Security News

Screencastify fixes bug that would have let rogue websites spy on webcams
2022-05-24 00:17

Screencastify, a popular Chrome extension for capturing and sharing videos from websites, was recently found to be vulnerable to a cross-site scripting flaw that allowed arbitrary websites to dupe people into unknowingly activating their webcams. Palant contends the browser extension continues to pose a risk because the code trusts multiple partner subdomains, and an XSS flaw on any one of those sites could potentially be misused to attack Screencastify users.

New Industrial Spy stolen data market promoted through cracks, adware
2022-04-16 16:50

Threat actors have launched a new marketplace called Industrial Spy that sells stolen data from breached companies, as well as offering free stolen data to its members. While stolen data marketplaces are not new, instead of extorting companies and scaring them with GDPR fines, Industrial Spy promotes itself as a marketplace where businesses can purchase their competitors' data to gain access to trade secrets, manufacturing diagrams, accounting reports, and client databases.

UK spy agencies sharing bulk personal data with foreign allies was legal, says court
2022-04-06 08:33

A privacy rights org this week lost an appeal [PDF] in a case about the sharing of Bulk Personal Datasets by MI5, MI6, and GCHQ with foreign intelligence agencies. The decision means a contested part of a 2018 ruling by the IPT will stand: that safeguards and rules around data collection between 2015 to 2017 by the state agencies meant that sharing that data was legal - "Compatible with article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights."

UK spy boss warns China hopes Russia will help it take over tech standards
2022-03-31 04:01

The director of UK intelligence agency Government Communications Headquarters, Sir Jeremy Fleming, has warned that China is trying to introduce "Undemocratic values as the default for vast swathes of future tech and the standards that govern it." China believes Russia will support its digital markets and technology plans.

Cow-counting app abused by China 'to spy on US states'
2022-03-09 00:08

Beijing's spies compromised government computer networks in six US states by exploiting, among other flaws, a vulnerability in a cattle-counting system, according to Mandiant. Mandiant said APT41 aka Double Dragon, one of China's more aggressive intrusion crews, exploited a zero-day vulnerability in a web app called USAHerds, used by agriculture officials to track the health and density of the nation's livestock, as well as the Log4j flaw, to break into American local government systems.

Cow-counting app 'abused by China to spy on US govt'
2022-03-09 00:08

Beijing's spies compromised government computer networks in six US states by exploiting, among other flaws, a vulnerability in a cattle-counting system, according to Mandiant. Mandiant said APT41 aka Double Dragon, one of China's more aggressive intrusion crews, exploited a zero-day vulnerability in a web app called USAHerds, used for tracking the health and density of the nation's livestock, as well as the Log4j flaw, to break into American public-sector systems.

Internet 'spy system' delayed because nation can't get the equipment
2022-02-16 03:45

The government of Cambodia has delayed implementation of its National Internet Gateway, because it is yet to acquire the equipment needed to operate the service. The Gateway was announced in February 2021 and quickly attracted criticism on the basis its enabling legislation gives the regime - which has banned opposition parties from contesting elections - the power to force all internet traffic to or from the country, and within its borders, to pass through the Gateway.

Hackers Exploited 0-Day Vulnerability in Zimbra Email Platform to Spy on Users
2022-02-04 05:18

A threat actor, likely Chinese in origin, is actively attempting to exploit a zero-day vulnerability in the Zimbra open-source email platform as part of spear-phishing campaigns that commenced in December 2021. The espionage operation - codenamed "EmailThief" - was detailed by cybersecurity company Volexity in a technical report published Thursday, noting that successful exploitation of the cross-site scripting vulnerability could result in the execution of arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the user's Zimbra session.

Hackers Exploited MSHTML Flaw to Spy on Government and Defense Targets
2022-01-29 00:06

Cybersecurity researchers on Tuesday took the wraps off a multi-stage espionage campaign targeting high-ranking government officials overseeing national security policy and individuals in the defense industry in Western Asia. Trellix attributed the attacks with moderate confidence to the Russia-based APT28 group, the threat actor behind the compromise of SolarWinds in 2020, based on similarities in the source code as well as in the attack indicators and geopolitical objectives.

MoleRats APT Launches Spy Campaign on Bankers, Politicians, Journalists
2022-01-24 21:54

NET payload and command-and-control servers with previous MoleRats APT attacks. "The targets in this campaign were chosen specifically by the threat actor and they included critical members of the banking sector in Palestine, people related to Palestinian political parties, as well as human rights activists and journalists in Turkey," Zscaler's analysts found.