IT threat evolution Q1 2019
Targeted attacks and malware campaigns Go Zebrocy Zebrocy was first observed being used as a Sofacy backdoor in 2015. However, the collection of cases where this tool has been used mean that we consider it a subset of activity in its own right. On the basis of this threat actor’s past behaviour, we predicted last […] more…Mirrorthief Group Uses Magecart Skimming Attack to Hit Hundreds of Campus Online Stores in US and Canada
We uncovered a recent activity involving the notorious online credit card skimming attack known as Magecart. The attack, facilitated by a new cybercrime group, impacted 201 online campus stores in the United States and Canada. We started detecting the attacks against multiple campus store websites on April 14, during which the sites were injected with […] more…Former DHS Head Took up Cyber Despite White House Aversion
A top White House official told Kirstjen Nielsen, then Homeland Security secretary, not to bring up election security with President Donald Trump, steering her away from discussing a critical national security threat with a president who bristles at suggestions that Russian interference contributed to his 2016 victory, according to two people familiar with the matter. […] more…Game of Threats
Introduction While the way we consume TV content is rapidly changing, the content itself remains in high demand, and users resort to any means available to get at it – including illegal and non-ethical ones like the use of pirated stuff. The world is embracing the idea of paying for entertainment more and more with […] more…How To Sidestep Popular Social Scams
Each year, internet users lose billions of dollars to online scams, using clever ploys to trick us out of our information and money. By offering prizes, referencing current events, or just creating a sense of urgency, scammers know how to get us to click when we really shouldn’t. Check out these recent scams, so you […] more…DNS Manipulation in Venezuela in regards to the Humanitarian Aid Campaign
Venezuela is a country facing an uncertain moment in its history. Reports suggests it is in significant need of humanitarian aid. On February 10th, Mr. Juan Guaidó made a public call asking for volunteers to join a new movement called “Voluntarios por Venezuela” (Volunteers for Venezuela). According to the media, it already numbers thousands of […] more…New Magecart Attack Delivered Through Compromised Advertising Supply Chain
by Chaoying Liu and Joseph C. Chen On January 1, we detected a significant increase in activity from one of the web skimmer groups we’ve been tracking. During this time, we found their malicious skimming code (detected by Trend Micro as JS_OBFUS.C.) loaded on 277 e-commerce websites providing ticketing, touring, and flight booking services as […] more…APT review of the year
What were the most interesting developments in terms of APT activity throughout the year and what can we learn from them? Not an easy question to answer; everybody has partial visibility and it’s never possible to really understand the motivations of some attacks or the developments behind them. Still, with the benefit of hindsight, let’s […] more…Firefox adds in-browser notification of breached sites
Mozilla has added a data breach notification to Firefox that warns the browser’s users when their email address and credentials may have been obtained by hackers. Dubbed Firefox Monitor, the free breach notification service debuted in September after some testing during the summer. Anyone — not only Firefox users — can steer to the service […] more…Stolen Data from Chinese Hotel Chain and Other Illicit Products Sold in Deep Web Forum
by Fyodor Yarochkin (Senior Threat Researcher) We uncovered personally identifiable information (PII) stolen from a China-based hotel chain being sold on a deep web forum we were monitoring. Further analysis revealed that the stolen data was not only the PII of Chinese customers, but also included the hotel chain’s customers from Western and East Asian […] more…How Machine Learning Can Help Identify Web Defacement Campaigns
By Federico Maggi, Marco Balduzzi, Ryan Flores, and Vincenzo Ciancaglini Website defacement — the act of visibly altering the pages of a website, notably in the aftermath of a political event to advance the political agenda of a threat actor— has been explored in our various research works. We broke down top defacement campaigns in a […] more…Trojan watch
We continue to research how proliferation of IoT devices affects the daily lives of users and their information security. In our previous study, we touched upon ways of intercepting authentication data using single-board microcomputers. This time, we turned out attention to wearable devices: smartwatches and fitness trackers. Or more precisely, the accelerometers and gyroscopes inside […] more…Perspectives On Securing Our Election Systems
I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel at CyberScoop’s CyberTalks event this week, which coincides this year with the RSA 2018 Conference in San Francisco. Our discussion focused on the need to protect election systems from would-be hackers seeking to change results, sow discord in our election processes, and undermine confidence in our […] more…What’s New in the World of Ransomware?
Ransomware, the type of malware that can infect your computers and devices, lock you out of your own files, and demand a ransom to unlock them, is growing rapidly in both incidents and sophistication. In some cases, ransomware is even used as a cover to distract from more serious attacks, so it’s important for everyone […] more…McAfee Relaunches Award-Winning Online Safety Program for Kids
With an updated curriculum and new cybersecurity career module, McAfee’s Online Safety Program for Kids is set to reach new heights Online safety is an area that now touches nearly everyone – from corporate CEOs and governments to grandparents and children. It’s also why nearly 130 countries come together on Safer Internet Day to raise […] more…IoT Devices: The Gift that Keeps on Giving… to Hackers
McAfee Advanced Threat Research on Most Hackable Gifts You’ve probably noticed the recent increase in Internet connected drones, digital assistants, toys, appliances and other devices hitting the market and maybe even showing up in your own home. The sale of these “Internet-of-Things” (IoT) devices is expected to reach 600 million units this year[1] and, unfortunately, […] more…More information
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