Cyber News Rundown: Edition 5/5/17
The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cyber news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst, and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any more questions? Just ask.
Apple Threatens to Remove Uber App
In recent weeks, Apple has threatened to remove Uber from its App Store after a New York Times article revealed the app was tracking iPhones, even after having been uninstalled. Uber’s response was that the tracking was implemented to identify fraudulent trips and ensure untrustworthy users were blocked from the service, though this type of monitoring is expressly forbidden by Apple. While the issue has only been spotted on iOS® devices so far, it’s possible that Android® devices are also being tracked.
List of IoT Medical Devices Grows, Along with the List of Threats
Many of us may remember hearing that internet-connected pacemakers were potentially susceptible to cyberattacks. Now, several imaging sensors, prosthetics, and other connected medical devices, which are either currently available or in production, don’t appear to have proper security precautions. In addition to the possibility that these devices could be accessed remotely, there’s also a chance they could be used to steal any personal medical data they record.
Chipotle Payment Processing Systems Compromised
In the last week, Chipotle’s CFO released a statement about unauthorized activity on their internal payment processing network. While it appears their security measures did stop the attack, the company is working with its payment processor to monitor customer accounts for any suspicious activity over the 3-week period in which the breach occurred.
Mole Ransomware Brings Two Forms of Encryption
As ransomware continues to evolve, the tactics to ensure a successful attack have improved right along with them. With the Mole variant, criminals use RC4 encryption and RSA for decryption, leaving victims with no way to decrypt their files or even tell them apart. The infection begins by executing a javascript file that pretends to be a Flash update, then changes all file extensions to .MOLE. It finishes by scrambling all of the filenames with hexadecimal values.
FalseGuide Android Malware Reaches 2 Million Victims
In a recent study, researchers discovered the prevalent Android malware FalseGuide has affected over 2 million individual devices. The malware proliferates by disguising itself as game guides for dozens of popular mobile games, and, after being installed, requests admin privileges to remove any options for the user to delete the app. After gaining admin access, the malware registers itself on a cloud messaging service to receive remote commands.
Creating Strong Passwords on World Password Day
Update: World Password Day will officially be observed on May 3, 2018. While the the rules for creating tough-to-crack passwords remain true, additional layers of password security such as two-factor authentication and password manager tools are giving users even stronger security for their online accounts. Follow the advice below and have some fun crafting strong passwords to keep you safe online in 2018.
We’ve heard the same advice over and over when it comes to passwords—make it strong. But how many of us actually follow this advice? Would you believe that some of the most popular passwords are still “password”, “123456”, “qwerty”, and “abc123”? For World Password Day, we’ve want to offer a few tips to make sure your passwords are up to snuff.
Tips for securing passwords
- Create a strong password that uses numbers, caps, and special characters
- Use unique passwords for each account
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Set up a secure password manager
You’re probably thinking “it’s hard to remember multiple strong passwords.” To help you out, here’s how you can choose something easy to remember, but hard to crack.
- Start with your favorite song, movie, or book. Use the first letter of each word. So, if your jam is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”, that would make it “Gotgv2”.
- You could then increase the complexity by changing out any vowels with numbers. That makes it “G0tgv2”.
- Now add a special character, such as “!” or “$”. Your password would now be “G0tgv2!”.
- Turn it into a passphrase for good measure. Something like “G0t7gv2! is my jam!”.
- Make sure it’s at least 16 letters long. This one is, but you may need to add another number or symbol to make the password long enough.
If this is still too much to remember, you can use the first letter of one of your favorite phrases from a song, movie, or book until you reach 12 or so characters, mix up capitalization, then add in a few special characters.
Otherwise, go with option 4 from my original list: get yourself a password manager. There are a number of free and low-cost password manager applications out there, which will generate and store secure passwords for all of your accounts. Many Webroot subscribers already have one, depending on their Webroot subscription type.
Note: If you do use this option, you will still need a strong password for the password management program itself.
Mobile reminder
If you don’t have a password on your mobile phone or tablet, you should reread part about following security advice. Most smartphones offer the option of a 4-digit PIN or a pattern. When creating your PIN, be sure to use a unique string of numbers, and one that isn’t easy to guess (e.g. don’t use your birthday.)
Join Webroot and hundreds of other organizations worldwide on May 4th to take the pledge to build stronger password habits.
Critical Service Announcement
UPDATE 4/28/17 2:11 p.m. MDT
As a reminder, the repair utility to address the false positive issue that arose on Monday, April 24, is available. The utility will release and restore quarantined applications to working order on the affected endpoints.
Please note, the utility was built to address only this specific false positive issue. It will be deactivated in the future.
If applications are operating normally on your systems, you do not need to implement the utility.
To obtain the repair utility, open a support ticket, or reply to your existing support ticket related to this issue. Please include your phone number in the ticket.
I want to thank each of our customers and partners for their patience during this time, and we are committed to earning your trust going forward.
UPDATE 4/27/17 2:47 p.m. MDT:
We have 0 calls in queue on our phone line, and are working through about 130 tickets related to the False Positive repair utility. A good portion of those are simply awaiting customer verification.
If you haven’t yet submitted a support ticket and you need the repair utility, please do so here. Include your phone number as well with the support ticket.
Our sincerest thanks to the MSP beta customers who worked with us to further test and validate this repair. We truly appreciate the support of our customers and thank you for your patience.
Update (Business) April 26, 10:25am MDT:
In addition to the manual fix issued Monday, April 24, we have now issued a standalone repair utility that provides a streamlined fix for business customers. It will release and restore quarantined applications to working order on the impacted endpoints.
For access to the repair utility, customers should open a support ticket, or reply to your existing support ticket related to this issue. Please include your phone number within the support ticket.
Our sincerest thanks to the MSP beta customers who worked with us to test and validate this repair. We appreciate the support of our customers and thank you for your patience.
Update (Business) April 25, 9:41pm MDT:
We created a comprehensive repair utility, and have successfully completed QA. We are currently rolling out the utility to a group of beta customers to ensure it works for our broader customer base. We expect to complete that work soon, and then will make it available incrementally to the entire customer base to ensure a successful deployment.
You also can look to our Community for ongoing updates.
Our Support team remains available to those of you who need urgent assistance, and we thank you for working with us through this challenging issue.
On April 24, Webroot experienced a technical issue affecting some business and consumer customers. Webroot incorrectly identified multiple files as malware. Webroot was not breached. Actual malicious files are being identified and blocked as normal.
We recognize that we have not met the expectations of some customers, and are committed to resolving this complex issue as quickly as possible.
For Business
Webroot is making progress on a resolution and will update you when it is available. In the meantime:
- Do not uninstall the product or delete the quarantine. This will make quarantined files unrecoverable.
- We have rolled back the false positives. Once the fix is deployed, the agent should pick up the re-determinations and perform as normal.
- Customers should ensure endpoints are powered on and connected to the internet to receive the fix. Once files have been restored from quarantine, some endpoints may require rebooting.
Those who wish to address the issue manually should follow the instructions posted on Webroot Support.
We are conducting a thorough technical review to ensure we have a complete understanding of the root cause. A summary will be posted in the Webroot Community, and Webroot account representatives will be prepared to discuss the findings in greater detail with you.
For Home
To resolve the issue, customers need to restore the quarantined file(s). Please follow the steps on the Webroot Community and restore the file(s). Webroot offers free 24/7 support for consumers, and can open a ticket for any questions here.
We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our customers and are taking the actions to earn your trust going forward.
Cyber News Rundown: Edition 4/21/17
The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cyber news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst, and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any more questions? Just ask.
Neiman Marcus Breach Bigger than Initially Believed
Following the 2015 Neiman Marcus breach, the company only recently disclosed that the impact is far greater than originally believed. The latest findings come on the heels of a January attack that copied the original 2015 hack, during which the information for over 350,000 unique credit cards was compromised. The recent attack exposed an unknown quantity of user’s data, though it focused more on the company’s loyalty card program, InCircle.
Chinese Video Service Accounts for Sale on Dark Web
As the list of data breaches continues to grow, several prominent Chinese companies have seen massive breaches, reaching well into the hundreds of millions range as far as individual accounts affected. Recently, a database belonging to Chinese streaming service Youku was found for sale on the Dark Web for a paltry $300. The database contains the usernames and passwords for nearly 100 million users, most of which have already been decrypted or even found in multiple, previously leaked databases.
Ransomware-as-a-Service, Surprisingly Affordable
The newest trend taking the malware world by storm: cheap ransomware-as-a-service that comes with a user-friendly dashboard, so launching a ransomware campaign is now easier than ever. For the low, low price of $175, aspiring cybercriminals gain access to a fully customizable interface to monitor the infections from start to end. Fortunately for potential victims of this particular variant family, security researchers have been successful in creating decryption keys to remove the malware for free.
Indian Hackers Strike at Snapchat over CEO Comments
In another case of cybercriminals turned hacktivisits, attacks have been launched following a PR nightmare in which Snapchat’s CEO allegedly made comments that the Snapchat platform is meant for “rich people”, not for “poor countries” like India. The hackers claim to have stolen user data for over 1.7 million accounts, though Snapchat has yet to confirm that any leak actually occurred.
International Hotels Group Finds Malware in Payment Systems
Following an investigation that began in the second half of 2016, officials for the International Hotels Group have confirmed that multiple locations had suffered significant credit card breaches. Even more worrisome is that the latest breach was only discovered by the card providers monitoring suspicious activity on the accounts, which suggests that the IHG’s internal security measures aren’t up to snuff.
Cyber News Rundown: Edition 4/14/17
The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cyber news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst, and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any more questions? Just ask.
Microsoft Patches Critical Zero-day Vulnerability
On Tuesday of this week, Microsoft released a patch for a relatively unknown zero-day vulnerability that allowed attackers to distribute malware through malicious Word documents. Opening the infected document allows it to contact a remote server to begin downloading malware to a victim’s system via a script file embedded in the document. While the Microsoft patch does resolve the issue, we still encourage you to use caution when opening any documents attached to emails, even if they appear to be from a trusted sender.
Legit IRS Online Tool Used Illegitimately
In the past few months, investigators have been looking into some fraudulent activity that was occurring in their Data Retrieval Tool. By using the tool as intended, criminals were able to impersonate legitimate users to begin a tax return form and access that user’s data, thereby creating fraudulent returns. From the initial investigation, it appears nearly 100,000 different user accounts have been tied to this method of identity theft. The scam itself has cost the IRS over $30 million.
Sneaky CIA Malware Uses Pop Culture References
When the Wikileaks Vault 7 post revealed numerous spying tools from a CIA dump, many researchers began digging through the treasure trove of information. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab found several malware programs with code referencing Star Trek, Flash Gordon, and other recent pop culture icons. The malware in question has been linked to a long-standing malware campaign that hit multiple targets across Europe and Asia.
Ex-Employee Hacks Hotel System, Slashes Room Rates
Ever daydream about getting back at a bad boss? One NYC Marriott hotel found itself on the receiving end of a disgruntled ex-employee’s revenge. A few weeks after being fired from his job, Juan Rodriguez hacked into the hotel’s reservation systems and cut prices down by up to 95%, costing Marriott over $50,000 before the intrusion was discovered. Unfortunately for Juan, while he was smart enough to infiltrate their network, he forgot to mask his own IP, which led authorities straight to his apartment.
Patient Records Available Online
As prices for medications and health treatment continue to rise, a lot of people are looking for cheaper ways to obtain prescriptions and services. Unfortunately, this leads to increased risk, particularly in the case of elderly citizens on a fixed income. Recently, a researcher found a database with the medical and personal records for nearly 1 million senior citizens, freely available to the public. But the database in question didn’t belong to a healthcare facility. Instead, it was owned by a telemarketing firm who had gathered a large quantity of sensitive information on the promise of providing cheaper deals on medication.
Gary Hayslip Chats About the Internet of Everything, the Strategic Role of Cybersecurity, and Becoming Webroot’s New CISO
When you meet Gary Hayslip, don’t let his calm demeanor fool you — underneath is a deep passion for and understanding of the “Internet of Everything” or IoE. To say his 25-year career in information security is impressive would be an understatement. From serving as Command Information Security Officer in the United States Navy to his more recent position as the City of San Diego CISO and deputy director, Gary has become attuned to the ever-evolving role of a CISO in organizations.
As I chatted with him across a boardroom table, I began to picture how IoE has the potential to create abundant opportunity and new risks. Imagine this: smart parking meters making your urban commute easier. Communications between your car’s GPS and parking meters in the vicinity help you find a vacant spot and pay the meter all from an app on your phone. Now imagine the adverse — a powerful DDoS attack using those same smart parking meters to send a flood of communications to an area internet service provider, overloading its network bandwidth, and debilitating internet service for its customers. It can be scary to think about.
According to the FBI, “deficient security capabilities and difficulties for patching vulnerabilities in these devices, as well as a lack of consumer security awareness, provide cyber actors with opportunities to exploit these devices.” For the record, this is why more organizations need the Gary’s of the world.
I caught up with Gary at the Webroot World Headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado, to talk about his decision to join Webroot, his views on IoT, and more.
Webroot: What made you decide to join the Webroot team?
Gary Hayslip: I had been working in the IoT and cybersecurity space around smart cities and smart communities for a while when I came across Webroot. Seeing the Webroot FlowScape® capabilities coupled with how their product suite leverages the power of machine learning to predict and protect against threats in the connected world we live in had me sold. At the end of the day, a forward-leaning company that can offer Webroot’s level of protection to both consumers and partners intrigues me.
Webroot: As an InfoSec leader, what will be your main area of focus at Webroot?
GH: To me, cybersecurity is a business critical function. The Office of the CISO provides enterprise risk management through current state assessments and forecasting. Ultimately, our consistent question to solve is “how can we better support departments across the organization?” I think I’ll bring a unique point-of-view to that question considering I was recently a customer. Along those lines, my insight from the customer point of view will offer an advantage with product strategy to reduce the risk for customers. As Webroot grows, I want to ensure the programs and strategies my teams create are flexible enough to grow alongside the company.
Webroot: What opportunity do you think Webroot can fill in the market?
GH: I see a significant amount of movement in getting IoT devices to market, but not a lot of readiness to make sure these devices can be scanned, monitored, or protected. FlowScape bridges the gap and allows you to see the devices communicating within your networks and gives context around what devices are doing. The Webroot product portfolio truly does protect users across devices, networks, and perimeters. Delivering comprehensive security solutions that detect, defend, and provide analysis to businesses and individuals is our sweet spot.
Webroot: What difference do you want to make in your new role?
GH: The biggest thing for me is making a resilient program ever better. Cybersecurity is a life cycle and breaches are part of that life cycle. It’s never lost on me that threats are constantly emerging and evolving. It’s only fitting for a best-in-industry organization to meet the threats where they live with constant preparation.
In addition to sitting on numerous boards and being an active member of ISSA, ISACA, OWASP, and InfraGard, Gary holds the certifications of CISSP, CISA, and CRISC. Be sure to check out his book CISO Desk Reference Guide.
7 dangerous subject lines
Email attacks are the most common methods for initiating ransomware and phishing scams. Attackers want you to open an infected attachment or click a malicious link, and unwittingly download malware to your machine. But you can avoid such attacks by being patient, checking email addresses, and being cautious of sketchy-sounding subject lines.
7 dangerous subject lines to avoid
Cybercriminals initiate their attacks through hyperlinks or attachments within emails. Most of these attacks use urgency or take advantage of user trust and curiosity to entice victims to click. Here are examples of subject lines to be cautious of.
- Remember me? It’s Tim Timmerson from Sunnytown High! Criminals use social engineering tactics to find out the names of the people close to you. They may also hack a friend or relative’s email account and use their contact lists as ammo. Next, they research and impersonate someone you know, or used to know, through chats and emails. Not quite sure about a message you received? Hover your mouse over the sender address (without clicking) to see who the real sender is.
- Online Banking Alert: Your Account will be Deactivated. Imagine the sense of urgency this type of subject line might create. In your panicked rush to find out what’s going on with your account, you might not look too closely at the sender and the URL they want you to visit. At the end of March, a Bank of America email scam just like this was successfully making the rounds. Initially, the email looked completely legitimate and explained politely that a routine server upgrade had locked the recipient out of their account. At this point, when clicking the link to update their account details, an unsuspecting victim would be handing their login credentials and banking information over to cybercriminals.
- USPS: Failed Package Delivery. Be wary of emails saying you missed a package, especially if they have Microsoft Word documents attached. These attacks use the attachments to execute ransomware payloads through macros. Senior Threat Research Analyst Tyler Moffitt walks us through what it’s like to get hit with a ransomware payload from a USPS phishing email.
- United States District Court: Subpoena in a civil case. Another common phishing attack imitates government entities and may try to tell you that you’re being subpoenaed. The details and court date are, of course, in the attachment, which will deliver malware.
- CAMPUS SECURITY NOTIFICATION: Phishing attacks have been targeting college students and imitating official university emails. Last month, officials at The University of North Carolina learned of an attack on their students that included a notification email stating there was a security situation. The emails were coming from a non-uncg.edu address and instructed users to “follow protocols outlined in the hyperlink”. Afterward, the attacker would ask victims to reset their password and collect their sensitive information.
- Ready for your beach vacay? Vacation scams offer great deals or even free airfare if you book RIGHT NOW. These scams are usually accompanied by overpriced hotel fees, hidden costs, timeshare pitches that usually don’t pan out, and even the theft of your credit card information. Check the legitimacy of offers by hovering over links to see the full domain, copy and pasting links into a notepad to take a closer look, and by researching the organization.
- Update your direct deposit to receive your tax refund. The IRS warns of last minute email phishing scams that take advantage of everyone’s desire for hard-earned refunds and no doubt, their banking credentials.
Read between the lines
- Enable an email spam filter
- Hover over links before you click
- Keep your cybersecurity software up to date
- Disable macros to avoid ransomware payloads
- Ignore unsolicited emails and attachments
- Be on the lookout for the top 5 tax season scams
- Educate yourself on social engineering attacks
- Check the Federal Trade Commission’s scam alerts
Help us create awareness in the community around scams and phishing attacks with dangerous subject lines. From here on, education should be top of mind as our community begins to adopt safer online habits. Share this blog with your friends and family or get in on the #CyberSmart conversation by sharing a Tweet.
Phone Spoofing Unpacked
Raise your hand if you’ve ever received a call from a company, unsolicited, that got aggressive? Maybe the caller wouldn’t hang up or kept calling back. Maybe the caller asked for money or made a threat. Regardless, you were upset. But when you alerted the company of the bad deed, they gave you some line about phone “spoofing.” Your gut reaction might have been to call BS. But it’s not. Phone spoofing remains a thorn in the side of many consumers across America. According to an online survey conducted by Harris Poll for Truecaller, roughly 27 million Americans reported losing money to phone scams over the last 12 months, a 53 percent increase from 2014.
At Webroot, we’ve heard from our customers they’ve been targets of phone scammers and we want to help educate our community.
We encourage our customers to steer clear from doing business with any callers claiming to be
- tech support and requesting access to your computer to “fix a problem” and charge you;
- Webroot and trying to sell you a lifetime SecureAnywhere subscription
Webroot teammates DO NOT make unsolicited outbound calls to customers. If you have been a victim of such callers purporting to be Webroot, file a complaint with the FCC. The FCC collects data to track down and prosecute scammers. (Anyone who is illegally spoofing can face penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation.)
What is Phone Spoofing?
Phone spoofing is when a scammer makes another person’s or company’s phone number appear on the receiver’s caller ID in an attempt to impersonate that individual or organization. The end goal is to gain access to your personal information and/or get you to pay for a fake service.
How can I protect myself from phone spoofers?
As a consumer, you have rights and options.
- If a number repeatedly calls and doesn’t leave a message, block it.
- If you do pick up and it seems like a bogus call, hang up immediately. However, you may find yourself on the other end of a questionable conversation. In this case, place the caller on hold and call their incoming number. If someone picks up on the other end from the company, ask whether or not the person on hold is calling on their behalf. The key is not to share any personal information.
- Finally, educate your community. Help others in your life understand what phone spoofing is and how to protect themselves. You wouldn’t use a third party to call if you were stuck in Nigeria and needed a loan! Discuss scams you’ve received and how you handled with friends, so they are aware of the scenario and the appropriate actions to take. We’ve also provided resources to help you navigate keeping yourself safe..
How to stop phone spoofing
The government and telecom industry are working together to put a stop to spoofing. The Truth in Caller ID Act, passed in 2009, prohibits any person or entity from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value. Also, the tech and telecom industries are working on solutions. Similar to our antivirus solutions for email and internet safety, there may soon be better anti-spoofing protections for voice.
Americans receive 15.8 spam calls (cell and/or landline) and 6.3 spam text messages in an average month. Until a complete solution is found, remain vigilant about protecting your personal information.
Cyber News Rundown: Edition 3/31/17
The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cyber news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst, and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any more questions? Just ask.
Ransomware Exploits Safari Bug
Apple fixed a flaw earlier this week that allowed scammers to exploit a pop-up redirecting porn viewers to a fake law enforcement page. Once there, further access was blocked, and a demand for an iTunes gift card as ransom was made. While many unsuspecting users fell victim to the scam, Apple was able to promptly issue a patch that resolved the vulnerability. Apple has also recommended that anyone affected by the scam should clear their browser cache, to remove any possibility of relaunching the malicious sites.
Microsoft’s Docs.com Sharing Documents Publicly
Researchers have discovered that a vast majority of the documents posted to Docs.com are fully searchable and indexed into several search engines. This wouldn’t be such an issue if the many users posting content to the site were aware of the public availability of the possibly-sensitive documents they had unwittingly sent through their organizations and out into the public domain. While Microsoft has since removed the search bar from the main site page, anything uploaded prior is still available through multiple search engines.
Hong Kong Voter Records Leaked
As the Hong Kong elections took place over the weekend, two laptops containing sensitive information for Hong Kong’s nearly 3.7 million voters were stolen from a backup location for the elections. While the data on the laptops was encrypted, it could only be a matter of time until it is broken and that data is exposed. If released, it would be the largest data breach to ever come out of Hong Kong.
Crusader Adware Replaces Tech Support Search Results
A new browser extension has been discovered that can modify a user’s search results, launch additional ads, and even display pop-ups for other scams. Usually installed with a bundle of other software, the extension known as Crusader is able to monitor all Internet traffic and rewrite tech support numbers to continue the cycle by having the victim contact yet another tech support scammer for “assistance.”
WoW Users Targeted with Phishing Attack
Many avid World of Warcraft players have received emails offering an in-game pet that was “gifted” to them by a fellow gamer. Unfortunately for the recipients, the link directing them towards the Battle.net site to claim their gift actually sent them to a phishing site set up to capture all of their login information. While the scam site is already blocked by Google’s Safe Browsing, users are still urged to proceed with caution, should they receive any suspicious emails.
Celebrate World Backup Day the Smarter Way
Don’t wait for a system failure, ransomware attack, or for your laptop to be stolen before you start thinking about backing up your data.
Why back up?
According to a 2016 study by Acronis, 1 in 3 people have suffered data loss and are willing to pay up to $500 or more to recover lost files. Your data and important files are undoubtedly worth a lot to you, but—realistically speaking—just how much are you willing (or even able) to shell out?
With the increase in ransomware and sophisticated attacks, you can’t afford NOT to back up your files and sensitive data. Being proactive with your backup can help save your favorite vacation photos, videos of your kid’s first piano recital, not to mention sensitive information that could cost you thousands by itself.
In an effort to help the community be more cyber aware, WorldBackupDay.com celebrates on March 31st not only as a day for backing up your personal data, but a day for preserving our increasingly digital heritage for future generations.
How to effectively back files up to prevent data loss:
- Choose a secure backup solution. Whether it’s a cloud-based service or an external hard drive, do your research and choose what’s right for you.
- Implement a backup schedule that covers your preferred data through your cloud solution or external drive.
- Set reminders to ensure that your backups are running regularly and that they haven’t encountered any errors.
I’ve backed up my data. Now what? How do I avoid a ransomware attack?
“Throughout 2016 and likely into 2017, the Office document macro infection into encrypting ransomware was quite common. By disabling macros completely in the trust center (free and easy to do) you will completely remove this attack vector from posing a threat to you or your organization.” –Tyler Moffitt, Senior Threat Research Analyst
- Disable macros
- Keep your device and all programs, plugins, add-ons, and patches up to date
- Use a secure browser with an ad blocking plugin
- Disable autorun in Windows
Take the Pledge
Hop on the World Backup Day bandwagon. Share a Tweet to help keep yourself, your friends, and your family protected from ransomware attacks, stolen devices, and system failure.
It’s easy. Repeat after me.
“I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st.”
Ransomware: a Modern Threat to Public Safety
Ransomware authors are pivoting their attacks from individuals to government entities and health care institutions, causing a threat to public safety. Traditionally, crypto ransomware targeted individuals and encrypted their personal data and files as a form of extortion for hundreds of dollars. Ransomware has evolved to target businesses and government agencies for much larger financial gains.
The cost of ransomware
There are countless news stories of hospitals and other institutions being shut down by ransomware. We have been seeing an increase in attacks on government entities, including counties and police departments.
A small Ohio town experienced a ransomware attack earlier this year that shut down county government offices and 911 dispatch. This slowed their emergency response but luckily they were still able to respond to emergency 911 calls.
The financial costs to these organizations are also a concern and they’ve been steadily increasing as crypto ransomware continues to evolve.
The FBI estimated that cybercriminals would collect over $1 billion in ransoms during 2016.
In reality, the actual losses suffered by organizations are much higher due to the disruption of productivity and when government entities and police departments are increasingly being targeted, public safety becomes an issue.
An issue of public safety
Ransomware attacks targeting hospitals are increasing, crippling critical infrastructure and exposing or hindering Electronic Health Records (EHR). When these records are impacted, it causes patient care to be hindered or halted. As more organizations implement connected medical devices and allow employees to bring their own devices to work, access points for unauthorized users are left open.
A 2016 study by Peak 10 found that only 47% of current healthcare organizations have implemented advanced malware protection and only 57% have implemented an encrypted network.
Earlier this year, an attack on police CCTV cameras in Washington D.C. crippled the city’s surveillance system and forced major citywide reinstallation. Although this attack was an extortion effort, it makes you wonder how similar attacks will be used to cripple government emergency response and how cyberattack methods are evolving.
Once ransomware hits a police department’s system, the damage can be catastrophic if mitigation methods aren’t in place. Attacks cripple dispatch systems and patrol car computers, slow police response time, expose records, and create an unsafe environment for officers in inmate holding areas.
What the government is doing about it
Ransomware and other cyberattacks on government operations are a real issue of public safety and steps need to be taken to improve response time to such attacks. The FBI recommends taking prevention and continuity measures to lessen the risk from ransomware attacks.
- Back up your data locally or in the cloud
- Secure backups and keep them on scheduled updates
- Do not open attachments in unsolicited emails
- Keep your operating system, software, and firmware up-to-date
- Ensure antivirus and antimalware solutions are set to automatically scan and update
- Report internet crimes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Ransomware presents a real, imminent threat to the public and to our government. Share this article to help spread ransomware awareness in your community.
Cyber News Rundown: Edition 3/24/17
The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cyber news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst, and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any more questions? Just ask.
Hackers Threaten to Lock 200M+ iCloud Accounts
Hackers are threatening to remotely lock down over 200 million iCloud accounts. Webroot Senior Threat Research Analyst, Tyler Moffitt told SC Media that this may be a bluff. We’ll wait and see on this one since all we have to go off of is the hackers’ word and a few screenshots. We’ll know more as the ransom deadline of April 7th approaches.
American Farmers are Hacking Their Tractors
This isn’t our usual data leak or ransomware attack, it’s black market tractor hacking. Farmers are taking things into their own hands in an effort to thwart manufacturer blocks on their farming equipment. These blocks are an attempt to prevent farmers from going to cheaper, “unauthorized” repair shops to maintain their vehicles. Farmers are starting to hack their equipment with Ukrainian Firmware so they can fix their tractors when they need to and at an affordable price.
ISPs Now Allowed to Sell User Browsing History to Advertisers
It just wouldn’t be the Cyber News Rundown without a new government data leak or citizen privacy battle. The US Senate has voted to eliminate broadband privacy rules that require ISPs to obtain customer consent before selling any sensitive information with advertisers. The vote was split equally down the party lines, and now only a House vote or Presidential veto could stop the roll-back of the privacy rules. The data in question is extremely valuable as major corporations could use it to pattern out an individual’s entire day, based on their Internet usage, purchases made, and places visited.
UK Mobile Data Breach Leaves Customers Stunned
Customers at Three UK found a surprise when signing into their accounts, a breach of privacy where they’d see a stranger’s personal information and call history. The cause of the breach hasn’t been announced but this is their second data exposure within a few months. Although the Three UK breach only affected a small percentage of their 9 million customers, I’m guessing back-to-back data leaks are not helping their retention rates.
McDonald’s Delivery App Vulnerabilities
The McDonald’s India-exclusive app service, McDelivery, is currently under fire for an API leak that has exposed millions of users. The vulnerability was originally reported to McDonald’s in early February and is still unpatched. While reporting these types of breaches isn’t mandatory in India, you’d think the sheer number of users who could be negatively impacted would motivate McDonald’s to release an update. I guess I wouldn’t mind people knowing how often I order off the dollar menu either — but having access to my phone number and address is another story.