Author Archives: Chris Bing

Cyber experts tell Congress that if companies can’t hack back, maybe the feds should

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Corporate cybersecurity experts told senators that the U.S. government should launch offensive cyber-missions against hackers who attack and steal information from American companies. During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing Wednesday, Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., asked a panel of prominent private sector cybersecurity executives how the U.S. government could better collaborate with American companies to combat malicious digital activity. The four-person panel, which consisted of individuals that work for Symantec, Monsanto, the Marine Corps University and a prominent U.S. law firm, unanimously agreed and told lawmakers that the U.S. government must do more to curb malicious cyber-activity. The follow-up question, however, of how exactly the country should advance such a broad effort, was met with widely different answers. “I would say where the government can help corporate America most is to do the thing corporate America cannot do for itself,” said Kevin Keeney, director of cyber incident response for the […]

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Cyber Command head: We are not prepared to counter info operations

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U.S. Cyber Command is not “optimized” today to combat information operations orchestrated by foreign powers, NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command head Adm. Michael Rogers said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “It right now is not in our defined set of responsibilities per say,” Rogers told lawmakers. “I would be the first to admit that [information warfare] is not what our workforce is optimized for … we are certainly not where we need to be.” Even so, Cyber Command is concurrently engaged in an expansive counter-messaging campaign against ISIS, Rogers acknowledged. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the clandestine hacking operation is aimed at the areas surrounding Syria and largely focused on compromising electronic devices belonging to terrorists, which carry content typically shared online. Depending on one’s definition of “information warfare,” it’s arguable that Cyber Command is already involved in such efforts. “I think one of our […]

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Cyber Command head: We are not prepared to counter info operations

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U.S. Cyber Command is not “optimized” today to combat information operations orchestrated by foreign powers, NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command head Adm. Michael Rogers said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “It right now is not in our defined set of responsibilities per say,” Rogers told lawmakers. “I would be the first to admit that [information warfare] is not what our workforce is optimized for … we are certainly not where we need to be.” Even so, Cyber Command is concurrently engaged in an expansive counter-messaging campaign against ISIS, Rogers acknowledged. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the clandestine hacking operation is aimed at the areas surrounding Syria and largely focused on compromising electronic devices belonging to terrorists, which carry content typically shared online. Depending on one’s definition of “information warfare,” it’s arguable that Cyber Command is already involved in such efforts. “I think one of our […]

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Was the recent flood of traffic to FCC’s website actually a DDoS attack?

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Cybersecurity experts have cast doubt on the Federal Communications Commission’s claim that it was the target of a distributed denial of service attack on Sunday night. “There don’t appear of be any indications of a DDoS attack in the sensors we use to monitor for such things,” said John Bambenek, a threat intelligence manger at Fidelis Cybersecurity. “It appears the issue with the FCC is less of a DDoS attack, traditionally defined, and more of an issue of crowdsourcing comments generated by John Oliver and reddit.” The FCC said Monday in a statement attributed to Chief Information Officer David Bray that it sustained multiple DDoS attacks beginning on Sunday night at midnight. “DDoS events tied up the servers and prevented them from responding to people attempting to submit comments,” the statement reads. During his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday, comedian John Oliver called on viewers to submit comments to […]

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It finally happened: Criminals exploit SS7 vulnerabilities, prompting concerns about 2FA

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Cybersecurity researchers warned us that this would happen, eventually. Earlier this year, hackers were able to remotely pilfer German bank accounts by taking advantage of vulnerabilities evident in an important yet outdated communications protocol known as Signaling System 7, or SS7, which enables global cellular networks to communicate with one another. The high-tech robbery, initially reported last week by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, represents the first known, real-world case of thieves exploiting SS7 to intercept confirmation codes that are typically sent by banks to validate actions taken by online banking customers. Recently disclosed intrusions showcase a unique and sophisticated hacking operation that leveraged a combination of both targeted phishing emails and SS7 exploits to essentially bypass two-factor authentication, or 2FA, protection. Telecommunications giant O2-Telefonica confirmed details of the SS7-based cyberattacks to Süddeutsche Zeitung. The multi-stage cybercrime campaign required that the hackers steal user credentials to access individual bank accounts in […]

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Where former spies go to become cybersecurity startup founders

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In a half-constructed lot in Fulton, Maryland, behind a nondescript strip mall, sits a unique startup development firm with a team comprised by former intelligence officers, hackers and tech industry insiders. The brainchild of SEAL Team 6 alumnus Mike Janke, CIA officer-turned-entrepreneur Steven Witt and Silicon Valley money man Bob Ackerman, DataTribe is in the business of turning one-time spies into successful startup founders. Unassuming in name alone, DataTribe quietly oversees an investment fund of approximately $35 million, which it uses to guide early stage cybersecurity companies towards an acquisition or initial public offering. Most seed-stage-centric firms operate with much less capital than DataTribe. “We build gold cup startups,” Janke blankly stated during an interview at the firm’s headquarters. “We make it an unfair fight” by providing portfolio companies with an ample amount of resources. The fund is fueled by a close group of business partners, including several prominent private […]

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Microsoft uncovers hacking operation aimed at software supply chain

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Microsoft researchers recently uncovered a sophisticated hacking campaign that was serving targeted malware to “several high-profile technology and financial organizations.” The unidentified hackers reportedly compromised a set of third-party editing software tools by injecting malicious code into the programs’ updating mechanism, Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection research team found. The recent findings underscore the threat organizations face through vulnerable, third-party applications. In many cases, such applications and services are commonly integrated into a company’s IT infrastructure; widening the attack vector for hackers. “[A] forensic examination of the Temp folder on [a] affected machine pointed us to a legitimate third-party updater running as service,” a Microsoft blog reads. “The updater downloaded an unsigned, low-prevalence executable right before malicious activity was observed. The downloaded executable turned out to be a malicious binary that launched PowerShell scripts bundled with the Meterpreter reverse shell, which granted the remote attacker silent control. The binary is detected by […]

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FBI Director: If left unchecked, Russian hackers will change vote tallies in a future U.S. election

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FBI Director James Comey predicts that if left undeterred, Russian hackers will one day attempt to change the vote tally in a U.S. election. Comey said as much during a public hearing Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Members asked Comey a series of questions concerning Russia’s ability to conduct damaging cyber-operations against both the U.S. and its allies. “In my view, [Russia is] the greatest threat of any nation on earth given their intention and capability,” Comey blankly stated. Last year, in the months preceding the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8, the Homeland Security Department discovered a series of digital attacks aimed specifically at voter registration databases used in different states. These systems are disconnected from and do not affect machines that record or tally actual votes, and there is no evidence to suggest that Russian hackers were able to alter vote counts in the 2016 election. Some officials fear, however, that […]

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This elite cybercrime group is wreaking havoc on the U.S. restaurant industry

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A sophisticated hacking group with suspected ties to cybercrime gangs operating in Eastern Europe is now actively targeting and breaching prominent, brand name restaurants in the U.S. A recently disclosed data breach suffered by Mexican fast food restaurant Chipotle was carried out by hackers linked to a group known as FIN7 or Carbanak Group, CyberScoop has learned. In addition to Chipotle, the hackers appears to be targeting national restaurant franchises Baja Fresh and Ruby Tuesday, according to malware samples and other evidence CyberScoop obtained. More than 20 U.S.-based hospitality companies — a combination of hotels and restaurants — have been successfully hacked by FIN7 since the summer of 2016, two cybersecurity researchers told CyberScoop on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely regarding ongoing investigations. On February 22, a phishing email carrying an attachment titled “Payment overdue.eml” was sent to an email account associated with a Chipotle location […]

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IBM shipped malware-laden USB sticks to unsuspecting customers

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Malware-laden USB sticks were accidentally sent by IBM to a series of enterprise customers that had purchased storage systems developed by the computing giant, according to a company advisory published last week. An unidentified number of these drives were mailed as an installation tool for users setting up IBM Storewize V3700 and V5000 Gen 1 storage systems. IBM says that all of the infected USBs carried the same serial number: 01AC585. An IBM spokesperson did not respond to CyberScoop’s inquiry. It remains unclear how the malware originally found its way onto the drives. When plugged into a vulnerable system, the memory stick will immediately launch the legitimate Storewize initialization tool, which in this case also carries hidden malicious computer code that copies itself to a temporary folder. Fortunately, the malware itself is not executable, meaning that it won’t automatically run on a computer in order to infect the Storwize disks. […]

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