Just like in September, the cyber extortion epidemic keeps mutating. The crooks at the helm of ransomware campaigns are constantly experimenting with the geography of their attacks, intimidation tactics, data locking mechanisms, and payment channels. Learn how this underground ecosystem evolved last month and whether the security industry is ready...

I've added some handy tools to my pentest toolbox this year. You'll find a short description of each with links to more information below. Whether red or blue team, you'll want to know what these tools can do. Password Spraying Password spraying is guessing a few passwords against a large list of users in order to avoid account lockout. You would...

The webcam is a cherished tool of digital extortionists. With the help of a remote access trojan (RAT) like BlackShades or Dark Comet, a bad actor can "slave" a user's computer, assume control over their webcam, record the unknowing individual, and leverage that footage to get what they want from their victim. Those demands could consist of money,...

As we near the end of 2016, it’s safe to say this year has brought its fair share of notorious cyber attacks, data breaches and security incidents. We saw a rampant rise in ransomware targeting hospitals and healthcare providers; we saw attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) resulting in disruptions and outages; we saw high-profile banks lose...

The Bizarro Sundown exploit kit is spreading two versions of Locky ransomware via the still-active ShadowGate malvertising campaign. In October, Trend Micro spotted two versions of Bizarro Sundown, a modification of the earlier Sundown exploit kit which rose to prominence with RIG following Neutrino's demise. The first iteration reared its ugly head...

What has caused a seemingly typical ransomware from turning into one of the most popular malware threats this year? I've uncovered the facts, so allow me to give some insight into how this ransomware became one of the most feared strains this year. The First Johnycryptor Ransomware Major Hits In early July 2016, various security vendors spotted...

In February 2016, Tripwire first unveiled the results of its 2016 Breach Detection Survey. The study polled the comments of 763 security information security personnel about their organizations' efficacy of implementing seven key security controls: PCI DSS, SOX, NERC CIP, MAS TRM, NIST 800-53 and IRS 1075. Those controls are essential to helping an...

Actors can use spoofing attacks to gain control of a smart webcam that leaks its own password as well as local network credentials. To raise awareness about the insecure design of many Internet of Things (IoT) devices, researchers at Bitdefender Labs took a look at a smart webcam. The camera comes with a motion and sound detection system, two-way...

The HookAds malvertising campaign redirects users to a landing page for the RIG exploit kit that comes prepackaged with all types of baddies. HookAds, which got its name from a string found by Malwarebytes researchers in the delivery URL, works as follows. A malvertising chain redirects visitors to adult websites that sometimes generate millions of...

Information security really needs female professionals. There aren't a lot of us, but all the women in infosec I've met so far have been fascinating. In my first interview, I spoke with Tiberius Hefflin, a Security Assurance Analyst. The second woman I spoke to was Tracy Z. Maleeff, who is well known on Twitter as @InfoSecSherpa. Kim Crawley: How...

For the ancient Greeks, Cerberus was a multi-headed dog guarding the gates of the underworld. Its duty was to not let any dead soul exit the kingdom of the dead. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that cybercriminals chose this dreadful creature as the foundation of the ransomware monster known as Cerber. Nobody wants to see Cerber ransomware encrypt...

Celebrating the fifth and final week of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2016, we at The State of Security would like to emphasize the goal of building resilience in critical infrastructure. We'll do so by discussing three ICS security incidents that rocked 2016 and by sourcing expert opinion on what we can learn from each of those...

Cyber extortion, contrary to some misconceptions, isn’t new. The fact is it's a top IT security concern that's been targeting susceptible enterprises for over four decades now. Here's some background information. Bank of America was the first to be on the receiving end of the threat in 1971. Since then, it has become a thriving business for...

A Promoted Tweet claims it can help Twitter users get their accounts verified, but in reality, it's just a scam. Promoted Tweets are a way by which Twitter users can pay for a Tweet to reach a wide audience and generate engagement with their current followers. As such, they are an excellent tool for anyone looking to advertise something....

Remember when you were a kid on Halloween? You were so excited to trick-or-treat that you couldn’t even finish your dinner. With your Halloween costume on, you were ready to go out with your friends and get all the candy you could. Think about the advice you likely heard from your parents before leaving the house. Perhaps it was something like “only...

A perfect storm is definitely brewing. Severe and hazardous internet weather warnings have been out there for some time now, and last week’s DDoS downpour on Dyn, along with the escalating events leading up to it, may prove to be a mere shower compared to what is yet to come. Let’s start by considering another type of forecast, that of the projected...

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules that will require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to obtain customers' permission before they sell their data for marketing purposes. On 27 October, the Commission's Democratic majority secured the passage of the rules with a 3-2 vote, with Republicans opposing adoption. Chairman Tom...

Windows AppLocker is a powerful whitelisting technology built into modern Windows operating systems. It provides the ability to lock down installers, scripts and executables on the local machine via either a white list or a black list of file data. For many organizations, this is a great technology to reduce the attack surface of the endpoint by...

We at The State of Security have explored all the ways people can strengthen their security online in acknowledgement of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2016. We kicked off the public awareness campaign by providing tips on how users can protect their passwords, as well as defend against ransomware and other common IT security...

Macro malware arrived with a bang 21 years ago, and it's still causing problems. Concept, the first ever virus to spread by infecting Microsoft Office files, turned the anti-virus world on its head overnight when it was shipped by Microsoft on a CD ROM in August 1995. Up until then the main thing computer users had to worry about was malware hiding...