Security News > 2022

Linux version of AvosLocker ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers
2022-01-10 21:09

AvosLocker is the latest ransomware gang that has added support for encrypting Linux systems to its recent malware variants, specifically targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines. While we couldn't find what targets were targeted using this AvosLocker ransomware Linux variant, BleepingComputer knows of at least one victim that got hit with a $1 million ransom demand.

Researchers Find Bugs in Over A Dozen Widely Used URL Parser Libraries
2022-01-10 20:34

"The confusion in URL parsing can cause unexpected behavior in the software, and could be exploited by threat actors to cause denial-of-service conditions, information leaks, or possibly conduct remote code execution attacks," the researchers said in a report shared with The Hacker News. With URLs being a fundamental mechanism by which resources - located either locally or on the web - can be requested and retrieved, differences in how the parsing libraries interpret a URL request could pose significant risk for users.

Abcbot Botnet Linked to Operators of Xanthe Cryptomining malware
2022-01-10 20:33

New research into the infrastructure behind an emerging DDoS botnet named Abcbot has uncovered links with a cryptocurrency-mining botnet attack that came to light in December 2020. Attacks involving Abcbot, first disclosed by Qihoo 360's Netlab security team in November 2021, are triggered via a malicious shell script that targets insecure cloud instances operated by cloud service providers such as Huawei, Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba Cloud to download malware that co-opts the machine to a botnet, but not before terminating processes from competing threat actors and establishing persistence.

Oops: Cyberspies infect themselves with their own malware
2022-01-10 18:43

After infecting themselves with their own custom remote access trojan, an Indian-linked cyber-espionage group has accidentally exposed its operations to security researchers. During PatchWork's most recent campaign, between late November to early December 2021, Malwarebytes Labs observed the threat actors using malicious RTF documents impersonating Pakistani authorities to infect targets with a new variant of the BADNEWS RAT, known as Ragnatela.

Avira also mines imaginary internet money on customers' PCs
2022-01-10 18:36

Germany-based security biz Avira's antivirus has enabled a new feature: "Avira Crypto". As NortonLifeLock also bought Avast last year, it will be interesting to see if its owner's new-found fondness for imaginary internet money will soften Avast's strong anti-cryptocurrency-mining stance.

URL Parsing Bugs Allow DoS, RCE, Spoofing & More
2022-01-10 17:55

Eight different security vulnerabilities arising from inconsistencies among 16 different URL parsing libraries could allow denial-of-service conditions, information leaks and remote code execution in various web applications, researchers are warning. Multiple Parsers in Use: Whether by design or an oversight, developers sometimes use more than one URL parsing library in projects.

Microsoft: powerdir bug gives access to protected macOS user data
2022-01-10 17:39

Microsoft says threat actors could use a macOS vulnerability to bypass Transparency, Consent, and Control technology to access users' protected data. The Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team has reported the vulnerability dubbed powerdir to Apple on July 15, 2021, via the Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research.

Weekly cyberattacks jumped by 50% in 2021, with a peak in December due largely to the Log4J exploit
2022-01-10 16:47

Check Point Research said Africa had the highest amount with an average of 1,582 per week per organization. For 2021 as a whole, the number of cyberattacks against corporate networks soared by 50% from the previous year, cyber threat intelligence provider Check Point Research said in a report released on Monday.

Linux Mint 20.3 released promising security updates until 2025
2022-01-10 16:43

Linux Mint has released version 20.3, codenamed 'Una,' as a long-term support version that will receive security updates until 2025. Long-term support releases are for those who favor stability over bleeding-edge software and experimental features, so Linux Mint 20.3 is ideal for those who want to keep the same system without significant changes for years.

Cyber-Spike: Orgs Suffer 925 Attacks per Week, an All-Time High
2022-01-10 16:29

With millions of Log4j-targeted attacks clocking in per hour since the flaw's discovery last month, there's been a record-breaking peak of 925 cyberattacks a week per organization, globally. The number comes out of a Monday report from Check Point Research, which found Log4Shell attacks to be a major contributor to a 50-percent increase year-over-year in overall attacks per week on corporate networks for 2021.