTPs are implemented in toolkits such as AADInternals. These toolkits allow administrators to test their Azure AD's security using the very same TTPs threat actors are using.
In this session, the creator of AADInternals toolkit covers how to use it to test the security posture of Azure AD and Microsoft 365 environments.
You will learn:
- Understand threat actors' Techniques, Tactics, and Procedures (TTPs)
- How to leverage Mitre ATT&CK® framework to plan TTP based security testing
- How to run TTP based security testing using AADInternals toolkit |
View Source GoogleApi.Logging.V2.Model.TailLogEntriesResponse (google_api_logging v0.41.2)
Result returned from TailLogEntries.
nil) - A list of log entries. Each response in the stream will order entries with increasing values of LogEntry.timestamp. Ordering is not guaranteed between separate responses.
nil) - If entries that otherwise would have been included in the session were not sent back to the client, counts of relevant entries omitted from the session with the reason that they were not included. There will be at most one of each reason per response. The counts represent the number of suppressed entries since the last streamed response. |
What is Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby infection?
In this short article you will certainly discover regarding the definition of Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby and also its adverse effect on your computer. Such ransomware are a type of malware that is specified by on the internet frauds to require paying the ransom money by a victim.
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
In the majority of the instances, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby ransomware will instruct its victims to start funds transfer for the purpose of counteracting the changes that the Trojan infection has actually introduced to the sufferer’s tool.
These alterations can be as complies with:
- Reads data out of its own binary image. The trick that allows the malware to read data out of your computer’s memory.
Everything you run, type, or click on your computer goes through the memory. This includes passwords, bank account numbers, emails, and other confidential information. With this vulnerability, there is the potential for a malicious program to read that data.
- Network activity detected but not expressed in API logs. Microsoft built an API solution right into its Windows operating system it reveals network activity for all apps and programs that ran on the computer in the past 30-days. This malware hides network activity.
- Ciphering the papers found on the target’s hard disk — so the target can no longer make use of the information;
- Preventing normal accessibility to the sufferer’s workstation. This is the typical behavior of a virus called locker. It blocks access to the computer until the victim pays the ransom.
The most regular networks where Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby Ransomware Trojans are infused are:
- By ways of phishing emails;
- As a consequence of user winding up on a source that hosts a malicious software program;
As quickly as the Trojan is successfully injected, it will either cipher the information on the target’s PC or protect against the device from working in a correct way – while additionally positioning a ransom note that mentions the demand for the sufferers to impact the settlement for the purpose of decrypting the papers or bring back the documents system back to the first condition. In many instances, the ransom money note will turn up when the client restarts the COMPUTER after the system has already been damaged.
Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby circulation networks.
In different edges of the globe, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby grows by jumps and bounds. Nevertheless, the ransom money notes and methods of obtaining the ransom money quantity may differ depending upon certain local (regional) setups. The ransom money notes and tricks of obtaining the ransom quantity might vary depending on particular regional (local) setups.
Faulty alerts about unlicensed software program.
In certain areas, the Trojans often wrongfully report having found some unlicensed applications enabled on the sufferer’s device. The alert then requires the individual to pay the ransom money.
Faulty declarations concerning illegal material.
In countries where software program piracy is much less prominent, this technique is not as efficient for the cyber fraudulences. Conversely, the Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby popup alert may wrongly claim to be stemming from a law enforcement organization as well as will report having situated youngster pornography or various other prohibited information on the device.
Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby popup alert may wrongly declare to be obtaining from a law enforcement establishment and will certainly report having situated child pornography or other prohibited information on the tool. The alert will in a similar way include a demand for the user to pay the ransom.
File Info:crc32: 05E32A1Amd5: c3b8ceff4e72f1e0f9ac6406324c40adname: C3B8CEFF4E72F1E0F9AC6406324C40AD.mlwsha1: 3da12ba8eafaf22c11a701008c9df5895920f851sha256: b5fab6bbfe5547e7e14953ca2f130c514cbe6bf66c215e1a32dfb4988e3adcc5sha512: 73d6ffbe3bd134cbce2be2ea26c4b8bb4708cc5d4b450b7342112dee0544ee1e72b3f02e25da50a531e0d92b00adc30eaf937f62c5148ba7071133e16073393cssdeep: 6144:/nNRa3zuJdOF+vmbkImuo9MIei54ZYtxW2:/nNRa3zuXA8mwbYiqsxW2type: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windows
Version Info:LegalCopyright: InternalName: FileVersion: 2, 0, 0, 43CompanyName: PrivateBuild: LegalTrademarks: Comments: ProductName: Installation de F1 2014 - Patch FRSpecialBuild: ProductVersion: 2, 0, 0, 43FileDescription: OriginalFilename: Translation: 0x0409 0x04b0
Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby also known as:
How to remove Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby ransomware?
Unwanted application has ofter come with other viruses and spyware. This threats can steal account credentials, or crypt your documents for ransom.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft1
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent PC threats than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft2.
Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby files and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Are Your Protected?
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will scan and clean your PC for free in the trial period. The free version offer real-time protection for first 2 days. If you want to be fully protected at all times – I can recommended you to purchase a full version:
If the guide doesn’t help you to remove Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Crypmod.yby you can always ask me in the comments for getting help.
User Review( votes) |
Superuser ransomware removal instructions
What is Superuser?
Superuser is a ransomware-type virus discovered by malware security researcher, Michael Gillespie. Immediately after infiltration, Superuser encrypts most files and appends filenames with the "[email protected]" (e.g., "sample.jpg" is renamed to "[email protected]"). Once encrypted, data immediately becomes unusable. Following successful encryption, Superuser generates a text file (named "INSTRUCTIONX.txt") and places a copy in every existing folder.
Research shows that many victims of this virus are located in Belarus. Therefore, there is a high probability that developers live in this country. As usual, the new text file contains a message stating that to decrypt data, victims must contact Superuser's developers via an email address provided. No additional information is provided. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether Superuser uses symmetric or asymmetric cryptography, however, decryption will certainly require a unique key generated individually for each victim. Furthermore, all keys are hidden on a remote server controlled by cyber criminals (Superuser's developers). After contacting these people, users are asked to pay ransoms for their keys. The cost is also unconfirmed - these details are provided via email, however, cyber criminals typically demand $500-1500 in Bitcoins, Monero, or another cryptocurrency. Regardless of the cost, do not pay. Most cyber criminals ignore victims once payments are submitted. Paying typically gives no positive result and users are simply scammed. You are strongly advised to ignore all requests to contact these people or pay any ransoms. Unfortunately, there are no tools capable of cracking Superuser encryption and restoring data free of charge. There is only one solution: to restore everything from a backup.
Screenshot of a message encouraging users to pay a ransom to decrypt their compromised data:
Superuser shares many similarities with Evil Locker, RPD, KyMERA, and dozens of other ransomware-type viruses. Note that, although these viruses are developed by different cyber criminals, their behavior is identical - all encrypt data and make ransom demands. They typically have just two major differences: 1) size of ransom, and; 2) type of encryption algorithm used. Most use cryptographies (e.g., RSA, AES, and similar) that generate unique decryption keys. Therefore, unless the virus is still in development or has certain bugs/flaws, returning browsers to their previous states is impossible. Ransomware presents a strong case for maintaining regular data backups, however, store them on a remote server or unplugged storage device. This will prevent ransomware from encrypting backups together with regular files.
How did ransomware infect my computer?
How to protect yourself from ransomware infections?
The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing/updating software. Think twice before opening email attachments. Files that seem irrelevant or have been sent by a suspicious/unrecognizable email addresses should never be opened. In addition, download your programs from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers are used to distribute rogue apps, and thus these tools should not be used. The same rule applies to software updates. It is very important to keep installed programs up-to-date. To achieve this, however, use implemented functions or tools provided by the official developers only. We also strongly recommend that you have a legitimate anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running. If your computer is already infected with Superuser, we recommend running a scan with Spyhunter for Windows to automatically eliminate this ransomware.
Text presented in Superuser ransomware text file ("INSTRUCTIONX.txt"):
To decrypt files - Jabber (xmpp) address: [email protected] (if we are offline - you can write offline, its ok) PIN: -/p>
Screenshot of files encrypted by Superuser ("[email protected]" extension):
Superuser ransomware removal:
Instant automatic removal of Superuser virus:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Spyhunter is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Superuser virus. Download it by clicking the button below:
- What is Superuser?
- STEP 1. Superuser virus removal using safe mode with networking.
- STEP 2. Superuser ransomware removal using System Restore.
Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button. In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Log in to the account infected with the Superuser virus. Start your Internet browser and download a legitimate anti-spyware program. Update the anti-spyware software and start a full system scan. Remove all entries detected.
If you cannot start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking, try performing a System Restore.
Video showing how to remove ransomware virus using "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" and "System Restore":
1. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, and then select Safe Mode with Command Prompt from the list and press ENTER.
2. When Command Prompt mode loads, enter the following line: cd restore and press ENTER.
3. Next, type this line: rstrui.exe and press ENTER.
4. In the opened window, click "Next".
5. Select one of the available Restore Points and click "Next" (this will restore your computer system to an earlier time and date, prior to the Superuser ransomware virus infiltrating your PC).
6. In the opened window, click "Yes".
7. After restoring your computer to a previous date, download and scan your PC with recommended malware removal software to eliminate any remaining Superuser ransomware files.
To restore individual files encrypted by this ransomware, try using Windows Previous Versions feature. This method is only effective if the System Restore function was enabled on an infected operating system. Note that some variants of Superuser are known to remove Shadow Volume Copies of the files, so this method may not work on all computers.
To restore a file, right-click over it, go into Properties, and select the Previous Versions tab. If the relevant file has a Restore Point, select it and click the "Restore" button.
If you cannot start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking (or with Command Prompt), boot your computer using a rescue disk. Some variants of ransomware disable Safe Mode making its removal complicated. For this step, you require access to another computer.
To protect your computer from file encryption ransomware such as this, use reputable antivirus and anti-spyware programs. As an extra protection method, you can use programs called HitmanPro.Alert and EasySync CryptoMonitor, which artificially implant group policy objects into the registry to block rogue programs such as Superuser ransomware.
Note that Windows 10 Fall Creators Update includes a "Controlled Folder Access" feature that blocks ransomware attempts to encrypt your files. By default, this feature automatically protects files stored in the Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Favorites as well as Desktop folders.
Windows 10 users should install this update to protect their data from ransomware attacks. Here is more information on how to get this update and add an additional protection layer from ransomware infections.
HitmanPro.Alert CryptoGuard - detects encryption of files and neutralises any attempts without need for user-intervention:
Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware Beta uses advanced proactive technology that monitors ransomware activity and terminates it immediately - before reaching users' files:
- The best way to avoid damage from ransomware infections is to maintain regular up-to-date backups. More information on online backup solutions and data recovery software Here.
Other tools known to remove Superuser ransomware: |
Network Behavior Anomaly Detection
The Network Behavior Anomaly detection (NBAD) refers to a network security solution for helping safeguard against zero-day breach of the network security. the system tries to track down several characteristics of the network in real time and will sound an alarm if anything abnormal is detected which could in other words be a critical threat, including bandwidth usage, protocol use, and traffic volume (Freud,K, 2000). NBAD software is also assigned to monitor individual network users.
In analysis of the parameters, and already defined a normal, any quitting from any one of them is considered not normal. NBAD is the uninterrupted monitoring of a network for unusual events or trends. NBAD is a fundamental component of network behavior analysis (NBA), which offers protection in adding up to that provided by traditional anti-threat applications such as firewalls, antivirus software and spyware-detection software (Orondo, K, 2000).
Various companies and in addition most of the well conversant specialists advocate for the deployment of Network Behavior Analysis (NBA, also known as Network Behavior Anomaly Detection or NBAD), as an element of an objective policy for security and for network visibility. NBA solutions amass and evaluate continuous and uninterrupted flow of data to identify uncharacteristic conduct and can be both a key decision support tool, as well as a ‘last line of network defense’ when required.
The above mentioned network behavior solution (NBAs) offer a great importance in scrutinizing the specific behaviors and detecting anomalies in the system. There are however, several shortcomings to the success of the security solution, and this includes; the network behavior analysis solution that needs a ‘learned baseline’ from which the solutions are able to identify the anomalies. This baseline generates counterfeit positives and furthermore relentlessly requires necessary constant modifications to suite the needs of the frequently dynamic technological market, providing limited use in an ever-changing, dynamic network.
They are only designed to give you an idea about the anomalies devoid of the framework of the overall network usage, thus restraining usefulness for wider, cost effective visibility of the network. Some NBAs which put into use integrations of user identity perform it in a limited prospect. ie. After a problem has occurred, they typically map IPs events to identities after its occurrence, thus limiting the usefulness NBA solutions for real time user monitoring, be it for setting up network changes, or stopping malicious insider activities.
IMPORTANCE OF NBADS TO A COMPANY NBDAs is a identity driven solution that delivers real-time business usage view of who is doing what and where from the very moment a user logs into a network system. This therefore delivers a complete user –performance oriented discovery, provides accurate time controls and authenticates specific queries so in-depth that the user can’t deny. The company, in addition benefits from the NBADs by being able to identify business usage which is automatically generated and continuous which in turn correlates the activity to a user.
With mitigation when required, the company will benefit fro identity based control which delivers optional and automatic verifications of various parameters put into place by the company’s user. And again, the most effective mitigation capabilities, which is implemented through real time email alerts, or otherwise output into signal network infrastructure. The control capabilities assist in to verify that both positive behavior and critical unauthorized behavior in real time (Wera, H, 1999). It will also be able to nab denied access and behavior the non-user may thereby tend to miss.
Enormously! Network log account play so great important and necessary role in any well-constructed security program. They help in the detection of anomalous activity both in real-time, as well as reactively during an incident-response event. Centralized logging system provides two important benefits. First, it places all of your log records in an easily accessible single setting, very greatly putting to simplification log analysis and association tasks (Jakata, H, 2007). In addition, it provides you with a secure storage area for your log data.
In the event that a machine on your network becomes compromised, the intruder will not be able to cause interference with the logs that are already installed and stored in the central log database unless the machine I question is also largely compromised. In readiness that the central log database is established, the next step is to put onto place and therefore introduce one -place analysis techniques. Most of the renowned organizations that revere the importance of security fulfill this requirement through the use of a security incident management (SIM) device.
A Security Incidence Management allows one to adequately add some greater level of automation to his or her log assessment development. One is able to formulate for him/herself the rules that analyze logs that are collected from the various devices, for patterns of apprehensive activity. The main and most proficient stumbling block many organizations face when deciding whether to implement centralized logging and/or SIMs is the investment of time and resources necessary to get such an implementation off the ground.
This may or may not depend upon how long you decide to retain records (many organizations choose to keep them for at least a year); logs can consume massive quantities of disk space. Additionally, SIMs have one very critical requirement; a significant amount of configuration and tuning to optimize for a particular enterprise (Freud,K, 2000). EFFECTS OF NETWORK ANOMALY DETECTION This solution to network security avails with it quite a number of incentives, not just to the Networking Industry, but to the Information and Communications Technology Industry as well.
This includes the following; Since it records the every second events in a given institution, work output increases due to proof of fraud and cheating. The system can automatically detect an inadequate performer and inform the administrator. The system’s ability to detect viruses enables consistence and invulnerability of data in a company’s database and therefore no loss and inference. The device’s property to detect the connection rate of the network establishes an accurate watch of the whole network so that the concerned party, ie administrator is able to troubleshoot accordingly.
The above mentioned therefore gives The Network Behavior Anomaly Detection an advantage over other security systems, and I recommend it for use by a company Sources Tomasi, M (2004). Introduction to advanced telecommunication. NY: Oxford publishers. Orondo, K. (2000). Computer security. London: Oxford press. Wera, H. (1999). Computer securities and care. Nairobi: MacMillan. Jakata, H. (2007). Introduction to computer science. CA: MIT Press. Freud,K. (2000). Advanced computer science. Washington DC: Oxford.Sample Essay of AssignmentExpert.com |
Second Android signature attack disclosed
Chinese security bloggers have disclosed an alternative to Bluebox's Android signature attack. Although the attack is different in its execution, it does the same basic trick of fooling Android's APK-reading routines into thinking an APK has been properly signed by using a copy of correctly signed data in one location but tricking the system into running an unsigned modified version of that data stored in another location. The Bluebox approach exploited a flaw that allowed two copies of the same file to be present in a ZIP archive.
The new Chinese attack works instead by modifying the classes.dex file which contains an application's compiled code within the APK file. That file's header includes a variable-sized space between the header, which includes the file name with a .dex extension and the class files for an "extra field". It is into the last three characters of the file name and the extra field that the original class files are copied, with the length of the extra field set to 0xFFFD.
After this, padding is added and then the attackers' own class files can be included. When validating, a bug in the reading code means that 0xFFFD is converted to -3 and the validation takes places starting at the "dex" part of the file name extension which also happens to be the opening header of the dex file format. When being loaded though, the reading code follows 0xFFFD correctly and reads the modified code.
The flaw exploits a confusion between short and int types and has been given the bug id 9695860. The nature of the problem does mean, though, that it only works for classes.dex files that are less than 64K in size. The problem has been corrected with a patch which simply forces all values to be unsigned.
The patch, along with the fix for the Bluebox flaw, has already been deployed in the latest versions of CyanogenMod 10.1.2 and the team are looking at addressing the same problems in CM7 and CM9. For Google, though, the problem is the same as with the Bluebox issue; how to get phone manufacturers to ship out firmware updates that will correct both issues, not only in new editions of Android but in older versions, as these problems date back to early Android versions, as far back as Android 1.6. |
MITRE ATT&CK Framework
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MITRE ATT&CK® is a globally-accessible knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations. The ATT&CK knowledge base is used as a foundation for the development of specific threat models and methodologies in the private sector, in government, and in the cybersecurity product and service community.
The MITRE ATT&CK Matrix is a framework on attack procedures.
- MITRE Matrix |
One immediate example would be to start having "L4/L5 description" fields in the former flow label. A few examples could be
In the Former Flow Label (FFL)
1. FFL bit 19: "Escape" - alternative semantics for the flow label field
2. FFL bit 18: "Extended info available in L3 option headers" - (i) L4 and/or L5 description extended info available for this protocol, and/or connection and/or for this packet or the current context; L4 retx timeout info will be given; (ii) anti-tampering info may be present; (iii) firewall info may be present
3. FFL bit 17: "Extended info available in L3 header itself" - in alt. fields - tbs
Also either in the FFL, or housed elsewhere in the IPv6 header
1. "packet does not contain L4 ports at start", note negated polarity
2. "packet will be retransmitted if necessary",
3. "packet is a retransmission",
4. "packet is part of an L4 (re-)connect sequence", - firewalls can not drop first-received packets just because this is not set, order could have been switched, or the protocol could simply be non-connection-oriented eg plain UDP
5. "packet contains an L4 ack", or a connect_ack
6. "packet is part of slow-start type sequence"
7. "L5 payload:xxx"
8. "L5 payload:xxx"
9. "L5 payload:xxx" 000 = contains no L5 payload, otherwise contains L4 SDUs;001 = "contains an L5 query" in the sense that the sender is blocked, waiting, until a response is received related to this; 010="contains a response to a query", 011="contains a response and a second query " - these three values used if the application layer is doing a stop-and-wait application-layer protocol at the moment; 100 and 101 ="single L4 SDU" / "small finite known L4 SDU" - not a query or a response - a single modest-sized L5 data unit, either one L4 SDU or else a part of a small group of L4 SDUs sent together back-to-back, after which the sender will pause - 101 is the same as 100 but slightly bigger, this in contrast to a continuous sequence; 110="stream sequence (flat out)" meaning that this packet contains L5 payload that is part of a stream of packets (not limited by L4 or L5 stop-and-wait), that is, like TCP doing a file transfer, or like an http download or a streaming protocol, does not imply real time streaming or no acks or no retx, attempts to go as fast as possible, assume it has a tuning mechanism; 111="stream sequence, rate limited" - as prev, but not flat out, either suitably rate limited to a fixed rate well below the link capacity, chosen to avoid congestion, or a background 'trickle' flow e.g. based on triggers from network inactivity time
10. "do not drop this packet", can not be relied upon, strong recommendation. it increases the no_drop_priority of the packet by +=1
11. "delay this packet" - can delay this packet slightly for throttling purposes, should consult retx timeout info if present
12. "avoid packet reordering in this flow"
13. "is L4 fragment xx"
14. "is L4 fragment xx" - is part of multi-L4 (or higher) PDU all-or-nothing sequence, more than a single PDU. This is where fragmentation is being done at L4 (or higher) for the particular Lx SDU, whichever layer: always tells receiver whether or not an entire sequence of n >=2 packets will be _retransmitted from the start_ if this fragment is dropped or if there is an ack timeout. Implies "avoid reordering of packets in this flow". Values of this two-bit field are "is L4 fragment: first"=01, "middle" =10, "last"=11, and "not a fragment" =00. Must never be used unless more than one fragment. Implies 'do not drop' if this is not the first fragment, or if this is the first fragment but is seen out of sequence. If the actual "do not drop flag" is set, that increases the no-drop priority even further. This contributes an even higher no_drop_priority +=2, say, compared with the "do not drop" flag, which is say worth no_drop_priority += 1 |
Posted on December 20, 2022
Estimated reading time 4 minutes
SIEM – Security Information Event Management – technologies are the bedrock of modern cybersecurity. By analysing thousands of data points, the software tools can identify irregularities in your network activity and flag threats in real-time. But, with so many options on the market, which should you choose? What’s more, do you have to sacrifice functionality for compatibility?
In this article, we compare two leading solutions, Microsoft’s Azure Sentinel versus Splunk, and examine their key differences. Read on to find out more and learn about which security solution could be right for you.
What are Splunk and Azure Sentinel?
Splunk and Sentinel are both examples of SIEM technologies, a type of software that specialises in detecting security threats. SIEM software aggregates all of the important security information from across your business into one place, so having a deep level of integration with your wider tech stack is vital. Otherwise, you may risk missing crucial security events or lag in responding to threats in time. Because of this, SIEM tools are thought of as your ‘first line of defence’ against threat actors, since their job is to detect suspicious network activity and trigger responses elsewhere.
However, some of the more advanced tools, like Sentinel, offer much more than just network analysis and threat detection. In turn, these SIEM tools have become one-stop-solutions for your entire cybersecurity playbook, capable of executing responses as well as identifying when they occur.
Splunk vs Sentinel: How do they compare?
Despite both being SIEM tools, Splunk and Sentinel do have some key differences. The main one is that Splunk is not a cloud-native SaaS solution. Splunk was originally designed as an on-premise SIEM solution, whereas Sentinel has been designed for cloud environments from the ground up. This typically means that most users find Sentinel easier to set up because there are fewer settings to configure.
Splunk is also a more generalised tool. Sentinel can only be deployed in Microsoft’s Azure cloud environment and only takes Azure data, while Splunk can be deployed within Azure, AWS and other cloud environments. Although this may sound like a benefit, it can create additional security flaws since there are more ways to exploit your SIEM software.
Finally, the pricing structure and investment for each of the SIEM solutions is also different. Sentinel includes more features in its base tier compared to its competitors and doesn’t charge extra for the automations that you run. However, there is a relatively low fee added if you need to use Log Analytics (a tool that hosts and manages records of computer activity), but the software offers a range of extra functionalities that make it well worth it.
How to decide whether Splunk or Azure Sentinel is right for you?
Overall, Gartner data suggests that Sentinel is the superior solution with an average rating of 4.5 stars versus Splunk’s 4.3. Microsoft was also named as a leader in Gartner’s review of Security Information and Event Management tools this year for its industry-leading capabilities. However, Splunk has thousands of users and a unique skill set that could suit your business, so how do you know which SIEM tool is right for you?
One of the earliest factors to consider is whether or not you already work in an Azure-based cloud environment. Sentinel’s deep integration across Microsoft’s wider software ecosystem means setting it up is extremely easy. What’s more, it also affords additional security benefits, like the ‘Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response’ (SOAR) features, which allow it to identify and respond to security threats in one go.
And so, if you work in AWS or Google’s Cloud Platform, Splunk could be the right choice for you as it’s a non-specific solution that can work across platforms. However, you shouldn’t let your current IT infrastructure dictate your future since you can switch to a new IT environment via a cloud migration project.
In truth, the reasons for choosing Splunk over Sentinel (or vice versa) are very similar to one another. SIEM tools are supposed to help you enhance your decision-making, drive revenue growth and reduce costs. So, it depends on the exact needs of your organisation.
Although Splunk has its benefits, Sentinel is the clear choice if you’re looking for a cloud-native enterprise tool. What’s more, Sentinel excels in helping you improve compliance & risk management, create new efficiencies across the rest of your business, and drive innovation with newly integrated software tools.
Access world-leading SIEM support for Microsoft Sentinel and more with Atech
If you’ve been reading our articles for any length of time, it’s probably not surprising to see we’re big fans of Microsoft’s cybersecurity solutions. In fact, we love it so much, we built our entire Security Operations Centre around it. It’s one of the reasons why we’re a leading provider of Endpoint Management solutions for businesses and one of the top three finalists in Microsoft’s global Partner of the Year Awards.
If you’d like to know more about our cybersecurity services and how they can drive innovation across the rest of your business, reach out to us. We offer workshops on SIEM and XDR (Extended Detection & Response) technologies that can help you understand your current threat level and what you can do to reduce it. One client workshop spans over 3 days and is filled with actionable advice that is tailored just for your business, ready for implementation. To find out more, contact us today. |
Intelligent cyber digital twins are a means to move from reactive to resilient security strategies. It’s critical to protect assets now while also preparing for the future use of intelligent cyber digital twins.
There’s no avoiding it: cyber-attacks are becoming more common, and the consequences are becoming more severe. According to Accenture’s CIFR incident response engagements conducted between January 2021 and June 2021, global intrusion volumes increased by 125 percent. Recent hacks like SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline have had devastating effects on the industry, not just on the impacted businesses and their customers but also on society as a whole.
At the same time, many businesses are rushing ahead with technology transformations, such as cloud migration, which might present new vulnerabilities if security isn’t prioritized. The attack surface has significantly expanded due to the increasing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, 5G networks, and edge computing, offering threat actors more to target.
The good news is that organizations have an advantage in this fight by using the capabilities of intelligent cyber digital twins. Intelligent cyber digital twins are a powerful tool for forecasting and minimizing risk when it comes to cybersecurity.
Increasing the Effectiveness of Existing Defenses
Right now, cyber digital twins can be utilized as a sandbox for understanding security from an attacker’s perspective. It is an excellent approach to learning about attackers’ motivations, attack patterns, and consequences.
Most businesses are accustomed to testing the security of a process or system before deployment and then reviewing changes made to deployed applications. Intelligent cyber digital twins allow them to assess modifications as though they were made on a real application without touching the production environment, providing a preview of their future security posture.
Similarly, intelligent cyber digital twins help to manage real-world security events better. They assist security teams with focusing resources on the most critical activities, determining how much risk has been mitigated, and the most effective technologies.
Enhancing and Expanding Security
Intelligent cyber digital twins can offer much more exciting possibilities in the long run. Digital twins can help businesses better predict where threat actors will strike and how damaging it will be by simulating threats in a real-world context. Companies can take targeted action to limit the possibility and impact of cyber-attacks while remaining one step ahead of would-be attackers with this knowledge.
Organizations will be able to share threat data more easily with the help of intelligent cyber digital twins. For example, suppose a security team detects unusual activity. In that case, the team could share the information with others who may be experiencing similar events by federating cyber digital twins across the enterprise ecosystem. The data could be helpful for the entire ecosystem in predicting and countering attacks in the future.
The Future Ahead
Almost everything in the physical world, including supply chains, infrastructure, consumer products, and more, will have a digital twin in the future. The ‘Mirrored World’ will emerge due to the merging of these digital twins, forever altering how people work, innovate and collaborate.
While this new future is still years away, it is critical to consider the core management of cyber digital twins now. This involves safeguarding how they operate, think, and handle sensitive data.
Security experts agree that combining AI with digital twins will enable their companies to scale up their defenses and situational awareness in ways that would otherwise be impossible.
For more such updates follow us on Google News ITsecuritywire News |
/trojyjlcjj8, a seemingly enigmatic term that has captured the curiosity of many individuals in recent times. Its origins and purpose remain unclear, leaving many people to wonder about its significance. In this article, we will delve deep into the world of /trojyjlcjj8, examining its possible meanings and shedding light on its secrets.
What is Trojyjlcjj8?
To understand the world of /trojyjlcjj8, we must first define what it is. /trojyjlcjj8 is a term that has been circulating online, with no clear meaning or explanation. It is a mysterious term that has sparked the curiosity of many people, leaving them wondering about its true purpose. Some people have suggested that it is a code or an abbreviation, while others believe it may be a virus or malware.
Possible Meanings of /trojyjlcjj8
Despite the lack of clear information about /trojyjlcjj8, there are some possible meanings that we can explore. One possible explanation is that it is a code or an abbreviation used by a specific group or organization. It could also be a name of a product or a brand.
Another possibility is that /trojyjlcjj8 is a virus or malware. It is common for hackers to use seemingly harmless terms as a disguise for their malicious activities. /trojyjlcjj8 could be a code name for a particular type of virus or malware that is designed to steal sensitive information or cause damage to computer systems.
The Secret World of /trojyjlcjj8 Revealed
While the true purpose and meaning of /trojyjlcjj8 remain shrouded in mystery, there are some insights that we can glean from the available information. It is crucial to remain cautious when dealing with /trojyjlcjj8 or any term that is unfamiliar. It is always advisable to use reputable antivirus software and to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown files.
In conclusion, the world of /trojyjlcjj8 remains largely unknown, but there are some possible meanings and insights that we can explore. As always, it is essential to remain cautious when dealing with unfamiliar terms or suspicious activities online. By being vigilant and using reliable antivirus software, we can protect ourselves from potential threats and keep our data safe.
In conclusion, we have examined the world of /trojyjlcjj8, exploring its possible meanings and shedding light on its secrets. By remaining cautious and using reliable antivirus software, we can protect ourselves from potential threats and keep our data safe. While the true purpose and meaning of /trojyjlcjj8 remain unknown, we hope that this article has provided some valuable insights and information. |
In Today’s business, despite having many tools to prevent phishing attacks, it is still a threat to Business and Employees. Phishing is where an employee or a user is targeted via email which lures users into clicking the malicious link. These emails are disguised as messages from trusted individuals like a manager, coworker, or business associate to trick the employees into activating the enclosed malware or granting unauthorized access.
There are few tricks and tips to protect your business from phishing. Educating the employees is the most essential way to deal with the phishing as most employees cannot identify a sophisticated phishing email. As a business not only educating the employee works but using an automated phishing defense solution helps quickly protect every inbox in an organization from outside threats.
Graphus is a simple, powerful, and cost-effective automated phishing defense for Office 365 and G Suite threats. Graphus requires no hardware purchase or software downloads; it’s ready to deploy in minutes via cloud API to start protecting your business. To uncover attacks, Graphus employs patented AI technology that monitors communication patterns between people, devices, and networks to reveal untrustworthy emails.
One of the main features of Graphus is that it uses advanced, patented AI Technology Called TrustGraph. TrustGraph analyzes over 50 different attributes of your employee’s communications, including the devices they use, who they message most, what time of day they communicate, and so on. The powerful AI uses this data to create profiles of trusted relationships. TrustGraph then compares incoming communications to these profiles to detect and prevent sophisticated phishing, spear phishing, and business email compromise attacks.
Graphus employs EmployeeShield, a feature that displays an active warning banner on suspicious company emails. The banner will tell you why the message was flagged and give the option of looking at it safely to make final determination. Graphus will learn from the input and adjust its parameters, so it’s always getting smarter and the company is always getting more secure.
Graphus can be configured to automatically alert you or your security team when suspicious messages or attachments are detected and then automatically quarantine them. Automation and AI go hand in hand to reduce the workload of your IT staff and make your cloud email system safer.
Graphus has a User-Friendly Customer Portal. Your IT administrators can easily monitor for suspicious messages and investigate them safely. They can also adjust parameters in just a few seconds to finetune your security, and manually flag messages as unsafe. If you discover an email that is masking a cyberattack, you can delete it from all your employees’ inboxes in a single click.
The Graphus dashboard provides detailed, live performance metrics to give you a bird’s-eye view of your business communication security. With this trove of visualized security data, you’ll gain invaluable insights into your levels of risk, how effective your security is, what kind of attacks are targeting your company most, and much more. In addition, Graphus automatically collates this data and generates detailed reports.
It only takes an instant for a cyberattack to sneak past your defenses and wreak havoc, so every second spent without proper protection is dangerous. That’s why Graphus was designed to be quickly deployable to Office 365 and G Suite platforms in a matter of minutes via cloud APIs; no big downloads, no lengthy installs, no time-consuming configurations.
Activation takes minutes than weeks: Protect your organization instantly. No email configuration required.No delay in receiving emails: SEG filtering can cause delays in receiving messages or improperly quarantining safe messages. Whereas Graphus, Analyzes messages in real time with no delay in email delivery. Safe messages are never quarantined.
Detects zero-day attacks in real time: SEGs use traditional threat intelligence to detect attacks, allowing zero-day attacks to slip into inboxes. Graphus in other hand is Powered by patented AI technology, the TrustGraph feature detects zero-day attacks in real time.
Automated phishing defense: SEGs are built to stop spam and malicious emails, not sophisticated social engineering attacks Where as Graphus Integrates at the API level to detect sophisticated social engineering attacks.
Employees are notified: Graphus provides an interactive warning banner to notify your employees of suspicious attacks and how to remediate threats.
Want to know more about Graphus? Connect with our expert today for latest technology solutions to achieve futureproof business results! |
Software agents and wireless E-commerce
Source of Publication
ACM SIGecom Exchanges
Software agent technology will become a necessity to e-commerce (traditional or wireless) rather than luxury. We propose an agent-based environment, which we call E-Commerce through Wireless Devices (E-CWE), that allows users, stationary or mobile, to submit their requests for services offered by providers. The E-CWE environment consists of a reception platform including a repository of service descriptions. A supervisor-agent is in charge of this repository. Acting on behalf of their users, user-agents are dynamically created in this platform. In the E-CWE environment, security is achieved in two steps: securing service access and securing payment. A prototype of a Travel Planning Agent (TPA) system is proposed to evaluate the performance of the environment.
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Maamar, Zakaria; Yahyaoui, Hamdi; Mansoor, Wathiq; and vd Heuvel, Willem-Jan, "Software agents and wireless E-commerce" (2001). All Works. 3154.
Indexed in Scopus |
On the Feasibility of UMTS-Based Traffic Information Systems
Source: University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are a hot topic in the communications society. Currently, research is primarily focusing on setting up Vehicular Ad Hoc NETworks (VANETs) based on WLAN technology. However, VANETs are heavily dependent on high market penetration or infrastructure support. Third-Generation (3G) networks might complement these efforts. They are already widely deployed and can serve as the basis for Car-To-Infrastructure (C2I) applications. The authors developed a simulation framework for holistic analysis of complex UMTS-based ITS. This framework couples simulation models with corresponding protocols of the UMTS link level, of higher network layers, and of road traffic. |
DNSTOP: STAY ON TOP OF YOUR DNS TRAFFIC
dnstop is a libpcap application (like tcpdump) that displays various tables of DNS traffic on your network. Currently dnstop displays tables of:
- Source IP addresses
- Destination IP addresses
- Query types
- Response codes
- Top level domains
- Second level domains
- Third level domains
dnstop supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
To help find especially undesirable DNS queries, dnstop provides a number of filters. The filters tell dnstop to display only the following types of queries:
- For unknown/invalid TLDs
- A queries where the query name is already an IP address
- PTR queries for RFC1918 address space
- Responses with code REFUSED
dnstop can either read packets from the live capture device, or from a tcpdump savefile. |
IOCs look for specific artifacts that indicate an intrusion whereas Gil Barak explains BIOCs look for specific behaviours that indicate malicious activity, such as the injection of code into memory or a script running within an application.
Stephanie Forrest discusses the parallels between computer viruses and biology and how our understanding of them is informing cyber-security.
Across Europe, children do not receive an equal level of protection from the adverse effects of online marketing due to different marketing regulations to children between countries and parents' different models of oversight of their kids' online activities.
Wes Mulligan says organisations are on high alert when it comes to network security, yet they are overlooking the potential risks posed by the many printing devices that are connected directly to their network
Rick Orloff highlights the importance of trust between IT and employees, and how to restore it in the wake of the current cyber-crime climate, including communicating that you understand user concerns..
Cyber-attacks are getting larger, faster and more diverse, making them increasingly complex to identify and mitigate. But at the same time, as Kate O'Flaherty reports, businesses are collecting vast amounts of security data - far too much for a human to analyse and turn into something useful
Insiders with authorised access to sensitive information represent credible and growing security threats, which businesses should ignore at their peril says Mark Kendrew. |
General Format of ICMP message:
- ICMP header is of 8 bytes, where 4 bytes are fixed that is type, code, checksum and rest of header.
- Rest of header is of 4 bytes,and it is specific for each message type and can also be unused.
- Data section is variable.
It defines the type of the message. For each ICMP message, there is a type associated.
ICMP message with type:
- Destination Unreachable : 3
- TTL Timeout : 11
- ICMP Echo Request : 8
- ICMP Echo Reply : 0
- Source Redirect : 5
- Source Quench : 4
This field specifies the reason for particular message type.
Under type 3 that is destination Unreachable, there can be multiple reason like, may be host is down(1) or port is blocked(3) or network is unreachable(0). For each reason, there is a code.
So type is 3 but range varies from 0-15
This is used to check the integrity of the ICMP message. Checksum is calculated and same is put in the checksum field and again it is calculated at the receiver side. If it differs, the packet is corrupted.
Rest of the Header:
This is specific for each message type. In many case it is unused. In case of redirect, the gateway address is added.
This is the information from the Upper Layer(L4) that can help in finding the original packet that had an error. Its size is variable.
The 8 bytes of data are included from L4 since they provide the information about the port number( UDP and TCP) and sequence number. This information is needed so that source can inform the protocol(TCP an UDP) about the error.
ICMP Encapsulation in IP:
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The two lawsuits were brought after it was discovered that multiple bogus websites using Plaintiffs’ well-known brands ‘AMUL’ and ‘DABUR’ were soliciting business from innocent clients. It was previously stated in Dabur India Ltd. v. Ashok Kumar, 2022 SCC OnLine Del 823, dated March 03, 2022, that there were several domain names and websites functioning with the name DABUR, such as www.daburdistributor.com and https://daburdistributorships.in. The alleged websites were used to gather money from susceptible customers.
The DoT and MEITY were given orders to disable the phoney websites. It was further directed that if a person or entity registers a mark, name, company, firm, or other entity, the identity of that person is made public. In the case of domain names, however, this is not the case. Disabling the privacy protect feature appears to be necessary to ensure that the identities of those registering domain names are plainly accessible on the https://www.whois.com database, as well as other similar databases.”
The Court stated that the courts face a variety of issues in relation to domain names, mobile applications, and messaging services, where various criminal activities are carried out through the said domain names/websites, apps, and messaging services. Examples of such activities are:
- Franchises and distributorships are being offered as a way to collect money from vulnerable Indian clients and citizens.
- Counterfeit, pass-off, and knock-off products are sold.
- Use of infringing domain names for the purpose of promoting infringing websites.
- Other illegal actions include the initiation of schemes, copyright infringement, unauthorised communications, and so on.
It was also mentioned that there are numerous domain name registering businesses located all over the world that provide domain name registration services in India. A vast proportion of these businesses have no presence or presence in India. As a result, enforcing orders issued by Indian courts against these firms in the following areas has become increasingly difficult:
- The website/domain name is blocked/suspended.
- Domain name transfer,
- revealing the names and addresses of the registrants
- Even when the registrant’s data are divulged, it is frequently discovered that the registrant’s names, contact information, and other details are either non-existent or fictional.
- The manner in which these websites are used to collect payments.
The Court stated that the authorities must maintain a close eye on such registering authorities that do not have offices in India. While such organisations’ services are supplied in India and they receive significant income from India, it is clear that the orders made are not being carried out in an effective and proper manner due to a lack of real offices or assets in India.
To ensure that registrants whose identities are discovered to be fraudulent, non-existent, or whose proper information are not given do not escape injunction orders, the Court directed that domain name registrars:
- Disclose the names and contact information for all people who have registered the disputed domain names in their database;
- Disclose the amount of money they received for registering the domain name, as well as any other services they may have provided, such as website hosting, cloud services, and so on.
Ms Kripa Pandit and Mr Anirudh Bakhru are representing the petitioner.
Mr Alipak Banerjee for respondent and Mr Brijesh Ujjainwal for D-4.
D-5 is represented by Ms Geetanjali Viswanathan, Ms Kruttika Vijay, and Ms Aishwarya Kane.
D-7 is represented by Mr. K.G. Gopalakrishnan and Ms. Nisha Mohandas.
D-15 is represented by Mr. Moazzam Khan and Ms. Shweta Sahu.
Mr. Harish Vaidyanathan is a member of the Harish Vaidyanathan Group Mr. Srish Kumar Mishra, Ms. S. Bushra Kazim, and Mr. Sagar Mehlawat for UOI |
Turning Your Safety On: A Data Loss Prevention Manual
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a collective system which detects and protects sensitive data by usage of advanced content analysis stemming from a single management console.
Security should always be at the top most priority of any one because loss of private files could make or break a company, organization or even a reputation of a person. It is very hard to trust anything on the internet, so people should be guarded and always keen to details and familiar with jargons of the technical side of the World Wide Web. While articles show how to apply data loss prevention on their business or organization, one must be educated first with the right terminologies.
About Data Loss Prevention
Here is some information about data loss prevention which can be very helpful to people who are not acquainted with uncommon terms; it may not be a complete guide, but it can cover crucial areas about your unwanted downloads and data storage.
- Prevention before cure. Prevention will always be part of the solution. Take for instance blocking email. DLP can act as mail transfer agents wherein it is capable of allowing and blocking email messages. DLP can extract sensitive content, put it to quarantine and make a file subject to being blocked, depending on the violated policy taking place.
- Comprehending the architecture of data loss prevention as a system. Most people claim that DLP is a complex system, but we should all know that there are three angles that we just need to know: the gateway, data stored and endpoint. It is important to note that from these three approaches, we just have to pull them all together as a single solution with detection engines, management interface and common policy engines.
- Being cautious of professional services. Before buying anything, check first the provider’s capabilities, and find out what is included in the cost. Complete and effective implementation on your system sounds good, but what if there are only areas which should be given high priority? Be sure that the person providing you with service has the skills to deploy requirements needed. Next, you have to confirm detection methods. As there are a number of detection methods, we can be conclusive that solutions were not created equally as well.
- Knowledge on different data loss prevention technologies. The term Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is not frequently found in a local office supply store, remote data destruction, back-up and recovery technologies, power strips and even on privacy filters. According to data loss prevention experts, there are two levels of data loss prevention. One is Full Suite and the other is Channel Data Loss Prevention. The former’s task is to exclusively prevent sensitive data loss, while the latter makes DLP a single feature among a long list of non DLP functions.
The key is to look first where you are vulnerable before researching on DLP solutions. Make a requirements list for you to check once in a while and familiarize yourself with the technical requirements needed for you to be fully safe whether via email or web in general.
Photo credits to The Freedom Chase. |
Today we got new ransomware for analysis and it is named as Hacker Invasion ransomware. It is referred as FTSCoder ransomware too.
Hacker Invasion variants of ransomware family are delivered by hacking in to the network by malware authors. Email campaign is the other option for the attackers to deliver these variants.
Static Analysis:MD5: B6E74930507305AC9B98A16230A5B02C
|Figure 1 Compiled in .net|
Compiler Detect -> .NET
File Type: 32-Bit Exe (Subsystem: Win GUI / 2), Size: 53760 (0D200h) Byte(s). This file got version info details and it says the original file name is ‘NIBIRU1.exe’, Product name and description as ‘NIBIRU’. We got generic results for these names in search results. We started to our static analysis work and see what this malware code is working.
This malware sample have one of a class called ‘anti’. Inside of this class, we got function called ‘killall()’.
Figure 2 Class anti (killall function)
The above snapshot gives detail of other classes apart from ‘anti’ are msnshare, skype, p2p, yahoo and usb. We will look into all these one by one.
Figure 3 killall function
Killall function does operation of comparing strings in the process names and if the process string have those strings then it get process id using GetProcess() and kill that given process. The list of strings looked by the function in the running processes:
· Av - antivirus
· Hijackthis - tool to inspects your computers browser and operating system settings to generate a log file of the current state of your computer.
· Outpost – Personal firewall (component of Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro by Agnitum).
· Npfmsg - NPFMessenger MFC Application belongs to software NPFMessenger Application.
· Bdagent - file associated with bitdefender antivirus.
· Kavsvc – file associated with Kaspersky antivirus.
· Egui – file associated with ESET antivirus.
· Zlclient – file associated with zone lab alarms antivirus.
All these processes are related to security products. So this malware actually wants to kill these security related process to stop them functioning.
There are four forms present in the list of classes. Those classes have functionalities related to other classes like injectx, skype, yahoo, p2p, and msnshare. We checked all these classes to understand their functionalities. Let see what injectx class have:
Injectx class appears to be launching the batch script. This starts with the looking for batch file inside system32 folder (refer the following code).
The function checks for the launch.bat and if the file exist then it deletes that batch else it goes for creation of the script in the same location. Refer the following snapshot:
Figure 4 creation of launch batch script
The above snapshot is the else condition for not presence of launch.bat file. Launch batch script is getting created with the help of this function.
We accessed that url, it gives 404 error from the site and it seems they removed the show.php and modules directory. Apart from the batch file creation, this function creates another script called launch.vbs inside the system32 location.
The above code is to create the vbs which actually to executes the launch.bat file. At the final line is for the creation of process ‘launch.vbs’.
Install class is the next in the code which copies an executable file called svchost.exe in local drive. And it also set the file attributes as hidden.
Figure 5 Class Install (code)
This piece of code is very interesting to see what it actually does. After it creation of svchost file in the ‘C’ drive, the code has download file with the file name and location. Refer this code:
Further to this, there is creation html file in the windows folder as sp.htm.
This sp.htm file have iframe which actually points the install.link, which is the downloaded file in the startup path as ‘file.exe’. After the file creations and downloading, the persistence will be created for the svchost.exe using two registry key.
They are the autostart entries (run registry entry and winlogon entry) which locates the physical location. These artifacts can be utilized as IOC.
Figure 6 Lan class
Lan class is used here to collect the details of the host machine such as host address, host name and workgroup detail. We moved on to the msnshare class where it works for creation new file called ‘mypornpics.scr’ in the appdata location under the messenger folder. Refer the following snapshots:
Figure 7 File location used by MSN class
Figure 8 Checking for the existence of the file called 'mypornpics'
Except USB class, other classes like skype, yahoo where actually doing similar functionality like MSN class. Let us focus on the functionality of USB class:
This USB class retrieving the details of logical drives using Directory.GetLogicalDrives(). It does a file copying operation and the copied file is ‘ntldr.exe’. After that, autorun.inf file is created with each line is written like the following code:
This code is actual content of autorun.inf where ntldr.exe will be executed automatically and hidden attributes are applied for both the files (autorun.inf and ntldr.exe).
Interesting resource detail (string table)
|Figure 9 Panic message|
This panic message was found in the file resource. This detail actually present in the form3 of resources. It is the time to look in to the codes of all the four forms (form1, form2, form3, and form4).
this.yourmutex = Environment.UserName + "MutexXx";
Mutex is created with the combination of the username and “MutexXx”. After this only, initialize component comes with listbox and finally it calls for following:
Then goes to sleep - Form1.Sleep(1500000L). And finally starting of the process ‘svchost.exe’ -Process.Start("C:\\svchost.exe").
Now we started to analysis the code of form2 class and its functions. This contains encryption routines, targeted file types, and extension added to the encrypted files. |
1. Zyxel internet center setup P-2302HWUDL
Open "VOIP" - "SIP"
Enter the following data:
Number: Your sip number (for example 111111) from personal account
SIP Server Address: sip.zadarma.com
REGISTER Server Address: sip.zadarma.com
SIP Service Domain: sip.zadarma.com
User name: Your sip number (for example 111111) from personal account
Password: Your password of sip number from "SIP-settings" in personal account.
2. Open "Advanced". Here you can set codecs range of RTP ports.
Start port: 10000
End port: 20000
Primary Compression Type: G711u
Secondary Compression Type: G711a
3. Under "VOIP" - "Phone" - "DECT Phone" you can connect phone to a separate account.
When connecting to Zadarma IP PBX you need to use the internal IP PBX information that appears under "My PBX - Internal numbers".
Number: Your internal PBX number (for example 1234-100) from personal account
SIP Server Address: pbx.zadarma.com
REGISTER Server Address: pbx.zadarma.com
SIP Service Domain: pbx.zadarma.com
User name: Your internal number of PBX (for example 1234-100) from personal account
Password: Your password of internal PBX number from personal account |
You can use the logging host command to set up a logging process and assign an IP address to it. This IP address will not be visible to other hosts but will only be used for system logging. The logging process is a vital part of technology risk management. By using the logging host command, you can set up your logging process and enforce it. For logging messages, you need to specify the IP address of the syslog server, instead of using a local IP address.
X-Forwarded-For (XFF) header
When your firewall receives a request from a client, it logs the originating IP address via the X-Forwarded-For (XFFF) header. This information can be useful for server-based web analytics. XFF header information can be useful to endpoint applications and web servers, but it can also be used to restrict certain IP addresses and ranges.
Configured IP address
Configure IP address for logging on the web i loved this server. To do so, first, open the web server configuration file. Choose the IP Intelligence feature. Click the Advanced tab. In the Advanced Logging window, select the IP Intelligence feature. Choose a log file type. Select Local DB Publisher. You can then configure logging for your site using this log file type. Once you’ve configured this log file type, you can now configure the logging feature on your IIS 8.5 server.
Outgoing IP interface
Outgoing IP interface for logging can be configured in several ways. Typically, you would configure the interface to match an inbound IP address. However, some applications may use a different IP address than others. To configure an IP address, use the command ip source-interface. This command displays the administratively assigned and operational source IP selection policies for each interface. The administratively assigned source IP selection policy is the default.
The VLAN ID is a string that can be used to distinguish IP packets within a network. The vlan identifier is also known as a VLAN identifier, and it is automatically advertised over the network when the Link Layer Discovery Protocol is enabled. The following example will enable advertisement of port VLAN ID across a range of ports. When the vlan identifier is not advertised, it will not be recognized by logging software and cannot be used to detect traffic.
Default Outgoing Interface policy
In order to enable Default Outgoing Interface (DOI) logging, configure the firewall to allow traffic from any source to the specified IP address. You can enable this feature by adding a Multiple Interfaces policy to any firewall policy. Then, toggle the option in the GUI. The following examples demonstrate how to configure DOI logging. Once the configuration is done, you can begin logging traffic.
Minimum severity requirement
Whether to send IP address log messages to syslog servers or to a web server is a system configuration option. Logging messages are sent to syslog servers using UDP or TCP. Security levels range from the least to the most severe. Not all events will trigger logging and reporting at a particular severity level, but if the security level is at or above your specified level, your logs will be sent to syslog servers.
Limit retention of logged data
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) gives web servers strict rules when it comes to collecting and processing personal data. Log data is no different, and web servers must abide by these regulations in order to continue operating. The new law makes it easy to comply with GDPR requirements. You can create custom retention policies for your logs, and you can even limit the duration of logging for an IP address. |
The Xqxqx virus belongs under the Dharma ransomware family. Ransomware of such sort encrypts all user’s data on the PC (photos, text files, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the FILES ENCRYPTED.txt files in each directory with the encrypted files.
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
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What is Xqxqx?
☝️ A scientifically correct designation for the Xqxqx would be “a Dharma family ransomware infection”.
The renaming will be executed by this scheme: id-*******.[email address].xqxqx. As a part of encryption, a file entitled, for instance, “report.docx” will be renamed to “report.docx.id3182931f1s.[[email protected]].xqxqx”.
In each folder with the encrypted files, a FILES ENCRYPTED.txt notebook file will be created. It is a ransom money memo. It contains information on the ways of contacting the racketeers and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the tamperers. You can obtain this decrypting software after contacting [email protected] via email. That is it.
|Ransomware family1||Dharma ransomware|
|Ransomware note||FILES ENCRYPTED.txt|
|Detection||Win32/Packed.Enigma.AC, UDS:Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Scrop, Win32/RiskWare.HackTool.Agent.K|
|Symptoms||Your files (photos, videos, documents) get a .id-*******.[email address].xqxqx extension and you can’t open them.|
|Fix Tool||See If Your System Has Been Affected by Xqxqx virus|
In the picture below, you can see what a folder with files encrypted by the Xqxqx looks like. Each filename has the “.id-*******.[email address].xqxqx” extension appended to it.
How did my machine catch Xqxqx ransomware?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
Nowadays, there are three most exploited ways for criminals to have ransomware settled in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan infiltration and peer file transfer.
If you open your mailbox and see letters that look like familiar notifications from utility services providers, postal agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose addresser is strange to you, be wary of opening those letters. They are most likely to have a viral file attached to them. So it is even riskier to download any attachments that come with emails like these.
Another thing the hackers might try is a Trojan file model2. A Trojan is a program that gets into your computer pretending to be something legal. For instance, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some program. However, what is unboxed reveals itself a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the update wizard can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the resource of the files you’re downloading. The best thing is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer networks like BitTorrent or eMule, the danger is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never guess what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy resources. Also, it is reasonable to scan the folder containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is finished.
How do I get rid of the Xqxqx virus?
It is important to note that besides encrypting your data, the Xqxqx virus will probably deploy the Azorult Spyware on your machine to seize your credentials to various accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). The mentioned spyware3 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling cardfile.
Often criminals would unblock some of your files to prove that they indeed have the decryption program. As Xqxqx virus is a relatively new ransomware, safety measures developers have not yet found a method to undo its work. Nevertheless, the anti-ransomware instruments are constantly updated, so the solution may soon be available.
Sure thing, if the tamperers do the job of encoding someone’s critical data, the hopeless person will probably fulfill their demands. Despite that, paying a ransom gives no guarantee that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After receiving the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the injured party. There were reports of ransomware developers simply vanishing after getting the ransom without even bothering to reply.
The best solution against ransomware is to have a system restore point or the copies of your critical files in the cloud disk or at least on an external disk. Surely, that might be not enough. The most crucial thing could be that one you were working on when it all happened. But at least it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your PC for viruses with the antivirus program after the OS restoration.
Xqxqx is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Ssdox, Harpoonlocker, Hoffmx, and some others. The two main differences between them and the Xqxqx are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: files become encrypted, their extensions changed, ransom notes appear in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some lucky users were able to decode the blocked files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-ransomware developers. Sometimes the criminals mistakenly send the decryption key to the wronged in the ransom readme. Such an extraordinary fail allows the user to restore the files. But obviously, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How to avoid ransomware attack?
Xqxqx ransomware has no superpower, so as any similar malware.
You can armour your system from ransomware attack taking three easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailers with strange addresses, or with content that has nothing to do with something you are waiting for (can you win in a lottery without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, check all elements of the dubious email with caution. A hoax letter will always contain mistakes.
- Do not use cracked or untrusted software. Trojans are often spreaded as an element of cracked products, most likely under the guise of “patch” to prevent the license check. But potentially dangerous programs are difficult to distinguish from reliable software, as trojans may also have the functionality you need. You can try searching for information on this software product on the anti-malware message boards, but the optimal way is not to use such software.
- And finally, to be sure about the safety of the files you downloaded, check them with GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This program will be a powerful armor for your system.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for Xqxqx infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
🤔 Is it possible to open “.id-*******.[email address].xqxqx” files?
There’s no way to do it, unless the files “.id-*******.[email address].xqxqx” files are decrypted.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.id-*******.[email address].xqxqx” files ASAP. How can I do that?
It’s good if you have fаr-sightedly saved copies of these important files elsewhere. In case you haven’t, there is still a chance that you do have a Restore Point from some time ago to roll back the whole system to the moment when it had no virus yet, but already had your files. All other solutions require time.
🤔 If GridinSoft deletes the Xqxqx malware, will it also delete my files that were encrypted?
Absolutely not! The encrypted files are not harmful, so they won’t be deleted.
With the help of GridinSoft Anti-Malware, you can clean your computer off the actual viruses. The malware that has infiltrated your system is must be still functional and it scans your system periodically to encode any new files you might create on your PC after the attack. As it has been mentioned above, the Xqxqx malware does not come alone. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can steal your account credentials and provide criminals with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Xqxqx malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
If that happened, you need to prepare a flash memory drive with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to perform the procedure. The point is that the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encodes any new files created or imported into your computer. To suppress this process – use Safe Mode, which allows only the essential programs to run upon system start. Consider reading our manual on running Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 What could help the situation right now?
Many of the encoded files might still be within your reach
- If you sent or received your critical files through email, you could still download them from your online mail server.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Just ask them to send those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social media pages, and cloud disks might have all those files as well.
- It might be that you still have the needed files on your old computer, a laptop, phone, external storage, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can use data recovery utilities6 to retrieve your lost information since ransomware encodes the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the video below, you can see how to use PhotoRec for such a recovery, but be advised: you can do it only after you remove the ransomware itself with an antivirus program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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How to Remove XQXQX Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: XQXQX Virus
Description: XQXQX Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .id-*******.[email address].xqxqx extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review( votes)
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/products
- Here’s the list of the best 10 file recovery tools of 2021. |
Here is the description of all these components of the malware.
The common feature of these three elements is their purpose.
This security software protects the payload, which is the typical malware, against reverse engineering. Malware developers add a specific code to disguise a malicious code. Thus, the main aim of it is to conceal the payload from the victim and investigators who try to obtain the particular data.
The runtime packers (for short packers, are also known as self-extracting archives) is a software that dearchives itself in memory when executing a file. They are designed to reduce the size of files, so users would have no need to unpack them manually before they could be implemented. Considering the size of the modern-day portable media and the network speeds, the files of small sizes are unnecessary anymore. Thus, people use such packers for making reverse engineering more complicated, with the additional advantage of a smaller footprint on the affected devices.
The obfuscation is the simplest method for crypters just as encoding is considered to be more complex technique. Obfuscation is often used for java- and vbscripts. The crypters function is not only to encode a file, but to make a disguised executable be difficult to find by security vendors. The same thing is with some packers. FUD (Fully Undetectable) is one more synonym for the packer; being able to remain unnoticed by any security vendor is the long-cherished goal of its creators. But if developers can go hidden for a time, and then easily modify their files again once they are noticed, they will be satisfied with that.
A protector prevents from cracking and reverse engineering of different programs. The packing and encoding are the most frequently used methods within the work of this software. Besides, some additional features surrounding the payload with the protective layers, make reverse engineering more complicated.
The code virtualization is another element relating to the protectors’ sphere. It secures your app by using individual and various virtual instructions as well. These protectors also include professional versions of the gaming business against illegal usage of the software. This safety is really effective, taking into account that the encryption key can be embedded into the ransomware. The bright example is Locky Bart that uses WProtect, a project connecting with an open source virtualization. |
“Ransomware” may now officially be the most searched word on Google. That’s because this month, the alleged hacker group the Shadow Brokers executed yet another global ransomware attack, the ‘Petya’ attack, which manipulated many of the same vulnerabilities as the May WannaCry attack. In light of this new and worrisome wave of ransomware cyber crime, it’s time to discuss an unresolved for so many organizations – patched and unpatched devices.
A major network security pitfall in organizations of all sizes, but mainly large organizations, is that they lack visibility into which devices have been patched for the EternalBlue/EternalRomance vulnerabilities, and which devices are unpatched and are therefore prone to attacks. While Microsoft did what it could to issue the patches in time to prevent the spread of the attack, a number of devices remain unpatched, and in some cases, it is impossible for IT admins to tell if there are devices left to patch or not. There could be two reasons for this oversight: 1. The IT administrators lack appropriate network/endpoint visibility tools with compliance mechanisms such as automated patching or quarantining of rogue devices; or 2. There are unmanaged company devices accessing the network. In the case of the latter, it is impossible to tell if they have been patched or not, unless the admins make the effort of manually installing the patch updates themselves. While there is much to be said for the benefits of network visibility tools, it’s the unmanaged devices that really worry me.
So how can we prevent a third massive ransomware attack? One could return to the vendor or Point of Sale of said unmanaged device and ask them to manually install the firmware, but this is a manual process and, with all of the ransomware attacks lately, these vendors are probably swamped with requests. The more logical option is to establish an active inventory of the unmanaged devices (such as BYODs) on the network so that, on the eve of an attack or, in light of suspicious activity, these devices can be automatically quarantined or blocked from the network. Another option is to perpetually place these devices in a segmented or firewalled part of the network that will limit their access to the Internet and sensitive company information. Here, it is possible to assign unmanaged devices to a guest or contractor network with limited access capabilities from the start.
Why is this so important, you ask? Because the perpetrators of the ‘Petya’ and WannaCry attacks were able to incur damage on a global scale by infiltrating vulnerabilities on one or two devices, then spreading the ransomware using freeware tools to thousands of others. It’s really the same way that worms work. This lateral movement throughout the organization can put IT admins in disaster mode – and that’s added to the fact that it takes 40% of IT teams at least two to three hours to realize they’ve been attacked!
In order to stop the ransomware bad guys in their tracks, it’s recommended to automate remediation methods to control the extent of the damage. Without this cushioning in place, hackers like the Shadow Brokers have free reign over not just one or two vulnerable devices, but the entire network, including personal devices and information attained in phishing attacks.
Let’s take the right actions this time to ensure that a third global ransomware attack doesn’t happen again anytime soon.
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“Never Trust, Always Verify”: Federal Migration to ZTA and Endpoint Security
The federal government’s latest guidance aimed at improving the nation’s cybersecurity demonstrates a commendable shift in priorities—moving away from perimeter defense and firewalls and instead embracing zero trust architecture (ZTA) to create resilient systems. For the government to succeed in this transition, it must recognize that ZTA is more about mindset and culture than it is a standardized roadmap. The government should act with urgency to adopt this mindset and specific plans for implementation, even while emphasizing that implementation will be an ongoing process over several years.
Recent nation-state cyber operations targeting U.S. federal government information systems, including the 2020 SolarWinds supply chain compromise, are motivating ambitious efforts across the executive and legislative branches to create resilient information systems and modernize federal cybersecurity. U.S. cybersecurity leaders are pursuing these modernization efforts across several lines of effort, with the White House issuing multiple executive orders, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) issuing new standards and guidance, and Congress evaluating major revisions to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).
Uniting these diverse initiatives is the emerging consensus that resilience is best achieved by a “zero trust” approach to cybersecurity. Above all else, zero trust, or zero trust architecture (ZTA), should be considered a security design philosophy—rather than a specific suite of technologies—that reflects a security approach of “never trust, always verify.” This approach stands in sharp contrast with traditional information technology (IT) network designs that rely heavily on trusting devices connected to a network and only verifying identity once. Endpoint security, which CSIS defines for the purposes of this paper as awareness of all devices that are connected to and communicate with a network for the purposes of preventing, detecting, and mitigating security threats, is a key element of ZTA. The endpoint security net extends to a large number of devices, geographic regions and network types,” including laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The scale and complexity of the endpoint security challenge is rapidly transforming the types of tools necessary to secure an organization’s endpoints. Increased mobility, along with Bring Your Own Device policies, and the increased adoption of IoT reflect an endpoint security mission that has rapidly surpassed traditional approaches, such as deploying anti-virus software on physical workstations. Going forward, organizations will need to integrate a diverse array of endpoint security components into their broader ZTA strategies. As Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Jen Easterly recently argued, adopting zero trust “really is a journey,” and identifying and implementing the right suite of measures will be a major challenge for many federal agencies.
To assist the U.S. federal government’s efforts to improve its cyber defenses, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) undertook a six-month research project focused on examining federal zero trust implementation. Working from CISA’s existing Zero Trust Maturity Model guidance, CSIS focused its analysis on whether zero trust is the right answer for the federal government and, having established the benefits of this approach, what obstacles exist to implementation.
Researchers focused on two key elements of zero trust: devices and identity. Although ZTA principles need to extend to every aspect of an agency’s enterprise, zero trust fundamentally begins with knowing what devices are connecting to agency resources, verifying who is using them, and then having the right policies and technologies in place to properly govern access.
CSIS interviewed cybersecurity experts from across industry and government and convened a structured workshop to answer five key questions:
- Is ZTA the right approach for improving federal cybersecurity?
- How can the federal government implement ZTA and endpoint security across its networks?
- What acquisition and security approaches are either contributing to or undermining efforts to integrate zero trust into federal networks?
- How should recent sophisticated cyber incidents influence decisionmaking on zero trust and endpoint security implementation?
- How have efforts to improve workforce mobility, made acute by the Covid-19 pandemic, accelerated or impeded implementation of ZTA and endpoint security?
This brief delivers the CSIS research team’s findings across four sections. It begins with a brief summary explaining the concept of zero trust and why it is imperative for modern enterprise security, including for the federal government. It then identifies several of the key barriers that are currently impeding federal government ZTA adoption efforts. The final two sections highlight enabling factors, recommendations, and next steps agencies, departments, and Congress can take as they build out their ZTA plans. The findings in this report are informed by interviews with cybersecurity experts (Appendix A) and independent research.
There is no single path to success in designing and implementing an enterprise architecture that is built on zero trust principles. While there will be many similar steps along the zero trust journey for all federal departments and agencies, their diverse missions, security requirements, and existing architectures—more than anything else—require approaches that are agile and adaptable across a wide range of use cases. Fundamentally, federal agencies and departments must make space in budgets for procurement and training, and Congress must consistently fund agency-specific cybersecurity enhancement plans.
There is no single path to success in designing and implementing an enterprise architecture that is built on zero trust principles.
Storming the Castle: Why Zero Trust?
Zero trust is often characterized as an alternative to legacy “perimeter-based” cybersecurity. For decades, enterprise cybersecurity efforts have revolved around the concept of “implicit trust.” Under this model, networks and systems were designed to defend against intrusions at a well-defined network perimeter. Imagine this perimeter as a medieval castle. The castle is surrounded by a moat and 40-foot-high stone walls. Access is granted only via a single gate, where guards scrutinize and verify the identity of each visitor. However, once admitted, one can move about freely. Some areas inside the castle are locked and guarded, but most are not. There is little scrutiny once someone is within the walls because their very presence means they have been vetted. They are implicitly trusted.
But what if someone is not whom they claim to be? What if they are an assassin disguised as a guard? What if they are secretly working for a rival kingdom and intent on theft and sabotage? Credential harvesting remains a popular entry point for malicious cyber actors. In a perimeter-based environment, those bad actors—once they gain initial access to a network—could potentially operate unconstrained within the walls. In 2010, Forrester analyst John Kindervag described how cybersecurity efforts that emphasized perimeter defense exposed organizations to a range of external and insider threats. In the process, he set the broad contours that are currently understood as ZTA. From the outset, the term zero trust meant that no activity, regardless of whether it originated inside the network or outside of its perimeter, should be assumed to be trustworthy. In terms of the medieval castle, this would mean increasing security inside the walls, such as by locking and guarding more doors and requiring visitors to repeatedly verify their identity as they move about the castle grounds.
Enterprises themselves have grown more complex. Organizations now effectively lack perimeters. Systems are increasingly migrating to commercial clouds, and organizations operate hybrid infrastructures where some resources remain on legacy data centers while others move to commercial clouds. As noted, the rapid pivot to telework and an increasingly mobile workforce are greatly complicating enterprise security planning, as a proliferating number of devices access agency resources. Moreover, organizations such as the Departments of Defense, State, and Justice and elements of the intelligence community continue to operate multiple networks, often geographically dispersed across the United States and the globe. The long-term incentive for ZTA is that it provides opportunities for vertical and horizontal scalability which will lead to cost savings and increased security over time. The progression from the high castle perimeter to a segmented, guarded ZTA is a continuum, involving many small measures that each contribute to a resilient, protected system.
Barriers to Implementation
Shifting from perimeter defense to ZTA is not as easy as flipping a switch; it is a complex undertaking. Further, it involves more than procuring new hardware and software. Making such a shift requires adopting new policies, processes, and structures. Executive Order (EO) 14028 directs the federal government to implement ZTA, but a number of budgetary and cultural hurdles could delay or prevent the widespread adoption of supporting policies and technologies. The following categories are key areas where agencies and departments might struggle in their respective attempts to design and implement a robust ZTA.
Shifting from perimeter defense to ZTA is not as easy as flipping a switch; it is a complex undertaking. Further, it involves more than procuring new hardware and software. Making such a shift requires adopting new policies, processes, and structures.
Budget and Acquisition
The requirements outlined in EO 14028 represent potentially significant changes in the software acquisition space. EO 14028 lays out several actions that will shape acquisitions, including revised contract language requiring companies doing business with the government to share information about cybersecurity.
The EO’s suggested changes represent a significant increase in data collection and preservation. These data-sharing requirements are often unpopular within industry because they are viewed as burdensome and may reveal vulnerabilities that commercial companies do not want to share with the government or of which the companies themselves are often unaware. These are necessary steps in moving toward ZTA, but government needs to anticipate and create policies and legislation to further mitigate these concerns and incentivize sharing. The EO requires the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement within 60 days, in consultation with the secretary of defense, attorney general, secretary of homeland security, and director of national intelligence, with recommendations posted for public comment within 90 days of that review. The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and NASA opened public comment periods for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which closed in April 2022. As of May 2022, Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council staff were drafting the proposed rule. In concert, CISA’s Applying Zero Trust Principles to Enterprise Mobility, released in March 2022, called for “a tighter integration between [Enterprise Mobility Management] EMM and mobile threat defense and enterprise logging, monitoring, diagnostics, and mitigation systems is needed towards meeting [zero trust] ZT requirements of the May 2021 Executive Order 14028.” That included a draft Zero Trust Maturity Model, which was likewise open for public comment until April 2022.
To cover the costs of ZTA, the FY 2023 budget provides an additional $486 million to CISA, bringing its total funding to $2.5 billion, a portion of which will support the transition to ZTA. The Department of the Treasury’s Cybersecurity Enhancement Account demonstrates the priority put on the move to ZTA, allocating over $86 million of its $215 million in program increases—including 9 of its 21 proposed additional full-time equivalent staff—to the effort. Investments such as these point to ZTA as both a budget priority and long-term project.
While the specifics are still under development, EO 14028 calls for a substantial increase in security and resilience measures that, when implemented, should mitigate the damage during a breach. Implementing those measures will require new polices, processes, and IT architectures, which each agency and department must adapt to its needs. The full cost of transitioning to ZTA remains unknown, although over the long term, the benefits from ZTA, in the form of improved security and productivity, as well as the costs of not moving in this direction, will be substantial.
Migrating an entire enterprise to ZTA is, invariably, an incremental process. A key consideration in migration is the need to manage legacy—often outdated—devices, systems, and architecture. Managing risk from this “technology debt” is a significant challenge for federal agencies.
The U.S. federal government spends approximately $90 billion annually on IT. However, according to analysis by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the GSA, and members of Congress, much of this funding is dedicated toward maintaining legacy, often antiquated systems.
According to one expert interviewed in support of this report, departments and agencies often find it challenging to secure funding and authorization for new large-scale IT modernization efforts and relatively easier to obtain funding for existing systems. This dynamic often motivates agencies to focus on operating and maintaining existing systems rather than pursuing new capital investments. Over time, these forces have contributed to the federal government’s current level of technology debt. As a result, federal cybersecurity officials find themselves responsible for maintaining legacy, often mission-critical systems while trying to ensure that these systems do not become key weaknesses in the organization’s overall security posture. The federal government has, unfortunately, already vividly demonstrated how compounding technology debt can leave systems vulnerable to compromise. Despite the substantial privacy and national security implications of the compromise in June 2015 of personnel data and background investigation information at the Office of Personnel Management, more than six years later the agency was still struggling to implement wide-ranging enterprise security modernization initiatives.
In addition to funding and planning challenges, efforts to manage legacy systems can present a dilemma between user experience and security. Pursuing a seamless user experience, developers may integrate access to legacy services into newer capabilities. However, such an approach means that the new system could inherit any vulnerabilities present in the legacy service. In many circumstances, effective risk mitigation while migrating to ZTA may require federal agencies to consider temporarily degrading user experience in the broader interest of security. For example, adhering to the fundamental ZTA principle of “limiting the blast radius” of any successful breach requires agencies to segment their networks, particularly legacy systems and operational technology (OT). While such segmentation inevitably creates some friction for users by restricting their ability to move around the network, access certain data across the network, or escalate permissions, failing to close this vulnerability presents a greater risk. Further, implementing many ZTA authentication technologies ultimately can move segmentation into the background and allow the user experience to appear seamless.
In this process, communication with affected users needs to be an ongoing priority. Most importantly, users must understand that measures to wall off legacy systems from the rest of the enterprise are a necessary, temporary inconvenience to maintain the broader integrity of the organization’s IT systems. Such measures should be accompanied by a clear roadmap for modernizing the underlying technology.
Lack of Urgency and Behavioral Friction
During the roundtable discussion, participants agreed that agency leaders recognize that moving to ZTA is important. This conclusion is consistent with a recent Cyberscoop and Fedscoop report that surveyed agency leaders and IT experts across the federal government in December 2021. When asked to evaluate the impact of EO 14028 in “getting agency leaders to commit resources to critical cybersecurity projects,” 86 percent of civilian agency respondents, 81 percent of defense agency respondents, and 64 percent of intelligence community respondents either agreed that it was “game-changing” or “greatly needed.” However, a number of the CSIS roundtable participants also agreed that the conceptual acceptance of ZTA or the value placed on the EO has not translated into a commensurate sense of urgency.
A lack of urgency, expressed by the highest levels of the departments and agencies, could lead to superficial “box-checking” compliance in the near term—minimal exerted effort to meet the basic requirements of compliance—when what is needed are investments in comprehensive and dynamic plans that can be adapted over time. Though further investigation is required to fully assess the quality of agencies’ newly proposed ZTA designs and implementation plans, that same Cyberscoop survey also polled respondents on the following question: “How much progress has your agency made to date (as of December 2021) with building strategies around the EO?” Among respondents, 15 percent stated that roughly half of the strategies required have been developed. A staggering 43 percent believed roughly three-quarters of the required strategies have been implemented, and another 33 percent believed all the strategies required have been developed. The discrepancy between experts interviewed by CSIS and the survey responses from current agency leads and IT experts might indicate that some of the agencies are currently operating on a sense of complacency that enough has been done to satisfy the EO and, by extension, increase overall security.
Relatedly, behavioral friction can further thwart incentives for agency leaders to develop a greater sense of urgency and aggressively adopt more security policies that align with ZTA mindset. At the rank-and-file level, moving control frameworks closer to the user and device means establishing security procedures that add steps or require a change in habits. While security imperatives should outweigh ease of use, it can be difficult to push out these new processes to the larger workforce.
Misalignment between agency policies and OMB guidance can also cause confusion and unclear paths to ZTA implementation. For example, one of the roundtable participants noted that typical budget review and approval processes are not structured in a way to meet EO 14028’s ambitious FY 2024 deadline—budget cycles take years to catch up with new spending mandates. The budget process disincentivizes large-scale, long-term changes. Timelines are a good forcing mechanism, but short timelines with limited guidance could create budget issues for agencies that are having a difficult time prioritizing efforts in this space. It is still too early to determine how many agencies met the OMB’s initial reporting deadlines outlined in EO 14028 and how many either took advantage of the waiver exception or missed the deadline altogether.
Moreover, one interviewee noted that while each standalone policy might be important, the disparate policies do not help create coherent strategy when taken together. Coordinating offices—especially the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)—are best placed to identify these disconnects and issue clarifying guidance.
Leadership and Accountability
Several interviewees noted that much of ZTA implementation relies on access to resources and high-level buy-in from agency leadership. Looking across the government, interviewees reported confusion about who is leading strategic coordination. OMB has the most clearly defined role, but CISA, the National Security Agency (NSA), and ONCD all provide guidance and play a larger role in actively managing progress across federal networks. Without clearly delineated roles at the coordination level, it can be difficult for cabinet secretaries and department heads to know whose guidelines should take priority.
While OMB has the current lead to help agencies prioritize initiatives during their ZTA migrations, it lacks sufficient staff and expertise to ensure implementation on its own. Other entities, such as ONCD, might have greater cyber expertise to both monitor and build out long-term plans with the agencies and departments. Budget oversight and review is key and is currently a joint effort led by OMB and supported by ONCD. It is important to note that this system of cooperation is most formally and visibly represented by the dual-hatted OMB federal chief information security officer (CISO)/deputy national cyber director position. However, the current arrangement potentially puts too much pressure on OMB. Instead, an existing department or office with a cybersecurity mandate should take the lead.
At the agency or department level, an added barrier is identifying which individual or office should be in charge of monitoring the ZTA migration progress. Though the specific role will vary depending on the agency, roundtable participants and a few interviewees alike emphasized that federal CISOs, though likely candidates to oversee ZTA developments, should not be in charge of this effort unless given greater authorities. Effective ZTA implementation requires oversight and control over relevant parts of the agency’s budget review and allocation process, authority to change security policies across the agency to make sure they align with ZTA principles, and the ability to sufficiently prioritize cybersecurity modernization when faced with other competing priorities.
Finally, beyond any confusion about who is in charge, there are questions about what these tasked individuals or offices are being held accountable for. The federal guidance is intentionally vague to provide flexibility to the agencies and departments on their ZTA journeys, but that also means there are no standard metrics to assess progress. One expert pointed out that it is extremely clear what failure or negligence looks like when it comes to physical security. It is less clear in the cyber domain, making it difficult to design agreed-upon standards by which to grade success or failure. A lack of clear expectations and a faltering sense of urgency is a recipe for complacency.
Extending beyond the aforementioned challenges, a number of the experts noted that ZTA has a perception issue. The term itself has been around for some time, and to varying degrees, ZTA can still be seen as an overwhelming, costly, or time-intensive marketing gimmick.
Fortunately, much of the federal government, particularly national security agencies and departments, have been in the practice of adopting technologies and processes that, while currently insufficient, are foundational and compatible with zero trust frameworks. For example, one of the interviewed experts noted that even though industry is often touted as being ahead of government when it comes to designing ZTA, departments such as DOD are ahead of the private sector with regard to how data is classified, rationalized, accessed, and stored in a precisely segmented fashion. The more highly classified the data, the less trust is assumed or allowed in accessing this data, with more preventive controls based upon user identity, verification, and authentication mechanisms, enforced across physical and logical control planes.1
As one of the roundtable experts remarked, ZTA works well when the “mission advantage” is well understood and clearly articulated. It is the same question that the private sector has to address—beyond security, how can implementing ZTA principles be framed as benefitting the bottom line?
Fortunately, much of the federal government, particularly national security agencies and departments, have been in the practice of adopting technologies and processes that, while currently insufficient, are foundational and compatible with zero trust frameworks.
Researchers identified the following seven initiatives that should be near-term priorities for government efforts to implement ZTA:
In addition to the near-term priorities list, the CSIS research team identified the following additional recommendations that warrant consideration:
Agencies and Departments
- Engage in network penetration exercises. The federal government should develop a cultural acceptance—even encouragement—of frequent penetration testing. Agency heads can encourage this mindset by acknowledging that security is never perfect and that a penetration test that finds nothing is a failed penetration test. Penetration testing and policies around asset management should go hand-in-hand.
- Map system dependencies when doing asset management. It is important to not just be aware of what devices are connected on your network but how those individual devices interact with each other. By maintaining an accurate asset inventory, identifying critical assets, and factoring in dependencies between different devices in an enterprise’s network, an organization can be better positioned to make informed decisions regarding budgets, resource allocation, and acquisitions. Additionally, clearly mapping out system dependencies can help agencies understand potential cascading consequences and identify “single points of failure” or other key nodes. This in turn will help them better understand and prepare for a variety of malicious activity and can help agencies better anticipate complications as they attempt to replace all or parts of legacy systems.
- Set priorities that are “contextually dependent.” Agencies and departments will have different contextual backgrounds that need to be considered when setting priorities. Different sectors of the federal government will be embarking on their migration efforts at different starting maturity levels, and the OMB’s zero trust strategy accounts for that. Agencies and departments are expected to all be moving in the same general direction but should set priorities that account for their current cybersecurity posture, agency mission and culture, leadership buy-in, and the overall working relationship of an agency or department with Congress.
- Transition from vulnerable multifactor authentication (MFA) systems to more secure authentication mechanisms within the next few years. In addition to updating actual MFA policies and applications as needed, departments should gradually move toward even more secure authentication apps and processes, such as FIDO authentication. FIDO login credentials do away with usernames and passwords and instead rely on passkeys that are generated by a user during their first interaction with a device or website (e.g., biometric sensors). The passkey can then be automatically applied anytime the individual uses the device.
- Designate deputy secretaries as the lead for ZTA implementation; however, agency heads are ultimately responsible for cybersecurity. The deputy secretary level is well placed to manage the internal processes necessary for the transition and also to remove roadblocks to implementation. Consistent, focused attention at the deputy secretary level will speed the transition. The buck still stops with agency heads, however, in particular when explaining progress (or a lack thereof) to Congress.
- Demonstrate the mission value of migration to ZTA. Leaders should emphasize business and mission advantage to drive digital transformation. Doing so will incentivize key actors by providing a sense of direct benefits to their respective organizations.
- Inform workflows with threat intelligence. User authentication should be informed by threat intelligence and enhanced by processes that enable continuous data enrichment, analysis, and correlation. Agencies and departments should evaluate methods for automating these processes using machine learning and other data analysis tools that can measure the quality and trust of the underlying threat data.
- Enable Data Orchestration. ZTA implementation will require interaction of multiple technologies for user authentication at every level. If handled manually, this level of effort is unscalable. Agencies and departments should eliminate inefficiency and visibility gaps stemming from manual execution of tasks; instead, they should create an orchestration layer that is not bound to any one technology but underlies the entire ZTA architecture and engages with all tools.
- Expand and streamline modernization and working capital funds. Initiatives such as the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and IT Working Capital Funds, both of which were enacted in 2017, have created new authorities and funding vehicles that agencies can utilize to accelerate their technology modernization efforts. Congress should annually or biannually set up a formal review of the programs, particularly the TMF, to ensure the funds are being appropriately and consistently funded year after year to meet broader federal cybersecurity needs. Congress should also consider establishing an “agility fund,” where agencies with urgent needs are able to quickly receive support funds if issues arise during their ZTA migration.
- Conduct a formal review of the OMB and ONCD’s efforts to assist with overall ZTA plans. To ensure that the OMB, ONCD, and other agencies tasked with coordination are making necessary progress, Congress should better assert its oversight authority and closely monitor government-wide compliance with EO 14028. Different agencies will have varying levels of understanding of the importance of embracing ZTA. Congress must remind these agencies what is required of them in this endeavor. This emphasis is particularly important for independent agencies, as the Executive Office of the President will have extremely limited authority. Since ZTA migration is a multiyear effort, the CSIS team recommends a biannual review starting in 2024. Authority in Congress for this review is dispersed, as each agency or department reports to its own oversight committee, but the Homeland Security Committee is best placed to be a central oversight mechanism.
- Enhance transparency of ZTA implementation progress. Federal government leaders should commit to transparently documenting and sharing lessons learned with other agency leads and Congress during the ZTA journey to “foster a culture of continuous improvement” and learning among agencies and departments.
- Take a hard look at congressional systems. Congress is not immune from attacks, nor should it postpone a ZTA effort of its own. Congressional leaders should be asking hard questions of its own security measures.
- Clarify role and authority. CISA is situated as a leader in the civilian federal zero trust journey, but its role in ZTA implementation is relatively unclear. There is a need to clarify the boundaries of CISA’s role and what authorities it has in enabling, managing, and assessing the progress of ZTA implementation at other departments and agencies. CISA is poised to play the role of ZTA enabler, yet clearer authorities would address the remaining loopholes and aid it in its ability to surge support to agencies along their ZTA journey. As recommended by interviewed experts and in a recent report from the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), CISA should be a knowledge management center of excellence for ZTA for the civilian government, providing resources to further aid agencies, such as implementation guidance, reference architectures, capability catalogs, and training modules. Additionally, given the role and mission of CISA, it would be an ideal agency to implement a centralized model to surge support in implementation, tools, training, and teams to help with the adoption of ZTA.
- Conduct studies with outside labs and research institutions to assess where ZTA migration disruptions might occur and how to best mitigate their impact. There will inevitably be some disruptions in the process of migrating to ZTA. However, repeated disruptions could kill willingness to move forward. CISA should not only pre-emptively identify where those disruptions might take place but also ways to mitigate issues that may arise. This is especially important when considering OT disruptions. OT is often controlling activity where disruption could have a significant impact. Failure to consider the unique requirements and challenges in the OT context could further stymie plans to transition to ZTA.
- Clarify roles and authorities (especially in relation to ONCD, OMB, and CISA). There is an opportunity for the ONCD to play a more visible role in processes related to high-level coordination, budget review, and information sharing as it relates to ZTA. For example, ONCD should draft the strategy and ensure coherence in its implementation, including overseeing budgets for ZTA. OMB has a potential “hammer” to ensure appropriate action is being taken, but ONCD will have deeper expertise to inform those decisions, analyze and assess progress, bring greater coherence to relevant budgets across departments and agencies, drive necessary decisions, and deconflict demands for resources. More clearly defining ONCD’s role as the overall lead for ZTA will also help more clearly define the boundaries of the authorities of the other agencies managing ZTA implementation vis-à-vis the ONCD and will help CISA stand apart as the more operational lead that can provide tools and expertise to help departments and agencies.
- Create metrics to measure ZTA implementation successes. The NSTAC report recommended that federal CISOs, in coordination with ONCD, “establish or enhance the existing metric-based requirements tied to industry best practices for [ZTA] implementation with reporting accountability at the agency CISO-level or above.” The CSIS team recommends that interagency reporting accountability should be at the deputy secretary level. This will work best if CISOs and chief information officerss are given stronger authorities to sufficiently support agency and department-wide ZTA implementation. Agencies and departments should implement this approach, learning from industry successes and failures in this space.
- Prioritize aligning policies both across the U.S. government and within each department and agency. Misaligned policies at any level could delay ZTA implementation.
Long-term Enablers for Implementation
Zero trust and a focus on endpoint security are necessary prerequisites to increasing overall security; however, to fully support a commitment to ZTA principles and grow institutional resilience, a number of the interviewed experts underscored that the federal government needs to have long-term plans to ensure both consistent funding streams and a fully staffed, properly skilled workforce.
Cyber threats to the U.S. government will only continue to grow over the next few years, whether from the expansion of nation-state cyber programs, existing adversaries upgrading their capabilities, or new technologies creating additional vulnerabilities. As a result, the federal government’s new zero trust strategy will have to be bolstered by funding to enable effective cyber defenses. On cybersecurity-related spending, the administration requested $10.9 billion for FY 2023, with an eye on funding a strategic shift in defending federal infrastructure and service delivery. In total, the administration seeks $65 billion for IT at civilian agencies, covering 4,290 investments at 24 agencies.
CSIS’s interviewees corroborated that, so far, funding processes have been a hindrance rather than an advantage in adopting new strategies for securing critical infrastructure. Furthermore, the current budgeting process and implementation strategies are not yet aligned with the government’s commitment to instituting a new ZTA strategy. Achieving full-scale federal cybersecurity and implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) through ZTA will require the federal government to make difficult budgetary decisions and prioritize funding streams in favor of ZTA policies over other standard IT protocols at almost every stage of cybersecurity, including software and hardware acquisition, migration processes, and training in cybersecurity and digital technologies, among others.
To facilitate funding requests and allocation processes, the government must devise distribution plans according to priorities, breaking down milestones to achieve useful capabilities and distributing the funding accordingly. For instance, per an interviewee, data on the implementation strategies can be collected and assessed through trial stages to determine whether funding strategies need to be restructured and budgeted accordingly. In the same vein, the importance of strengthening procurement vehicles—delivery, data, testing and prototyping, and talent—for the different agencies cannot be understated. Reassuring agencies that their most crucial demands, such as next-generation hardware, prototyping funds, and talent recruitment, are being accounted for will increase the likelihood of their engagement in and optimism for the ZTA maturation process.
Agencies should operate within budget and will therefore seek funding before embarking on transitions to fulfill ZTA policies. Interviewed experts agreed that budget prioritization will be an inescapable layer in the larger ZTA implementation plan. To ensure every relevant agency obtains the necessary funding to shift toward ZTA and adopt EDR as a result, government budgeting bodies will need to be realistic about the expenses associated with these initiatives and the types of funding each agency will require while eliminating non-integrated and redundant solutions. In its role, the ONCD should assist agencies to prioritize and strategically coordinate funding. Additionally, per an interviewed expert, by providing more support for models that operate within the appropriations cycle, the ONCD can help agencies accelerate ZTA adoption.
Strong talent acquisition remains an ongoing challenge across the DOD and broader federal defense agencies. Among other things, cultural factors have largely impeded progress in hiring top technical and cyber talent. CSIS’s interviewees agreed that to secure the country’s critical infrastructure against cyberattacks and implement a culture of zero trust, the government needs to create a strong pool of individuals who are not only skilled for the job but also share the mission values. Creating a technically competent workforce is central to effectively implementing ZTA across the federal government since this model requires a cybersecurity understanding and mindset distributed across the federal employees responsible for implementing it. Workforce generation, therefore, is an important tool in the implementation processes of ZTA.
Hiring strong talent and creating a tech-leaning workforce can be achieved through two means: instituting reforms and new initiatives among hiring authorities and borrowing tech talent from the private sector themes that are strongly emphasized in the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0’s recently published white paper on the cyber workforce. Interviews revealed strong consensus among government officials that federal agencies struggle to attract and retain critical talent. Above all, agencies must strategize on how to communicate the concept of zero trust to their workforce and adopt a mission strategy that the workforce can own as well.
Creating a technically competent workforce is central to effectively implementing ZTA across the federal government since this model requires a cybersecurity understanding and mindset distributed across the federal employees responsible for implementing it.
Talent acquisition and retainment are heavily contingent upon creating the right working culture and environment. The federal government has struggled with a cultural perception problem, where many people are repelled by the government’s bureaucratic and “slow-moving ship” reputation. To add to this problem, the federal government’s performance appraisal system currently does not incentivize adoption of ZTA principles or transitioning old cybersecurity approaches to new, robust measures within the federal agencies. Agencies should foster a cybersecurity culture that moves away from the check-list approach and instead embraces learning, innovation, disruption, and diversity in talent and skills and encourages employees to take on new initiatives without instilling the paranoia of failures. In short, it should adopt the private sector approach of “fail fast, recover faster.” Investment should, therefore, be geared toward fostering interest in the mission while acknowledging the zero trust learning curve, especially with individuals without a cyber background.
In a bid to obtain a much-needed cyber workforce, the government must collaborate with its fierce competitor for talent: the private sector. Some private companies are relatively able to better integrate new talent but also create new talent. These companies offer not only larger salaries but also provide attractive incentives, such as a culture and environment of fast-paced innovation, opportunities for growth, and training and education programs. Through partnerships, the government can borrow technical talent from private companies to accelerate the adoption of the new zero trust strategy along with training emerging talent.
Fostering the right behavior takes time, developing new skills is a lengthy process, and the need to develop hygiene for cybersecurity has not yet diffused across all the agencies and the workforce. Ultimately, acquiring an inclusive, skilled, vibrant, and diverse workforce will hinge upon organizational restructuring at all levels of management to effectively reform government agencies’ organizational cultures and working environments.
Emily Harding, Deputy Director, International Security Program
Jim Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director, Strategic Technology Program
Suzanne Spaulding, Senior Adviser for Homeland Security, International Security Program
Rose Butchart, Associate Fellow, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group
Harshana Ghoorhoo, Research Assistant, International Security Program
Jake Harrington, Intelligence Fellow, International Security Program
Devi Nair, Associate Director and Associate Fellow, International Security Program
Paula Reynal, Intern, International Security Program
This brief is made possible by Tanium.
CSIS Briefs are produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
© 2022 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.
Appendix A: Contributing Experts
The authors would like to extend their gratitude for the insights and feedback provided by the experts that took part in the “Extending Cybersecurity to the Endpoint” roundtable or participated in expert interviews.
The listed experts participated in their individual capacity and neither their comments, nor this report’s findings and recommendations, reflect the positions of their respective organizations, departments, or agencies.
Rex Booth – Senior Policy Advisor, ONCD
Steve Chabinsky – President, Cyversant; Former Deputy of FBI’s Cyber Division
Sean Connelly – TIC Program Manager & Senior Cybersecurity Architect, CISA
John Costello – Chief of Staff, ONCD
Michael Daniel – President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance; Former Cyber Coordinator, NSC
Chis DeRusha – Federal CISO, OMB; Deputy National Cyber Director, Federal Cybersecurity, ONCD
Don Freese – Senior Vice President & Global CISO, Digital Realty; Former Deputy Assistant Director, FBI
Anuj Goel – Co-Founder & CEO, Cyware
John Kindervag – Senior Vice President of Cybersecurity Strategy and ON2IT Group Fellow, ON2IT cybersecurity
Jim Langevin – U.S. Congressman (D-RI); Chairman, HASC Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems
Jeanette Manfra – Global Director of Risk and Compliance, Google Cloud; Former Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity and Communication, DHS; Former Deputy Director for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, NSC
Ryan McCarthy – Resident Scholar and Strategic Advisor, Syracuse University’s Maxwell School; Former U.S. Secretary of the Army, DOD; Consultant for Tanium
Thomas McDermott – Acting Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy, DHS
Dr. Phyllis Schneck – Vice President & CISO, Northrop Grumman; Former Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity and Communication, DHS
Matt Shelton – Director of Technology Risk and Threat Intelligence, Mandiant
David Simon, Partner & Co-lead of Global Cyber Incident Response, Mayer Brown LLP; Former Chief Counsel, Cyberspace Solarium Commission; Special Counsel, DOD
Rick Simon – Cyber Portfolio Project Manager at Defense Innovation Unit, DOD
Joe Stuntz – Director of Federal and Platform, Virtu; Former Policy Advisor, OMB Cyber and National Security
Clint Watts – Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute; Consultant for Tanium
Johnson Wu – Cyber Portfolio Project at Defense Innovation Unit, DOD
Due to the nature of the topic, some experts opted to remain unattributed in this work.
Appendix B: Government Guidance
Various entities within the U.S. government have released directives and strategies to aid in the migration of agencies toward ZTA. CISA, the OMB, and the NSA will play significant roles in encouraging the changes. |
Advanced persistent threat (APT) activity in the second three months of 2019 included a number of operations targeting or originating in the Middle East and South Korea. Much of the activity was focused on cyber-espionage or financial gain, but at least one campaign appears to have been intended to spread disinformation.
In May, Kaspersky researchers analyzed the online leak of apparent cyber-espionage assets belonging to an Iranian entity, and concluded that the actor behind the dump could be Hades, a group also linked to ExPetr and the cyberattack on the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. These and other APT trends across the world are covered in Kaspersky’s latest quarterly threat intelligence summary.
In the second quarter of 2019, Kaspersky researchers observed some interesting activity in the Middle East.
This included a series of online leaks of assets such as code, infrastructure, group and apparent victim details, allegedly belonging to known Persian-speaking threat actors, OilRig and MuddyWater. The leaks originated from different sources but all appeared within a few weeks of each other. The third online leak, which apparently exposed information related to an entity called the “RANA institute”, was published in Persian on a website named “Hidden Reality”.
This leak could be connected to the threat actor Hades. Hades is the group behind the OlympicDestroyer incident targeting the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, as well as the ExPetr worm, and various disinformation campaigns like the 2017 leak of emails relating to Emmanuel Macron’s presidential election campaign in France.
Further APT highlights in Q2, 2019 include:
- Russian-speaking groups continue to consistently refine and release new tools, and to launch new operations. For example, since March, Zebrocy appears to have turned its attention towards Pakistan/India events, officials, and related diplomats and military, as well as maintaining ongoing access to local and remote Central Asian government networks.
- Researchers observed an active campaign targeting government bodies in Central Asia by Chinese-speaking APT group SixLittleMonkeys, using a new version of the Microcin Trojan and a RAT that Kaspersky calls HawkEye as a last stager.
“The second quarter of 2019 shows just how clouded and confusing the threat landscape has become, and how often something is not what it seems. Among other things, we saw a threat actor hijacking the infrastructure of a smaller group, and another group possibly capitalizing on a series of online leaks to spread disinformation and undermine the credibility of exposed assets. The security industry faces an ever-growing task to cut through the smoke and mirrors to find the facts and threat intelligence that cybersecurity relies on. As always, it is important to add that that our visibility is not complete, and there will be activity that is not yet on our radar or not fully understood – so protection against both known and unknown threats remains vital for everyone,” said Vicente Diaz, Principal Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky.
For more information on the APT trends report for Q2, please contact: [email protected]
In order to avoid falling victim to a targeted attack by a known or unknown threat actor, Kaspersky researchers recommend implementing the following measures:
- Provide your SOC team with access to the latest Threat Intelligence, to keep up to date with the new and emerging tools, techniques and tactics used by threat actors and cybercriminals.
- For endpoint level detection, investigation and timely remediation of incidents, implement EDR solutions such as Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response.
- In addition to adopting essential endpoint protection, implement a corporate-grade security solution that detects advanced threats on the network level at an early stage, such as Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack Platform.
- As many targeted attacks start with phishing or other social engineering technique, introduce security awareness training and teach practical skills, for example through the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform. |
Recently, security researchers at Cisco Talos have unearthed two variants of a new notorious Android Trojan that is spreading at a jet speed all over the internet. Disguised as a fake anti-virus for android phones, the application is known as "Naver Defender."
Tagged as KevDroid, the malware is a remote administration tool (RAT) developed to pwn Android devices and steal sensitive data. Also, this ill-famous malware is capable of recording phone calls. According to the Cisco Talos researchers’ detailed report, the two recent variants of KevDroid were detected in the wild after the discovery of the Trojan by a South Korean cybersecurity firm, EST Security several days ago.
Details of the two Variants:
The 1st variant of the malware is a smaller version. The prime purpose of this variant is to rob sensitive information stored on the device.
The second variant of KevDroid is larger than the previous sample. Named as "PU," the icon of this sample is empty. Also, the architecture of the malware is a little bit different than the previous version and it uses SQLite databases to store information.
This variant contains all the features same as the previous version with some additional:
So, in order to keep information safe and secure, Android users are advised to cross-check each and every application regularly to find and remove if any malicious, unknown or unnecessary application is installed on the phone without the user’s knowledge or consent. |
What is PUA:Win32/CandyOpen infection?
In this short article you will certainly find about the definition of PUA:Win32/CandyOpen and its unfavorable effect on your computer. Such ransomware are a form of malware that is clarified by on-line scams to require paying the ransom money by a target.
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
Most of the situations, PUA:Win32/CandyOpen virus will certainly instruct its targets to launch funds move for the function of counteracting the modifications that the Trojan infection has introduced to the sufferer’s device.
These adjustments can be as adheres to:
- The binary likely contains encrypted or compressed data.;
- The executable is compressed using UPX;
- Anomalous binary characteristics;
- Ciphering the files located on the sufferer’s hard disk — so the target can no more make use of the data;
- Preventing regular access to the sufferer’s workstation;
One of the most normal channels through which PUA:Win32/CandyOpen Trojans are injected are:
- By ways of phishing emails;
- As a consequence of individual winding up on a resource that holds a destructive software;
As quickly as the Trojan is efficiently injected, it will certainly either cipher the information on the sufferer’s PC or stop the tool from functioning in an appropriate way – while also positioning a ransom note that discusses the demand for the targets to effect the repayment for the function of decrypting the records or bring back the documents system back to the first problem. In many circumstances, the ransom note will turn up when the client reboots the PC after the system has currently been damaged.
PUA:Win32/CandyOpen distribution channels.
In different edges of the world, PUA:Win32/CandyOpen grows by jumps as well as bounds. However, the ransom notes and also tricks of extorting the ransom amount might vary depending upon specific neighborhood (local) settings. The ransom money notes as well as tricks of obtaining the ransom money quantity might differ depending on certain neighborhood (local) settings.
As an example:
Faulty notifies regarding unlicensed software application.
In specific locations, the Trojans frequently wrongfully report having spotted some unlicensed applications made it possible for on the victim’s device. The alert after that demands the customer to pay the ransom.
Faulty statements about prohibited content.
In nations where software program piracy is much less popular, this approach is not as reliable for the cyber frauds. Additionally, the PUA:Win32/CandyOpen popup alert may wrongly claim to be stemming from a law enforcement establishment and will report having situated youngster pornography or other illegal data on the tool.
PUA:Win32/CandyOpen popup alert might falsely assert to be acquiring from a law enforcement organization and will report having situated child pornography or various other unlawful data on the gadget. The alert will likewise include a need for the customer to pay the ransom money.
File Info:crc32: F3A2E53Cmd5: f967ee0a7868bfe7ce652de8ba43f33bname: F967EE0A7868BFE7CE652DE8BA43F33B.mlwsha1: d0b8c0a7eaceb71a00c005560f0e9e89573fdc9esha256: d06f9bd522d0f7a0ae35b22c847851114cebed06100d5be78886c20a6198ddffsha512: d48b02955fda2069a19a8460cab21fda28f0dc2391b0f13cffaccc8b99c41a5565b365df1dbe9f61fa1594427ff7287b941afc3fb9a65c98331568078b5e8f37ssdeep: 49152:OYv59hcQtcvkJEEbY7wOou0RhMLG/K0Qy61CShLuor:Oe9hsvkH00ju0Rhk0QVKortype: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windows, UPX compressed
Version Info:0: [No Data]
PUA:Win32/CandyOpen also known as:
|ESET-NOD32||a variant of Win32/uTorrent.C potentially unwanted|
|Cynet||Malicious (score: 100)|
|Sophos||Generic PUA NA (PUA)|
|SentinelOne||Static AI – Suspicious PE|
How to remove PUA:Win32/CandyOpen virus?
Unwanted application has ofter come with other viruses and spyware. This threats can steal account credentials, or crypt your documents for ransom.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft1
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent PC threats than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft2.
Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for PUA:Win32/CandyOpen files and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
Are Your Protected?
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will scan and clean your PC for free in the trial period. The free version offer real-time protection for first 2 days. If you want to be fully protected at all times – I can recommended you to purchase a full version:
If the guide doesn’t help you to remove PUA:Win32/CandyOpen you can always ask me in the comments for getting help.
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Identifying Communities and Key Vertices by Reconstructing Networks from SamplesBowen Yan, Steve Gregory, Identifying Communities and Key Vertices by Reconstructing Networks from Samples. PLoS ONE , 8(4). April 2013. No electronic version available. External information
Sampling techniques such as Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) are widely used in epidemiology to sample “hidden” populations, such that properties of the network can be deduced from the sample. We consider how similar techniques can be designed that allow the discovery of the structure, especially the community structure, of networks. Our method involves collecting samples of a network by random walks and reconstructing the network by probabilistically coalescing vertices, using vertex attributes to determine the probabilities. Even though our method can only approximately reconstruct a part of the original network, it can recover its community structure relatively well. Moreover, it can find the key vertices which, when immunized, can effectively reduce the spread of an infection through the original network. |
UFM Logs Tab
UFM logging records events and actions that can serve to identify fabric and UFM server issues and assist in troubleshooting.
The logs are categorized into three files according to the activities they record: Event logs, SM logs, and UFM logs.
To view the log files, select the desired log file from the drop-down menu. Log data will be displayed:
In the Logs window, you can do the following:
Refresh the data using the Refresh button on the right-hand side of the screen
Search for a specific value using the Search bar
Limit the display to a specific time period using the Time drop-down menu
Limit the display to a specific number of lines using the drop-down menu (use "All" option to display all lines)
Event Logs show the history of fabric events detected and initiated by the UFM server. The timestamp and severity of an event is indicated as well as the cause of the event and additional relevant information. The Event log is kept on the UFM server in the /opt/ufm/log/events.log file. Events can be configured whether to appear in the log files under the Events Policy tab in the Settings window. For more information, see Events Policy.
See "Appendix - Supported Port Counters and Events" for a comprehensive list of Events.
SM Logs show messages of the Subnet Manager and communication plug-in.
The log verbosity is defined by selecting the Log Levels in the Subnet Manager tab under Settings window. For more information, see Subnet Manager Tab.
UFM Logs is a general log of UFM Server. The log saves a history of user actions, events, polling results and other server activities and errors. Log verbosity is defined on start-up in the configuration file /opt/ufm/conf/gv.cfg:
[Logging] # optional logging levels #CRITICAL, ERROR, WARNING, INFO, DEBUG level = WARNING
The default verbosity level is WARNING. |
Traffic detectors are used to identify, count and categorise vehicles, measure their speed, and for many other purposes. IB Foor has been dealing with traffic detectors since quite early in its history.
- We install:
- under pavement detectors;
- video detectors;
- IR detectors and
- traffic detectors using other technologies, depending on specific needs. |
The wide use of the computer networks and the Internet has increased the concern for the security and protection from hostile activity. Many organizations are using additional protective measures in the form of intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor the activity on the network to detect the unusual, and potentially hostile activity. Intrusion prevention systems (IPS) block the attacks in real time and provide an additional layer of security, and operate online by matching network activity patterns to the signatures of known modes of attack. A new approach called Active Intrusion Prevention (AIP) is emerged that examines all the activities on the network, and provides the requested data with an early and accurate identification, prior to the actual break-in and protection from all types of attacks. AIP systems are analyzed with predictive models and logit regression analysis and then applied to enhance computer network security. |
The financial services industry has been on the radar of hackers for some time. In fact, banks are routinely attacked by slick actors and script kiddies. Banks with mature cybersecurity practices do not assume their systems are secure. Instead, they are constantly on the lookout for threats that can damage their assets. They also regularly invest in methods to improve security while overriding any assumption of invincibility.
Threats already in banks’ networks are very difficult to detect and neutralize. They may have already controlled applications and exfiltrated data and information from system users. Traditional security systems based on old or outdated detection techniques result in a flood of false positives (some of which could even be initiated by hackers to ensure detection fatigue).
In passive defense, the banks are always on the defensive, which is expressed below
- Hackers have the upper hand when it comes to banks
- tons of false alarm that can disable the function a security operations team
- Security teams in banks mostly do this do not have the skills required to combat sophisticated threats
- A bank can’t even know what kind of targets hackers want to attack
- Also with more disciplined threat hunting programThreats can still slip through
The solution, therefore, is to take an active defensive stance and, through deception and deception, trick hackers into believing that they are targeting real systems. Such systems bring a very high level of clarity in terms of understanding hacker behavior, tools, tactics, and goals. Hackers are kept busy and their attack cycles are wasted on a decoy infrastructure worthless to a bank.
How the decoy and deception systems work
Decoy and deception systems work by creating fake digital twins of the real infrastructure that mimic every possible attribute of the system they mimic. This Bait are strategically placed and when a hacker breaks into a banking network, they will discover these decoys first before discovering real systems. Once the bait is discovered, the hacker will attempt to create multiple backdoors and try ways to inject stronger malware into the fake system.
Once done, the hacker moves around the fake network, trying to locate key assets and exfiltrate data and credentials. You may even Use stolen credentials to access subdirectories or subsystems. All this while the hacker has no idea that he is after him a fake system.
Deception systems are often designed to be triggered by active thresholds, and these can be modified based on a bank’s threat perception. Servers, work machines, laptops, network devices, Wi-Fi systems, CRM or other front-end systems can all be turned into decoys. Threat actors can hypothetically remain busy for an extended period of time and even feel like they have real data or have penetrated the real network, even though they are quite remote from the real infrastructure.
Essential characteristics of a decoy and deception system
Before purchasing a decoy and decoy system, the following characteristics of the considered solution should be analyzed:
- Easy Deployment: The solution should be easy to deploy and integrate into a bank’s IT environment
- Custom Dashboards and UI: Configuring data and control dashboards should also be an easy task
- Level of imitation: The solution should be able to comprehensively mimic the technical environment, covering as many attributes as possible
- Scalability: The decoy and deception solution should be able to meet the growing demands of the bank in which it is deployed
- Dealing with false alarms
- Detect and enable scans: Reconnaissance attempts should also be carried out by the solution
Deception and deception solutions present an easy way to address and investigate threats and malicious actors without compromising data or infrastructure availability.
Learn more about Sectrio’s solution
Contact us to learn how ours threat analysis Skills can help your business.
*** This is a syndicated blog from Security Bloggers Network section written by Prayukth K V. Read the original post at: https://sectrio.com/why-banking-industry-should-adopt-decoy-deception-tech/ |
The Datadog Agent has several mechanisms to ensure that no logs are lost.
When a file is rotated, the agent keeps tailing the old file until its end before starting to look at the newly created file.
The agent stores a pointer for each tailed file. So, if there is a network connection issue, we will stop sending logs until the connection is restored and automatically pick up where we stopped to ensure no logs are lost.
If the agent is listening to a TCP or UDP port and faces a network issue, we store the logs in a local buffer until the network is available again.
However, there are some limits for this buffer as we do not want to create memory issues. That's why unfortunately new logs are dropped when the buffer is full.
As for files, we are able to store a pointer for each tailed container. Therefore, in case of network issue we are able to know which logs have not been sent yet.
However, if the tailed container is removed before the network is available again, the logs are not accessible anymore. |
Both Gmail and Outlook let you undo sending a message, but only if you react quickly enough. Here's what you need to know about unsending/recalling...
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Gmail
If your company uses Gmail for all business correspondence, your network admins have various options to reduce the risk of data loss through email.
Data loss prevention (DLP) for Gmail provides a range of functions to protect enterprise emails from data loss and data leakage. DLP settings allow admins to define types of content as a trigger (something which requires examination), and to specify actions for when these events occur.
In this post, we’ll look at how data loss prevention for Gmail can monitor email communications, detect threats, and prevent accidental or malicious data loss and leakage.
How it works: data loss prevention (DLP) for Gmail
Google’s data loss prevention (DLP) for Gmail provides network admins more control over how data is received and sent across enterprise networks. Google DLP allows you to define specific content (triggers) for additional action, detect any threats to sensitive information, and prevent accidental or malicious sharing and destruction of data by unauthorized parties.
In Google Workspace: Enterprise (formerly G Suite) admins define the triggers (specific words, numerical patterns, metadata, etc.), and Google DLP automates the scanning, detection, and actions. When a trigger is detected, Google DLP takes the action predefined by the network admin. It might be placing an inbound email into quarantine, or denying a user’s attempt at communication outside of the network.
How Google DLP works and which rules it follows is determined on the administrator. Let’s look now at how it works, what messages it scans, and what happens when DLP for Gmail detects potential threats.
What messages does Google DLP scan?
What messages DLP for Gmail scans depends on the company policy and its desired level of prevention. The Google Workspace administrator sets this, choosing a DLP policy that covers one or several types of communication:
● Inbound emails from outside the list of domains tied to the enterprise;
● Outbound emails to outside the enterprise’s network;
● Internal emails received from within the enterprise’s domain; and
● Internal emails sent within the enterprise’s network.
What content is detected?
With DLP for Gmail, the Workspace admin sets what content is to be detected by the trigger system. In all, there are three types of content which can serve as triggers: exact, context, or message metadata. These include the following.
● Specific expression triggers: any words, specific phrases, or combinations of words;
● Pre-set content match triggers: item size, source IP, message authentication, and if the communication has TLS encryption; and
● Metadata attribute triggers: countries and international detector patterns, including CCN numbers, passport numbers, Social Security numbers, and more.
For each trigger, the system runs an analysis on the content of the data (for example, scanning for 9 digits of a Social Security number). Then it analyzes the context (looking for specific words such as SSN, social, social security, etc). To add content detectors which are not currently supported, admins have to contact support and request the detector’s inclusion.
What happens when Google DLP flags content?
When DLP for Gmail detects sensitive information, it executes one of the following actions.
● Modify message: this might be bypassing filters, deleting attachments, including additional recipients, or requiring secure (encrypted) transport;
● Reject sending or receipt; and
●Quarantine: send the message to admins who review, allow, and deny communications containing sensitive data.
How does Google DLP work with Google Drive?
Google DLP works with Drive in a very similar fashion to DLP for Gmail, only it also includes a policy for sharing files. Network admins define the security policy and automatic responses, and DLP then actively monitors files shared outside of the Google Workspace domain.
As with DLP for Gmail, in Drive it looks to identify specific expressions and content matches. When detection occurs, it triggers automatic responses such as sending an email to admins; contacting the user who created, edited, or uploaded the file containing sensitive data; or preventing the sharing of any files with sensitive content.
Setting up Google DLP for Gmail and Drive
There are 3 steps to executing Google DLP for Gmail and Drive. They consist of:
1. Admin defines a rule. Rules include: setting the range of messages and files to monitor, defining content or metadata to scan for as well as setting DLP sensitivity, and defining automatic actions for when triggers are set off.
2. Google DLP analyzes all messages and items in the predefined range, searching for any incidents which correspond to its ruleset.
3. DLP then takes action, following any automatic responses the admins set for messages and files.
Take data loss prevention a step further with Preava Prevent for Gmail
Preava Prevent is an extension for the Gmail web interface, aiming to help companies prevent sending emails to unintended or unauthorized recipients in the first place. Employee-borne mistakes are one of the most common sources of data loss and leakage. Preava Prevent helps users of any technical proficiency ensure sensitive data never falls into the wrong hands.
Simply contact us today to prevent accidentally sending emails to the wrong people. |
How much do you trust a .ZIP file? As we navigate our way through the internet, it’s becoming increasingly important to discern what’s a digital friend from what’s a digital foe. A new sophisticated phishing technique has recently emerged, shedding light on how cybercriminals are stepping up their game. They are now weaponizing .ZIP domains to trick unsuspecting victims into falling for their scams. Does that make you second guess clicking on that ZIP file? Let’s take a closer look.
Security researcher mr.d0x recently disclosed this new method of attack, known as “file archiver in the browser,” to the cyber community. This technique revolves around emulating file archiver software, such as WinRAR, within a browser when a user visits a .ZIP domain. That sounds legitimate, right? That’s the crux of the deception.
Tricking Users with a Cloak of Legitimacy
How does this cyber sleight-of-hand work? Threat actors craft a convincing phishing landing page using HTML and CSS, mimicking the look of legitimate file archive software, and host it on a .ZIP domain. The use of a .ZIP domain provides an additional veneer of legitimacy, thereby enhancing the efficacy of social engineering campaigns.
Consider a potential attack scenario: a malicious actor might resort to such trickery to lure users onto a credential harvesting page. They do this by baiting the user to click on a file “contained” within the fake ZIP archive. The plot thickens when a user clicks to download a non-executable file, but instead receives an executable one. For example, clicking on ‘invoice.pdf’ might initiate the download of a .exe file.
A Trojan Horse in Windows Explorer
That’s not the end of the story. The Windows File Explorer search bar could be manipulated into playing a part in this scam. Searching for a non-existent .ZIP file in Windows File Explorer could directly open it in the web browser if the file name corresponds to a legitimate .zip domain. “The user would be expecting to see a ZIP file,” mr.d0x says, which makes it the perfect way to launch the malicious .zip domain and appear remarkably legitimate.
Google’s recent introduction of eight new top-level domains (TLDs), including “.zip” and “.mov,” has raised concerns that these could facilitate phishing and other online scams. As these are also legitimate file extension names, it adds to the likelihood of users accidentally visiting malicious websites and downloading malware instead of opening a file.
A Rising Tide of Phishing Attacks
Cybersecurity firm Group-IB recently reported a surge of 25% in the use of phishing kits in 2022, with 3,677 unique kits identified. This represents an increasing sophistication in phishing attacks, with cybercriminals focusing more on evasion techniques like antibots and dynamic directories.
Another growing trend is the use of messaging platform Telegram to collect stolen data, which almost doubled from 5.6% in 2021 to 9.4% in 2022.
The Fight Against Cyber Deception
With these deceptive practices on the rise, it’s more important than ever to stay informed and vigilant. It begs the question: Are our online behaviors adapted to the current landscape of cyber threats? And how can we protect ourselves from such attacks?
The cybersecurity landscape is ever-evolving, and so must our defenses. Awareness is the first line of defense against these scams. Remember, in the world of phishing, it’s not just about ‘Don’t Click That ZIP File!’ but also about being aware of who and what’s behind it. |
On the heels of the widespread adoption of web services such as social networks and URL shorteners, scams, phishing, and malware have become regular threats. Despite extensive research, email-based spam filtering techniques generally fall
short for protecting other web services. To better address this need, we present Monarch, a real-time system that crawls URLs as they are submitted to web services and determines whether the URLs direct to spam. We evaluate the viability of Monarch and the fundamental challenges that arise due to the diversity of web service spam. We show that Monarch can provide accurate, real-time protection, but that the underlying characteristics of spam do not generalize across web services.
In particular, we find that spam targeting email qualitatively differs in significant ways from spam campaigns targeting Twitter. We explore the distinctions between email and Twitter spam, including the abuse of public web hosting and redirector
services. Finally, we demonstrate Monarch’s scalability, showing our system could protect a service such as Twitter— which needs to process 15 million URLs/day—for a bit under $800/day.
Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. |
Penetration testing simulates attacks to test an app’s security and identify its weaknesses. This differs from vulnerability scanning in that it involves human input (in this case, an ethical hacker). They use several techniques to break into an app and check where attackers may take advantage.
However, you should verify all your APIs in accordance with the mobile platform you aim to code for because API authentication and transport mechanisms can deviate from one platform to another. For this reason, mobile device security should also include active protection for mobile apps running https://traderoom.info/front-end-developer-job-profile-what-does-a-front/ on employees’ devices. A mobile runtime application self-protection (RASP) solution can protect mobile applications against exploitation even by novel and zero-day attacks. Making these types of attacks as difficult as possible is an essential part of a mobile security strategy.
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to app security
Enhance your mobile app security by inserting protections into mobile apps at build. Prevent applications that are not protected from being released into production. Mobile applications need continuous monitoring through an in app protection solution and updates to satisfy the changing demands of the users in terms of functionality and functions. Many businesses also often neglect to implement proper security measures and best practices while developing and releasing new features, which can also lead to adversaries exploiting the zero-day flaws.
The lab will test the public version
of the app available in the Play Store and provide assessment feedback
directly to developers. Once the app meets all requirements,
the lab sends a Validation Report directly to Google as confirmation,
and developers will be eligible to declare the security badge on their
data safety form. On average, the process takes around 2-3 weeks from
initial assessment to badge availability.
Mobile Application security: 4 reasons to secure Applications
Discover how app shielding with runtime-protection is key to developing a secure, resilient mobile banking app. However, adding functionality oftentimes means interconnecting your app with third-party services CompTIA Authorized Partners: Helping Meet the Industry Demand for Tech Professionals that require the exchange of potentially sensitive information. Code obfuscation is the process of altering the initial code in a way that a hacker cannot interpret, while the code remains fully functional.
- This use of MARS for mobile application security testing (MAST) can be essential to protecting an organization against major security incidents.
- When choosing libraries and frameworks for mobile apps, developers have to be careful.
- And HIPPA-compliant mobile app development is the process of developing applications that follow its principles.
- Weak server-side controls, security misconfigurations, and inadequate logging also create vulnerabilities in mobile apps.
- This ensures a smooth user experience and sales, especially in the eCommerce domain.
While this may seem daunting, it becomes easy with several coding sign options available in the market. In addition, you can quickly get a cost-effective cheap code signing certificate for your application to ensure compliance and integrity. It proves that the code has not been tampered since its inception and it comes from a genuine publisher. Snyk scans your code for quality and security issues and get fix advice right in your IDE. Client-server communication uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), but because this protocol lacks internal security measures, communications can be intercepted, altered, or diverted.
Mobile app security FAQs
Therefore, this makes it possible for malicious users to steal confidential user information. The broad user base for mobile applications makes them more attractive to attackers. And, security issues like improper configuration of third-party applications can make them more vulnerable. To minimize the security risks of an application, developers need their apps to stand up to stringent security testing. Fortunately, there are tools available that simplify and even automate these security tests.
However, the increasing use of mobile apps is leading to apps replacing operating systems as the most prominent avenue of cyberattack. Unlike desktop applications, precise location information, contact details, sensor data, photos and messages can be exposed through mobile apps. The combination of traditional software vulnerabilities, the additional information and services accessible through mobile apps, and the number of mobile apps demands a different approach to security. Many mobile apps contain vulnerable open-source components that open the door to cyberattacks. Excessive device permissions and a failure to follow secure coding practices also create blind spots that allow malicious adversaries to inject apps with harmful malware and exfiltrate sensitive data.
To sum up, these standards generalize the duty of companies to audit the protection of their assets and validate their security policies and mechanisms. This includes, of course, the mobile applications they develop and make available to their customers. Mobile application security testing allows attackers to find existing security holes to compromise not only the apps but also the devices on which they are downloaded. |
In current enterprise environments, information is becoming more readily accessible across a wide range of interconnected systems. However, trustworthiness of documents and actors is not explicitly measured, leaving actors unaware of how latest security events may have impacted the trustworthiness of the information being used and the actors involved. This leads to situations where information producers give documents to consumers they should not trust and consumers use information from non-reputable documents or producers. The concepts and technologies developed as part of the Behavior-Based Access Control (BBAC) effort strive to overcome these limitations by means of performing accurate calculations of trustworthiness of actors, e.g., behavior and usage patterns, as well as documents, e.g., provenance and workflow data dependencies. BBAC analyses a wide range of observables for mal-behavior, including network connections, HTTP requests, English text exchanges through emails or chat messages, and edit sequences to documents. The current prototype service strategically combines big data batch processing to train classifiers and real-time stream processing to classifier observed behaviors at multiple layers. To scale up to enterprise regimes, BBAC combines clustering analysis with statistical classification in a way that maintains an adjustable number of classifiers. |
Honeypots in Computer Security
Honeypots are an important tool in computer security that can help organizations detect and respond to attacks. A honeypot is a system or network that is designed to look like a real target, but is actually used to monitor and analyze attacks. Honeypots can be used to gain insight into attackers' tactics, techniques, and procedures, and can help organizations improve their security posture.
Detection of Attacks
One of the key benefits of honeypots is that they allow organizations to detect attacks that might otherwise go unnoticed. By mimicking real systems and applications, honeypots can attract attackers who are looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. This can help organizations identify new types of attacks and vulnerabilities that they may not have been aware of previously.
Another benefit of honeypots is that they can help organizations gather intelligence on attackers. By analyzing the traffic and behavior of attackers, organizations can gain insight into their motivations, tactics, and capabilities. This information can be used to improve security policies and procedures, and to develop more effective defensive strategies.
Diversion of Attacks
Honeypots can also be used to divert attackers away from real systems and applications. By creating a realistic target that is easier to compromise than a real system, organizations can lure attackers away from their actual targets. This can give organizations more time to detect and respond to attacks, and can help reduce the risk of damage to critical systems and data.
Types of Honeypots
There are several types of honeypots that organizations can use. Low-interaction honeypots are designed to simulate only a small portion of a system or application, and are typically used for monitoring and detection purposes. High-interaction honeypots, on the other hand, simulate entire systems or applications and allow attackers to interact with them. These honeypots can provide more detailed information about attackers' tactics and can be used to gather more comprehensive intelligence.
There are also several considerations that organizations should take into account when implementing honeypots. One important factor is the level of risk that is associated with using honeypots. While honeypots can be a valuable tool for detecting and responding to attacks, they can also pose a security risk if they are not properly secured. Organizations should ensure that honeypots are isolated from production systems and networks, and that they are monitored and maintained on a regular basis.
Another consideration is the type of information that is collected by honeypots. Organizations should be mindful of privacy concerns and should ensure that any information collected is used only for security purposes. Additionally, organizations should consider the legal implications of using honeypots, particularly if they are located in jurisdictions where the use of honeypots is restricted.
In conclusion, honeypots are a valuable tool in computer security that can help organizations detect and respond to attacks. By mimicking real systems and applications, honeypots can attract attackers and provide valuable insight into their tactics, techniques, and procedures. However, organizations should carefully consider the risks and legal implications of using honeypots, and should ensure that they are properly secured and monitored. With careful planning and implementation, honeypots can be an effective addition to an organization’s security arsenal. |
PROTOCOL-ICMP Timestamp Request
This event is generated when an ICMP Timestamp request is made.
Information gathering. An ICMP Timestamp request can determine if a host is active.
An ICMP Timestamp request is used by the ping command to elicit an ICMP Timestamp reply from a listening live host. This rule alerts on a generic ICMP request where no payload is included in the message or the payload does not match more specific rules.
If ICMP type 8 (echo) traffic is filtered at a firewall, and attacker may try to use type 13 (timestamp) as an alternative.
Ease of attack
An ICMP Timestamp request may be used to legitimately troubleshoot networking problems.
Block inbound ICMP Timestamp requests.
- Original Rule Writer Unknown
- Cisco Talos
- Nigel Houghton
- Judy Novak
- Additional information by Steven [email protected] |
AI has been employed within security products for decades. However, until fairly recently the vast majority of AI usage would have been predominantly underpinned by rule-based algorithms and bayesian reasoning.
In the last few years, many security solution providers have expanded detection, analysis, and prevention capabilities through the use of supervised and unsupervised machine learning (ML) applied to system logs, alerts, NetFlow data, and even full packet capture.
These advancements are quite worthy. At the same time, we remain short of where we need to be as an industry. The root problem in cybersecurity here in 2023 is that we still do not have enough human capital to stave off attackers, nor will we be able to close the gap any time soon.
In order to really change the game, the security industry must accelerate its adoption of more advanced forms of AI, like Unsupervised Neural Networks.
Supervised Machine Learning: A step beyond rule-based algorithms and Bayesian reasoning
Let’s start with supervised machine learning. Supervised ML is the most widely used form of AI in cybersecurity today. It involves training a machine learning model on a labeled dataset, where each data point is labeled as either “good” or “bad”. The model then uses this labeled dataset to learn to identify patterns and characteristics that are associated with “bad” data, and uses this information to predict whether new data is “good” or “bad”.
One example of a cybersecurity solution that uses supervised ML is an email spam filter. The filter is trained on a dataset of labeled emails, where each email is labeled as either “spam” or “not spam”. The model learns to identify patterns and characteristics that are associated with spam emails, such as certain keywords, links, or attachments. When a new email arrives, the model analyzes it and predicts whether it is spam or not based on these learned patterns.
However, supervised ML has some limitations. It requires a labeled dataset, which can be time-consuming and expensive to create. It also assumes that the labeled data is representative of the entire population, which may not always be the case.
This is where unsupervised ML comes in.
Unsupervised Machine Learning: Scaling past labeled data sets
Unsupervised machine learning does not require a labeled dataset. Instead, it analyzes the data to identify patterns and anomalies that are not visible to the human eye. It can identify new and unknown threats that have not been seen before, making it a valuable tool in cybersecurity.
One example of a cybersecurity solution that uses unsupervised machine learning is a network intrusion detection system (IDS). The IDS analyzes network traffic to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a potential threat. It can detect new and previously unknown attacks, even if there is no signature or pattern associated with them.
However, unsupervised machine learning also has its limitations. It can produce a high number of false positives, which can overwhelm security teams and lead to alert fatigue.
Unsupervised neural networks move past these shortcomings.
Unsupervised Neural Networks: Getting to a true virtual security analyst
Unsupervised neural networks are the most advanced form of AI in cybersecurity today. They can analyze large and complex datasets to identify patterns and anomalies that are not visible to the human eye. They can learn from the data to identify new and unknown threats, and can reduce the number of false positives compared to traditional unsupervised machine learning.
One example of a cybersecurity solution that uses unsupervised neural networks is a behavior-based threat detection system. The system analyzes the behavior of users and devices on a network to identify anomalies and potential threats. It can detect new and unknown attacks, even if they do not match any known patterns or signatures.
In summary, while supervised machine learning is the most commonly used form of AI in cybersecurity today, unsupervised machine learning and unsupervised neural networks represent the next steps forward in AI capabilities. Unsupervised machine learning can identify new and unknown threats that have not been seen before, while unsupervised neural networks can reduce the number of false positives and detect previously unknown threats.
Benefits of Unsupervised Neural Networks in Cybersecurity
Deep learning systems that leverage unsupervised neural networks provide a major step forward in helping security personnel find and stop never-before seen malware, novel attacks, ransomware, unknown threat variants, insider attacks, and more. Benefits include:
- Zero-day discovery
- Malware mutation discovery
- Faster threat analysis
- Faster suspicious activity discovery
- Focused threat hunting
- Dwell time reduction
- SOC/SecOps efficiency
- Evergreen threat detection
Check out our white paper where we describe the above benefits in greater depth, as well as how ThreatWarrior leverages unsupervised neural networks and deep learning to power our network detection and response (NDR) platform. If you have any questions about what we have shared, feel free to reach out. We love to talk about AI and how ThreatWarrior plans to advance its impact on cybersecurity. |
Automatic fingerprinting and identification of smartphone apps is becoming a very attractive data gathering technique for adversaries, network administrators, investigators and marketing agencies. In fact, the list of apps installed on a device can be used to identify vulnerable apps for an attacker to exploit, uncover a victim’s use of sensitive apps, assist network planning, and aid marketing. However, app fingerprinting is complicated by the vast number of apps available for download, the wide range of devices they may be installed on, and the use of payload encryption protocols such as HTTPS/TLS. In this paper, we present a novel methodology and a framework implementing it, called AppScanner, for the automatic fingerprinting and real-time identification of Android apps from their encrypted network traffic. To build app fingerprints, we run apps automatically on a physical device to collect their network traces. We apply various processing strategies to these network traces before extracting the features that are used to train our supervised learning algorithms. Our fingerprint generation methodology is highly scalable and does not rely on inspecting packet payloads; thus our framework works even when HTTPS/TLS is employed. We built and deployed this lightweight framework and ran a thorough set of experiments to assess its performance. We automatically profiled 110 of the most popular apps in the Google Play Store and were later able to re-identify them with more than 99% accuracy. |
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Models of network traffic for use in simulation should be representative of the traffic observed on the type of day they are trying to replicate. Building a model from a single day or small number of days makes it prone to overfitting or being unduly influenced by unusual events. With very long duration traces such as the multiple-year spanning Waikato datasets captured by the WAND Network Research Group it is possible to more accurately characterise behaviour and define appropriate boundaries for when traffic is similar enough and when it is different. We present here an approach to identifying and describing discrete ldquotypesrdquo of days within these traces and what differences are important to distinguish between them. By applying machine learning techniques to the long duration traces it is possible to describe and simulate a generic day of a specific type without it being explicitly based on a particular day. The resulting parameters are used to configure a number of popular traffic generators which are then evaluated using the same criteria with which the model was built.
Date of Conference: 2-5 Dec. 2007 |
For us in SophosLabs, ransomware is a common sight. We see many different versions every day. But as to be expected, the authors think up a new gimmick that makes us take notice. This is one of those cases.
Recently we received a ransomware sample from one of our customers, which immediately piqued our interest as it used Windows PowerShell program to perform file encryption.
For those who may not be aware, Windows PowerShell is a scripting language from Microsoft designed to help system administrators automate some the tasks required to run a Windows network. It’s included with Windows 7 and later but can be installed on earlier Windows operating systems too.
This latest ransomware uses this Windows PowerShell program to perform file encryption using “Rijndael symmetric key encryption”. This variant also targets Russian users with a ransom message displayed in the Russian language.
Here’s how this ransomware works:
It arrives as spam containing an HTA file attachment. The HTA file contains a pair of Base64 encoded strings. These are decoded to two scripts that do the bulk of the ransomware’s work.
The first script checks whether the system has Windows PowerShell installed or not. If not, it downloads a copy from a Dropbox.com account and installs it.
The second Base64 decoded string is the PowerShell script that performs file encryption. It uses “Rijndael symmetric key encryption” using PowerShell’s CreateEncryptor() function.
As with most file-encrypting ransomware, this one chooses files that may contain information of value to the victim. In this case, an extensive list of 163 file types ranging from documents and spreadsheets to pictures and videos.
The ransom demand takes the form of a text file named READ_ME_NOW.txt, created in each encrypted file folder which contains encrypted files. The message is in Russian and instructs the victim to visit the webpage shown below.
Your files are encrypted?
Do you want to unlock your files and do not know how?
You can get the decryption program in fully automatic mode in a few minutes!
To decrypt your files must have a unique code, which is contained in the file READ_ME_NOW.txt, so we can learn the code please upload the file READ_ME_NOW.txt the form below. This file is in any directory that has encrypted files.
If the user uploads the READ_ME_NOW.txt file as instructed they will be taken to a second page of instructions.
You are logged in!
We successfully read your unique lock code. For you, there is good news and bad news:
The good news is that you can get the program and fully unlock and clean your PC in just a few minutes.
The bad news - a program to unlock costs 10 TR for one PC
To prove to you that we can provide the unique program for your PC that will unlock all of your files - you can upload any one of the encrypted files no larger than 1 megabyte, and we will automatically decode it.
At this point the true desire of the attackers becomes apparent – and costly – a 10,000 Ruble charge for undoing the damage they have done. (At today’s rate 10,000 Rubles converts to about £217, €250, or $326 USD. Not exactly ‘priced to sell’.)
We have also seen two types of encryption key used by this ransomware.
- Uses a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) as the encryption key and renames it with an extension .FTCODE
- Uses a randomly generated string, 50 characters long and including 4 non alpha numeric values as encryption key and renames it with an extension .BTCODE. This key is generated using the GeneratePassword() command. This handy function takes 2 parameters: length of the password to create and the number of non-alphanumeric characters to include. Very useful if you have a hard time coming up with strong passwords by yourself.
But there’s good news. In both cases the encryption key can be recovered without paying for it. In fact, this can be done using the same PowerShell tool that the attackers used.
The first, UUID, key can be retrieved with this command.
Get-wmiobject Win32_ComputerSystemProduct UUID
The second with:
Gwmi win32_computerSystem Model
Thus the encryption keys can be relatively simple to retrieve by anyone who would rather not pay 10,000 Rubles/£217/€250/$326 to get their files back.
We always advise against paying the ransom to the criminals behind ransomware. Even if you pay there’s no guarantee that they will uphold their end of the bargain. It’s more likely that you’ll be left with a bunch of encrypted files and lighter wallet.
Sophos customers, take note that our security products detect these variants as Troj/Ransom-NY.
And if you want to know more about the inner-workings of ransomware, why not take a gander at our new technical paper “Ransomware: Next Generation Fake Antivirus” – no registration or Rubles required.
Windows image from Shutterstock.
12 comments on “Russian ransomware takes advantage of Windows PowerShell”
Microsoft does it again. Rather than using a proper shell like the sort that has been used very successfully in unix for decades they have to reinvent the wheel just to be different. And as usual they made their wheel square.
But then I suppose to use a proper shell you need a proper kernel to run it on.
Nice one Microsoft.
Powershell can hold it's own quite nicely compared to other OS scripting shells.
You should learn more about powershell. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
BTW powershell has good security available, but it needs to be configured to be secure.
A powershell usin' Sys Admin
Jason, you have no idea what you are talking about. I've used a variety of UNIX shells and also PowerShell. The UNIX shells are powerful, but definitely limited compared to what PowerShell can do, especially on Windows.
If people download and execute unknown scripts/executables, bad things can happen. This could have been a bash shell script and could have caused similar types of issues.
As a PowerShell user (on XP)… many thanks.
Not that I'd ever download and execute an unknown HTA… I've developed a few in my time, for various admin functions, and know their power, running as Fully Trusted applications.
Here is a question, how is it bypassing PowerShell's execution policy? By default all scripts must be signed.
Well i will respond to myself, looking into it, it isn't hard at all to bypass PowerShell's execution policy.. Basically you can execute the code wth get-content and Invoke-expression.
Who says it wasn't signed?
I second Chris' question. PowerShell in default configuration cannot execute scripts of any kind. I discovered that the hard way when I wrote my first script. Certainly this ransomware is bad, but your article seems to give PowerShell a bad name where it may not deserve it.
Does this ransomware only function in environments where the PowerShell execution policy has been switched to unrestricted or does the ransomware actually change the execution policy (which requires admin privileges)?
You can overwrite that with the -ExecutionPolicy flag on powershell.exe
To be clear this is not a vulnerability in PowerShell. All they've done is used PowerShell as their payload language. But they could have used anything. If they are downloading and installing PowerShell they could have downloaded and installed anything.
It is possible to run PowerShell code without it running as a script which means the execution policy doesn't apply. The policy is not a security boundary.
Sophos press release…hackers use what they can to do what they want….duh…Powershell has been around for > 5 years, so you're saying it took hackers that long to figuree out how to use it?
Of course hackers will try to use anything they can. That they've tried to use Powershell is not news, if the Admins are allowing it appropriately. This is an attack against home users (as usual) and not any reasonably secured business.
I used to get accused of hyping…nice to see others hyping more than me.
Hello you all, I’m one of the guys that have the file cripted with .FTCODE extension.
Reading the article I was able to get the key. How to decode the files? Thank you for your answers. |
|M.Sc Student||Portnoy Amit|
|Subject||TrustPack: a Decentralized Trust Management Framework|
|Department||Department of Computer Science||Supervisor||Professor Roy Friedman|
|Full Thesis text|
With the rise of the internet and its applications, it has become more and more common for unfamiliar parties to interact with each other. In order to help and encourage such interactions trust management systems were introduced. Those systems try to alleviate mistrust by gathering and processing statistical information about previous events.
This thesis describes TrustPack, a trust management framework that provides trust management as a service, i.e., TrustPack is separated from any specific application usage. TrustPack is unique in that it does not provide a central service. Instead, it is run by many autonomous services. This design enables it to alleviate privacy concerns, as well as potentially provide better personalization and scalability when compared with current centralized solutions.
During the development of TrustPack, we found that providing easy access to trust related information was an especially interesting challenge. Such access is not trivial because, by design, TrustPack services do not necessarily have access to all relevant information.
To enable such access we have created GraphPack, a generic framework that deals with management and processing of graphs that are distributed by a network of autonomous services. We note that TrustPack is able to use GraphPack because trust related information can be trivially represented by a graph. In addition, we note that GraphPack was built as a separate framework because we found that this problem is not unique to TrustPack. That is, there are other facilities that require access to a graph that is distributed among autonomous services.
Prototypes for TrustPack and GraphPack were implemented as part of this work. Their source code and full documentation are located at
http://code.google.com/p/trustpack/ and http://code.google.com/p/graphpack/ correspondingly. |
The danger of ransomware is escalating and affecting many individuals and industries. The main vector to distribute this type of malware is through email. Often the phishing email contains, as an attachment, a Word document that requests that the recipient “enable editing and content “ (effectively enabling macros) in order for the recipient to be able to read it. If this done, the malware starts its process to encrypt files and provides messages to explain how they can be recovered.
In almost all recent cases, the file types involved in ransomware have been Word docs, Adobe pdf and graphics files.
In many cases, the files attached to the email are opened by individuals who are concerned or curious about the contents – they don’t do this unthinkingly. The criminals involved in this type of threat are becoming very good at the social engineering of their emails to convince even experienced business executives to open the files and enable the malware to execute. Even with media warnings about this type of malware individuals are still opening files purporting to be invoices or e-tickets because they are concerned that this is something that is important to them in some way.
As it turns out, once the recipient sees the actual content/text/image of the fake files they realize (in most cases too late) that the document is not relevant to them – it is spam or a hoax or involves something unknown to them. So if the individual can see the document or image in question in a “safe” and non-vulnerable and read-only application, they will be able to determine its relevance and if it requires them to subsequently open it in Word or Excel or PowerPoint, etc.
If we can look at the text of the document in a safe environment, we will be able through our normal critical review of content to mitigate the ransomware risk.
Most folks have been exposed to warnings and articles about how to protect yourself from this type of malware: keep current and protected back-ups, keep anti-virus apps updated, don’t open suspicious documents. The reality is that most people want to open the file to see if it is important to them. The objective of this prelude is to offer a simple and safe process to open attachments and files that are suspicious and/or unexpected without endangering your system. Here it is.
Google provides both their Drive and Docs/Sheets/Slides applications free to us. These applications are web based and the files are opened in the Google Drive space and not on your device. Files on the Drive can be opened with Preview, Docs, and other pdf applications. So if you are a Gmail user, rather than downloading a file immediately onto you device, it is easy to either open the file with Docs (if it is a Word/Excel/PowerPoint file) or upload it to Drive and open it there with Preview. In this way you can look at the file without risk of it infecting your device. If the file insists that it is to be opened in, say, Word, I would think this is a big red flag of danger. Don’t do it. If a partner or customer sends such a file, send them a link to this article! If the file content looks legit, you can download it to your device.
Once the file is on Drive, if you want to share just the text or image of it with others safely, you can download it as a pdf, rtf, or text file. In these forms, the file text or image can be shared without the potential embedded exploit.
The other benefit of this approach is that Google provides free file scanning before the file is downloaded. So if this file has been seen before and tagged as malicious, it will not be downloaded.
Virus scanning: Google Drive scans a file for viruses before the file is downloaded or shared. If a virus is detected, users can’t share the file with others, send the infected file via email, or convert it to a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide, and they’ll receive a warning if they attempt these operations. The owner can download the virus-infected file, but only after acknowledging the risk of doing so. https://support.google.com/a/answer/172541?hl=en
For folks that are on enterprise systems and use Exchange for email, this approach is a bit more intrusive – but still effective. You need to setup a free Google Drive account and upload any suspicious files to the Drive and then open them there before opening them on your device in Word/Excel/Adobe Reader/etc. Don’t open the original file on your system until you are satisfied the contents are appropriate to you and your job. For example, if the invoice looks strange and you want to get another opinion, download it from Drive as a pdf file or print it and advise your IT team that you have a suspicious file
Once you get familiar with Drive and the up and down loading, this is a simple and quick process – well worth trying.
So here is my suggestion to help reduce your exposure to ransomware:
Only open any unknown/unexpected file using Google Docs or Preview
Tom McHale www.stoneturnerllc.com 26 April 2016 |
What is more worrying is the trend, since so far in 2021 there have been too many malware for our liking, exceeding the average of normal. System Update, Flubot, WhatsApp Rosa and BRATA are some of those that cybersecurity researchers have discovered, and we are only in May.
This is how this banking Trojan works
To be clear and concise, it is a new malware that affects only Android and has been discovered by Cleafy, cybersecurity company. As stated in their report, TeaBot is a banking malware that tries to steal victims’ credentials and SMS messages to access the bank’s data.
By clicking on the link that comes in the text message, a web page very similar to MRW’s is opened and it asks us to let’s install an application from outside the Play Store to track our package.
Once it is installed on the victim’s mobile, attackers can remotely view and control the screen, thanks to the accessibility permission, which allows complete control over the device. These are some of the actions you can take, although the summary is that can control all mobile.
- Send and intercept SMS messages
- Read phone status
- Modify sound settings to silence the phone
- Show a pop-up about other apps so that we accept permissions
- It is capable of deleting applications
On a technical level it is very similar to Flubot. TeaBot hides under the name DHL, UPS, VLC MediaPlayer or Mobdro, that is, impersonates other applications. Once we install it, it asks us for accessibility permission and, when it has it, we have already fallen into the trap.
This new banking malware can bypass Google’s malware review system, called Google Play Protect, intercept verification SMS messages sent to us by our bank and even access the codes of the Google Authenticator double authentication.
Avoid downloading Teabot, especially if you are Spanish
TeaBot is attacking all over Europe, with Spain as the main victim, followed by Germany, Italy and Belgium. The researchers say that it is in its early stages of development, so it could behave more aggressively for the next several weeks. That is more worrying than the fact that there is malware circulating.
As we mentioned, or rather as they assure in this company, it is being primed especially with Spain and with the country banks. This makes it much easier for them to access users’ bank details and account to do who knows what with that money.
The solutions are few if you have already clicked on that message and installed the application, beyond taking drastic measures on your bank account and contacting the bank. If that situation has not yet reached you, the arrangement is much simpler.
To avoid falling into this type of malware basically We recommend that you do not install third-party APKs Unless you are clear about its origin and operation. In addition to this, do not give accessibility permissions lightly, since they can completely control your device through it. |
Hi you are right the implicit allow works incase if we are going from high security to low security. How ever if you have configured and access-list on the dmz to allow traffic to the inside interface then it takes precedence the implicit allow to outside will be denied. So what I suggest in these cases for dmz allow the traffic that you want to the inside interface, then block all the rest of the traffic to the inside and permit every thing else so the the internet traffic can move smoothly.
we have a 10.10.x.x. network on the inside and 172.16.x.x network on the dmz then I would do this.
access-list test permit ip 172.16.x.x 255.255.x.x host 10.10.x.x
access-list test deny ip any 10.10.0.0 255.255.0.0
access-list test permit ip any any
so the second last line denies all the traffic for inside except for the ones that we want. and the last line permits all the rest of the traffic to the internet.
Or you can also control the traffic to inside network via translation rules as well
The point of a DMZ is that connections from the internal and the external network to the DMZ are permitted, whereas connections from the DMZ are only permitted to the external network -- hosts in the DMZ may not connect to the internal network.
Login to the FXOS chassis manager.
Direct your browser to https://hostname/, and log-in using the user-name and password.
Go to Help > About and check the current version:
Check the current version availa...
We have configured the outside and inside Interface with official ipv6 adresses, set a default route on outside Interface to our router, we also have definied a rule , which also gets hits, to permit tcp from inside Interface to any6.
In Syslog I also se... |
The best way to get experience with most jobs or tasks is to do them. It\u2019s difficult to learn how to drive a car without getting behind the wheel. Soldiers need to face the enemy in order to gain combat experience. And IT administrators have to experience and mitigate attacks to learn how to best defend their networks.\nThe problem with these scenarios is that they involve a degree of risk. It\u2019s not all that helpful to learn how to counter a cyberattack if the first one you experience puts your company out of business.\nThat\u2019s where the SafeBreach continuous security validation platform comes in. Deployed as a service, through the cloud or internally, it can show cybersecurity teams exactly where the network vulnerabilities are and how to plug those holes. It can even run wargames so that IT teams can learn the best ways to respond to attacks on their actual networks.\nWe reviewed SafeBreach with a test network of thousands of virtual clients. There were data servers and clients, with systems configured for business groups like customer service and accounting.\nDeploying SafeBreach is extremely fast. It works within cloud-based services like Amazon, and on physical systems and hardware. It can even be deployed in a hybrid configuration, with the actual software installed as an appliance, or as software running on a host machine inside a network.\nOnce the core program is installed, you need to deploy agents on every system within the network. The agents don\u2019t need any special permissions and work with Windows, Mac and Linux clients and servers, both physical and virtual, and also in the cloud. For the most part, the agents only need to know that the box or virtual box exists, where it exists, and basic information about it. They act as a target for the attacks that will later be simulated.\n\nOne thing we discovered during our setup process is that when deploying agents, users should place one machine sitting alone outside of all corporate firewalls. Placing an agent on that outside box will allow SafeBreach to use it to simulate the rest of the world. Specifically, the outside box can become an attack vector in the pending simulations, which is important since most real-world attacks are going to be coming from the outside.\nOnce SafeBreach knows your network topography, you need to tell it where sensitive information resides. This is done in the Settings tab of the main console. While the system will already know the type of systems and the IP addresses, you still need to define everything else. You can tell SafeBreach, for example, where credit cards, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, e-mails or proprietary information is stored. You will need to populate that data by hand, but it does not take very long thanks to a good graphical interface that SafeBreach generates showing your network topography. The total setup time was less than an hour for a fairly large test network.\n\nIt\u2019s worth noting that while the SafeBreach program can be advantageous for IT managers at all skill levels, it should probably be set up by higher-level professionals. At the very least, those doing the setup should know where all sensitive data resides, so the map can be accurately drawn. The program does not do any scanning or logging of files on the servers or clients themselves.\nSo if you want to run accurate simulations, you need to make sure that information about where data resides is completely accurate. Also, if the location of data moves, say if a new server is brought online, that information needs to be updated, so there will need to be some maintenance of SafeBreach over time to ensure that both the network topography and the location of data is kept up to date.\nOnce up and running, most of the SafeBreach interface will be through the main dashboard, which can look quite scary for cybersecurity teams. For example, right from the start on our test network we saw a nightmare scenario where there were more than 200 critical service breaches, over 600 incidents of credit card data being extracted from the network and over 1,000 incidents of foreign source codes being added to network servers. In actuality, these were just potential breach paths, but it should be more than enough to wake most defenders up to the reality that few networks are completely safe.\nThe core of the SafeBreach program is the Threat Intelligence Playbook, which is a constantly evolving and updated database of breach methods used by attackers. The current playbook at the time of our testing had almost 5,000 scenarios that attackers use to infiltrate networks. The team at SafeBreach uses Threat Intelligence feeds as well as its own research to keep that list constantly updated with the latest attack methods. Users can trigger simulated attacks against their network, and they will use the same techniques that the actual attacks follow. The only difference is that the simulated attacks are only going to reach out and touch the agents, not affect any part of the systems themselves.\nBut before you even run an attack scenario, it\u2019s probably a good idea to look at the information that SafeBreach can generate about network topography. For example, when we clicked on a server which we thought was deep inside the network that contained sensitive information, SafeBreach was able to show us that there were 137 paths from the outside, using our lone box placed out of the network as a starting point, to an intermediary system with no useful data. That critical link in the chain turned out to be a production database with nothing critical stored there. But from that step, should an attacker compromise that system, there were hundreds of paths that inched closer to the critical server, and 291 that went directly to it.\nThat told us two things about our current network security before we even ran a single scenario. First, that it was basically two hops from the outside to get to a protected data store, and second, that all of those attacks had to go through a single intermediary system that might have otherwise not generated any intense scrutiny. So one thing we might have wanted to concentrate on, had it been a real network, was locking down that chokepoint with powerful security and active monitoring.\nMoving from passive browsing of the network into an actual breach scenario, we first threw the entire playbook at a scenario where credit card data would be stolen and smuggled out. We were not surprised to find hundreds of possible scenarios that might work. But fixing them all at once would take a long time. So instead, SafeBreach allowed us to whittle it down to the most likely scenarios and concentrate on them first. Filtering those results to just breach methods that would allow a script kiddie type of attack, which we thought the most likely, reduced the likely scenarios to just 24.\nWe could then drill down into the specific attacks and found out that one of them relied on a specific remote access trojan that was able to slip through the network undetected, and which could have opened up a path to a command and control server. Massive data leaving the network would not have been detected in that scenario by our current network defenses. SafeBreach gave us the exact type of breach method, the malware that would be used and the path taken by attackers. From there we could generate a ticket with all of that information for IT to patch.\n\nWhile SafeBreach can\u2019t actually fix the problems that it discovers, we have not seen any other program actively simulating an attack and finding specific vulnerabilities. Also, once teams report that the hole has been fixed, SafeBreach can be re-run to confirm that it is no longer a vulnerability. In one case, fixing a problem during our testing actually led to new ones. Although likely rare, SafeBreach can ensure that you are always moving your defenses in the right direction.\nIn addition to patching network holes, the program can be used to run wargames to help train IT teams. Setting up a scenario is fairly easy in the settings tab where we originally configured our network information for the main program. In our wargame, we used the setting of a contractor with VPN access into the protected network as our starting point. We set it so that the contractor was breached, and the attackers were using that trusted status to infiltrate the main network to steal confidential data.\n\u00a0\n\nIT teams could be alerted to the breach in the wargame and then work to analyze it and quickly plug the holes. Once they had taken corrective action, we could immediately check to see if what they did was successful. Working to win that scenario would not only help with morale, but would provide real-world experience that teams could tap into when a real incident occurred. Only there is no risk involved because it was just a simulation, although a very realistic one using the actual network.\nIt\u2019s interesting to note that because the agents deployed by SafeBreach don\u2019t need any special access, just a path back to the main program for reporting, we could have brought that breached contractor into the fold, perhaps stopping the scenario before it had a chance to even begin. Doing that would have allowed us to monitor their network for security problems, and given even better insight about the connections between the two organizations.\nPricing for the SafeBreach continuous security validation platform varies by organization, based on coverage and the number of simulators you need to run, so adding contractors might raise your costs. But with pricing starting at about $50,000, it\u2019s an incredibly good value to begin with, so there may be room for contractors within the budget.\nIn cybersecurity, people like to say that you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know. SafeBreach can uncover those unknowns, letting security teams discover exactly how big their potential problems are before they become actual issues. Kept constantly updated with the latest attack methods, SafeBreach can then ensure that potential vulnerabilities remain close to or at zero. After that, the wargaming type of training is just icing on the cake for this unique program that can probably fill an important knowledge gap in most organizations.\nBreeden is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with over 20 years of experience. He is currently the CEO of the Tech Writers Bureau, a group of influential journalists and writers who work in government and other circles. He can be reached at\[email protected]. |
It’s time to look beyond the standard Zero Trust framework
Zero Trust describes a cybersecurity strategy in which a system assumes it’s already been breached by bad actors hiding behind legitimate credentials. Rather than barricading the perimeter, this strategy focuses inward, monitoring the digital environment for suspicious behavior by comparing real-time activity to a baseline of how credentialed users are expected to behave within the system.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlines the traditionally accepted framework for Zero Trust assessment in their Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM). This model measures the maturity level of:
- Visibility and analytics
- Automation and orchestration
Across five pillars:
- Apps and Workloads
But we’ve identitfied a fundamental flaw in CISA’s ZTMM: Identity’s role is misunderstood. So what is that role? Let’s dive in.
Identity is the center of everything
With a Zero Trust strategy, the system is looking for users who may not be who they say they are; its success in identifying a breach hinges on the speed and accuracy with which behavioral discrepencies can be spotted in the digital environment. But without Identity, there is no reference point for Zero Trust.
So the factor of Identity can’t be separated from the pillars of devices, networks, apps, workloads, and data in the way CISA’s traditional ZTMM holds. Rather, Identity is a fundamental component of each pillar, required to enable even the most base level of maturity.
Identity Fabric Model for Zero Trust Maturity
Our Identity Fabric Model for Zero Trust Maturity exists to more accurately convey the nature of Identity within the Zero Trust security framework for a comprehensive approach to Zero Trust where Identity is the throughline connecting each pillar.
Today, BeyondID is the first and only managed Identity services provider delivering on a holistic approach to Zero Trust. We’ve been able to do this by ensuring that everything we do is in support of the integral relationship between Identity and Zero Trust maturity.
Our digital Identity services bolster Zero Trust functions across the board (from devices, to network, to apps and workload, to data) to promote a holistic Zero Trust strategy. With the best baseline of digital Identity, our 24/7/365 SOC can detect and respond to suspicious activity in all corners of your digital environment faster than ever.
When we look at the outcomes of this approach to Zero Trust, we see exactly what we’d expect from a highly successful Identity-centric cybersecurity strategy. These are long-term, experiential outcomes like:
- Brand loyalty and topline growth
- Frictionless productivity
- Improved customer experience
Top security benefits include:
- Optimal thread detection, investigation, and remediation
- Continuous compliance and risk mitigation
- High ROI on IT and security investments
BeyondID Zero Trust services
Are you ready to think beyond the traditional Zero Trust framework? BeyondID launched the next generation of Zero Trust services at Oktane23!
The Identity Fabric approach to Zero Trust services unites the pillars of Zero Trust maturity by considering Identity at the core of each. By implementing a strong digital Identity strategy across the board, BeyondID can help your organization reach its cybersecurity goals while attracting and retaining customers with a seamlessly connected user experience.
BeyondID is the first and only managed Identity services provider delivering services consistent with the Identity Fabric Model for Zero Trust Maturity. Visit https://beyondid.com/solutions/zero-trust-security/ to learn more. |
The world of privacy is underpinned by rules that require enforcement, and today the control of choice is often technology. There is a category of security technology that is supposed to specialize in controlling and monitoring data. This is broadly known as DLP — an acronym that stands for "data loss prevention" (it can also be referred to as "data leakage protection" or "data loss protection," depending on who you’re talking to).
This technology is supposed to be able to label data automatically, apply rules and then make a decision on whether to allow the data to pass or prevent it from being used. It’s most often found in web and email gateways, two vectors that are often used to transmit data and are often a cause of accidental or malicious data breaches.
So, if this is the case, then surely deploying DLP technology is the panacea to most privacy issues and preventing breaches? Well, it’s not so simple. First of all, to understand the issues with this technology, it’s important to understand how they work.
Issues with DLP today
DLP technology relies heavily on pattern matching to identify certain types of data. For example, a U.S. Social Security number is a nine-digit number separated by hyphens as follows: NNN-NN-NNNN. If you have DLP technology in force and you want to prevent Social Security numbers from being accessed, it will seek out and identify any numbers in this format, and it will work, with a major side effect.
Any nine-digit number separated by hyphens in the same format but that’s not a Social Security number will also get blocked. If you think of invoice numbers, purchase order numbers, tracking numbers, phone numbers and any other string of digits that your company can employ in day-to-day operations, you start to get an idea of the scale of the problem.
Because of the above, DLP technology can quickly become a blocker for business as it will start to block legitimate data that isn’t a risk, so the solution quickly becomes to set the tools to "alert" — meaning let the data through but alert someone that it has identified a type of data it thinks is a Social Security number. To monitor these alerts, you obviously need personnel, and this often falls to security operations teams to monitor, filter and tweak the rules until they are getting a low false-positive rate.
When the type of data being monitored becomes less structured, the problems get even worse. Let’s say you wanted to stop anything labeled "confidential" leaving the company. You could put a rule in to look for that word, but then very quickly, you’ll be bombarded with a deluge of false positives. Any email with the word "confidential" in it will be flagged, but the sentence could be something benign, such as, "We don’t need to worry because this isn’t confidential."
Again, false positives abound, and blocking this automatically will cause chaos within the business, so there needs to be a manual validation of alerts to weed out false positives.
Easy to bypass
Once you understand how pattern matching works, it’s easy to bypass, even accidentally. The aforementioned "confidential" rule will not pick up "C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L" because of the hyphens or even "C O N F I D E N T I A L" because of the spaces.
It gets even worse if you start to use encoding, like base64 encoding (a way of encoding binary data into text). The word "confidential" encoded in base64 looks like this: Y29uZmlkZW50aWFs. It will look like random gibberish to most people but can be decoded easily by just using any base64 decoder online and, of course, cut through your DLP like butter so any employee who does a bit of research can base64 encode entire reams of data, exfiltrate it and decode it on the other side, and it will never be picked up.
So why use it at all?
DLP still has its uses for structured data, that is, data that follows a predefined format. A credit card number is a good example because it follows a very specific format and even has a "checksum" to make sure the number is valid. This means false positives are low (although they never completely disappear). Private encryption keys and things like Amazon Web Services application programming interface keys also follow a very specific format so rules can be applied to detect and apply controls on these kinds of data. While false positives will still happen, they do a good job of detecting these key pieces of data that can cause trouble if they go places they shouldn’t.
What about personal data?
This is often a question that comes up: How do I detect personal data? Well, with pattern matching, it’s impossible. If you think of how people’s names are structured, the only constant is they usually don’t have any numbers, but names can be any length, any number of words and can even have things like hyphens in them. In a pattern-matching scenario, you can’t set a rule saying "find me a word followed by another word" for obvious reasons.
Just one tool among many
Despite its issues, DLP still has its use in the technology sphere for enforcing privacy but shouldn’t be seen as a catch-all solution to data leakage and data breaches in general. If it forms part of a robust set of controls that encompass good access control, system updates and efficient monitoring, DLP can become a valuable tool in the constant war to keep our data safe.
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash
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Never confuse movement with action. –Ernest Hemingway
Movement detection is one of the crucial events that affects the performance of handover. Yet, it is not easy to do it quickly and reliably for several reasons. First, movement detection at the IP layer is dependent on reliably detecting the movement at the lower layer, namely the link layer. In wireless technologies, a link may be lost and regained, which does not mean movement. However, the IP operations are typically performed anyway when a link "comes up." Movement may actually happen from one link to another, for instance from one WLAN access point to another. However, that may not constitute movement to a new subnet. The challenge is to determine when a subnet change has actually taken place; this requires performing at least some operations, and these operations inevitably introduce delay. Second, multiple prefixes may be advertised by the same router on a single link, for instance to balance the traffic load on the network. So, hearing a new prefix does not mean a new subnet. Third, a router may use the same link-local address on multiple interfaces but advertise different prefixes. In this case, the mobile node needs to perform an IP handover, but it may not recognize that the router is still reachable at the previous address. Finally, there may be multiple routers on the same link advertising ... |
IDS use different sources of observation data and a variety of techniques to differentiate between benign and malicious behaviors. In the current work, Hidden Markov Models (HMM) are used in a manner analogous to their use in text categorization. The proposed approach performs host-based intrusion detection by using HMM along with STIDE methodology (enumeration of subsequences) in a hybrid fashion. The proposed method differs from STIDE in that only one profile is created for the normal behavior of all applications using short sequences of system calls issued by the normal runs of the programs. Subsequent to this, HMM with simple states along with STIDE is used to categorize an unknown program’s sequence of system calls to be either normal or an intrusion. The results on 1998 DARPA data show that the hybrid method results in low false positive rate with high detection rate.
Weitere Kapitel dieses Buchs durch Wischen aufrufen
- A Hybrid Method to Intrusion Detection Systems Using HMM
C. V. Raman
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Neuer Inhalt/© ITandMEDIA |
Social engineering is a tactic used by crackers, virus/worm creator, the viruses/worms themselves and others who want to gain access to a system with the help of the user. In the realm of self-replicating programs, social engineering is mostly applied to those worms and macros that spread through email.
Most commonly, social engineering exploits people's emotions and their desire to help others. Many worms and macros come disgused as love letters, threats from bill collectors, celebrity photographs, notices from financial institutions or auction sites, and even virus/worm alerts.
Since the first email-spreading programs, their creators know that in order to make the unsuspecting user run them, they would have to think of some sort of gimmick in order to entice the user to open it. |
Phones (IOS and Android devices)
The wide use of mobile devices and the rapid development of their Operating Systems along with the exponentially growing third-party apps continue to challenge the forensic community. What happens to deleted text messages, or how pictures might change as they get sent from one device to another are common questions that our team can answer.
There are times when we need that text message back after it has been deleted. Or the message was deleted on purpose by the individual to cover their tracks. Whatever the case, contact us about we can help. Text messages reside in a database until the deleted message gets overwritten by a new message. As long as it has not been overwritten, it is recoverable.
Pictures are worth a thousand words... especially today. The cameras on smart phones record dates and times, the device the photo was taken on, geolocation information as well as other
data. The file name given by the device also helps in determining the source of the file. This data is often stored inside the picture itself. Looking for anomalies helps the investigator determine if the picture is authentic.
Not unlike its visual counterpart, audio files recorded on smart phones store a lot of information inside the audio file itself. If the file is edited, footprints will be left behind even if the device the recording was made on is not available for forensic examination.
Read more in a recent case we did. |
What is Badday ransomware? And how does it execute its attack?
Badday ransomware is a cryptovirus discovered in early October 2019. According to reports, it is a new variant of the GlobeImposter 2.0 ransomware that uses a “.badday” extension in marking the files it encrypts. Like other GlobeImposter variants, Badday ransomware is created to lock important data in a computer and demand ransom from victims.
The instant its malicious payload is dropped on a targeted machine, Badday ransomware will start to carry out its attack. It connects the computer to a remote Command and Control server where it downloads other files that will be used for its attack. These files are placed in system folders. It then begins employing an information-gathering module to obtain data in the system. The obtained information will be used for the other module called stealth protection which is used to keep the crypto-malware undetected. Badday ransomware also makes modifications in the Windows Registry to achieve persistence in its attack. After that, it scans the computer in search of files that are commonly generated by users like documents, databases, images, audio files, and a whole lot more.
Once it finds its targeted files, it encrypts them using the AES cipher and appends the .badday extension to each one of the encrypted files. Following data encryption, it opens a ransom note named “how_to_back_files.html” containing the following message:
“YOUR PERSONAL ID
YOUR CORPORATE NETWORK LOCKED.
ALL YOUR IMPORTANT DATA HAS BEEN ENCRYPTED.
To restore files you will need a decryptor!.
To get the decryptor you should:
Pay for decrypt your network – 12 BTC :
Buy BTC on one of these sites
BITCOIN ADRESS FOR PAY:
Send 12 BTC for decrypt
AFTER THE PAYMENT:
Send screenshot of payment to [email protected] or [email protected] In the letter include your personal ID (look at the beginning of this document).
AFTER YOU WILL RECEIVE A DECRYPTOR AND INSTRUCTIONS
Only our team can decrypt your files.
No Payment = No decryption!
You really get decryptor after payment. As a guarantee you can send 1 test image or text file on our email (In letter include your personal ID)
Do not attempt to remove program or run any anti-virus tools! This doesn’t help 🙂
Decoders of other users are not compatible with your data, because each infected computer have unique encryption key!!!
Attempts to self-decrypting files will result in the loss of your data”
How does Badday ransomware proliferate?
Badday ransomware may proliferate via spam emails containing an infected attachment or corrupted link. Crooks mostly attach infected files in emails containing malicious scripts used to install crypto-malware like Badday ransomware in the system. This is why you need to double-check the email first before you download and open the attached file as it could be a harmful one that could cause damage to your computer.
Eliminating Badday ransomware and its malicious components from your computer wouldn’t be that easy so you need to follow the removal guide provided below.
Step_1: The first thing you need to do is to obliterate the process of Badday ransomware by opening the Task Manager – simply tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard.
Step_2: After that, switch to the Processes tab and look for a process named “<SAMPLE.EXE> as well as any suspicious-looking process that takes up most of your CPU’s resources and is most likely related to Badday ransomware and then end them all.
Step_3: Now that the malicious processes are eliminated, close the Task Manager.
Step_4: Next, tap Win + R, type in appwiz.cpl and click OK or tap Enter to open Control Panel’s list of installed programs.
Step_5: Under the list of installed programs, look for Badday ransomware or anything similar and then uninstall it.
Step_6: Then close Control Panel and tap Win + E keys to launch File Explorer.
Step_7: Navigate to the following locations below and look for the malicious components of Badday ransomware like the file named how_to_back_files.html, <SAMPLE.EXE>, and [random].exe as well as other suspicious files it has created and downloaded into the system and then delete all of them.
Step_8: Close the File Explorer.
Before you go on any further, make sure that you are tech-savvy enough to the point where you know exactly how to use and navigate your computer’s Registry. Keep in mind that any changes you make will highly impact your computer. To save you the trouble and time, you can just use Restoro this system tool is proven to be safe and excellent enough that hackers won’t be able to hack into it. But if you can manage Windows Registry well, then by all means go on to the next steps.
Step_9: Tap Win + R to open Run and then type in regedit in the field and tap enter to pull up Windows Registry.
Step_10: Navigate to the following path:
Step_11: Delete the registry keys and sub-keys created by Badday ransomware.
Step_12. Close the Registry Editor and empty the Recycle Bin.
Try to recover your encrypted files using the Shadow Volume copies
Restoring your encrypted files using Windows Previous Versions feature will only be effective if Badday ransomware hasn’t deleted the shadow copies of your files. But still, this is one of the best and free methods there is, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
To restore the encrypted file, right-click on it and select Properties, a new window will pop up, then proceed to Previous Versions. It will load the file’s previous version before it was modified. After it loads, select any of the previous versions displayed on the list like the one in the illustration below. And then click the Restore button.
Congratulations, you have just removed Badday Ransomware CryptoMalware in Windows 10 all by yourself. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit fixmypcfree.com daily.
Now that’s how you remove Badday Ransomware CryptoMalware in Windows 10 on a computer. On the other hand, if your computer is going through some system-related issues that have to get fixed, there is a one-click solution known as Restoro you could check out to resolve them.
This program is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below
Perform a full system scan using Restoro. To do so, follow the instructions below. |
Start of main content
Since its first version webControl CMS has been designed to be protected from most known web attacks and vulnerabilities.
webControl CMS has been designed and developed with safety as the mainstay, having passed numerous safety audits of companies specializing in the sector.
With webControl CMS will be protected from most of the best known and used web attacks, collected in the OWASP Top 10.
- Encryption of sensitive data
- Using SSL certificate across the CMS and in parts of the website that require
- Assurance strength in user names and passwords of users managed by CMS webControl
- Permission management based on users, groups and access permissions
- Support authentication against Active Directory and LDAP
- Filters to control access and avoid the known attacks
- Ability to physically separate the CMS (backend) of published and accessible by users (frontend)
- Various types of authentication and data encryption
End of main content |
In the environment IPv6 traffic is not used yet and should not be allowed.
You must create a rule to block all IPv6 traffic but allow IPv4 traffic.
Using a similar format as you would use for IPv4 causes both IPv6 and IPv4 traffic to be blocked.
Any IPv6 network rule that starts with 0 is translated to IPv4 as well.
You must specify the IPv6 traffic to block by site.
For example: fe80::/1 will block all traffic from the site which IPv6 addresses begin with fe80. |
If you have a computer that is always connected to the Internet, you are maybe familiar with all the types of cybernetic attacks that can jeopardize your PC’s security in a few moments.
In case you’ve been the target of a ransomware attack, SZFLocker to be more precise, you might consider turning to specialized software solutions such as
Avast Decryption Tool for SzfLocker
instead of paying the ransom.
Ransomware is a type of attack that usually targets various documents on your computer that might be of some use to you, while avoiding to damage system files, locks them down and demands a ransom to provide you with the decryption key. System files are avoided so that you can be able to pay the ransom, while also assuring you that you’ll be able to recover your files entirely.
SZFLocker encrypts your documents, adds an SZF extension to the locked files and leaves a brief ransom note on your computer, suggesting that you contact a certain email address for further instructions.
Avast Decryption Tool for SzfLocker can help you recover files that have been locked by the SZFLocker ransomware easily. Since the app comes with a wizard interface, it is easy to assume that most of the users will be able to operate its functions without considerable efforts.
After you launch the application, you have to follow the on-screen instructions, as the process is guided step by step. The only necessary steps are specifying the locations that have been encrypted and choosing whether or not encrypted files should be backed up, in case the recovery goes wrong and you need to redo it. It is highly recommended that you grant the app full Administrator privileges so that it can recover as many files as possible.
To wrap it up, Avast Decryption Tool for SzfLocker is a handy, lightweight application that can help you recover documents that have been encrypted by the SZFLocker ransomware without having to pay the demanded ransom. It fashions a wizard interface that guides you step by step so that it can be easily used by various users without significant efforts. |
Practical Binary Analysis
Build Your Own Linux Tools for Binary Instrumentation, Analysis, and Disassembly
|Price||$29.99 - $37.16
|Publisher||No Starch Press|
|Format||Paper book / ebook (PDF)|
As malware increasingly obfuscates itself and applies anti-analysis techniques to thwart our analysis, we need more sophisticated methods that allow us to raise that dark curtain designed to keep us out - binary analysis can help. The goal of all binary analysis is to determine (and possibly modify) the true properties of binary programs to understand what they really do, rather than what we think they should do. While reverse engineering and disassembly are critical first steps in many forms of binary analysis, there is much more to be learned.
This hands-on guide teaches you how to tackle the fascinating but challenging topics of binary analysis and instrumentation and helps you become proficient in an area typically only mastered by a small group of expert hackers. It will take you from basic concepts to state-of-the-art methods as you dig into topics like code injection, disassembly, dynamic taint analysis, and binary instrumentation. Written for security engineers, hackers, and those with a basic working knowledge of C/C++ and x86-64, Practical Binary Analysis will teach you in-depth how binary programs work and help you acquire the tools and techniques needed to gain more control and insight into binary programs.
Once you've completed an introduction to basic binary formats, you'll learn how to analyze binaries using techniques like the GNU/Linux binary analysis toolchain, disassembly, and code injection. You'll then go on to implement profiling tools with Pin and learn how to build your own dynamic taint analysis tools with libdft and symbolic execution tools using Triton.
Parse ELF and PE binaries and build a binary loader with libbfd; Use data-flow analysis techniques like program tracing, slicing, and reaching definitions analysis to reason about runtime flow of your programs; Modify ELF binaries with techniques like parasitic code injection and hex editing; Build custom disassembly tools with Capstone; Use binary instrumentation to circumvent anti-analysis tricks commonly used by malware; Apply taint analysis to detect control hijacking and data leak attacks; Use symbolic execution to build automatic exploitation tools.
With exercises at the end of each chapter to help solidify your skills, you'll go from understanding basic assembly to performing some of the most sophisticated binary analysis and instrumentation. Practical Binary Analysis gives you what you need to work effectively with binary programs and transform your knowledge from basic understanding to expert-level proficiency.
by Ryan Trost
Recently, powerful innovations in intrusion detection and prevention have evolved in response to emerging threats and changing business environments. However, security practitioners have found little reliable, usable information about these new IDS/IPS technologies. In Practical Intrusion Analysis, one of the field's leading experts bring...
Price: $33.35 | Publisher: Addison-Wesley | Release: 2009
by Chris Sanders
It's easy enough to install Wireshark and begin capturing packets off the wire - or from the air. But how do you interpret those packets once you've captured them? And how can those packets help you to better understand what's going on under the hood of your network? Practical Packet Analysis shows how to use Wireshark to capture and then...
Price: $10.46 | Publisher: No Starch Press | Release: 2007
by Michael Sikorski, Andrew Honig
Malware analysis is big business, and attacks can cost a company dearly. When malware breaches your defenses, you need to act quickly to cure current infections and prevent future ones from occurring.For those who want to stay ahead of the latest malware, Practical Malware Analysis will teach you the tools and techniques used by professio...
Price: $17.15 | Publisher: No Starch Press | Release: 2012
by Chris Sanders
It's easy to capture packets with Wireshark, the world's most popular network sniffer, whether off the wire or from the air. But how do you use those packets to understand what's happening on your network?Updated to cover Wireshark 2.x, the third edition of Practical Packet Analysis will teach you to make sense of your packet captures so ...
Price: $29.16 | Publisher: No Starch Press | Release: 2017
by Hector Cuesta
Plenty of small businesses face big amounts of data but lack the internal skills to support quantitative analysis. Understanding how to harness the power of data analysis using the latest open source technology can lead them to providing better customer service, the visualization of customer needs, or even the ability to obtain fresh insi...
Price: $29.99 | Publisher: Packt Publishing | Release: 2013
by Eric Rochester
Data is everywhere and it's increasingly important to be able to gain insights that we can act on. Using Clojure for data analysis and collection, this book will show you how to gain fresh insights and perspectives from your data with an essential collection of practical, structured recipes.The Clojure Data Analysis Cookbook - presents r...
Price: $32.99 | Publisher: Packt Publishing | Release: 2013
by Alan Fontaine
Python is one of the most common and popular languages preferred by leading data analysts and statisticians for working with massive datasets and complex data visualizations.Become a Python Data Analyst introduces Python's most essential tools and libraries necessary to work with the data analysis process, right from preparing data to per...
Price: $23.99 | Publisher: Packt Publishing | Release: 2018
by Patrick LeBlanc, Jessica M. Moss, Dejan Sarka, Dustin Ryan
Applied Microsoft Business Intelligence shows you how to leverage the complete set of Microsoft tools - including Microsoft Office and SQL Server - to better analyze business data.This book provides best practices for building complete BI solutions using the full Microsoft toolset. You will learn how to effectively use SQL Server Analysis...
Price: $31.22 | Publisher: Wiley | Release: 2015 |
After theand its main payload, the Locky ransomware, security experts have noticed a new ransomware among all the spam the botnet spews on a daily basis.
Called Bart, based on the extension it adds to locked files, the ransomware is not as sophisticated as Locky but bares some resemblance to its older brother.
Because of the few Locky similarities, and the fact that Bart is distributed from the same network from where most of the Locky spam originates, researchers think there is strong evidence to suggest that the same cyber-criminal group may have created Bart as well.
Bart distribution resembles Locky distribution
Looking at the technical side of the malware, researchers from, , and numerous others that have their findings on Twitter, all have noticed a few interesting oddities.
For starters, Bart resembles Locky because it’s distributed in the same way, using email spam that delivers a ZIP archive, which when unzipped contains a malicious JS file.
Running the JS file downloads RockLoader, an intermediary malware, which then downloads the Bart ransomware. Locky also uses RockLoader in its distribution.
Bart can work offline if needed
At this point, Bart starts showing some of its differences. While Locky would connect to its C&C server to negotiate the encryption process and save a copy of the private key on the server, Bart works without a server-side component.
All of Bart’s encryption process is localized, in case the ransomware needs to run without an Internet connection.
“Bart may be able to encrypt PCs behind corporate firewalls that would otherwise block such traffic,” Proofpoint researchers point out. “Thus, organizations need to ensure that Bart is blocked at the email gateway using rules that block zipped executables.”
Bart locks files in password-protected archives
As for the encryption, things are different. Instead of encrypting files, Bart just places them in its each individual ZIP archive file and then secures the archive with a password.
A file like image.jpeg would be renamed to image.jpeg.bart.zip. Bart targets 159 different file types.
When the file locking process stops, Bart drops a ransom note, as a text file in each folder it locked files, and changes the user’s desktop wallpaper. Researchers noted that Bart uses the same ransom note and the same ransom wallpaper as Locky.
Despite not using a strong encryption, Bart asks for a lot of money
Bart asks for a whopping 3 Bitcoin (~$1,800) to unlock the victim’s files, which is an extremely large sum. Each user receives an ID, and they have to go on a Dark Web portal to pay the ransom and receive a decrypter. This payment portal is also a carbon copy of the Locky payment portal.
Currently, researchers are still analyzing the ransomware. If a free decrypter for Bart appears, we’ll be updating this post in the future. |
Due to the large number of plugins and null templates, as well as increasing in
Internet hacking and cyber–attacks, maintaining websites has become a very
complicated and difficult task.
We should know that more than 60% of all websites in the world use WordPress,
for example, the blog section of DJKala is WordPress. We recommend using
general website management systems, but…
According to WPscan, most known WordPress security vulnerabilities are related
to non–original and infected WordPress plugins and templates and do not
originate from WordPress itself. According to live internet statistics, more than
70,000 websites are hacked daily due to lack of knowledge in website
In 2017, 4,000 WordPress websites were infected with malware caused by a fake
In 2019–2020, more than 5,000 websites created by easy–to–install, duplicate
plugins were infected with the redirect virus.
But this challenge can be overcome and the complexities can be managed |
The Popularity of Docker
Docker is a tool that allows developers to create, deploy, and run applications in containers. These containers are lightweight and portable environments that can run on any machine with Docker installed. Docker has become increasingly popular over the years because of its many benefits, including faster application development and deployment, increased scalability, and improved resource utilization.
By using Docker, developers can package their applications along with all the dependencies they need into a single container. This makes it easier for them to move their applications from one environment to another without having to worry about compatibility issues or configuration differences between environments.
The popularity of Docker has grown so much that it has become the de facto standard for containerization in the industry. According to a recent study by Datadog, 45% of companies are now using Docker as part of their application stack.
The Importance of Docker Security
While there are many benefits to using Docker, there are also security risks associated with it. By default, containers share the same kernel as the host operating system which means an attacker who gains access to one container can potentially gain access to the entire host system.
Additionally, images downloaded from public repositories may contain vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. The importance of securing your Docker environment cannot be overstated.
A successful attack could result in data loss or damage, service disruption or downtime leading not only reputational loss but significant financial losses as well. By taking proactive measures such as hardening your containers and restricting network traffic between them you can minimize potential risks resulting from malicious activity inside your network perimeter.
Overview of Article
This article will provide an introduction to understanding security risks associated with docker containers along with recommended best practices for safeguarding your dockerized applications. The article starts with an explanation of Docker and its increased popularity, followed by the importance of Docker security.
It then delves into the various security risks associated with Docker containers such as container breakouts, image vulnerabilities, network security threats among other potential issues. Next, we will explore best practices for securing your Docker environment, including container hardening techniques, secure image management practices and implementing access control mechanisms.
The final section will provide insights on managing access controls in your docker environment using role-based access control (RBAC). By following the practices outlined in this article, you will ensure a more secure and robust Docker environment that can withstand potential attacks while reaping all the benefits that come with using containers.
Understanding Docker Security Risks
Common Security Risks Associated with Docker Containers
When it comes to Docker container security, there are several risks that organizations must be aware of. One common risk is container breakout. This occurs when an attacker is able to gain access to the host operating system from within a container.
Once an attacker has access to the host, they can potentially gain access to other containers and sensitive data within those containers. Another common security risk associated with Docker containers is image vulnerabilities.
Since containers often rely on images from public repositories, it’s important to ensure that these images are free from known vulnerabilities. If an image contains a vulnerability, attackers can exploit it and potentially gain access to sensitive data or even take control of the entire container.
Network security threats are also a major concern when it comes to Docker container security. Since containers communicate with other containers and external resources through virtual networks, attackers can potentially intercept or manipulate network traffic in transit.
Container breakouts occur when attackers are able to exploit vulnerabilities in the software running within a container in order to gain access to the host operating system. Once an attacker has gained access to the host, they have complete control over all of the containers running on that host.
One way that attackers can achieve container breakout is by exploiting kernel vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. In some cases, attackers may also use privilege escalation techniques in order to gain elevated privileges within a container.
To mitigate the risk of container breakout, organizations should implement strong isolation between their containers and their hosts. This can be achieved by using tools like Linux namespaces and cgroups in order to limit what each container has access to.
Since many containers rely on publicly available images from repositories like Docker Hub, image vulnerabilities are a major concern for organizations using Docker. An image vulnerability can allow an attacker to exploit a weakness in the container image itself, potentially gaining access to sensitive data or even taking control of the container.
To mitigate the risk of image vulnerabilities, organizations should regularly scan their images for known vulnerabilities and ensure that they only use images from trusted and reputable sources. Additionally, organizations should keep their images up-to-date with the latest security patches and ensure that they don’t include unnecessary or insecure components.
Network Security Threats
Since Docker containers communicate with each other over virtual networks, network security threats are a major concern for organizations using Docker. Attackers can potentially intercept or manipulate network traffic in order to gain access to sensitive data or take control of a container.
To mitigate the risk of network security threats, organizations should use strong network segmentation between their containers and external resources. This can be achieved through techniques like virtual private networks (VPNs) or network policies that restrict what traffic is allowed into and out of each container.
Examples of Real-World Attacks on Docker Containers
There have been several real-world attacks on Docker containers in recent years. In 2019, for example, attackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in a widely-used container orchestration tool called Kubernetes in order to gain access to hundreds of Docker containers belonging to companies around the world.
In another attack, researchers were able to demonstrate how attackers could use misconfigured Docker APIs in order to take control of entire fleets of containers at once. These examples illustrate just how important it is for organizations using Docker containers to take security seriously and implement strong security measures throughout their infrastructure.
Best Practices for Securing Your Docker Containers
Container Hardening Techniques: Limiting Container Capabilities
One of the most effective ways to improve the security of your Docker containers is to limit their capabilities. By default, containers have full access to the host system, which means that a compromised container could potentially gain access to sensitive data or resources.
To mitigate this risk, it is recommended that you use tools such as AppArmor or SELinux to restrict the actions that a container can perform. For example, you might prevent containers from accessing certain files or directories on the host system, or block them from launching new processes.
Container Hardening Techniques: Implementing Resource Constraints
Another important aspect of container hardening is implementing resource constraints. Docker provides several ways to limit the amount of CPU and memory that a container can use, which helps prevent rogue containers from monopolizing system resources and potentially causing crashes or other performance issues. You can also set limits on network bandwidth and disk I/O if needed.
Container Hardening Techniques: Using Secure Base Images
Choosing secure base images for your containers is critical for ensuring their overall security. A base image provides the foundation upon which your application will run, so any vulnerabilities in this image could be exploited by attackers. It’s crucial that you only use trusted images from reputable sources such as Docker Hub or official repositories maintained by software vendors.
Security Measures for Container Images: Image Scanning and Vulnerability Assessments
In addition to using secure base images, it’s also important to regularly scan your container images for vulnerabilities and security weaknesses. There are several tools available for this purpose, such as Clair and Anchore Engine. These tools analyze your images against known vulnerability databases and provide detailed reports on any potential issues.
Security Measures for Container Images: Implementing Image Signing and Verification
Another important security measure for container images is implementing image signing and verification. This process involves digitally signing your images using a private key, which can then be verified by clients using a corresponding public key. By doing so, you can ensure that the images you’re running on your system are authentic and have not been tampered with.
Security Measures for Container Images: Auditing Image Repositories
It’s important to audit your image repositories on a regular basis to ensure that they only contain authorized and up-to-date images. You should regularly review access logs, remove old or unused images, and monitor for any suspicious activity within your repository.
Network Security Measures: Securing Network Traffic Between Containers
When running multiple containers in a networked environment, it’s important to secure the traffic between them. Docker provides several networking options such as bridges and overlay networks that allow you to create isolated communication channels between containers. You should also consider implementing encryption using tools such as TLS or IPsec to further protect network traffic.
Network Security Measures: Isolating Containers Using Network Policies
Another way to improve network security is by isolating containers using network policies. With network policies, you can define rules that specify which containers can communicate with each other based on various criteria such as IP address or port number. This helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive resources within your environment.
Network Security Measures: Restricting Access to Sensitive Ports
You should take steps to restrict access to sensitive ports within your Docker environment. For example, you might block access to ports used for remote management interfaces or other administrative functions unless they’re absolutely necessary. By minimizing the number of open ports and limiting access where possible, you reduce the attack surface of your environment and make it harder for attackers to gain a foothold.
Managing Access Control in Your Docker Environment
Role-based access control (RBAC)
In a Docker environment, it is essential to manage access control to prevent unauthorized access to containers and their sensitive data. Role-based access control (RBAC) is a popular approach to managing access rights in a containerized environment. This method provides granular control over who can perform specific actions on containers, images, or other resources.
Defining roles, permissions, and users
One of the key features of RBAC is that it allows administrators to define roles and permissions for users within the environment. Typically, roles are created based on job functions or responsibilities within an organization.
Permissions are then assigned to these roles based on what actions they need to perform within their role. Users are assigned these roles based on their position in the organization or job responsibilities.
For example, an administrator may create a role called “Developer” that has read/write access to certain container images and volumes but no permissions for networking configuration or creating new containers. On the other hand, a “Network Administrator” role may have full permissions for configuring network settings but no access to image registries.
Implementing RBAC in your Docker environment requires careful planning and configuration. The first step is defining roles and permissions as mentioned before, followed by creating users with specific privileges based on their job responsibilities.
Docker Enterprise Edition includes built-in support for RBAC that makes it easy for administrators to create custom roles and assign them to users within the platform. For open-source solutions like Docker Community Edition or Kubernetes, there are various tools available that provide RBAC functionality such as Kubernetes’ Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) API.
Managing access control in a Docker environment is crucial to safeguarding your containers against unauthorized access and data breaches. By understanding common security risks, implementing best practices for securing your containers, and managing access control using RBAC, you can significantly reduce the risk of attacks on your Docker environment. While Docker security can be a complex topic, it should not deter organizations from adopting containerization.
Proper planning and implementation of security measures can help ensure that your containers are secure and resilient against threats. By following the tips outlined in this article, you’ll be well on your way to safeguarding your containers and enjoying the many benefits that Docker has to offer. |
Ransomware is a major and rapidlygrowing threat at present. Malware analysis should be done irrespective of theunknown and stealthy malware attack characteristics in order to achieve asecure information world. This is possible only when efficient malwaredetection techniques are employed.The statisticsof Windows malware detected by Quick Heal Labs in 2016 is given in figure 1. Figure 1 Windows Malware Detection Statistics in2016 Fig 2 representsthe statistics of Android samples reported by Quick Heal in 2016.
Figure 2 Android Samples Growth (2013-2016)Malwaredetection on PC and mobile devicesTo understand the current securityproblems affecting PCs and smartphones, we review threats, vulnerabilities andattacks specific to smartphones and examine the existing security solutions toprotect them. In particular, we survey the literature over the period 1987-2017,by focusing our attention on PC-based (Windows) and Mobile-based (Android) malwares.Current mobile devices (smartphones)provide lots of the capabilities of traditional PCs and, in addition, offer alarge selection of connectivity options, such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, GSM,GPRS, UMTS, and HSPA. This plethora of appealing features has led to awidespread diffusion of smartphones and is now an ideal target for attackers.In the beginning, smartphones were packaged with standardized Operating System(OS): less heterogeneity in OS allowed attackers to exploit just a singlevulnerability to attack a large number of different kinds of devices by causingmajor security outbreaks. Some of the operating systems for smartphones wereSymbian OS, Windows Mobile, Android and iPhone OS.Even if global sales of millions ofsmartphones devices are observed, the number of mobile malware is still smallcompared to that of PC malware.
Smartphone malwares are evolving in the sametrend as malware for PCs. As more users download and install third-partyapplications for smartphones, the chances of installing malicious programsincreases as well. Mobile malware can spread through several and distinctvectors, such as an SMS containing a link to a site where a user can downloadthe malicious code, an MMS with infected attachments, or infected programsreceived via Bluetooth. The main goals of malware targeted at smartphonesinclude theft of personal data stored in the phone or the user’s credit.
Manyfake mobile applications tricks shoppers into entering personal credit cardinformation, disclosing Facebook and Gmail logins or downloading malware thatcould potentially steal or locks devices and hold it ransom. |
Vitalik Buterin first coined the term in 2013, laying the foundation for the concept. The first DAO was founded three years later, aptly named The DAO.
A DAO is commonly defined by these five characteristics:
- Flat organisation — A DAO, in principle, has no hierarchy, and decisions are made by its stakeholders or members instead of leaders or managers; although usually, in practice, certain spheres of decision-making may be delegated to a core or selected team.
- Transparency — A DAO must be open-source. Anyone can inspect the code on the smart contract or view the DAO’s transaction history on the blockchain.
- Open access — Anyone can, in theory, be a member of the DAO, as long as they fulfil the predetermined requirements, such as holding its governance token.
- Democracy — Depending on the voting mechanism, it may be the case that no single party can veto a request once it passes the voting process.
- Minimal human resources — DAOs operate mostly algorithmically, governed by code. Occasionally, members of the DAO may hire a person to fix issues on the smart contract, such as bugs or updates. |
Collaboration with DENSO Corporation, Japan on anomaly learning and monitoring for automotive systems
Anomaly detection is the problem of finding patterns from data that do not conform to “expected” or “normal” behavior. Anomaly detection has been used in a wide range of applications, such as intrusion detection for cyber-security, fault detection in safety critical systems, video surveillance of illicit activities, and maritime surveillance. In this project, we focus on automotive applications, where there seems to be a particular need for systems that can automatically monitor, detect, and respond to such behaviors. To this goal, we bring together concepts and tools from formal methods and machine learning. |
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