A technique that hostile nation-states and financially motivated ransomware groups are using to hide their operations poses a threat to critical infrastructure and national security, the National Security Agency has warned.
The technique is known as fast flux. It allows decentralized networks operated by threat actors to hide their infrastructure and survive takedown attempts that would otherwise succeed. Fast flux works by cycling through a range of IP addresses and domain names that these botnets use to connect to the Internet. In some cases, IPs and domain names change every day or two; in other cases, they change almost hourly. The constant flux complicates the task of isolating the true origin of the infrastructure.
Read more…
Source: ArsTechnica
Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- Wormable, Unpatched Microsoft Bug Threatens Corporate LANs
March 11, 2020
Microsoft is warning on a wormable, unpatched remote code-execution vulnerability in the Microsoft Server Message Block protocol – the same protocol that was targeted by the infamous WannaCry ransomware in 2017. The critical bug (CVE-2020-0796) affects Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, and was not included in Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday release this week. The bug can be found in ...
- Modern RAM used for computers, smartphones still vulnerable to Rowhammer attacks
March 11, 2020
According to new research published today, modern RAM cards are still vulnerable to Rowhammer attacks despite extensive mitigations that have been deployed by manufacturers over the past six years. These mitigations, collectively referred to as Target Row Refresh (TRR), are a combination of software and hardware fixes that have been slowly added to the design of ...
- Avast disables JavaScript engine in its antivirus following major bug
March 11, 2020
Czech antivirus maker Avast has taken the extreme step of disabling a major component of its antivirus product after a security researcher found a dangerous vulnerability that put all of the company’s users at risk. The security flaw was found in Avast’s JavaScript engine, an internal component of the Avast antivirus that analyzes JavaScript code for ...
- New TrickBot Variant Updates Anti-Analysis Tricks
March 11, 2020
Researchers uncovered a new variant of the TrickBot malware that relies on new anti-analysis techniques, an updated method for downloading its payload as well as adopting minor changes to the integration of its components. TrickBot is a module-based malware that, while first identified as a banking trojan, has gradually extended its functions to include collecting credentials from a victim’s emails, ...
- Critical Bugs in Rockwell, Johnson Controls ICS Gear
March 10, 2020
Security vulnerabilities that require very little skill to exploit have been discovered in industrial control systems (ICS) gear from Rockwell Automation and Johnson Controls, which anchor a flurry of bug disclosures impacting critical infrastructure. First, a set of critical vulnerabilities in Rockwell Automation gear affect MicroLogix 1400 Controllers, MicroLogix 1100 Controllers and RSLogix 500 Software. The ...
- Nasty phishing scams aim to exploit coronavirus fears
March 6, 2020
Cyber criminals are aiming to take advantage of fears over coronavirus as a means of conducting phishing attacks and spreading malware, along with stealing login credentials and credit card details. Cybersecurity companies have identified a number of campaigns by hackers who are attempting to exploit concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak for their own criminal ends. Crooks often use ...