Security News
Cybersecurity researchers today disclosed a new supply chain attack targeting online gamers by compromising the update mechanism of NoxPlayer, a free Android emulator for PCs and Macs. Dubbed "Operation NightScout" by Slovak cybersecurity firm ESET, the highly-targeted surveillance campaign involved distributing three different malware families via tailored malicious updates to selected victims based in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka.
Researchers allege, attackers have compromised the update mechanism of NoxPlayer, which is software that allows gamers to run Android apps on their PCs or Macs. Researchers said, out of more than the 100,000 users in their telemetry that have Noxplayer installed on their machines, only five users received a malicious update, showing the attack is a "Highly targeted operation." These victims are based in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka.
Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp has received new high-caliber support in its case against Israeli intelligence company NSO Group. The court case aims to hold NSO Group accountable for distributing its Pegasus spyware on the popular WhatsApp messaging service with the intent of planting its spyware on phones of journalists and human rights workers.
Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub, Google, LinkedIn, VMware and the Internet Association have filed an amicus brief in support of WhatsApp in the legal case against the NSO Group. Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp filed the lawsuit in October 2019 in California, accusing Israeli technology firm NSO Group of spying on journalists, human rights activists and others.
The latest twist is ransomware targeting Android devices disguised as a legitimate download of the new open-world game. New Android #Ransomware disguised as #Cyberpunk2077 game.
As many as 25 private companies - including the Israeli company NSO Group and the Italian firm Hacking Team - have sold surveillance software to Mexican federal and state police forces, but there is little or no regulation of the sector - and no way to control where the spyware ends up, said the officials. The cyberweapons arms business is immoral in many ways.
New spyware is targeting iOS and Android frequenters of adult mobile sites by posing as a secure messaging application in yet another twist on sextortionist scams. The spyware, dubbed Goontact, targets users of escort-service sites and other sex-oriented services - particularly in Chinese-speaking countries, Korea and Japan, according to research published by Lookout Threat Intelligence on Wednesday.
An extortion campaign targeting Chinese, Korean, and Japanese speakers recently started using a new piece of spyware, mobile security firm Lookout reported on Wednesday. The campaign is focused on infecting iOS and Android of illicit sites, such as those offering escort services, in order to steal personal information, likely with the intent to blackmail or extort victims.
Israeli spyware maker NSO Group has taken a leaf out of Hollywood in an attempt to avoid any legal repercussions from making and selling tools that hack WhatsApp users' phones. When NSO failed to turn up in court in the US state, Facebook claimed victory; and NSO accused it of lying and having failed to serve the legal documents.
The attacks, which targeted IP-addresses belonging to internet service providers in Australia, Israel, Russia, and defense contractors based in Russia and India, involved a previously undiscovered spyware tool called Torisma to stealthily monitor its victims for continued exploitation. Tracked under the codename of "Operation North Star" by McAfee researchers, initial findings into the campaign in July revealed the use of social media sites, spear-phishing, and weaponized documents with fake job offers to trick employees working in the defense sector to gain a foothold on their organizations' networks.