News Items

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    Visible to the public "Computer Scientist Confronts Worldwide Challenge of Online Security and Privacy"

    A computer security researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) has been awarded a prestigious federal grant to determine the most effective technologies and methods for achieving and maintaining online security and privacy. Assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the university, Shirin Nilizadeh, has been awarded a $200,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study social media discussions in order to gain a better understanding of what concerns exist regarding online security and privacy, what technologies and tools people recommend to each other, and whether or not they are effective. She stated that people care about their online security and privacy everywhere, adding that societal and political movements sometimes make them more cautious or aware of the problems. They go to social media to discuss their concerns and request protective tools and methods. The research community can help in determining what is effective and what is not. Research findings will be used to design and develop better online protection and to enhance existing security and privacy-protecting systems if they are not secure, effective, and efficient. Nilizadeh's research could improve the security of social network tools. This article continues to discuss the UTA researcher's work to improve online safeguards that protect user privacy.

    The University of Texas at Arlington reports "Computer Scientist Confronts Worldwide Challenge of Online Security and Privacy"

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    Visible to the public "Chiplet Security Risks Underestimated"

    There is the promise of chiplets within the semiconductor ecosystem, but security in these chiplets and the heterogeneous systems into which they will be implemented needs more attention. Disaggregating a System-on-Chip (SoC) into a chiplet changes the cybersecurity threat landscape. Chiplets can be developed anywhere and at any process node, unlike monolithic multi-function chips, which are typically produced using the same process technology. One of the primary reasons for developing heterogeneous chiplets is that not all functions benefit from the most advanced process technology, nor can they all fit on a single die. However, this increases the threat level, and the industry needs help to address security issues in a repeatable and cost-effective manner. Integrating multiple chiplets into a heterogeneous package introduces security incidents and potential risks associated with malicious modifications or attacks on individual chiplets during design, assembly, or testing. Additionally, since chiplets are often designed and manufactured by various vendors, there is a possibility that a malicious actor could compromise one of the vendors and use that access to compromise the entire chiplet-based system. This article continues to discuss the magnitude of the security challenges for commercial chiplets.

    semiEngineering reports "Chiplet Security Risks Underestimated"

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    Visible to the public "With ICMP Magic, You Can Snoop on Vulnerable HiSilicon, Qualcomm-Powered Wi-Fi"

    Malicious actors can exploit a vulnerability identified in at least 55 Wi-Fi router models to eavesdrop on victims' data sent over wireless networks. Researchers from China and the US have detailed the security flaw in the Network Processing Units (NPUs) of Qualcomm and HiSilicon chips located at the core of different wireless Access Points (APs). The flaw, tracked as CVE-2022-25667, prevents devices from blocking forged Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) messages, which can be exploited to hijack and monitor a victim's wireless connection. The ICMP network layer protocol can be abused to avoid Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security in order to intercept and read a victim's wireless network traffic. WPA, including WPA2 and WPA3, is supposed to secure each device on a wireless network from eavesdropping. The researchers devised an attack that can defeat that security layer, allowing one device on a Wi-Fi network to intercept and eavesdrop on the traffic of another. Their paper titled "Man-in-the-Middle Attacks without Rogue AP: When WPAs Meet ICMP Redirects" describes the technique. This article continues to discuss the research on the vulnerability found in the NPUs of AP routers that restrict the routers from blocking fake ICMP error messages passing through the router.

    The Register reports "With ICMP Magic, You Can Snoop on Vulnerable HiSilicon, Qualcomm-Powered Wi-Fi"

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    Visible to the public "DoJ: Estonian Man Tried to Acquire US-Made Hacking Tools for Russia"

    An Estonian national has been recently charged in the United States for purchasing US-made electronics and computer hacking tools on behalf of the Russian government and military. The man, Andrey Shevlyakov, was arrested in Estonia on March 28. He was charged in the US on 18 counts of conspiracy and other charges. According to the indictment, Shevlyakov did business through several Estonian-based shell companies that he and his co-conspirators used to export microelectronics from the US to Estonia. The goods were then shipped to Russia, thus circumventing export regulations. The indictment noted that since 2012, Shevlyakov was placed by the US government on a ban list for procuring and delivering export-restricted items to Russia. To evade the list's restrictions, he used false names and shell companies to order items and pay for them. Purchased items include integrated circuits, low-noise pre-scalers, resistors, synthesizers, analog-to-digital converters that are found in defense systems, including avionics, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and software-defined radio. According to the indictment, email communication between Shevlyakov and a Russia-based individual has revealed that Shevlyakov also attempted to acquire a licensed copy of Metasploit Pro, a US-made penetration testing tool that cannot be purchased from Russia directly. Metasploit is a highly popular hacking tool that has often been abused by malicious actors. The software has a free version and a Pro version, which costs roughly $15,000. Between 2012 and 2022, Shevlyakov exported at least $800,000 worth of US electronics. If convicted, Shevlyakov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    SecurityWeek reports: "DoJ: Estonian Man Tried to Acquire US-Made Hacking Tools for Russia"

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    Visible to the public "HTTP/S DDoS Attacks Soar 487% in Three Years"

    Security researchers at Netscout discovered that the volume of application-layer distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks targeting HTTP and HTTPS websites grew by triple digits between 2019 and 2022, thanks to groups like Killnet. The biggest surge in attacks on websites since 2019 came in the second half of 2022, thanks to the activity of pro-Russia groups. The researchers claimed that the US national security sector experienced a massive 16,815% increase in attacks from Killnet hacktivists, including a spike after President Biden's public remarks at the G7 Summit and another the same day following both French and US presidents re-affirming their support for Ukraine. The researchers stated that a notable 18% increase in direct-path attacks over the past three years, was corresponding to a drop in reflection/amplification attacks of about the same percentage. As the name suggests, direct-path attacks target individual organizations directly, whereas reflection/amplification spoofs a target's IP address and sends an information request to a UDP/TCP server. Bad bots were a key driver in direct-path attacks. Netscout tracked over 1.35 million bots from malware families like Mirai, Meris, and Dvinis in 2022, with enterprises receiving over 350,000 security-related alerts with botnet involvement.

    Infosecurity reports: "HTTP/S DDoS Attacks Soar 487% in Three Years"

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    Visible to the public "YouTube Attribution Links Exploited in New Phishing Campaign"

    Attackers have been avoiding detection by exploiting legitimate YouTube attribution links and a Cloudflare CAPTCHA. According to the cybersecurity company Vade, using YouTube attribution links is a novel method for circumventing email filters that scan for suspicious redirects. In a new phishing campaign, victims receive a spoofed email claiming that their Microsoft 365 password has expired. Personalizing and contextualizing the email creates the illusion of legitimacy. Researchers observed that the email contains no misspellings or grammatical errors, which are typically early indicators of fraud. Below the notice regarding the victim's password allegedly being expired, there is an option to keep the current password. The button, which is hyperlinked to a YouTube URL, eventually takes users to a phishing page with a Cloudflare CAPTCHA. According to Vade, it is likely that the page is hosted on Cloudflare and uses URL crawling and bot protections. Once users click the CAPTCHA, they are presented with a fake Microsoft 365 sign-in page, allowing threat actors to steal their credentials and take control of their accounts. This article continues to discuss the new phishing campaign involving the exploitation of YouTube attribution links.

    Cybernews reports "YouTube Attribution Links Exploited in New Phishing Campaign"

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    Visible to the public "Microsoft, Fortra Get Legal Permission to Counter Cobalt Strike Abuse"

    Microsoft and two partner organizations have been granted legal permission to target cybercriminal infrastructure associated with the widespread abuse of Cobalt Strike, a legitimate testing tool that attackers have used against the healthcare industry. Together with the non-profit Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) and software developer Fortra, Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is working to stop cybercriminals from distributing malware, including ransomware, using cracked, legacy copies of Cobalt Strike and abused Microsoft software. Red teams use Fortra's Cobalt Strike adversary simulator and penetration testing software to identify vulnerabilities and plan a response, but cybercriminals have exploited older versions of the program. The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an order on March 31 permitting the three entities to pursue "malicious infrastructure" used in attacks, such as command-and-control (C2) servers. This article continues to discuss Microsoft, Health-ISAC, and Fortra being granted legal permission to combat cybercriminal infrastructure associated with the abuse of Cobalt Strike.

    The Record reports "Microsoft, Fortra Get Legal Permission to Counter Cobalt Strike Abuse"

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    Visible to the public "Google Mandates Data Deletion Policy For Android Apps"

    Google has recently unveiled a new policy for Android apps that enable account creation. The rule mandates such apps to provide users with an option to delete both the accounts and the data associated with them. Bethel Otuteye, senior director of product management at Android App Safety, said it aims to empower users with greater control over in-app data. Google stated that for apps that enable app account creation, developers will soon need to provide an option to initiate account and data deletion from within the app and online. Google noted that this web requirement, which one will link in their Data safety form, is especially important so that a user can request account and data deletion without reinstalling an app. Google clarified that while Google Play's data safety section already allows developers to showcase data deletion options, it aims to provide users with a more accessible and consistent way to request them. The new policy means that when developers fulfill a request to delete an account, they must also delete the associated data. Google noted that the feature will also enable users not wishing to delete their entire account to only remove some data types like images, videos, or history. Otuteye clarified that developers needing to retain specific data for legitimate reasons (e.g., security, fraud prevention, or regulatory compliance) would have to disclose those data retention practices.

    Infosecurity reports: "Google Mandates Data Deletion Policy For Android Apps"

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    Visible to the public "Western Digital Hit By Network Security Breach"

    Data storage device manufacturer Western Digital has recently disclosed information about a network security incident detected on March 26. The company said the incident involved an unauthorized third party gaining access to several systems. As a result of the breach, Western Digital brought many of its servers offline, with several consumers and businesses becoming unable to access their data remotely for some time. Security researcher Tom Kellerman at Contrast Security stated that when a cloud storage company serves thousands of customers, the impact of this security incident escalates significantly, with many consumers and businesses unable to access critical data remotely. Kellerman noted that this is a significant supply chain attack, which could have a systemic impact on e-commerce. Kellerman mentioned that if this attack was performed by a rogue nation state, the national security implications could linger for months. The company's investigation into the cyberattack is still ongoing.

    Infosecurity reports: "Western Digital Hit By Network Security Breach"

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    Visible to the public "Nearly Half of Security Practitioners Told to 'Keep Data Breaches Under Wraps'"

    In the last year, nearly half of cybersecurity practitioners have been instructed by senior management to keep data breaches "under wraps." Bitdefender's survey of 400 Information Technology (IT) and security professionals revealed that 42 percent had been told to keep a breach secret when they knew it should be reported. Similarly, 30 percent of respondents said they actively avoided disclosing a breach despite the existence of specific processes. Seventy-one percent of security professionals in the US failed to notify senior management or customers when they knew a breach should have been disclosed. Security practitioners in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy were among the least likely to keep a security breach secret. Over half of global respondents reported that their organization had experienced a data breach or leak within the past 12 months. Seventy-two percent of respondents in the US reported experiencing such an incident. The study also revealed that 55 percent of respondents are increasingly concerned that their company will face legal action because of improper handling of an incident. This article continues to discuss key findings regarding security practitioners failing to disclose data breaches.

    ITPro reports "Nearly Half of Security Practitioners Told to 'Keep Data Breaches Under Wraps'"

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    Visible to the public "Telegram Now the Go-to Place for Selling Phishing Tools and Services"

    Telegram has become a hub for phishing bot and kit developers seeking to advertise their products to a larger audience or recruit helpers. Although the messaging platform has been used for cybercriminal activities for years, threat actors in the phishing industry have begun to rely on it more. Researchers have discovered that a community has formed around the topic of phishing, which is growing in popularity. From offering advice and free initiation instructions to selling services, phishing actors are very active on Telegram. Phishers sell all types of phishing materials and services, including ready-made kits, fake pages, subscriptions to tools, guides, and technical support, to interested buyers. Researchers have found that Telegram is being used as a platform for offering free phishing kits with pre-packaged tools that enable users to create phishing pages imitating well-known brands, automated (bot-based) phishing page creation and user data collection, and more. This article continues to discuss researchers' findings regarding phishing tools and services being offered over Telegram.

    Bleeping Computer reports "Telegram Now the Go-to Place for Selling Phishing Tools and Services"

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    Visible to the public "'BEC 3.0' Is Here With Tax-Season QuickBooks Cyberattacks"

    Cybercriminals are targeting victims with well-crafted phishing attacks from QuickBooks online accounts to steal credentials. According to researchers from Avanan, the scheme is at a level of legitimacy and social engineering that suggests new Business Email Compromise (BEC) efforts. As the security and detection for BEC attacks are strengthened, cybercriminals are switching to even more evasive tactics, as demonstrated by the attacks. Avanan researchers refer to this evolution of attacks as "BEC 3.0." Researchers report that threat actors are now registering for free accounts for legitimate services and then targeting victims from those services using email addresses at domains that traditional scanning tools will not detect. This article continues to discuss BEC 3.0 attacks involving QuickBooks online accounts.

    Dark Reading reports "'BEC 3.0' Is Here With Tax-Season QuickBooks Cyberattacks"

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    Visible to the public "Rilide Browser Extension Steals MFA Codes"

    Cryptocurrency thieves are targeting users of Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave Browser, and Opera, with an extension that can steal credentials and multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes. The extension, dubbed Rilide by Trustwave researchers, mimics the legitimate Google Drive extension while, in the background, disabling the Content Security Policy (CSP), collecting system information, exfiltrating browsing history, capturing snapshots, and injecting malicious scripts. It allows attackers to compromise Outlook, Yahoo, and Google email accounts by serving forged email confirmations. It also enables the compromise of cryptocurrency-related accounts such as Kraken, Bitget, and Coinbase by serving forged MFA requests. The malicious extension has been observed being distributed via two campaigns involving malicious Google advertisements, macro-enabled documents, the Aurora stealer, and the Ekipa Remote Access Trojan (RAT). This article continues to discuss findings regarding the malicious Rilide browser extension.

    Help Net Security reports "Rilide Browser Extension Steals MFA Codes"

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    Visible to the public "CISA Warns of Critical ICS Flaws in Hitachi, mySCADA, ICL, and Nexx Products"

    The US Homeland Security Department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released eight advisories regarding critical vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) products from Hitachi Energy, mySCADA Technologies, Industrial Control Links, and Nexx. One of the vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2022-3682, affects Hitachi Energy's MicroSCADA System Data Manager SDM600 and could allow an attacker to assume remote control of the product. A flaw in the validation of file permissions allows an adversary to upload a specially crafted message to the system, leading to the execution of arbitrary code. Another set of five critical vulnerabilities involves command injection bugs present in mySCADA myPRO versions 8.26.0 and prior. The successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could enable an authenticated user to inject arbitrary operating system commands, CISA warned, urging users to upgrade to version 8.29.0 or higher. Industrial Control Links ScadaFlex II SCADA Controllers contain a critical security flaw that could enable an authenticated attacker to overwrite, delete, or create files. This article continues to discuss CISA's warning of critical ICS flaws.

    THN reports "CISA Warns of Critical ICS Flaws in Hitachi, mySCADA, ICL, and Nexx Products"

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    Visible to the public "Researchers Fight Cybercrime With New Digital Forensic Tools and Techniques"

    Irfan Ahmed, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, equips the good guys fighting the never-ending cybersecurity conflict with digital forensic tools and the knowledge to use them. Ahmed is the director of the Security and Forensics Engineering (SAFE) Lab in the Department of Computer Science and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Engineering, leading a pair of projects supported by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) aimed at protecting critical industrial systems from the bad guys and demonstrating that the same tools developed for investigating cyberattacks can be used for other crimes. The SAFE lab focuses on protecting Industrial Control Systems (ICS) used in the operation of nuclear plants, dams, electricity delivery systems, and a vast array of other components of the US critical infrastructure. One of Ahmed's DHS-funded initiatives, titled "Digital Forensic Tools and Techniques for Investigating Control Logic Attacks in Industrial Control Systems," enables him to develop devices and methods that cyber detectives can use to investigate attacks on sensitive critical infrastructure. This article continues to discuss the work to protect nuclear plants, dams, and other critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.

    Virginia Commonwealth University reports "Researchers Fight Cybercrime With New Digital Forensic Tools and Techniques"

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    Visible to the public "Security Made Simple With NCSA's CILogon"

    Almost everyone in the digital age has likely, at some point, needed to access cloud-stored documents and data but forgot their password and had to create a new identity. For researchers with allocations for high-performance computing and services across multiple locations, that situation can result in delayed progress on important scientific efforts and questionable online security. CILogon, a software development effort at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), was launched to facilitate secure logins to scientific cyberinfrastructure. Using CILogon, users can access any online location at which they or their research group have an allocation using credentials from their primary organization. According to the researchers behind CILogon, it is as easy and seamless as logging into a Google or Facebook account, allowing researchers to access resources located on different sites without requiring Information Technology (IT) support to create new identities. This article continues to discuss the goals, development, and applications of NCSA's CILogon.

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports "Security Made Simple With NCSA's CILogon"

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    Visible to the public "Hackers Using Log4j Bug to Profit From Victim IP Addresses Through 'Proxyjacking' Scheme"

    Dozens of companies charge customers to use a different Internet Protocol (IP) address for activities such as watching YouTube videos unavailable in their region, conducting unrestricted web scraping and browsing, or visiting websites without attributing the activity to their IP. It is known as proxyware, and it is sold globally by companies such as IPRoyal, Honeygain, and Peer2Profit. However, according to researchers from the digital security company Sysdig, cybercriminals have also shown interest in the concept. The researchers are bringing further attention to hackers taking over IP addresses and selling them without authorization. The new trend called "proxyjacking" involves hackers exploiting the Log4j flaw to gain initial access to a system or device before selling its IP information to proxyware services. In recent years, researchers at Cisco Talos Intelligence Group and AhnLab Security have identified attacks involving infected adware to take control of a user's device and use its IP address. Both companies compared it to cryptocurrency mining, where hackers mine cryptocurrency on compromised devices. According to Sysdig, proxyjacking may be more lucrative and easier to get away with because it requires significantly less computing power and energy. This article continues to discuss the proxyjacking scheme.

    The Record reports "Hackers Using Log4j Bug to Profit From Victim IP Addresses Through 'Proxyjacking' Scheme"

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    Visible to the public "Growing Challenges For Increasingly Connected Vehicles"

    As cars become more connected, they will face more security challenges. Connectivity involves all vehicle components, encompassing everything from autonomous driving to connected infotainment and in-cabin monitoring. In addition, it includes external sensors, Internet of Things (IoT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), Over-the-Air (OTA) communication, and remote control. Different regional standards, an endless series of updates, the introduction of new technologies, and a growing concern for security exacerbate the difficulty of making all this technology function together. Most vehicles are equipped to connect to cellular and wireless infrastructure, as well as to wired and wireless devices. The majority of cabins also have the ability to connect to a wide variety of personal devices. As vehicles become more connected and software-defined, new challenges will emerge, such as how to future-proof vehicle and software architectures, cybersecurity, networking issues, and other problems typically associated with computer systems. This article continues to discuss the security challenges associated with connected vehicles.

    semiEngineering reports "Growing Challenges For Increasingly Connected Vehicles"

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    Visible to the public "Organizations Struggle to Manage OT Security Risks"

    According to a new survey conducted by OTORIO and ServiceNow, 58 percent of organizations consider their Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity risk as high or critical. However, according to the survey of 200 Information Technology (IT) and OT leaders, only 47 percent of companies have an OT cybersecurity solution, and 81 percent of companies still manage their OT risks manually instead of using an automated solution. The survey also reveals that critical infrastructure organizations and manufacturers lack the resources necessary to comply with new, stringent regulations. Ninety-three percent of respondents reported experiencing a moderate or significant increase in regulations and standards that impacted them in the past 12 months. Therefore, 78 percent of stakeholders intend to increase their OT cybersecurity spending by an average of 29 percent. This article continues to discuss key findings from the report on the state of industrial OT cybersecurity.

    BetaNews reports "Organizations Struggle to Manage OT Security Risks"

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    Visible to the public "Uber Drivers' Data Exposed in Breach of Law Firm's Servers"

    A mid-sized law firm representing Uber has recently notified an unknown number of its drivers that sensitive data has been exposed and stolen due to a cyberattack. New Jersey-based Genova Burns disclosed the breach in an email to customers. The company determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to their systems, and certain limited files were accessed or exfiltrated between January 23, 2023, and January 31, 2023. The investigation determined that information drivers provided to Uber, including names, Social Security numbers, and/or Tax Identification Numbers, were among the impacted data. Genova Burns added that they are currently investigating the incident with law enforcement. The firm said it changed all its system passwords and is offering affected drivers 12 months of complimentary identity monitoring services through Kroll.

    Infosecurity reports: "Uber Drivers' Data Exposed in Breach of Law Firm's Servers"

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    Visible to the public "New Cyber Software Can Verify How Much Knowledge AI Really Knows"

    As a result of the developing global interest in generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, University of Surrey researchers have developed software that can verify how much information an AI gathered from an organization's digital database. As part of a company's online security protocol, Surrey's verification software can be used to determine if an AI has learned too much or accessed sensitive data. The software can also determine whether AI has identified and can exploit software code vulnerabilities. For example, in the context of online gaming, it could identify if an AI has learned to always win at online poker by exploiting a coding bug. The verification software can infer how much AI can learn from their interaction, whether they have sufficient knowledge to facilitate successful cooperation, and whether they have an excessive amount of knowledge that will compromise privacy. This article continues to discuss the new cyber software developed to verify how much knowledge AI has.

    The University of Surrey reports "New Cyber Software Can Verify How Much Knowledge AI Really Knows"

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    Visible to the public "Simulating a Secure Future"

    According to Rajat Kumar, a Ph.D. student in Yehia Massoud's lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), it is not inconceivable for a malicious employee of a company that implants chips in about 50 percent of the world's computers to embed a Trojan in systems globally and hold the world to ransom. Massoud's group explores emerging technologies that could improve the security of chips. Their recent research reveals multifunctional logic gates that provide users with various hardware security benefits. These include improved device control, protection against tampering, watermarking, fingerprinting, and layout camouflage. Massoud explains that tampering with chips is possible even if a semiconductor foundry is trustworthy because an untrusted entity in the supply chain could tamper with chips. In a case involving chips for a country's defense force, a breach could compromise an entire country's security. Components sourced from a complex supply chain pose risks of intercepted and reverse-engineered classified chips, counterfeiting, and intellectual property theft. Kumar and colleagues delved into polymorphic gates made from nanoscale structures composed of an oxide layer sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers as a secure alternative. This article continues to discuss the research on multifunctional logic gates offering hardware security advantages.

    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology reports "Simulating a Secure Future"

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    Visible to the public "Android’s April 2023 Updates Patch Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities"

    Google recently announced the April 2023 security updates for Android devices, with patches for over 65 vulnerabilities, including two critical bugs leading to remote code execution (RCE). Google's Android security bulletin for April 2023 describes 26 vulnerabilities resolved in the Framework and System components as part of the 2023-04-01 security patch level. Most of these are high-severity flaws leading to the elevation of privilege (EoP) or information disclosure. However, Google noted that two of the 16 issues addressed in System are critical-severity RCE bugs, tracked as CVE-2023-21085 and CVE-2023-21096. Google stated that the most severe of these issues is a critical security vulnerability in the System component that could lead to remote (proximal/adjacent) code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. Google noted that user interaction is not needed for exploitation. The second part of Android's April 2023 security update arrives on devices as the 2023-04-05 security patch level and includes fixes for 40 vulnerabilities in kernel, Arm, Imagination Technologies, MediaTek, Unisoc, and Qualcomm components. While most of these bugs are rated high severity, four of the issues impacting Qualcomm components are considered critical severity.

    SecurityWeek reports: "Android's April 2023 Updates Patch Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities"

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    Visible to the public "Chrome 112 Patches 16 Security Flaws"

    Google recently announced the release of Chrome 112 in the stable channel with patches for 16 vulnerabilities, including 14 reported by external researchers. Of the externally reported flaws, two are rated high severity, nine have a medium severity rating, while the remaining three are low-severity issues. Google noted that the most severe of these is a heap buffer overflow bug in Visuals. Tracked as CVE-2023-1810, the vulnerability earned the reporting researcher a $5,000 bug bounty reward. CVE-2023-1810 can allow a compromised renderer to register multiple things with the same FrameSinkId, violating ownership assumptions. Next in line is a use-after-free flaw in Frames, which is tracked as CVE-2023-1811, and for which Google awarded a $3,000 bug bounty. The issue could lead to a crash or malicious code execution. Google noted that the resolved medium-severity vulnerabilities include out-of-bounds memory access, inappropriate implementation, insufficient validation of untrusted input, use-after-free, incorrect security UI, insufficient policy enforcement, out-of-bounds read, and heap buffer overflow issues. Impacted Chrome components include DOM Bindings, Extensions, Safe Browsing, Networking APIs, Picture In Picture, Intents, Vulkan, Accessibility, and Browser History. The three low-severity flaws addressed with the Chrome 112 release impact the WebShare, Navigation, and FedCM components. Google says it has paid roughly $26,000 in bug bounty rewards for the reported vulnerabilities, but the final amount might be higher, as the internet giant has yet to determine the amount to be handed out for two of the bugs. Google did not mention if any of these vulnerabilities were exploited in attacks. The latest Chrome iteration is now rolling out as version 112.0.5615.49/50 for Windows and as version 112.0.5615.49 for Linux and macOS.

    SecurityWeek reports: "Chrome 112 Patches 16 Security Flaws"

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    Visible to the public "Tax Return Filing Service eFile.com Caught Serving Malware"

    eFile[.]com, an online service that helps individuals file tax returns, was recently injected with malicious code that led to malware being delivered to visitors. The software service, which is authorized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), albeit not operated by the agency, was seen serving malware for several weeks until it was cleaned up earlier this week. The compromise was initially observed in mid-March when a user posted on Reddit the first details of the issue: visitors were redirected to a fake "network error" page and were served a fake browser update. When clicking on the "browser update" link, users were served one of two executables, named "update.exe" and "installer.exe." On Monday, Johannes Ullrich of the SANS Internet Storm Center revealed that the malicious files had very low detection rates on VirusTotal. He also discovered that "update.exe" was signed with a valid certificate from Sichuan Niurui Science and Technology Co., Ltd. Ullrich stated that the analysis of update.exe shows that it is a downloader written in Python, designed to fetch a PHP script that establishes communication with the command-and-control (C&C) server. Its primary function is to download and execute additional code. During the installation, basic system information is sent to the attacker, and the backdoor is made persistent via scheduled/on-boot registry entries. Ullrich noted that the backdoor, implemented in PHP, was designed to connect to a URL every 10 seconds and execute any commands it may receive from the attacker. It would also send back the output of the received commands. The backdoor, Ullrich says, supports three tasks, namely code execution, file download, and execution scheduling. However, the last task does not appear to be completely implemented. Ullrich stated that some of the attack infrastructure is hosted with Alibaba in China, and some Chinese comments are in the code. So the attacker is probably someone that is Chinese. Ullrich noted that "the code is very cobbled together, and the clumsy inclusion of PHP points to a not-so-advanced, but maybe still persistent, threat actor." eFile removed the malicious JavaScript code from the website on April 3, but not before the attackers themselves attempted to remove the infection, likely to cover their tracks. The malicious code was apparently injected on every page on eFile[.]com.

    SecurityWeek reports: "Tax Return Filing Service eFile.com Caught Serving Malware"

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    Visible to the public "Typhon Info-Stealing Malware Devs Upgrade Evasion Capabilities"

    The creators of the Typhon information-stealing malware claimed on a dark web forum that they had updated the malware to a new version, which they now market as "Typhon Reborn V2." They revealed improvements intended to prevent analysis via anti-virtualization methods. Malware analysts found the original Typhon in August 2022. At the time, Cyble Research Labs discovered that the malware bundled the main stealer component with a clipper, a keylogger, and a cryptocurrency miner. Although the initial version of Typhon was sold over Telegram for a one-time payment of $50, its creators also offered to distribute it for about $100 per 1,000 victims. Since January, the new version has been advertised on the dark web and purchased several times, according to Cisco Talos analysts. However, the researchers found samples of the new variant in the wild that dated back to December 2022. According to Cisco Talos, the Typhon V2 codebase has been updated to make the malicious code more robust, reliable, and stable. This article continues to discuss researchers' findings and observations regarding the new version of Typhon information-stealing malware.

    Bleeping Computer reports "Typhon Info-Stealing Malware Devs Upgrade Evasion Capabilities"

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    Visible to the public "Operation Cookie Monster: Genesis Market Seized by FBI"

    The FBI has shut down its second cybercriminal forum of the year. The Genesis Market, known and used by hackers worldwide, has been seized in the global sting called Operation Cookie Monster. In the hacker community, Genesis Market is an invitation-only dark web forum that has been in operation since March 2018, with users all around the world. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) estimates that the market supplied over 1.5 million compromised computers containing over 80 million account access credentials. In addition to the Genesis Market site, 11 other domain names used to support the market's infrastructure were seized during the operation. Although the DOJ provided few details regarding further arrests, British officials reported about 120 arrests, more than 200 searches, and nearly 100 instances of "preventative activity." This article continues to discuss the takedown of Genesis Market.

    Cybernews reports "Operation Cookie Monster: Genesis Market Seized by FBI"

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    Visible to the public "CryptoClippy: New Clipper Malware Targeting Portuguese Cryptocurrency Users"

    CryptoClippy, a new malware capable of stealing cryptocurrency, is currently targeting Portuguese users as part of a malvertising campaign. The activity involves Search Engine Optimization (SEO) poisoning techniques to lure people searching for "WhatsApp web" to malicious domains, according to Palo Alto Networks Unit 42. CryptoClippy, an executable written in C, is a type of cryware called clipper malware that monitors a victim's clipboard for cryptocurrency addresses and replaces them with a wallet address under the control of the threat actor. According to Unit 42 researchers, the clipper malware uses regular expressions (regexes) to determine the type of cryptocurrency associated with an address. It then replaces the clipboard entry with a visually similar wallet address for the corresponding cryptocurrency that an attacker owns. When the victim pastes the address for a transaction, they send cryptocurrency directly to the threat actor. This article continues to discuss the researchers' findings and observations regarding CryptoClippy.

    THN reports "CryptoClippy: New Clipper Malware Targeting Portuguese Cryptocurrency Users"

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    Visible to the public "Resecurity Uncovers STYX, New Cybercriminal Platform Focused on Financial Fraud"

    New research by Resecurity has uncovered the STYX Innovation Marketplace, a new cybercriminal e-commerce platform with a focus on financial fraud and money laundering. STYX was introduced at the start of 2023, providing cybercriminals with various services, including stolen financial data, credit card information, forged documents, money laundering services, victim reconnaissance lookups, and more. This finding shows the threat that cyber-enabled financial crime poses to financial institutions and their customers. The discovery of STYX overlaps with the observation by Resecurity's financial crime risk analysts of a significant increase in threat actors offering money-laundering services that exploit digital banking and cryptocurrency accounts. Cybercriminals have also begun to target new jurisdictions outside of North America and the UK, including the United Arab Emirates and European Union countries, including Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. This article continues to discuss the new cybercriminal e-commerce platform.

    Help Net Security reports "Resecurity Uncovers STYX, New Cybercriminal Platform Focused on Financial Fraud"

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    Visible to the public "Researcher Tricks ChatGPT Into Building Undetectable Steganography Malware"

    A security researcher has tricked ChatGPT into creating sophisticated data-stealing malware that signature- and behavior-based detection tools will be unable to identify, evading the chatbot's anti-malicious-use protections. Without writing code, the researcher, who admitted to having no experience developing malware, guided ChatGPT through a series of simple prompts that resulted in a malware tool capable of silently searching a system for certain documents, breaking them up, inserting them into image files, and sending them to Google Drive. According to Aaron Mulgrew, solutions architect at Forcepoint and one of the malware's authors, it took about four hours from the initial prompt into ChatGPT to have a working piece of malware with no detections on VirusTotal. Mulgrew noted that the purpose of his experiment was to demonstrate how simple it is to circumvent the protections ChatGPT has to prevent the creation of malware that would ordinarily require significant technical expertise. This article continues to discuss ChatGPT being convinced to create malware for finding and exfiltrating specific documents even though there is a directive to refuse malicious requests.

    Dark Reading reports "Researcher Tricks ChatGPT Into Building Undetectable Steganography Malware"

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    Visible to the public "Slow Down Your Thinking to Spot Fake Websites"

    According to research from the University of Southampton, individuals should engage in "analytical reasoning" in order to avoid being tricked by a fraudulent website. Those with slower, more deliberate thought processes were found to be less likely to fall for fraudulent websites than those with faster, more intuitive thought processes. Scammers often use fake versions of popular consumer websites to steal personal data, money, and banking information. Such spoofing attacks cost US consumers more than $200 million in 2020 alone. Researchers from the university wanted to determine whether certain thought processes could make a person more or less vulnerable to this type of fraud. In a series of studies, about 300 participants were asked to distinguish between fake and authentic websites. The participants also took a Cognitive Reflection Test to determine their likelihood of engaging in analytical reasoning. Those with a greater propensity for analytical reasoning were better able to detect fake websites, according to Dr. Nicholas Kelley, lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Southampton and lead researcher in the study. This article continues to discuss the research on analytical reasoning reducing susceptibility to Internet fraud.

    The University of Southampton reports "Slow Down Your Thinking to Spot Fake Websites"

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    Visible to the public "Mysterious 'Rorschach' Ransomware Doubles Known Encryption Speeds"

    Rorschach is a potentially record-breaking ransomware in regard to encryption speeds. It has been found in the wild, locking up systems at nearly twice the rate of the infamous LockBit 3.0 malware. According to tests conducted by Check Point Research (CPR), Rorschach can encrypt 220,000 local drive files within four and a half minutes. In comparison, LockBit 3.0 completed the task in seven minutes, which is significantly faster than the median encryption time determined through testing in the previous year. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Rorschach ransomware is highly configurable. CPR analysis found that by adjusting the number of encryption threads via the command line argument, it is possible to achieve even faster times. In addition to its efficiency, Rorschach is notable because it contains known components taken from the leaked source code of other ransomware strains. The operators behind Rorschach do not use an alias or brand their malware, which is rare in the ransomware realm, where reputation is important, and self-promotion is rampant. Therefore, the resulting malware strain is open to interpretation regarding who its operators are and how it fits into the ecosystem. This article continues to discuss researchers' findings regarding the new Rorschach ransomware.

    Dark Reading reports "Mysterious 'Rorschach' Ransomware Doubles Known Encryption Speeds"

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    Visible to the public "Hackers Using Self-Extracting Archives Exploit for Stealthy Backdoor Attacks"

    Using a malicious Self-Extracting Archive (SFX) file, an unknown threat actor attempted to establish persistent backdoor access to a victim's environment, according to new CrowdStrike findings. SFX files can extract the data within them without the need for dedicated software to display the file contents. It does this by including a decompressor stub, which is a piece of executable code used to unpack the archive. However, SFX files may also have hidden malicious functionality that may not be apparent to the file's recipient and could be overlooked by technology-based detections, according to CrowdStrike researcher Jai Minton. In the incident investigated by the cybersecurity firm, compromised credentials were used to run a legitimate Windows accessibility application called Utility Manager and then a password-protected SFX file. This article continues to discuss the use of malicious SFX files to establish persistent backdoor access to a victim's environment.

    THN reports "Hackers Using Self-Extracting Archives Exploit for Stealthy Backdoor Attacks"

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    Visible to the public "Flood of Malicious Packages Results in NPM Registry DoS"

    Attackers are abusing the reputation and openness of the popular public JavaScript software registry NPM to spread malware and carry out scams, while launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks against the service at the same time. According to Jossef Harush Kadouri, head of software supply chain security at Checkmarx, the load generated by automated scripts rendered NPM unstable with "Service Unavailable" errors. Kadouri's documentation highlights that attackers abuse NPM to conduct Search Engine Optimization (SEO) poisoning for malware-delivery campaigns, spam campaigns, cryptocurrency scam campaigns, and phishing campaigns. This year, Checkmarx discovered a flash attack in which multiple user accounts published more than 15,000 phishing packages in a matter of hours, and found that such attacks are common. Kadouri explains that as long as the name is not taken, they can publish an unlimited number of packages on NPM. The number of package versions released on NPM is typically about 800,000. The previous month's total exceeded 1,400,000 due to the volume of spam campaigns. This article continues to discuss the ways in which attackers misuse NPM as well as the launch of NPM DoS attacks.

    Help Net Security reports "Flood of Malicious Packages Results in NPM Registry DoS"

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    Visible to the public "Hackers Posed as Reporters in Attacks on North Korea Experts, Google Says"

    According to a new report by researchers from Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), government-sponsored hackers with ties to the North Korean military posed as journalists and targeted individuals with expertise in North Korea policy issues. TAG's report is a follow-up to one published by the cybersecurity firm Mandiant that highlighted the work of APT43, a group of alleged North Korean government hackers who have spent years conducting espionage campaigns against South Korea and US government and business organizations. Since 2012, TAG researchers have used the name "ARCHIPELAGO" to track a subset of APT43 activity. Their team has observed the group targeting experts in North Korea policy issues such as sanctions, human rights, and non-proliferation issues. These targets include Google and non-Google accounts belonging to government and military personnel, think tanks, policymakers, academics, and researchers in South Korea, the US, and other countries, according to the researchers. They noted that the attackers use various techniques, from phishing emails to malicious Chrome extensions. ARCHIPELAGO often sends phishing emails in which they pose as a media outlet or think tank representative and ask North Korea experts to participate in a media interview or Request For Information (RFI). This article continues to discuss hackers masquerading as journalists in attacks against people with expertise in North Korea policy issues.

    The Record reports "Hackers Posed as Reporters in Attacks on North Korea Experts, Google Says"

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    Visible to the public "Rogers Communications Data Allegedly Sold on a Hacker Forum"

    Attackers are claiming that data for sale on the dark web belongs to Rogers Communications, a Canadian media giant that provides wireless, cable, and Internet services. The advertisement includes three of Rogers' Active Directory (AD) databases: users, groups, and devices. AD typically contains critical information about the company's environment, such as what users can do and which devices operate within the system. Rogers has confirmed that some of the company's information has been leaked onto the dark web. However, according to a company spokesperson, only employee information was compromised, and no customer information was included in the leaked database. Cybernews reviewed data samples from the three AD databases included in the advertisement, which contained customer names and surnames, phone numbers, email addresses, locations, company names, account launch dates, user device operating systems, user roles, device security statuses, and other sensitive data. While the samples do not include employee data, the Cybernews research team suspects that the AD could also contain information on the company's employees who use Rogers' network resources, since this information is typically stored in AD databases. This article continues to discuss the Rogers Communications data leak.

    Cybernews reports "Rogers Communications Data Allegedly Sold on a Hacker Forum"

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    Visible to the public "ALPHV Ransomware Exploits Veritas Backup Exec Bugs for Initial Access"

    An ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware affiliate was observed exploiting three Veritas Backup product vulnerabilities to gain initial network access. ALPHV emerged in December 2021 and is believed to be run by former members of the Darkside and Blackmatter programs that abruptly disbanded to avoid law enforcement pressure. Mandiant tracks the ALPHV affiliate as 'UNC4466' and notes that this intrusion technique deviates from the norm, which relies on stolen credentials. This article continues to discuss the exploitation of three Veritas Backup product vulnerabilities by an ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware affiliate for initial access.

    Bleeping Computer reports "ALPHV Ransomware Exploits Veritas Backup Exec Bugs for Initial Access"

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    Visible to the public "Purdue Researchers Uncover Vulnerabilities in Smart TVs"

    Researchers from Purdue University have discovered vulnerabilities in Smart TVs that can allow attackers to take control of the devices and steal any data stored on them. Google has acknowledged a vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-0889, in its Android TV platform and has made modifications to address it. Professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science at Purdue Saurabh Bagchi and his team have developed technology to understand the security of smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices over the past five years. In addition to finding vulnerabilities, their work defines the security properties of virtual remote devices, allowing for the secure development of future devices, according to co-investigator Aravind Machiry. The research team discovered the flaw in the Wi-Fi remote protocol and demonstrated that an attack involving its exploitation targets the four most popular Over The Top (OTT) digital streaming platforms. To put this theory into practice, the team created and demonstrated the feasibility of Spook, which is a piece of malware packaged in an Android smartphone that can take control of an Android TV device. The team designed and implemented an ARM TrustZone-based defense that ensures a human is initiating the pairing. This defense prevents Spook and any User Interface (UI) injection-based attack on Smart TVs through a secure version of the Wi-Fi remote protocol. This article continues to discuss the discovery of vulnerabilities in Smart TVs and the mitigation developed by researchers at Purdue University.

    Purdue University reports "Purdue Researchers Uncover Vulnerabilities in Smart TVs"

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    Visible to the public "Why Banks Need to Boost Their Cybersecurity Investments"

    Cyberattacks on the banking industry are widespread, but system-wide investments in cybersecurity are insufficient, thus increasing the risk of financial instability, privacy violations, and bank runs. In a study titled "Cybersecurity and Financial Stability," University of Auckland macroeconomics professor Prasanna Gai, economics lecturer Chanelle Duley, and Deutsche Bundesbank economist Kartik Anand emphasize the need for banks to collaborate and improve their cyber defenses. They also provide new perspectives on the cybersecurity tools used by regulators and the banking sector. According to Gai, many banks and other organizations in the financial sector use the same platforms and digital services for their online banking and back-end operations. A 2019 survey found that a handful of companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba, Google, and IBM, provide such services. Although shared services save costs, they can create cybersecurity dependencies, according to the researchers. One bank's access can become the "back door" that attackers could use to compromise others. The financial system's cybersecurity may depend on the bank with the lowest level of protection. As part of their study, Gai, Duley, and Kartik created the first formal model of its kind to outline the effects of cyberattacks on financial stability and the regulatory implications. They demonstrate how cyberattacks can turn into bank runs when many customers withdraw funds out of fear that their money is in danger. This article continues to discuss the researchers' study on cybersecurity and financial stability.

    The University of Auckland reports "Why Banks Need to Boost Their Cybersecurity Investments"

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    Visible to the public "Fayetteville State University Students Place Third in Nationwide Cybersecurity Hackathon"

    A team of five student researchers from the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (ISL) at Fayetteville State University (FSU) recently placed third in a nationwide cybersecurity hackathon event held at FSU's Center for Defense and Homeland Security (CDHS). The hackathon, coordinated by Arizona State University (ASU) under a grant from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), invited 23 teams of four to six students from 11 colleges and universities across the country. A panel of judges selected nine winning teams in total. The event included a student design challenge called Designing Actionable Solutions for a Secure Homeland (DASH) and provided students with several real-world scenarios impacting homeland security. The topic "Protecting America's Public Access Places" required each team to select one of three designable solutions. Team Broncos, composed of some of FSU's brightest students, designed a comprehensive system using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time object detection and anti-drone drones in order to combat unauthorized drone activities. Their approach would mitigate drone attacks, increase response time, and improve law enforcement communication. This article continues to discuss the nationwide cybersecurity hackathon event held at FSU's CDHS and the solution demonstrated by FSU's team of student researchers that won them third place.

    Fayetteville State University reports "Fayetteville State University Students Place Third in Nationwide Cybersecurity Hackathon"

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    Visible to the public "A Fresh Approach to New and Secure Encryption"

    As digitalization advances, the amount of data that must be protected increases exponentially, which calls for sophisticated cryptographic methods that are both fast and efficient in practice as well as completely secure. The "SymTrust" research project led by professor Gregor Leander from the Faculty of Computer Science and the Horst Gortz Institute for IT Security at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, aims to tackle this challenge. In order to execute his ideas, the symmetric cryptography researcher plans to take a different approach to the development of ciphers, also known as encryption algorithms. Currently, the design process is based on trial and error. The cipher is designed, put into the technical environment with efficiency in mind, and then an attempt is made to break it. If the attack is successful, the cipher is readjusted, and the process is repeated. He and his team must conduct comprehensive research on existing ciphers and analyze the conditions of cryptanalysis, which is the science of breaking ciphers. The resulting findings will be used for a new idea for symmetric cryptography aimed at setting new standards in information encryption for both industry and academia. This article continues to discuss the SymTrust research project.

    Ruhr University Bochum reports "A Fresh Approach to New and Secure Encryption"

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    Visible to the public "Lasers for Secure Communication"

    Several solutions for information encryption, anti-counterfeiting, and secure communication have emerged as the world generates more data. Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) want to contribute by developing a new way to encode information using biological lasers, taking advantage of the sensitivity of enzyme-based reactions. The lasers are generated by shining light through droplets of alginate, a polymer from seaweed, that were sandwiched in a Fabry- Perot microcavity. The researchers used the enzyme alginate lyase to break down the alginate, causing the droplets to swell and shifting the emitted laser's wavelengths. The scientists could use the lasers to encrypt information revealed only under certain environmental stimuli by controlling the rate of the reaction and size of the droplet. According to assistant professor Chen Yu-Cheng of NTU's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Biotechnology, combining biology with photonics invites novel applications in secure communication and smart sensing. This article continues to discuss the work on using biological lasers for secure communication.

    Nanyang Technological University reports "Lasers for Secure Communication"

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    Visible to the public "Turning Hackers' Behavior against Them"

    The new Reimagining Security with Cyberpsychology-Informed Network Defenses (ReSCIND) program aims to use cyberpsychology to discourage and thwart cybercriminals. According to the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), cyberpsychology is a scientific field that combines human behavior and decision-making within the cyber domain. It takes advantage of vulnerabilities in human psychology, much like online advertising or gaming. Cyber defense rarely uses it to predict, understand, and influence cyber operator behavior. The ReSCIND program plans to use hackers' psychological patterns to lower the success and effectiveness of cyberattacks. IARPA will research and analyze the cognitive vulnerabilities of hackers, such as their mental or emotional states and decision-making biases, in order to discover how defenders can exploit them to prevent a successful cyberattack. Network operators can set up safeguards that make an attacker's operations more difficult to carry out by gaining insight into the thought process underlying hackers' tactics. The program has three phases, with the first focusing on developing bias sensors that detect malicious actors' cognitive vulnerabilities. In the second phase, participants will create cyberpsychology-informed defenses (CyphiDs) to induce, exploit, or amplify hackers' cognitive vulnerabilities by developing software that links bias sensors with bias triggers. During the final phase, participants will develop computational cognitive models that reflect and predict attackers' behavior, based on findings from the previous phases. This article continues to discuss the goals and phases of the ReSCIND program.

    GCN reports "Turning Hackers' Behavior against Them"

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    Visible to the public "Phishing Campaign Goes Cutting-Edge With IPFS"

    Malicious actors behind credential harvesting attacks are spreading customized phishing links using a distributed file protocol. Since the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is designed to be resilient against content takedowns, researchers report that scammers are using it to send phishing emails at scale. IPFS functions as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network of nodes that individually store fragments of files accessible via a unique fingerprint called a "content identifier." Files are stored and retrieved based on their content identifier instead of their location on a remote server. In a white paper, the protocol's creator Juan Benet compared it to "a single BitTorrent swarm, exchanging objects within one Git repository." The protocol benefits cybercriminals because it reduces the cost of phishing web page hosting, and its distributed nature makes it nearly impossible to delete files. Researchers first spotted URL addresses of malicious IPFS files in October 2022. February 2023 was the busiest month for IPFS phishing activity, with nearly 400,000 attempts detected by researchers. The scammers upload HTML files containing a phishing form into IPFS and then attempt to convince victims to click on proxy links leading them into a gateway to access the files. This article continues to discuss attackers' use of the IPFS protocol to distribute phishing links.

    GovInfoSecurity reports "Phishing Campaign Goes Cutting-Edge With IPFS"

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    Visible to the public "HEAT Attacks: A New Spin on Browser Exploit Techniques"

    Cybercriminals looking to breach an endpoint to infiltrate a network are increasingly targeting web browsers. Increased business use of browsers on networks lacking the perimeter security infrastructure of traditional campus networks has rendered them more vulnerable to attacks. In recent months, there has been an increase in cyberattacks and data leaks caused by browser-related security incidents. Highly Evasive Adaptive Threats (HEAT) attacks put a new twist on current browser exploitation tactics. HEAT attacks exploit browsers through features and tools that evade conventional security protections. Then they inflict damage from within, such as by stealing credentials or delivering ransomware. Using well-known techniques such as phishing messages, HTML smuggling, and dynamic drive-by downloads, HEAT attacks commonly target Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and other web-based tools critical to productivity. HEAT attacks can circumvent traditional cybersecurity controls such as a Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and anti-malware capabilities through malicious links disguised as common URLs that appear safe. A HEAT attack surpasses traditional phishing methods by inserting itself into links not flagged by anti-phishing software. This article continues to discuss the dangers posed by HEAT attacks and how companies can protect themselves against them.

    BetaNews reports "HEAT Attacks: A New Spin on Browser Exploit Techniques"

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    Visible to the public "New Tool Helps Mobile App Developers Create More Accurate iOS Privacy Labels"

    Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) CyLab Security and Privacy Institute have been working on privacy nutrition labels, seeking a quick and simple approach to enlighten technology users on how their data is being collected and used. Apple has started requiring app developers to provide this type of information through privacy labels displayed in the iOS App Store. However, app developers are often found struggling to create accurate privacy labels. According to Norman Sadeh, co-director of CMU's Privacy Engineering Program and head of the Usable Privacy Policy Project, a lack of guidance, a long list of complicated terms, and a lack of privacy expertise among app developers often lead to inaccurate labeling. Inaccurate labeling misleads users regarding the data that an app may gather and how it processes that data. In addition, it exposes app developers to regulatory penalties. Therefore, Sadeh and his team have developed a new tool called Privacy Label Wiz (PLW), which provides app developers with an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide for successfully disclosing the data practices of their apps. This article continues to discuss the PLW tool aimed at helping developers create more accurate iOS privacy labels.

    CyLab reports "New Tool Helps Mobile App Developers Create More Accurate iOS Privacy Labels"

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    Visible to the public "Microsoft's 'Security Copilot' Unleashes ChatGPT on Breaches"

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the cybersecurity industry promises tools that can detect unusual network activity, quickly determine what is occurring, and guide incident response in the event of an attack. However, the most credible and valuable services are Machine Learning (ML) algorithms trained to identify malware and other suspicious network activities. With the proliferation of generative AI tools, Microsoft has created a service for defenders. Microsoft 365 Copilot builds upon the partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft's own work on Large Language Models (LLMs). Security Copilot integrates system data and network monitoring from security solutions such as Microsoft Sentinel and Defender, as well as third-party services. Security Copilot delivers alerts, outlines in both text and charts what may be happening within a network, and provides investigation advice. As a human user works with Security Copilot to map out a potential security incident, the platform keeps track of history and creates summaries so that if colleagues are added to the project, they can quickly get up to speed on what has been accomplished thus far. The technology will also generate slides and other presentation materials on an investigation to help security teams communicate the facts of a problem to individuals outside their department. Security Copilot is driven in large part by OpenAI's ChatGPT-4, although Microsoft notes that it also incorporates a proprietary Microsoft-specific security model. This article continues to discuss Microsoft's Security Copilot tool aiming to deliver the network insights and coordination that AI security systems have promised.

    Wired reports "Microsoft's 'Security Copilot' Unleashes ChatGPT on Breaches"

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    Visible to the public "A Data Privacy 'GUT Check' for Synthetic Media like ChatGPT"

    The emergence of synthetic media, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT is changing the production and consumption of content. Like any technological breakthrough, synthetic media ignites concerns regarding data privacy, security, ethical issues, and more. Several professionals in the field of privacy are concerned that synthetic media will do more harm than good because it increases the number of attack vectors. Criminals have already developed websites that spoof ChatGPT and other OpenAI platforms in order to trick users into handing over sensitive information or downloading malware. Other concerns include the ability of the technology to create convincing fake comments, videos, or other media, resulting in the spread of false information. This article continues to discuss the privacy risks associated with the rise of synthetic media such as ChatGPT and the suggested GUT Check that users are encouraged to implement to protect their data when using new technology.

    The University of Utah reports "A Data Privacy 'GUT Check' for Synthetic Media like ChatGPT"

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    Visible to the public "Italy's Privacy Watchdog Blocks ChatGPT Amid Privacy Concerns"

    The Italian Data Protection Authority has temporarily suspended the use of the artificial intelligence (AI) service ChatGPT in the country. The privacy watchdog opened a probe into OpenAI's chatbot and blocked the use of the service due to allegations that it failed to comply with Italian data collection rules. The authority stated that OpenAI did not put sufficient measures in place to prevent people aged 13 and below from using ChatGPT. The watchdog said that they "noticed a lack of clear notice to users and all interested parties whose data are collected by OpenAI, but above all, the absence of a legal basis that justifies the collection and massive storage of personal data to train the algorithms upon which the platform is based." According to Timothy Morris, chief security advisor at Tanium, the heart of the issue in Italy seems to be the anonymity aspect of ChatGPT. Hoxhunt CEO Mika Aalto stated, "AI and Large Language Models like ChatGPT have tremendous potential to be used for good in cybersecurity, as well as for evil."

    Infosecurity reports: "Italy's Privacy Watchdog Blocks ChatGPT Amid Privacy Concerns"

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    Visible to the public "US Space Force Requests $700M for Cybersecurity Blast Off"

    US Space Force has recently requested a $700 million investment in cybersecurity as part of the military branch's overall $30 billion 2024 budget. General Saltzman, chief of space operations, stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war has made it clear that more must be done to defend critical networks. Saltzman noted that investing in Space Force cybersecurity will enhance the cyber defense of its critical networks associated with space operations. Saltzman said there's no question that space will be central to effective operations in the future. In May 2022, Space Force added four squadrons to shore up cybersecurity throughout the branch and oversee an overhaul of the outdated Satellite Control Network.

    Dark Reading reports: "US Space Force Requests $700M for Cybersecurity Blast Off"