Category Archives: Wiper malware

After more than a decade, SentinelOne researchers weed out Dell vulnerabilities

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Since 2009, vulnerabilities have lurked in Dell drivers that potentially affect hundreds of millions of machines, SentinelOne researchers said on Tuesday. Hackers could use the vulnerabilities to instigate a range of attacks, from ransomware to wipers that can erase hard drives, said J.A. Guerrero-Saade, principle threat researcher at the security firm. “They can basically do whatever they want,” Guerrero-Saade told CyberScoop. Dell released mitigation steps on Tuesday in advance of SentinelOne publishing its research. Those flaws sitting undiscovered for 12 years is not unheard of, despite a whole industry of security researchers dedicated to weeding out bugs that could abet cyberattacks. A 2017 study found that a quarter of zero-day vulnerabilities remain hidden for more than nine and a half years. In the case of the Dell flaws, Guerrero-Saade said their dormant nature reflects a “target-rich environment,” especially as it pertains to drivers that allow computers to communicate with hardware. […]

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Ransomware hits two state-run organizations in the Middle East and North Africa

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A strain of ransomware designed to disrupt computers’ booting processes hit government-run organizations in the Middle East and North Africa in July, researchers said Friday, in the latest example of data-wiping tools being aimed at key organizations in the region. The ransomware attacks used Thanos, a type of malware that surfaced earlier this year and has gained traction on underground forums, according to analysts at Palo Alto Networks. In an increasingly popular tactic among ransomware gangs, Thanos is sold “as a service” to other hackers interested in deploying it. That can make the attacks harder to trace, and allow users to develop their own custom features. The motives behind the attacks are mysterious. A hacker interested in getting paid typically doesn’t disrupt a machine to make it harder for a victim to hand over the ransom. Yet that’s exactly what the perpetrators of the July attacks attempted to do: Their […]

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Beware of New Wiper Malware Distributed through Free Software / Crack Sites

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A new piece of wiper malware is being distributed through warez sites, locking users out of their Windows computers after they unknowingly run the program. As reported by BleepingComputer’s Lawrence Abrams, the malware is apparently distributed t… Continue reading Beware of New Wiper Malware Distributed through Free Software / Crack Sites→

Iran-Backed APTs Collaborate on 3-Year ‘Fox Kitten’ Global Spy Campaign

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APT34/OilRig and APT33/Elfin have established a highly developed and persistent infrastructure that could be converted to distribute destructive wiper malware. Continue reading Iran-Backed APTs Collaborate on 3-Year ‘Fox Kitten’ Global Spy Campaign→

Saudi cyber authority uncovers new data-wiping malware, and experts suspect Iran is behind it

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Around the time that tensions between the U.S. and Iran started mounting last month, authorities in Saudi Arabia discovered a new variant of data-wiping malware that cybersecurity analysts suspect originated with Iranian hackers. The attackers deployed the malware against an unnamed target on Dec. 29 with “urgency,” rushing to execute their malware and in the process leaving clues behind on the victim network, according to a technical report from Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) obtained by CyberScoop. “Signs of compromise of the network dating back a few months before destructive payload was detonated,” says the memo, which was distributed to cybersecurity specialists who protect critical infrastructure. While the advisory doesn’t identify the culprit suspected in the attack, it does suggest the work of state-sponsored hackers. Analysts familiar with the attack told CyberScoop that the activity bore technical similarities to previous hacking out of Iran. This advisory, first reported by Yahoo News, […]

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ZeroCleare: New Iranian Data Wiper Malware Targeting Energy Sector

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Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new, previously undiscovered destructive data-wiping malware that is being used by state-sponsored hackers in the wild to target energy and industrial organizations in the Middle East.

Dubbed ZeroCleare, the … Continue reading ZeroCleare: New Iranian Data Wiper Malware Targeting Energy Sector→

New Destructive Wiper ZeroCleare Targets Energy Sector in the Middle East

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According to IBM X-Force research, the ZeroCleare wiper was used to execute a destructive attack that affected organizations in the energy and industrial sectors in the Middle East.

The post New Destructive Wiper ZeroCleare Targets Energy Sector in the Middle East appeared first on Security Intelligence.

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PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Disrupted by Malware Attack

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The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics taking place in South Korea was disrupted over the weekend following a malware attack before and during the opening ceremony on Friday.

The cyber attack coincided with 12 hours of downtime on the official website for th… Continue reading PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Disrupted by Malware Attack→