Security News

Microsoft Bug Allowed Hackers to Breach Over Two Dozen Organizations via Forged Azure AD Tokens
2023-07-15 06:41

Microsoft on Friday said a validation error in its source code allowed for Azure Active Directory tokens to be forged by a malicious actor known as Storm-0558 using a Microsoft account consumer signing key to breach two dozen organizations. "Storm-0558 acquired an inactive MSA consumer signing key and used it to forge authentication tokens for Azure AD enterprise and MSA consumer to access OWA and Outlook.com," the tech giant said in a deeper analysis of the campaign.

Genesis Market infrastructure and inventory sold on hacker forum
2023-07-14 20:29

The administrators of the Genesis Market for stolen credentials announced on a hacker forum that they sold the store and a new owner would get the reins "Next month." On June 28, the account GenesisStore, used by an operator of the Genesis Market for announcements on a hacker forum, posted that the group behind the store decided to sell the platform.

Microsoft still unsure how hackers stole Azure AD signing key
2023-07-14 20:18

Microsoft says it still doesn't know how Chinese hackers stole an inactive Microsoft account consumer signing key used to breach the Exchange Online and Azure AD accounts of two dozen organizations, including government agencies. The threat actors used the stolen Azure AD enterprise signing key to forge new auth tokens by exploiting a GetAccessTokenForResource API flaw, providing them access to the targets' enterprise mail.

Generative AI outperforms hackers but not their creativity
2023-07-14 05:00

72% of hackers are confident that AI cannot replace human creativity in security research and vulnerability management, according to Bugcrowd. Generative AI was a major theme in the 2023 report, with 55% of respondents saying that it can already outperform hackers or will be able to do so within the next five years.

Russian state hackers lure Western diplomats with BMW car ads
2023-07-12 19:01

The Russian state-sponsored hacking group 'APT29' has been using unconventional lures like car listings to entice diplomats in Ukraine to click on malicious links that deliver malware. APT29 is linked to the Russian government's Foreign Intelligence Service and has been responsible for numerous cyberespionage campaigns targeting high-interest individuals across the globe.

Microsoft: Chinese hackers breached US govt Exchange email accounts
2023-07-12 12:51

A Chinese hacking group has breached the email accounts of more than two dozen organizations worldwide, including U.S. and Western European government agencies, according to Microsoft. "Microsoft investigations determined that Storm-0558 gained access to customer email accounts using Outlook Web Access in Exchange Online and Outlook.com by forging authentication tokens to access user email," Microsoft said in a blog post published late Tuesday evening.

Chinese Hackers Deploy Microsoft-Signed Rootkit to Target Gaming Sector
2023-07-12 10:26

Cybersecurity researchers have unearthed a novel rootkit signed by Microsoft that's engineered to communicate with an actor-controlled attack infrastructure. "This malicious actor originates from China and their main victims are the gaming sector in China," Trend Micro's Mahmoud Zohdy, Sherif Magdy, and Mohamed Fahmy said.

Chinese hackers forged authentication tokens to breach government emails
2023-07-12 10:11

Sophisticated hackers have accessed email accounts of organizations and government agencies via authentication tokens they forged by using an acquired Microsoft account consumer signing key, the company has revealed on Tuesday. "The threat actor Microsoft links to this incident is an adversary based in China that Microsoft calls Storm-0558. We assess this adversary is focused on espionage, such as gaining access to email systems for intelligence collection."

Hackers exploit Windows policy to load malicious kernel drivers
2023-07-11 17:00

Microsoft blocked code signing certificates predominantly used by Chinese hackers and developers to sign and load malicious kernel mode drivers on breached systems by exploiting a Windows policy loophole. With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced policy changes restricting how Windows kernel-mode drivers could be loaded into the operating system, requiring developers to submit their drivers for review and sign them through Microsoft's developer portal.

Hackers Exploit Windows Policy Loophole to Forge Kernel-Mode Driver Signatures
2023-07-11 16:59

A Microsoft Windows policy loophole has been observed being exploited primarily by native Chinese-speaking threat actors to forge signatures on kernel-mode drivers. "Actors are leveraging multiple open-source tools that alter the signing date of kernel mode drivers to load malicious and unverified drivers signed with expired certificates," Cisco Talos said in an exhaustive two-part report shared with The Hacker News.