Cybercrime/malcode – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Oct 12
2022

Emulating impossible ‘unipolar’ laser pulses paves the way for processing quantum information

A laser pulse that sidesteps the inherent symmetry of light waves could manipulate quantum information, potentially bringing us closer to room temperature quantum computing.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Regensburg and the University of Michigan, could also accelerate conventional computing.

Quantum computing has the potential to accelerate solutions to problems that need to explore many variables at the same time, including drug discovery, weather prediction and encryption for cybersecurity. Conventional computer bits encode either a 1 or 0, but quantum bits, or qubits, can encode both at the same time. This essentially enables quantum computers to work through multiple scenarios simultaneously, rather than exploring them one after the other. However, these mixed states don’t last long, so the information processing must be faster than electronic circuits can muster.

Oct 8
2022

Facebook warns against data breach: Here’s how to avoid it

The social media platform announced on Friday that it identified more than 400 malicious Android and iOS apps this year which target internet users in order to steal their login credentials.

Meta Platforms Inc. reveals that it would notify one million Facebook users that their account credentials may have been compromised due to security issues with apps downloaded from Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc.’s software store.

https://www.livemint.com/technology/apps/facebook-warns-agai…5206859852.

Oct 8
2022

The world’s biggest crypto exchange Binance lost $100 million in hack

The hackers have not yet been identified.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, was hacked, and around $100 million of Binance Coins (BNB) were stolen, the CEO of Binance, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, tweeted Friday morning.

The CEO of Binance, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, took to Twitter on Friday morning to announce that his platform had been hacked and that $100 million in Binance Coins had been stolen. The hackers have yet to be identified.

Oct 8
2022

Team demonstrates that basic mechanism for internet security can be broken

The National research center for Cybersecurity ATHENE has found a way to break one of the basic mechanisms used to secure internet traffic. The mechanism, called RPKI, is actually designed to prevent cybercriminals or government attackers from diverting traffic on the internet.

Such redirections are surprisingly common on the internet, for example, for espionage or through misconfigurations. The ATHENE scientist team of Prof. Dr. Haya Shulman showed that attackers can completely bypass the security mechanism without the affected network operators being able to detect this. According to analyses by the ATHENE team, popular implementations of RPKI worldwide were vulnerable by early 2021.

The team informed the manufacturers, and now presented the findings to the international expert public.

Oct 7
2022

BlackByte Ransomware Abuses Vulnerable Windows Driver to Disable Security Solutions

As part of another BYOVD attack, BlackByte ransomware exploits a flaw in a legitimate Windows driver to bypass security software.

Oct 7
2022

Malware Apps May Have Stolen The Passwords Of 1 Million Facebook Users, Meta Says

Rudimentary malware hidden inside fake photo editors, VPNs and even horoscope and flashlight apps has affected a large number of Facebook users, says a new report released by Meta.

Oct 5
2022

Experts Warn of New RatMilad Android Spyware Targeting Enterprise Devices

A new Android malware dubbed “RatMilad” has been observed targeting Middle Eastern enterprise mobile devices by posing as VPNs and spoofing apps.

Oct 5
2022

Avast releases free decryptor for Hades ransomware variants

Avast has released a decryptor for variants of the Hades ransomware known as ‘MafiaWare666’, ‘Jcrypt’, ‘RIP Lmao’, and ‘BrutusptCrypt,’ allowing victims to recover their files for free.

The security company says it discovered a flaw in the encryption scheme of the Hades strain, allowing some of the variants to be unlocked. However, this may not apply to newer or unknown samples that use a different encryption system.

Utilizing Avast’s tool, victims of the supported ransomware variants can decrypt and access their files again without paying a ransom to the attackers, which ranges between $50 and $300. However, ransom demands reached tens of thousands in some cases.

Oct 5
2022

Hundreds of Microsoft SQL servers backdoored with new malware

Security researchers have found a new piece of malware targeting Microsoft SQL servers. Named Maggie, the backdoor has already infected hundreds of machines all over the world.

Maggie is controlled through SQL queries that instruct it to run commands and interact with files. Its capabilities extend to brute-forcing administrator logins to other Microsoft SQL servers and doubling as a bridge head into the server’s network environment.

The backdoor was discovered by German analysts Johann Aydinbas and Axel Wauer of the DCSO CyTec. Telemetry data shows that Maggie is more prevalent in South Korea, India, Vietnam, China, Russia, Thailand, Germany, and the United States.

Oct 5
2022

As ransomware attacks increase, new algorithm may help prevent power blackouts

Millions of people could suddenly lose electricity if a ransomware attack just slightly tweaked energy flow onto the U.S. power grid.

No single power utility company has enough resources to protect the entire grid, but maybe all 3,000 of the grid’s utilities could fill in the most crucial security gaps if there were a map showing where to prioritize their security investments.

Purdue University researchers have developed an algorithm to create that map. Using this tool, regulatory authorities or cyber insurance companies could establish a framework that guides the security investments of power utility companies to parts of the grid at greatest risk of causing a blackout if hacked.