August 2023 - Ophtek

Microsoft Teams at Risk of Letting Malware In

install updates, malware, Microsoft Teams, Ophtek, Phishing, securitymalware, Microsoft Teams, Ophtek, phishing, security, updatesOphtek, LLC

Aug 2023

Microsoft Teams has experienced a surge in popularity among businesses since the pandemic, and this makes it a highly prized target for hackers.

Businesses find Microsoft Teams a powerful tool as it allows employees to work remotely, communicate and be productive. And it’s all through one app. This is why it’s a fantastic business solution and used by 280 million people. Naturally, the size of this audience is going to turn a threat actor’s head. Where there are high numbers of users, there’s an opportunity for malware to be successful. And that’s why the discovery of a vulnerability in Teams has caused so much concern.

The Vulnerability Lying Within Microsoft Teams

One of the main uses of Teams is as a communication tool, a nd this means that the potential for spreading malware via file transfers and linked hard drives is high. But this newly discovered vulnerability is very different. Therefore, it’s important you understand the threat it poses.

Now, Microsoft Teams allows you to communicate with a wide range of people within your organization. It also allows you to communicate with external parties e.g. subcontractors, clients and facility management teams. Usually, these external users are unable to transmit files to other organizations through Teams. And this is a good thing, as it lowers the risk of malware being sent between businesses.

However, the security protocols which are in place to stop unauthorized file sending can, it turns out, be compromised. Once this vulnerability is exploited, a threat actor can start sending malware direct to the Teams inbox of staff within that business. Often, the threat actors are increasing the chances of their attack being successful by setting up similar email addresses to that of their target. All it takes is for one employee to open the malware and it can start to spread.

While the incoming message will still be tagged as “External”, the busy nature of many employees’ days means that it’s likely this message will be ignored. Also, this method of attack is relatively new. Users are well drilled in the telltale signs of a phishing email, but a Teams instant message is very different. Accordingly, the risk of falling victim to this attack is concerning.

Staying Safe on Microsoft Teams

Curiously, Microsoft has advised that this vulnerability doesn’t, at present, warrant fixing. No doubt, at some point, it will be patched, but for now you should remain cautious. To help strengthen your defenses, make sure you practice the following:

Always update: there’s never an excuse for not carrying out software updates once they are available. It’s the quickest and simplest way to plug weak points in your cyber defenses, so, if they are not already in place, setting up automatic updates should be your priority.

Warn your staff: make sure that your staff are aware of this new threat to minimize the risk of your business falling victim. You can achieve this by sending out email updates to your staff and also updating your IT induction process to cover this new form of attack.

Reduce your availability: it’s possible to limit your communication through Teams to specific domains only. Again, this reduces your risk by ensuring that your staff can only communicate with trusted sources and not threat actors operating from similar, yet malicious domains.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Ukraine’s Military Hacked by Russian Backed USB Malware

malware, Ophtek, Phishing, Pteredo, Russian Hackers, Shuckworm, Ukraine, USB_malwaremalware, Ophtek, phishing, Pterodo, Russia, Shuckworm, Ukraine, USB_MalwareOphtek, LLC

Aug 2023

The news footage may focus on military strikes, but, behind the war in Ukraine, cyberattacks are being utilised as a major weapon by Russia.

Government-backed cyberattacks are nothing new, and they will continue to be utilized as part of global espionage campaigns for the foreseeable future. However, while these attacks are unlikely to be aimed at small businesses, the methods and techniques employed are likely to trickle down into the arsenal of smaller hackers. Therefore, in the near future, these powerful attacks could regularly be launched against your business.

At Ophtek, we pride ourselves on keeping our clients up to date on contemporary threats. But we also strive to keep you one step ahead of the hackers. And that’s why we’re going to take you through this latest attack.

Understanding the Mechanics of this Military Hack

Warfare has always relied on much more than just weapons, intelligence has always been equally important. And, with the rise of technology in the digital age, compromising IT equipment has proven to be highly rewarding in the pursuit of sensitive information. This latest attack, which has links with Russia’s FSB security service, has been launched by Shuckworm, a Russian threat actor with a long history of attacks.

February 2023 saw Shuckworm intensifying their attacks against Ukraine, a campaign which has been running for several years. Most notably, Shuckworm have been developing new malware in conjunction with command-and-control servers. Central to these attacks has been a strain of malware called Pterodo. Developed by Shuckworm, Pterodo is a backdoor attack which is executed when malicious USB drives are installed onto PCs. The first step that Pterodo takes is to install shortcut links on the infected PC, with these links given names such as evidence.rtf.lnk in order to tempt users into clicking them.

Clicking these links will install Pterodo on the user’s PC and allow Pterodo to spread through any connected drives and download further malware. To cover its tracks, Pterodo uses a number of innovative approaches. Numerous variants of Pterodo have been developed to bypass identification tools and, in order to conceal their identity, the related command-and-control servers regularly rotate their IP addresses. W hile the USB route for launching this attack appears to be Shuckworm’s preferred method, there is also evidence that it’s being spread through phishing emails.

How Do You Beat Military Backed Hackers?

Threat actors which receive government support are very powerful, but it doesn’t mean they are unbeatable. In fact, this latest attack by Shuckworm can easily be deflected by practicing the following:

Be wary of USB drives: USB drive attacks have been commonplace for many years, so it’s important that you don’t let your guard down. Mysterious USB drives which arrive in the mail or are found out in the parking lot should be fully scrutinized and never plugged into your PCs. As well as compromising data security, malicious USB drives also have the potential to destroy your PC.

Understand the hallmarks of phishing: businesses need to be vigilant against phishing campaigns in order to protect their IT infrastructure. Therefore, make sure your employees know how to identify telltale signs of phishing emails: misspellings, generic greetings, urgent demands, suspicious attachments/links, and email addresses with slight variations. If your team can stay alert to these threats, then you stand a much better chance of protecting your data.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Every business wants their IT infrastructure to be secure, so it’s crucial that you understand all your options. And two of the best are an SOC and an NOC.

A Security Operations Center (SOC) and a Network Operations Center (NOC) are exciting options for your defenses, but not everyone knows what they are. The good news is that both of these options, which can be based in-house or outsourced to external contractors, are here to protect your IT operations. And they both do this with a high level of sophistication, which ensures that cybersecurity threats are quickly identified and nullified.

How Does an SOC Protect Your IT Infrastructure?

Integrating an SOC into your cybersecurity strategies is one of the quickest ways to enhance your defenses. In short, an SOC is a dedicated team of professionals who can provide 24/7 monitoring of your IT systems. Their main duties include:

Maintenance: one of the surest ways to keep any system operating effectively is through routine and preventative maintenance. And this is a duty which an SOC will take in its stride. From initiating and installing updates through to updating firewalls and managing backup protocols, a dedicated SOC will ensure that none of these vital tasks are missed.
Creating response plans: in the case of a security incident, your organization needs to have a solid response plan ready to go. This could involve restoring data from backups, partitioning your networks, or even shutting your entire IT infrastructure down. Regardless of the strategy, you need to make sure that the perfect response plan has been formulated. And, thanks to the experience of those employed in an SOC, you can rest assured that your response minimizes disruption.
Monitoring: security incidents can strike your organization at any time of day, so it’s important that you have round-the-clock monitoring to flag up any attacks. An SOC can take care of this by not only monitoring network activity, but also analyzing it to provide a strong determination as to the threat level posed. This allows the SOC team to quickly identify potential threats and react accordingly.

Why Does Your Organization Need an NOC?

IT networks are complex, highly complex. This means that monitoring them effectively is difficult, but crucial when it comes to securing them. It’s difficult for your standard IT team to dedicate themselves to this task, so this is why the emergence of NOCs is so exciting for organizations. With an NOC supporting your IT infrastructure, you can expect 24/7 coverage in the following areas:

Network monitoring: an NOC can provide your organization with constant network monitoring and surveillance. This monitoring will cover all of the most common elements found in a network such as servers, routers, and switches. It’s an approach which is not only comprehensive, but also allows the NOC team to minimize any disruptions to your network.
Enhanced security: the main aim of a threat actor is to bypass the security of your network, and it’s very easy for them to sneak in when a vulnerability is in place. However, the presence of an NOC team means that not only will updates and patches be installed quickly, but their constant monitoring of your network will allow them to identify any unauthorized access.
Performance monitoring: given the level of competition within business in the 21^st century, your organization’s network needs to perform at a high level. Monitoring the complexities of an IT network, though, is a tough ask. But the experience of an NOC team means they can easily analyze your network performance, and then suggest plans for improving and maximizing its output.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Where is Cybersecurity Heading in 2023?

Artificial Intelligence, cryptojacking, cybersecurity, malware, Ophtek, Phishing, Ransomware, remote workersAI, cryptojacking, Cybersecurity, malware, Ophtek, phishing, ransomware, remote workingOphtek, LLC

Aug 2023

We’re already halfway through 2023 and threat actors are showing no signs of slowing up, but just where is cybersecurity heading?

It may feel as though you’re waging a never-ending battle against hackers and, well, that’s exactly what you’re doing. However, the strategies and techniques of threat actors has changed significantly in the last two decades. Back in 2003, for example, ransomware was less prevalent, but now it’s a major player in terms of cyber-attacks. Therefore, it’s always good to keep one step ahead of the hackers and understand where they are likely to go next.

What Will Future Cyber Attacks Look Like?

The future of cybersecurity will be concerned with maintaining defenses against existing threats and tackling new, innovative strategies launched by threat actors. These attacks are expected to be based in the following categories:

Artificial Intelligence: the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) has been huge in the last couple of years, just look at the interest generated by ChatGPT in 2023. However, the power to cause damage with AI is causing just as many headlines. You can, for example, ask AI systems to help generate code to build computer programs. The exact same code which is used to build malware. This means that designing and executing malware could be easier than ever before, and lead to a surge in new attacks.

Remote working: since the pandemic, more and more employees have been working remotely. While this is convenient, and has been shown to enhance productivity, it also increases the risk of falling victim to malware. Although many remote workers connect to their employers through a VPN, they are often accessing this through devices which aren’t secure. Also, as they will not have colleagues directly around them to offer advice, employees will be more vulnerable to, for example, clicking a malicious link.

Phishing: threat actors have been launching phishing attacks for nearly 20 years, and this means that many PC users can easily spot a phishing email. But this doesn’t mean we’re safe. Instead, it’s likely that future attacks will be more sophisticated to be successful. Taking advantage of AI and machine learning, threat actors will be able to craft phishing emails which are both engaging and convincing. This will allow their attacks to be more successful and harvest more stolen data.

Cryptojacking: despite several significant attacks, cryptojacking is yet to hit the mainstream PC user in the same way that ransomware has. Nonetheless, cryptojacking attacks are on the rise. Accordingly, PC users are likely to become more familiar with them in the next few years. Cryptojacking, as the name suggests, involves hijacking a PC and using its computing resources to mine cryptocurrencies. Due to the huge amount of processing power required to mine cryptocurrency, these attacks target entire networks and can grind them to a halt.

Final Thoughts

These four attack strategies may not be troubling you every day, but they could soon become regular headaches. That’s why you need to adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Make sure that you

keep updated on the latest threats, regularly review your security measures, and ensure that your staff are fully trained in cybersecurity best practices.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Vidar Malware Attacks Online Sellers

malware, Ophtek, Phishing, social engineering, Vidar Malware, Virusesmalware, Ophtek, phishing, social engineering, Vidar_Malware, virusOphtek, LLC

Aug 2023

E-commerce means big business in the 21^st century and it proves a highly attractive target to threat actors, as online sellers are now finding out.

Such is the size of the e-commerce industry – estimated to hit $4.11 trillion in 2023 – threat actors have many reasons for attacking online merchants. Taking control of a seller’s account will instantly provide hackers with a treasure chest of personal information about their customers e.g. payment methods, personal identifiers, and email addresses. It’s also common for threat actors to lace these compromised inventories and shops with malicious JavaScript code, this can then record credit card details during the checkout process.

Therefore, this latest attack, which uses the Vidar malware to advance its payload, is one that you need to be aware of.

How is Vidar Causing Havoc in the Digital Aisles?

The attack launched against online sellers uses a combination of social engineering and phishing emails to deceive its targets. Threat actors are posing as disgruntled customers who claim to have had large amounts of money deducted from their bank without an order being processed. Using a bit.ly URL – which is typically used to shorten long URLs, but also hides the true destination of the link – the sender of the email advises the merchant to investigate a screenshot of their bank account. This, they claim, will show proof that funds have been taken.

Clicking this link will take the victim to a malicious website designed to look like a genuine Google Drive account. Here, the victim is encouraged to download a .PDF of the bank statement which the sender claims will demonstrate that an illegal transaction has taken place. However, rather than downloading a .PDF, the victim will instead download a file called bank_statement.scr. And this file contains the Vidar malware.

Vidar was first discovered in 2018 and its method of attack is well known. A classic data miner, Vidar will steal information such as passwords, browser cookies, text files, and also take screenshots of the infected PC. After uploading this data to a remote location, the threat actors can easily download this information and use it to exploit the victim further e.g. sell login credentials on the dark web or access other user accounts using the same information.

Taking Vidar Back to the Store

If you believe that your PC has been breached by Vidar, the good news is that most anti-virus tools will pick it up and eradicate it from your system. Nonetheless, it’s always better to not get infected in the first place. Therefore, make sure you follow these best practices to avoid falling victim to Vidar:

Pick up on suspicious language: phishing emails are full of telltale signs, but you need to know what you’re looking for. Firstly, look out for urgency, fear, and excitement-inducing words. Secondly, watch for requests to disclose personal information or click on suspicious links. And, finally, pay attention to poor grammar or spelling errors.

Only download from trusted sources: it’s advisable to only download files from sources you can verify are genuine. Downloading files from customers, even if they are genuine, should be avoided wherever possible. These files could, as the Vidar attack has shown, contain anything. In a scenario where you need verification, always turn to an IT professional.

Use anti-phishing tools: installing anti-phishing software is a good way to enhance your protection against phishing attacks. These tools can be implemented as either browser extensions or part of a security suite. Once they detect an attempt at phishing, they will block the content and present you with a warning in its place.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Monthly Archives: August 2023