firewall Archives

Latin America Banks Targeted by BBTok Malware Variant

anti malware, antivirus software, banking malware, banking trojan, BBTok Malware, firewall, Ophtek, Phishing Emailanti-malware, antivirus, banking malware, BBTok, firewall, malware, Ophtek, phishingOphtek, LLC

Nov 2023

Back in 2020, a new banking trojan by the name of BBTok emerged into the digital landscape and was responsible for numerous attacks. And now it’s back.

Banks in Brazil and Mexico appear to be the main targets of BBTok’s new campaign, and it’s a variant which is far more powerful than any of its previous incarnations. Its main deceptive threat is that it is able to spoof the interfaces of 40 different banks in Brazil and Mexico. This means that it’s perfectly placed to harvest sensitive data. In particular, this new strain of BBTok is deceiving victims into disclosing their credit card details and authentication codes. This gives the campaign a financial angle and highlights the serious threat it poses.

How Does BBTok Launch Its Attacks?

BBTok’s latest strategy begins with a phishing email, one that contains a malicious link which kickstarts the attack by launching the malware alongside a dummy document. BBTok is particularly successful as it has been coded to deal with multiple versions of Windows, and it also tailors the content of the attack to both the victim’s country and operating system. BBTok also allows the threat actors behind it to execute remote commands and steal data without the victim being aware.

Most notably, however, is the way in which BBTok replicates the interface of numerous banking websites – such as Citibank and HSBC – to truly deceive the victim. Appearing to be genuine at first glance, these interfaces are used to trick victims into entering security codes and passwords associated with their accounts. This gives the threat actors full access to their financial data and, more disturbingly, full control over their finances. This means that unauthorized payments and bank transfers can quickly land the victim in severe financial trouble.

How to Stay Safe from Banking Malware

In an increasingly digital world, where we all make numerous financial transactions online every week, it’s important to remain guarded against banking malware. As well as the financial damage that malware such as BBTok can cause, it can also create a foothold for threat actors to delve deep into your networks. And this represents a major threat to the security of both your data and your customer’s data. Accordingly, you need to stay safe, and here are some crucial tips to help you:

Beware of phishing emails: your employees should always be cautious when opening emails or clicking on links from unknown sources. As with BBTok, many banking trojans spread through phishing emails which trick you in to visiting fake banking websites. This provides threat actors with the perfect opportunity to harvest your credentials. Therefore, make sure that your employees know how to quickly identify a phishing email and what to do with them.
Install a firewall: putting a firewall in front of your network is a vital step in strengthening your digital defenses. Firewalls act as keen-eyed gatekeepers who scrutinize incoming and outgoing traffic, this allows them to determine whether traffic is trusted and whether any alarms need to be raised. Banking trojans, of course, often transmit stolen data out of your network, so a firewall is the perfect way to identify and prevent this activity.
Strong endpoint security: to protect your network against malware, it’s essential that you employ robust cybersecurity measures throughout your business. In particular, employee workstations and mobile devices are most at risk, so installing advanced antivirus and anti-malware software here should be a priority.

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

SapphireStealer: The Threat of Open Source Malware

antivirus software, firewall, Open Source Malware, Ophtek, Phishing, SapphireStealerAntivirus software, firewall, open source malware, Ophtek, phishing, SapphirStealerOphtek, LLC

Oct 2023

Malware which can be enhanced always poses a huge risk to PC users, and the rise of open source malware like SapphireStealer is magnifying this problem.

Open source programs are those which have had their source code put online and made available not only for use, but also modification. This approach is usually chosen with the main objective being public, open collaboration between coders, and the resulting programs made available to the public for free. It’s the very definition of what the internet was created for, but this doesn’t mean these intentions are always well meaning. And the story of SapphireStealer makes for the perfect evidence.

What is SapphireStealer?

The name of SapphireStealer is somewhat of a giveaway in terms of what this malware does, it’s an information stealer. SapphireStealer was first published to GitHub (an online and public source code repository) towards the end of 2022. And it proved to be a hit. As well as being simple enough for basic hackers to launch attacks, SapphireStealer was open source and could be tinkered with by fellow hackers.

SapphireStealer originally started life with a basic set of capabilities, it would grab popular files – such as Word documents and image files – before emailing them to the hacker behind the attack. However, it wasn’t perfect, and there was plenty of room for improvement. It was a fantastic opportunity for the hacking community to see how they could enhance SapphireStealer. And this was exactly what they did.

By January 2023, new variants of SapphireStealer were detected which could steal a wider range of files, and this stolen data could now be relayed through Discord and Telegram servers. And, as it remained open source, anyone on the internet could now access these more robust and dangerous variants. SapphireStealer appears to infect victims through a variety of methods:

Infected email attachments
Malvertising
Social engineering
Illegal downloads

Minimizing the Threat of SapphireStealer

At present, SapphireStealer is relatively basic in terms of the threat it carries. It isn’t going to cause financial damage like, for example, ransomware will. However, it has evolved rapidly in less than a year, and its risk level is only going to rise higher. The fact that open source malware is proving so popular also indicates that more threat actors are going to enter the digital arena. Therefore, you need to make sure you IT infrastructures are heavily guarded:

Use a firewall: a tried and trusted security measure, a firewall puts a digital barrier between your organization and the internet. This means that you can monitor incoming and outgoing traffic and put filters in place to mitigate attacks and allow access to trusted users.
Make sure your employees are aware: SapphireStealer relies on a number of well-known infection methods, but these aren’t necessarily well-known to the average PC user. Accordingly, your employees need to understand the most basic attack methods and how to identify them e.g. the telltale signs of a phishing email.
Install antivirus software: it may seem like a no-brainer, but many organizations fail to put an effective antivirus suite at the forefront of their defenses. Even free antivirus software, such as Kaspersky Free, can make a significant difference to your digital safety.

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

Malware Found in Illegal Downloads of Spider-Man Film

cryptojacking, firewall, malware, mining malware, moreno, Ophtek, torrentscryptojacking, firewall, malware, mining malware, moreno, Ophtek, torrentsOphtek, LLC

Jan 2022

Hackers have decided to cash in on the popularity of Spider-Man by infecting copies of his latest movie with cryptocurrency mining malware.

Going to the movies is an expensive activity these days and, as a result, many people are turning to illegal torrents. These torrents are shared by hundreds of different people, each sharing the entire film as a file, with downloaders able to download parts of the file from these multiple sources. It may sound like the perfect answer to paying and queuing at the movies, but it’s an act which infringes copyright and is 100% illegal. And, of course, there’s the little matter of malware being bundled into these torrents. Nonetheless, it’s estimated that around 28 million users download and share illegal files every day.

Illegal downloads are here to stay, so it’s important that you understand the dangers they carry in terms of cybersecurity. And the Spider-Man example is the perfect place to start.

Using Spider-Man to Spread Malware

The latest Spider-Man movie is ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and it was released to theatres in December 2021. Within days of the movie’s premiere, poor quality copies – often filmed from within a theatre – started appearing on torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay. However, there were also torrents available which contained a nasty surprise. Several torrents which claimed to be of No Way Home contained a file with the name of ‘spiderman_net_putidmoi.torrent.exe’ – ‘net_putidmoi’ being Russian for No Way Home.

But far from presenting you with a copy of the new Spider-Man movie, activating this file would launch cryptocurrency mining malware. The malware automatically added exceptions to Windows Defender in order to avoid detection on the infected system. With this concealment in place, the malware could then harvest the PCs processing power to mine a cryptocurrency known as Monero. While mining cryptocurrency is legal, the hijacking of PCs to power this process is highly illegal and dangerous.

How Do You Avoid These Types of Infection?

The malware involved in the Spider-Man hack has not been shown to compromise any personal information. But it will slow your PC down. And a more dangerous piece of malware could easily start compromising your data. Therefore, it’s essential that you avoid falling victim to malware hidden in torrents. The best way to stay safe is:

Don’t Download Torrents: the simplest way to avoid malware within illegal torrents is to avoid downloading them. It’s much safer for your PC (and your criminal record) to visit official sources and pay the required amount for songs, software and movies.

Always Use a Firewall: Although the Spider-Man malware is clever enough to write exceptions into Windows Defender, many similar strains of malware are not as clever. And that’s why it’s crucial that you always run a firewall, these can instantly stop malware operating on your PC.

Investigate Sluggish PC Activity: if your PC is regularly grinding to a halt and struggling to complete simple processes, there’s a good chance it’s been hijacked. Restarting your PC in Safe Mode and running anti-malware software is the best way to start ruling out an infection.

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

What Do You Need in Good Antivirus Software?

anti malware, Antivirus, Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, firewall, Ophtekantivirus, Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, firewall, OphtekOphtek, LLC

Jul 2021

Antivirus software is a sure-fire way to keep your PC protected against malware. But you need to make sure it has the right features for your organization.

No two pieces of antivirus software are the same. And there are a lot of different antivirus tools available. In fact, if you google the term “antivirus software” you will be faced with 175 million search results. Not surprisingly, the sheer range of options available can make choosing one a daunting task. But it doesn’t need to be this difficult. All you need to do is understand what the most important features are in antivirus software.

The Essential Antivirus Software Features

As I advised earlier, there are many different antivirus tools trying to get your attention. And they all contain a collection of different features. The most essential ones that you should be looking for are:

Malware Scans: The biggest threat to your organization’s IT infrastructure will come from malware. And it’s a threat which can easily lurk undetected on your network. However, thanks to the power of collective databases, most of this malicious software can quickly be identified by its code. Good antivirus software will connect to these databases and use the inventory to verify every file on your network. Anything identified as malicious can then be quarantined and investigated before being deleted.

Firewall Availability: Many antivirus software packages will include a firewall and this feature can prove invaluable. It’s a tool which is employed to monitor all incoming and outgoing connections to your network. Essentially a barrier between your organization and the internet, a firewall allows you to restrict access to any unidentified connections while recognized and permitted connections can operate freely.

Email Scans: One of the best ways for a hacker to gain access to your organization’s network is via email. It’s a venture which typically succeeds when an infected email attachment or malicious link is activated by the recipient. And these infections can be very powerful. Ransomware is easily spread through malicious emails and phishing scams, of course, are particularly prevalent. Thankfully, many pieces of antivirus software can scan all incoming emails to evaluate the danger contained within.

Download Protection: Most files that you download from the internet will be fine e.g. software installation packages or even plain old spreadsheets. But there’s always a chance that you may download some malicious software. And, in many cases, it’s easy to find yourself fooled by authentic looking websites. A good antivirus suite, however, should be able to scan all downloaded files in real time to verify if they are safe. Often, if the file is hosted on a malicious website, antivirus software will not even allow you access to the site in the first place.

Final Thoughts

Basic antivirus software is available for free and, despite some limitations in its functionality, can provide you with powerful protection. However, when you start paying for antivirus software you can expect to gain even more features and some much-needed technical support. Regardless of which option you go for, though, antivirus software should be an essential part of any organization’s fight against cyber-crime.

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

How a Firewall Works and Why You Need One

firewall, Network, Ophtek, Safety, Securityfirewall, network, Ophtek, securityOphtek, LLC

May 2019

One of the most common ways to protect your PC is by working with a firewall, but what exactly is a firewall and what can it do to protect you?

Protecting your organization’s PC network should be one of your main priorities when it comes to IT due to not only the amount of data being transferred, but also the impact that a security breach could have on your productivity. Thankfully, there are many security options available to help strengthen your defenses and one of the oldest forms of security is a firewall. And, despite the traditional nature of this defense, it remains one of the most effective for stopping intruders accessing your network.

To help you understand this area of cyber-security in a little more depth, we’re going to take a quick look at how a firewall works and why you need one.

What is a Firewall?

The concept behind a firewall is a relatively simple one compared to other forms of cyber-defense with its main objective being to stop malware and malicious attacks penetrating a computer network. Essentially, a firewall is much like a content filter in that you’re able to define exactly what is allowed to both enter and leave your network. This filter is an automated process, so it’s possible to program the firewall to a highly tailored specification and then leave it to filter out anything deemed nonviable for the network.

What Exactly Can a Firewall Do?

A firewall, of course, is more than just a filter. In fact, fthere are a wide range of benefits that any organization can benefit from and these include:

Internal Safety: Many security lapses come from internal actions taken by staff such as accessing malicious websites or downloading malicious email attachments. While these are almost always innocent mistakes, the ramifications can be highly inconvenient. With a firewall in place, however, these concerns can be significantly reduced due to the level of control at your disposal which includes restricting outgoing connections to specific websites and receiving emails with attachments known to be malicious.

External Protection: As information filters in from the internet, firewalls are able to analyze this data and verify whether the data is safe to enter your network. The firewall does this by determining the location and source of the data and then authenticating it against a set list of permissions. This verification is incredibly quick and will almost instantly confirm whether this data is allowed through or needs to be rejected. And, given the amount of headlines attributed to cyber-attacks on business, this provides some highly valuable peace of mind.

Monitoring Outgoing Data: One of the main draws of using a firewall is that they’re capable of analyzing data that leaves your organization. In particular, this is very useful in the IT world to monitor any unusual activity on your network. If, for example, a larger than usual amount of data is being transmitted to unfamiliar sources then there’s a good chance that your network has been hacked and is being used to orchestrate bot attacks. With a firewall in place, though, you can identify this process early on and work on shutting it down.

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

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