- IcedID Botnet Distributors Abuse Google PPC to Distribute Malware
December 23, 2022
After closely tracking the activities of the IcedID botnet, Trend Micro researchers have discovered some significant changes in its distribution methods. Since December 2022, Trend Micro observed the abuse of Google pay per click (PPC) ads to distribute IcedID via malvertising attacks. This IcedID variant is detected by Trend Micro as TrojanSpy.Win64.ICEDID.SMYXCLGZ. Advertising platforms like Google ...
- Patch now: Serious Linux kernel security hole uncovered
December 23, 2022
Just what every Linux system administrator wants just before the holidays: A serious Linux kernel security bug. The Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), a zero-day security research firm, announced a new Linux kernel security bug. This hole allows authenticated remote users to disclose sensitive information and run code on vulnerable Linux kernel versions. How bad is it? ...
- LastPass admits attackers have a copy of customers’ password vaults
December 23, 2022
Password locker LastPass has warned customers that the August 2022 attack on its systems saw unknown parties copy encrypted files that contains the passwords to their accounts. In a December 22nd update to its advice about the incident, LastPass brings customers up to date by explaining that the August 2022 attack saw “some source code and ...
- Twitter Probed in EU for Pre-Musk Data Leak of 5.4 Million Users
December 23, 2022
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Friday it decided to start a probe over reports that one or more datasets of users’ personal information “had been made available on the internet.” “These datasets were reported to contain personal data relating to approximately 5.4 million Twitter users worldwide,” the agency said. “These datasets were reported to map Twitter ...
- Crooks copy source code from Okta’s GitHub repository
December 23, 2022
Intruders copied source code belonging to Okta after breaching the identity management company’s GitHub repositories. Okta was alerted by Microsoft-owned GitHub earlier this month of “suspicious access” to its code repositories and determined that miscreants copied code associated with the company’s Workforce Identity Cloud (WIC), an enterprise-facing access and identity management tool to enable workers and ...
- Ransomware and wiper signed with stolen certificates
December 22, 2022
On July 17, 2022, Albanian news outlets reported a massive cyberattack that affected Albanian government e-services. A few weeks later, it was revealed that the cyberattacks were part of a coordinated effort likely intended to cripple the country’s computer systems. On September 10, 2022, Albanian local news reported a second wave of cyberattacks targeting Albania’s ...
- OpenImageIO file processing issues could lead to arbitrary code execution, sensitive information leak and denial of service
December 22, 2022
Cisco Talos recently discovered nineteen vulnerabilities in OpenImageIO, an image processing library, which could lead to sensitive information disclosure, denial of service and heap buffer overflows which could further lead to code execution. OpenImageIO is an image processing library useful for conversion and processing, as well as image comparison. This library is utilized by 3D-processing software ...
- Vice Society ransomware gang switches to new custom encryptor
December 22, 2022
The Vice Society ransomware operation has switched to using a custom ransomware encrypt that implements a strong, hybrid encryption scheme based on NTRUEncrypt and ChaCha20-Poly1305. According to cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, which discovered the new strain and named it “PolyVice,” it’s likely that Vice Society sourced it from a vendor who supplies similar tools to other ransomware ...
- After ransomware hits Colombian energy firm, Moody’s says low patch rate suggests inadequacies in cyber practices
December 22, 2022
A ransomware attack at top Colombian energy company Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) may damage its credit quality, setting an alarm clock for the critical infrastructure industry to develop efficient mitigation practices and vulnerability management programs, Moody’s said. EPM, one of Colombia’s largest public energy, water, and gas providers suffered from a ransomware attack reported on ...
- FIN7 hackers create auto-attack platform to breach Exchange servers
December 22, 2022
The notorious FIN7 hacking group uses an automated attack system that exploits Microsoft Exchange and SQL injection vulnerabilities to breach corporate networks, steal data, and select targets for ransomware attacks based on financial size. This system was discovered by Prodaft’s threat intelligence team, which has been closely following FIN7 operations for years now. In a report shared ...
- What Can Schools Do Against the Onslaught of Ransomware?
December 22, 2022
Cyber attacks have become a pressing issue for K-12 schools, but school districts aren’t waging the fight alone. A variety of free federal and state resources can offer guidance and assistance, while cyber best practices and automated and managed services can help schools get the most impact from their limited budgets, said speakers during a ...

