offensive cybersecurity – Page 4

Report: Obama admin planted cyber ‘bombs’ inside Russian infrastructure

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Ryan Johnston

The Obama Administration reportedly planted cyber weapons within Russian infrastructure in 2016 to use in response to potential threats made by the Kremlin, according to the Washington Post. Through collaboration with members of the NSA, CIA and U.S. Cyber Command, according to the Washington Post, Obama gave his signature to a covert cyber operation designed “to be triggered remotely as part of retaliatory cyber-strike in the face of Russian aggression, whether an attack on a power grid or interference in a future presidential race.” The cyber weapons were “the digital equivalent of bombs that could be detonated if the United States found itself in an escalating exchange with Moscow,” but the project, including the “time sensitive” weapons, were never fully completed under Obama and the option for potential retaliation now rests with President Donald Trump. The Obama administration publicly announced a set of sanctions in December 2016 aimed at cracking […]

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The leaked NSA hacking tool that will wreak havoc for years to come

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Chris Bing

A powerful hacking tool original used by the National Security Agency and subsequently leaked in April by the Shadow Brokers will give defenders problems for years to come as hackers continue to adopt and repurpose the malicious computer code, experts and former U.S. intelligence officials tell CyberScoop. The tool, codenamed EternalBlue, effectively leverages two different coding flaws in older versions of Microsoft Windows to propagate malware on a targeted computer network. In practice, this exploit breaks a network file sharing protocol known as the server message block, or SMB. Although Microsoft promptly released several software updates for affected versions of Windows in March, and then again most recently in May, millions of systems remain unpatched and therefore vulnerable to hackers using EternalBlue. Experts believe that the high-quality exploit will be used in the coming years by both amateurish hackers and sophisticated threat actors to steal information. “EternalBlue will exist and […]

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‘Pegasus for Android’: Newly discovered spyware allows attacker to record conversations

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Chris Bing

Researchers at Google and mobile cybersecurity firm Lookout discovered a malicious smartphone application allowing the customers of a “cyber arms dealers” named NSO Group to remotely spy on victims. A sophisticated piece of spyware is believed to be embedded in a cohort of different espionage apps, enabling the attacker to record a target’s keystrokes, exfiltrate data and listen in on conversations through the device’s compromised microphone. The malware-laden applications were not available in the Google Play store, leading researchers to believe that targeted downloads were camouflaged and sent to specific victims through phishing emails or SMS messages. The malware was found on a few dozen Android devices. Dubbed Chrysaor, researchers believe the code is related Pegasus, another highly complex piece of malware designed to infect Apple’s iOS. Lookout researchers first discovered Pegasus, another product of NSO Group, last year on a prominent Saudi human rights activist’s phone. “Individual victim identities […]

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