What is Ransomware as a Service?

Ophtek, Phishing, Ransomware, Security, Suspicious links, Updates, , , , ,
28
Feb 2023

There’s a lot of money to be made in hacking and threat actors are now turning it into a business with Ransomware as a Service (RaaS).

Ransomware, of course, is well known to anyone who steps online in the digital age. With the ability to encrypt your data and demand a ransom fee, it has not only generated headlines, but also caused significant headaches for business owners. And, with ransomware attacks increasing by 41% in 2022, it’s a strategy which is showing no signs of slowing up. Therefore, not only do you need to be aware of ransomware, but you also need to keep up with associated developments such as RaaS.

As RaaS has the potential to create attacks which are both wider ranging and easier than before, it’s crucial you understand how it operates

The Basics of Ransomware as a Service

We’re all aware of what ransomware is, but what is RaaS? After all, surely ransomware is the opposite of a service? Unfortunately, for PC owners, ransomware software and attacks are now available for hire in the form of RaaS. Similar to Software as a Service (Saas) – examples of which include Gmail and Netflix – RaaS allows threat actors to harness the power of hacking tools without having to design them. If, for example, a threat actor doesn’t have the time (or skills) to build a ransomware tool, what do they do? They purchase one.

Typically, RaaS kits are found on the dark web, so don’t expect to find them taking up space on Amazon. Depending on the sophistication of the RaaS, the cost of purchasing them can range between $30 – $5,000. Threat actors looking to purchase RaaS are also presented with several different purchasing options such as one-time fees, subscription tiers or even affiliate models. It’s estimated that over $10 billion exchanges hands each year – mostly in cryptocurrency – for RaaS kits.

Examples of RaaS include Black Basta, LockBit and DarkSide, with more available for those looking to unleash ransomware easily and quickly. These RaaS kits are also much more than just hacking software, they also offer user forums and dedicated support teams to help customers get the most out of their ransomware. Again, this is very similar to the way in which successful SaaS developers provide extra value for their product. However, whereas SaaS is provided by legitimate developers, RaaS tends to be created by criminal gangs with the sole intent of generating illegal funds.

Staying Safe from Ransomware as a Service

The end result of an RaaS attack is the same as a standard ransomware attack, so there’s nothing specific you need to do if an attack comes through RaaS. Instead, you just need to stick to good old fashioned ransomware security practices:

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

Read More

LastPass Hit by Security Incident

Hackers, LastPass, Ophtek, password manager, Password Security, Security, strong passwords, , , , ,
07
Feb 2023

What exactly happened when LastPass, a password manager service, found itself at the center of a data breach? And what does this mean for your passwords?

Password managers provide a convenient service, one where complex passwords can be generated instantly and then, going forward, auto-fills when requested. LastPass is a successful example of what a password manager can do, but it’s a role which comes with great responsibility. Login credentials, after all, are often the difference between gaining access and being denied access to a user account. Therefore, password managers need to be sure the credentials they hold are highly secure.

However, as LastPass users are now finding out, password managers are highly tempting to threat actors, and far from 100% secure.

How LastPass was Hacked

Used by millions of users all over the world, LastPass has established itself as one of the leading password managers. Unfortunately, this credibility has been rocked by revelations that the service’s encrypted password vaults have been stolen by hackers. The attack – which took place in August 2022 – was ambitious, and its success even more so.

LastPass’ backup copies of their users’ password vaults were stored, apparently securely, on a third-party cloud storage platform. This, in itself, is nothing unusual; storing backup copies of secure data in remote locations is good practice. Nonetheless, once third parties become involved in storing your data, you relinquish control of this data’s security. And this is exactly where LastPass has fallen victim to threat actors.

While the mechanics of the breach remain under wraps, LastPass has had to admit that personal identifiers – including addresses, phone numbers, credit card details and IP addresses – are among the stolen data. The password vaults – which are encrypted – have also been stolen, so this means the threat actors are closer to knowing your password. And, given they now have access to your personal identifiers, it makes brute force attacks easier.

What to Do if You’re a LastPass User

LastPass has been keen to stress that, although stolen, the password vaults are secure due to the encryption protecting them. However, these encrypted passwords are now in the hands of an unauthorized party and means they are seriously compromised. Therefore, it’s crucial all LastPass users take the following decisive actions:

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

Read More

VMware Exploit Allows Hackers to Deliver Malware Package

install updates, malware, Ophtek, Security, VMware Exploit, Workspace ONE, , , , ,
07
Nov 2022

The importance of installing updates has been highlighted by VMware Users who have failed to update and found themselves at the mercy of malware attacks.

VMware is a tech company which specializes in providing both cloud computing services and virtualization technology (such as remote desktop software). Founded nearly 25 years ago, VMware has proved to be highly popular with businesses of all sizes. However, this experience doesn’t mean their software is perfect. In fact, no tech company – not even the biggest ones – can claim to create products which are 100% resistant to threat actors.

And that’s why VMware’s Workspace ONE Access service, an application which allows digital apps in an organization to be accessed on any device, has been compromised. The attack has been declared a significant one, so we’re going to take you through it.

Workspace ONE Compromised

The attack, which was discovered by security experts at Fortiguard Labs, centers around a vulnerability patched by VMware back in April 2022. However, this attack is still targeting this exploit, an indicator that the uptake of VMware’s patch has been poor. As a result, the CVE-2022-22954 vulnerability has the potential to open your PC up to all manner of malware.

If the vulnerability is still present, threat actors have the opportunity to launch remote code execution attacks against an infected PC. With the help of this foothold, the hackers have been able to download a wide range of malware to PCs and their associated networks. Examples involved in this attack have included:

  • Cryptoware
  • Ransomware
  • Software which removes other cryptomining apps
  • Malware used to spread the attack even further
  • Botnets

All of these campaigns are installed and operated separately, indicating that this is a well-organized attack by the unknown threat actors. Activity for the overall campaign peaked in August 2022, but it remains active as it seeks further users of Workspace ONE who have failed to patch their software.

Protecting Yourself Against Software Exploits

The impact of falling victim to the Workspace ONE vulnerability is huge as it attacks its victims on numerous fronts. Not only is there the financial risk of ransomware, but the activity of cryptoware and ransomware is going to seriously eat into the resources of your IT infrastructure. Therefore, you need to make sure you carry out the following:

  • Install all updates: if you are a Workspace ONE user then you need to ensure it’s fully patched and up to date. And, once this is complete, it’s crucial you make sure all your software is patched.

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

Read More

Stealer Malware Hidden in Fake Zoom Sites

Cyber Security, Data Security, malware, Ophtek, stealer malware, zoom, , , , , ,
11
Oct 2022

Six malicious websites have been discovered which claim to offer downloads of Zoom, but contain nothing but the Vidar stealer malware.

The popularity of Zoom – a video meeting application – has exploded in the post-Covid landscape we find ourselves living in. No longer do people need to travel for face-to-face meetings, they can now be conveniently arranged and carried out over video. Accordingly, the demand for Zoom is huge, with around 485 million downloads completed since 2020. Due to this popularity, a gang of cybercriminals have decided to use Zoom as the bait for downloading the Vidar stealer.

As your employees are likely to consider a Zoom install safe, it’s important that we delve a little deeper and demonstrate why it may be far from safe.

Beware of Fake Zoom Sites

Vidar has been an active threat for some time now, but this latest attack is a new campaign and carries a number of unique threats. The six sites, discovered by Cyble Research, use a variety of URLs such as ‘zoom-download’ and ‘zoomus’ to appear legitimate. And, if you visit one of these sites, the visual aesthetics are remarkably similar to the official Zoom website, but this is where all similarities end.

Attempting to download the Zoom application from these malicious sites will, instead, redirect you to a GitHub file depository. From here, two files will be downloaded to your temporary folder:

  • ZOOMIN~1.exe: this is a genuine Zoom installer which is included to create a front that nothing untoward is taking place.
  • Decoder.exe: this is the malicious file which injects Vidar’s ability to steal into the Microsoft Build Engine. With this infection in place, Vidar is then able to contact remote Command and Control servers and begin transmitting data from the infected PC.

Like most stealer malware, Vidar concentrates on extracting confidential data such as login credentials, network details and whether any further vulnerabilities are present in the IT infrastructure. If vulnerabilities are detected, then it’s highly likely these will be logged and sold by criminal gangs. Protecting yourself against Vidar, therefore, is crucial.

How to Avoid Having Your Data Stolen

The mechanics of the Vidar Zoom threat are relatively common in the world of malware, so it’s likely you will run into a similar threat at some point. The best way to protect your PCs is by following these practices:

  • Always Verify Websites: Vidar’s latest attack relies on poor judgement from its intended victims, the main error coming when they assume that the malicious website is genuine. Many antivirus suites contain tools which allow search results to be rated as to their level of safety, and there is also the option for these tools to present warning screens before accessing sites deemed unsafe. If these are unavailable, and you need to download some software, reach out to your IT team instead.
  • Install Updates: Vidar is keen on logging any vulnerabilities contained within your PC, so it makes sense to limit these vulnerabilities. The best way to achieve this is by always installing updates as soon as they are available.
  • Segment Your Network: to protect your data, it makes sense to adopt network segmentation. This procedure divides your network into different segments and allows you to keep them separate. Therefore, if one segment is breached, the others will remain protected, and this allows you to limit the spread of the malware.

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

Read More

New Malware Lets Hackers Log in to Windows as Anyone

ADFS secure, APT29, MagicWeb, Network, Ophtek, Security, The Cloud, , , , , ,
07
Sep 2022

Microsoft has announced that Windows login credentials can now be bypassed by a new strain of malware, one which is being used by Russian hackers APT29.

Logging onto Windows is the first thing we do after turning a PC on, and we do this by entering a combination of username/password credentials to gain access. This first step in security is crucial for protecting the integrity of your PC. If your credentials are highly secure, and known to no one else, it’s going to be difficult for anyone else to log on to your PC. And you certainly don’t want anyone gaining unauthorized access to your desktop. Accordingly, this has made login credentials a major target for threat actors.

This latest piece of malware, known as MagicWeb, doesn’t, however, steal your username/password combination. Instead, it’s much cleverer.

MagicWeb’s Deceptive Power

Windows passwords are hashed, and this means that although they are stored on your PC and associated servers, they are encrypted and translated into a series of unintelligible characters. So, for example, your password of PASSWORD (please don’t ever use this!) may be hashed into %fG1a:: – and these hashed passwords are completely useless. However, by entering PASSWORD into a login system, it will be translated into a hash and then matched against the stored hash to determine if it’s the correct password.

As it’s incredibly difficult to decrypt hashed passwords, threat actors must find different methods to bypass login credentials. MagicWeb does this by obtaining unauthorized access to login credentials for Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) servers. It’s within these ADFS servers that access to systems within an organization can be processed. This access is validated by a token generated within ADFS. MagicWeb compromises this token by manipulating the claims process used to authorize any logon requests. Therefore, it can validate any Windows logon request.

Protecting Your PCs from MagicWeb

Once MagicWeb has a foothold within your ADFS servers, it can allow anyone to log on to your network with ease. Both identifying and preventing this is important for you IT infrastructure’s security. As such, you need to make sure you do the following:

  • Make ADFS secure: one of the most effective ways to protect your ADFS is by designing it to be secure. This is far from straightforward, but it will pay dividends down the road when it comes face-to-face with threats such as MagicWeb. Luckily, Microsoft have provided advice on the best practices for achieving this.
  • Isolate admin access: malware threats such as MagicWeb have the opportunity to gain unauthorized admin access, and this gives them free rein to make major changes to your IT network. It makes sense, therefore, to isolate any admin infrastructures and restrict access to as few people as possible. Also, make sure your admin infrastructure is regularly monitored for any changes, as this may indicate an attack is taking place.

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

Read More
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 48