Author Archives: Chris Bing

Bitcoin hype pushes hackers to stash their money in lesser-known cryptocurrencies

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Cybercriminals are increasingly moving away from bitcoin as their preferred digital currency in favor of lesser-known cryptocurrencies because of prolonged transaction delays, surging transaction costs and general market volatility, experts tell CyberScoop. Although cybercriminals have been slowly moving away from bitcoin for months, researchers say a noticeable shift towards alternative coins — such as Monero, Dash and ZCash — occurred when bitcoin’s value skyrocketed over $19,000 for one bitcoin in mid-December. The price has drastically fluctuated between $12,000 and roughly $19,000 since then. “Many cybercriminals emulate the operational best practices of legitimate businesses in order to minimize their overhead costs and maximize returns, and in the case of high transaction costs with bitcoin, it makes perfect sense to look at other coins with smaller overheads,” said Richard Henderson, a global security strategist with endpoint cybersecurity firm Absolute. Experts say this shift does not necessarily mean that criminals’ attention is fading from bitcoin, […]

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Hackers could hijack internet-connected speakers to remotely play whatever they want

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Hackers are able to hijack several popular models of internet-connected speakers, including some devices sold by audio technology giants Bose and Sonos, to remotely control the music you hear in your home, according to research by Japanese cybersecurity company TrendMicro. The findings provide broad insight into the state of security behind some internet-connected audio devices. According to researchers, at least two popular speaker models — the Sonos Play:1 and Bose SoundTouch — could be detected online with a simple internet scanning tool; allowing for a hacker to locate where a device is geographically located, what network it’s connected to and which music platform it relies on. Hackers can discover the speakers — which in this scenario is necessary to find prior to any intrusion — if a user’s network settings are misconfigured or a device is tied to a home server that may be inadvertently connected to the public internet. […]

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Hackers could hijack internet-connected speakers to remotely play whatever they want

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Hackers are able to hijack several popular models of internet-connected speakers, including some devices sold by audio technology giants Bose and Sonos, to remotely control the music you hear in your home, according to research by Japanese cybersecurity company TrendMicro. The findings provide broad insight into the state of security behind some internet-connected audio devices. According to researchers, at least two popular speaker models — the Sonos Play:1 and Bose SoundTouch — could be detected online with a simple internet scanning tool; allowing for a hacker to locate where a device is geographically located, what network it’s connected to and which music platform it relies on. Hackers can discover the speakers — which in this scenario is necessary to find prior to any intrusion — if a user’s network settings are misconfigured or a device is tied to a home server that may be inadvertently connected to the public internet. […]

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The Kaspersky Lab-U.S. government fight removed a miniscule amount of business

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The U.S. government’s decision to ban Kaspersky Lab products from the federal government removes less than $54,000 worth of direct business, according to court filings and information provided to CyberScoop by the Russian anti-virus maker. The figure, referenced in newly filed court documents and further confirmed by CyberScoop, provides new, albeit limited, financial insight into Kaspersky Lab’s reach into the U.S. government prior to being banned. Company founder Eugene Kaspersky told CyberScoop that the “less than $54,000” amount is “correct” and represents “a current figure.” He did not say if the amount included money from third party resellers who in turn sell Kaspersky Lab software to the government. “As previously stated, Kaspersky Lab, in total, has identified active licenses held by U.S. federal agencies with a total value (to Kaspersky Lab) of less than USD $54,000,” a statement by Kaspersky Lab sent to CyberScoop this week reads. A federal spending database, […]

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North Korean hackers turn focus to cryptocurrency, point-of-sale systems during holiday season

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Cybercriminals linked to North Korea appear to be simultaneously targeting point-of-sale (POS) systems as well as cryptocurrency platforms as the annual holiday spike continues in retail stores and the hype surrounding bitcoin surges, according to research by cybersecurity firms Proofpoint and RiskIQ. Reports by the two companies published late Tuesday shine a light on the ways in which hackers are increasingly developing different types of custom attacks to either steal cryptocurrency or infect computers with so-called “cryptojacking” software. The latter involves the covert installation of malicious computer code into compromised web browsers in order to siphon off processing power, which can in turn be used to mine cryptocurrencies. The researchers say the hacks in question are connected to the Lazarus Group, the cybersecurity community’s name for North Korea’s premier cybercrime and cyber-espionage organization. Attacks on the financial system are one of the communist regime’s chief sources of funding as it faces global sanctions […]

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North Korean hackers turn focus to cryptocurrency, point-of-sale systems during holiday season

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Cybercriminals linked to North Korea appear to be simultaneously targeting point-of-sale (POS) systems as well as cryptocurrency platforms as the annual holiday spike continues in retail stores and the hype surrounding bitcoin surges, according to research by cybersecurity firms Proofpoint and RiskIQ. Reports by the two companies published late Tuesday shine a light on the ways in which hackers are increasingly developing different types of custom attacks to either steal cryptocurrency or infect computers with so-called “cryptojacking” software. The latter involves the covert installation of malicious computer code into compromised web browsers in order to siphon off processing power, which can in turn be used to mine cryptocurrencies. The researchers say the hacks in question are connected to the Lazarus Group, the cybersecurity community’s name for North Korea’s premier cybercrime and cyber-espionage organization. Attacks on the financial system are one of the communist regime’s chief sources of funding as it faces global sanctions […]

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Newly uncovered ‘Zealot’ malware could double as 2017 buzzword bingo

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A newly identified cybercrime scheme uses a malware mish-mash of two leaked NSA hacking tools and specialized PowerShell agents to covertly install cryptomining software on computers left vulnerable by a well-known Apache Struts flaw, according to research from F5 Networks. The campaign, labeled “Zealot” by F5 researchers, has already been used in attacks on Windows and Linux systems to feed miners targeting Monero. The malware also utilizes the NSA-linked EternalBlue and EternalSynergy exploits; which helps spread malware across a compromised network. “As far as we know, this is the second time a cryptomining scheme has used the EternalBlue or EternalSynergy exploits,” said Maxim Zavodchik, a security research manager with F5. “The significance of this discovery is that it’s the first time we’ve seen a massive campaign targeting web vulnerabilities that automatically spreads into the internal network. This technique is sometimes used in targeted attacks, but seems to be the first time […]

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White House defends NSA, thanks Microsoft, Facebook for countering North Korean hackers

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A top White House official on Tuesday personally thanked Microsoft and Facebook for helping counter North Korean hackers and said the National Security Agency was “not at all” at fault for this year’s infamous WannaCry ransomware incident. Thomas Bossert, the president’s homeland security adviser, mentioned the two companies by name in a press conference on North Korea’s connections to WannaCry. The Trump administration publicly attributed WannaCry to North Korea for the first time yesterday. Security researchers have said the hackers behind the ransomware outbreak in May amplified its effects by using computer code from a leaked NSA hacking tool known as EternalBlue. The briefing followed the publication Monday night of an editorial by Bossert in the Wall Street Journal that was the first time the Trump administration attributed the WannaCry outbreak to North Korea. Bossert broadly cited “evidence” without describing it outright. Statements shared by Facebook and Microsoft with CyberScoop imply that the companies’ efforts against North Korean hackers […]

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White House blames North Korea for WannaCry ransomware outbreak

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The U.S. government officially blamed North Korea for launching a global ransomware attack that is commonly known as “WannaCry.” Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert took North Korea to task in a Wall Street Journal editorial published Monday night, calling the May attack that impacted more than 300,000 machines in 150 countries “indiscriminately reckless.” “Cybersecurity isn’t easy, but simple principles still apply. Accountability is one, cooperation another,” Bossert wrote. “They are the cornerstones of security and resilience in any society. In furtherance of both, and after careful investigation, the U.S. today publicly attributes the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to North Korea.” Bossert’s comments mark the first time the U.S. government has publicly linked a group to WannaCry. Both the U.K. government and private cybersecurity industry linked the attack to North Korea months ago. Bossert’s editorial comes hours after the release of the White House’s highly anticipated National Security Strategy, a broadly written plan highlighting […]

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Kaspersky Lab takes U.S. government to court over federal software ban

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Russian anti-virus maker Kaspersky Lab is suing the U.S. government for its decision to ban the company’s software in federal agencies and departments, according to an open letter written by company founder Eugene Kaspersky. Citing a lack of due process and insufficient evidence relating to the Department of Homeland Security’s Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 17-01, Kaspersky is claiming the U.S. government violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the Fifth Amendment. The Administrative Procedures Act controls how administrative agencies can propose and establish regulations, requiring organizations to provide “substantial evidence” for their decisions if questioned by a U.S. court. In September, DHS ordered civilian agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab from their computers within 90 days via the directive. Although the process had been ongoing for some time, the ban was then codified into law last week when U.S. President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The lawsuit represents […]

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