State-linked hackers hit American, European organizations with Pulse Secure exploits

Two hacking groups, including one with ties to China, have in recent months exploited popular enterprise software to break into defense, financial and public sector organizations in the U.S. and Europe, security firm FireEye warned Tuesday.   Attackers are exploiting old vulnerabilities — and one new one — in virtual private networking software made by Pulse Secure. Corporations and  governments alike use the technology to manage data on their networks, though it has proven a popular foothold for spies over the years. One of the hacking groups in question uses techniques similar to a Chinese state-backed espionage group, according to FireEye incident response unit Mandiant. “We have also uncovered limited evidence to suggest that [the hacking group] operates on behalf of the Chinese government,” Mandiant said in a blog post. The company did not say, specifically, what evidence it uncovered tying the incident to China. More broadly, Mandiant Senior Vice President and […]

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3 Vulnerabilities to Plug to Secure Your Customers’ Remote Workforce

The migration to a remote workforce hit fast forward in the past year as businesses around the world asked employeesRead More
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Patch Management in the Post-SolarWinds Era

The SolarWinds breach, in which hackers inserted malware into software updates sent to thousands of customers and created a backdoor to their IT systems, suggests organizations need to seriously rethink patch management. Until recently, installing pat… Continue reading Patch Management in the Post-SolarWinds Era

CISA orders US agencies to address Microsoft flaws exploited by suspected Chinese hackers

The Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division on Wednesday ordered federal civilian agencies to address flaws in a popular email software program at the center of a suspected Chinese spying campaign. The “emergency directive” from DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency requires agencies to either apply security fixes for the vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange Server software, or, if a compromise is found, to disconnect the program until it can be securely reconfigured. The CISA order comes a day after Microsoft revealed that China-based hackers were using the previously unknown software bugs to steal data from select targets. The hacking group, called Hafnium, has previously tried to breach U.S.-based infectious disease researchers, defense contractors and educational institutions, Microsoft said. The suspected Chinese hackers used one of the vulnerabilities to “steal the full contents of several user mailboxes,” according to Volexity, a cybersecurity firm that investigated the breaches. Exchange Server is used in […]

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How to Defend Linux from Attacks

Although Linux is still a fraction of the market share of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, its growth continues to accelerate.  Linux will continue to grow at compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.2% through 2027.  Some of the primary factors for … Continue reading How to Defend Linux from Attacks

Third-Party Patching: Everything You Need to Know

Timely deployment of patches is critical for maintaining the security of your IT systems. Through efficient patch management, you canRead More
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Reading the Application Security Tea Leaves – How to Interpret the Analyst Reports

There are a number of industry analyst reports on application security.  Each analyst firm and report takes its own slice of the market to analyze and report on vendors within that market.  For example, the Forrester Wave focuses on Static Application… Continue reading Reading the Application Security Tea Leaves – How to Interpret the Analyst Reports

Why Every Company Needs a Software Update Schedule

Software without the most recent patch is like an unlocked door for threat actors. They know the openings are there and can just walk in. But patching and a software update schedule can make sure that door stays locked.  Applying patches isn’t difficult. Click a few buttons, reboot and you are good to go. Even […]

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Bad patching practices are a breeding ground for zero-day exploits, Google warns

Customers of major software vendors take comfort whenever a vendor issues a security fix for a critical software vulnerability. The clients expect that software update to keep attackers from stealing sensitive information. But new data from Google’s elite hacking team, Project Zero, suggests that assumption is misplaced. One in four “zero-day,” or previously unknown, software exploits that the Google team tracked in 2020 might have been avoided “if a more thorough investigation and patching effort were explored,” Project Zero researcher Maddie Stone said Wednesday. In some cases, the attackers only changed a line or two of code to turn their old exploit into a new one. Many of the zero-day exploits were for popular internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Safari, exposing an array of users around the world. Project Zero’s sample size is modest, covering just 24 exploits in all. But the data points to a need for greater […]

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