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Russia
Cyber Security Cyber Security News National Cyber Security Russia

Russia has fallen to 13th place in the world ranking of the stability of Internet segments

According to Qrator Labs, a company specializing in ensuring the availability of Internet resources and countering DDoS attacks, Russia has worsened its position in the ranking of countries with the most stable segments of the national Internet, dropping from 11th to 13th place. Experts attribute this to the continuing expansion of the market of Internet operators and the slow transition to the new IPv6 protocol, which allows using more IP addresses.

The rating of the stability of the national segments of the Internet has been calculated since 2016 among 249 countries of the world. According to the rating, Russia took the 13th place this year, the year before the Russian Federation took the 11th place.

Experts believe that the use of a more advanced version of IPv6 by network operators along with the IPv4 Protocol can increase the stability of Internet segments. Then in case of problems with one Protocol, the other will work.

According to Google, just over 30% of users in the world use the new Protocol, while in Russia this figure is slightly more than 5%.

The problem is that Russia does not have a universal program for switching to IPv6. "It is difficult to force current market participants to switch to a new Protocol, because they will have to upgrade equipment and hardware and software systems, and this is a serious expense," said Andrey Vorobyov, director of the Coordination Center for .ru / .РФ domains.

The global five countries are led by Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Next in the ranking are the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, France and Liechtenstein. Four newcomers, Liechtenstein, Japan, Indonesia and Argentina, entered the top 20 this year, while Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Ireland and Bulgaria left. Hong Kong dropped eight positions in a year.

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malware
Fleeceware. Google Playstore Joker malware

6 Malware Apps from Playstore has been banned by Google: Uninstall them from your device ASAP


The malware Joker was yet again caught making rounds on Playstore - Cybersecurity firm Pradeo identified at least six applications on the Playstore infected with Joker and now are banned from the same.


In July, Google had banned 11 apps containing the same malware. Joker also is known as Bread has been characterized as a fleeceware. These apps' sole purpose is to charge huge subscriptions and other fees to clients for the features and services they could avail for free. These apps though tricks the user they however neither steal your data nor do they run any malicious code hence fundamentally they are not malwares. Simply termed fleecewear are malicious apps hiding in "sheep's clothing". Joker malware prompts the user into paying for certain featured via SMS and has little malicious coding and is very hidden to be detected by Playstore security checks. 

The six Joker containing apps are- 
Safety AppLock, 
Convenient Scanner 2, 
Push Message- Texting & SMS, 
Emoji Wallpaper, 
Separate Doc Scanner
 and Fingertip GameBox. 

Since these apps do not contain malicious code it's hard for security to detect them, “Many of these samples appear to be designed specifically to attempt to slip into the Play Store undetected and are not seen elsewhere,” Google wrote. 

But Google is tightening the leash for apps notorious such as these. It announced earlier this year that developers will be required to make details of subscriptions, free trials, and introductory offers more precise and clear. "Part of improving the subscription user experience comes from fostering a trustworthy platform for subscribers; making sure they feel fully informed when they purchase in-app subscriptions," Angela Ying, Google product manager wrote in a blog.
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Russian Cyber Security
Cyber Attacks cyber espionage National Cyber Security Russia Russian Cyber Security

DDoS attacks from the USA, UK, Ukraine were recorded during the voting in the Russian Federation

Andrey Krutskikh, special representative of the President of Russia for international cooperation in the field of information security, said on Monday at a conference on cybersecurity that the sources of DDoS attacks on Russian government agencies during the voting on amendments to the constitution were recorded from the United States, Great Britain, Ukraine and a number of CIS countries.

He noted that in 2020, attacks with the aim of affecting critical infrastructure and electoral processes have become commonplace.

"For example, during the voting period on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation (June 25 - July 1 this year), there were large-scale attacks on the infrastructure of the Central Election Commission and other state bodies of Russia. Sources of DDoS attacks with a capacity of up to 240 thousand requests per second were recorded from the United States, Great Britain, Ukraine and a number of CIS countries,” said the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation.

According to Krutskikh, in 2020, the problems that all countries face in the information space are growing like a "snowball". Thus, the volume of illegal content, including terrorist content, distributed on the Internet is increasing, and the implementation of destructive actions of states in the information space is becoming the norm.

"The concepts adopted in some countries for preemptive cyber strikes and offensive actions in the cyber sphere do not add the optimism,” stated Mr. Krutskikh.

It is interesting to note that during the six days of voting, officials reported one major attack, it occurred on the evening of June 27. Artem Kostyrko, head of the department for improving territorial administration and developing smart projects of the Moscow government, explained that hackers tried to influence the system through a service for monitoring online voting.

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USA
China Cybersecurity India Iran USA

Iranian Threat Actors Have Modified Their Strategies, Attacks Now More Effective


Since the dawn of the digital age, Iranian hackers have been infamous for their attacks on critical infrastructures, targeting governments, and hacking large corporate networks. The main motive behind these attacks is getting espionage intelligence, steal confidential information, ransomware attacks, and target massive data networks. Since 2019, the hackers have been using developed strategies that are more effective in causing damage to the targets, resulting in better monetary benefits, says the Bloomsbury news.


Attack details

  • Earlier this year in April, hacking group APT34 (otherwise knowns as OilRig) launched a modified version of the backdoor named 'RDAT.' The backdoor uses the C2 channel, which can hide commands and data under images via attachments. 
  • Earlier this year in May, APT34 also added a new tool to its hacking inventory, known as DNSExfiltrator. The tool has allowed hackers to become the first hacking group that uses the DoH (DNS-over-HTTPS) protocol in its attacks. 

Keeping view of these new modifications in the hacking realm, organizations should know that the criminals are evolving and modifying their methods over time. It suggests that hackers have become more powerful and possess a more significant threat to the cybersecurity world.

 Other developments 

  • In August 2020, the FBI issued a security alert about the hacking group going by the name of 'Fox Kitten' attacking potentially weak F5 networks. The hacker's purpose was to attack private and public U.S. government organizations. 
  • In July 2020, making its comeback, threat actor Charming Kitten launched a cyberespionage campaign, using WhatsApp and LinkedIn to imitate Persian speaking journalists. The targets included the U.S. government, Israeli scholars belonging to Tel Aviv and Haifa universities. 
  • In June 2020, an amateur hacking group from Iran attacked Asian companies using 'Dharma' ransomware. 

According to intelligence reports, the hackers used widely available hacking tools to target companies in China, Russia, Japan, and India. From July 2020, threat actor Fox Kitten is also infamous for giving small corporate networks access on hacking forums. According to experts, it is just trying to generate revenue using other income channels, using systems that lack any intelligence value but provide Iran money.
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Russian Cyber Security
China Chinese Hackers Cyber Attacks cyber espionage Russia Russian Cyber Security

Chinese hackers targeted about five Russian developers of banking software

Chinese hacker group Winnti attacked at least five Russian developers of banking software, as well as a construction company. According to Positive Technologies, the names of banks and developers are not disclosed.

Positive Technologies noted that the implantation of special malicious code by hackers at the development stage potentially allows them to get access to Bank data. After the code is implemented onto the infected machine, a full-fledged backdoor is loaded to investigate the network and steal the necessary data.

Andrey Arsentiev, head of analytics and special projects at InfoWatch, explained that previously Winnti hacked industrial and high-tech companies from Taiwan and Europe through attacks on the software supply chain, but now, apparently, it has decided to switch to Russian companies.

According to him, there is a rather complex software supply chain in the financial sector, so Winnti may be interested not only in obtaining direct financial benefits but also in corporate espionage. As for the construction industry, Chinese hackers may be aimed at obtaining trade secrets, which in turn may be related to the plans of Chinese companies to expand into the Russian market. Mr. Arsentiev came to the conclusion that, in this way, hacker attacks would allow studying the strategy of potential competitors

Nikolay Murashov, deputy director of the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents, said that organizations involved in software development and system integration accounted for about a third of all targeted attacks in the Russian Federation in recent years.

According to Mikhail Kondrashin, technical director of Trend Micro, attacks specifically on software developers for banks open up endless opportunities for subsequent attacks. The appearance of such attacks actually changes the rules of information security in the field of development: it is no longer just about developing secure code, but rather protecting the infrastructure itself.

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Technology
Drone Aircraft Sustainable Technology Technology

Flying V: the futuristic and sustainable drone aircraft makes it's first maiden flight


The Flying V took to air for the first time in July at a German Airbase with a successful flight albeit a slightly bumpy landing.

The image is a representation of the Flying V and not the actual aircraft.


Funded by KLM and Airbus, researchers and engineers from Dutch-based Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) successfully tested the scaled model of Flying V, named after it's 'V' shape. The drone is fuel efficient to quite a sizable degree and is designed to carry passengers in its wings.

TU Delft says, “computer calculations have predicted that the aircraft’s improved aerodynamic shape and reduced weight will reduce fuel consumption by 20% compared to today’s most advanced aircraft.” 

The aircraft has a unique 'V' design with passengers, cargo hold, and fuel tanks incorporated in the wings rather than the fuselage. The researchers estimate that it will save 20% fuel compared to present-day aircraft because of its shape and weight. The aircraft was first presented at the 100th anniversary of KLM, a Dutch airline, and has been one of the supporting partners along with Airbus. 

 Flight and Landing 

The researchers had some qualms with takeoff due to issues with rotation but it was smooth sailing during the actual test. Project Leader Dr. Roelof Vos said, “One of our worries was that the aircraft might have some difficulty lifting-off since previous calculations had shown that ‘rotation’ could be an issue. The team optimized the scaled flight model to prevent the issue but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You need to fly to know for sure.” 

But both the flight and take off was smooth with a good thirst. The landing though was a bit jerky attributing (according to the researchers) to the design of the aircraft- which the team termed as too much 'Dutchroll'. The next step for the team would be to analyze the test flight and make further improvements to the design and aerodynamics.
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U.S.
Cyber Attacks Cyber Security Satellite U.S.

A New Set of Cybersecurity Principles Issued By the White House


A new set of cybersecurity principles were recently issued by the White House to ensure its commercial and critical infrastructure investments in space.

The short document states: “The United States considers unfettered freedom to operate in space vital to advancing the security, economic prosperity, and scientific knowledge of the Nation.” 

As the US focuses on this unfettered access critical to its future, it additionally increased the utilization of digital services and technologies delivered by satellites. The move was brought about as the focus of the White House goes beyond military operations in space.

The nation is worried about the effect of cybersecurity attacks against a scope of services delivered by satellite, for example, the global positioning systems. GPS is particularly significant, to military activities as well as regular citizen use.

The Space Policy Directive 5 details a list of suggested best practices for making sure that the information systems, netwoRk “radio-frequency-dependent wireless communication channels” that together power US space systems.

“These systems, networks, and channels can be vulnerable to malicious activities that can deny, degrade or disrupt space operations, or even destroy satellites,” the document stated.

“Examples of malicious cyber-activities harmful to space operations include spoofing sensor data; corrupting sensor systems; jamming or sending unauthorized commands for guidance and control; injecting malicious code; and conducting denial-of-service attacks.”

Among the suggested best practice principles was the utilization of “risk-based, cyber-security-informed engineering” to create and operate space systems, with persistent monitoring for vindictive action and of system configurations. 

 Other elements that will help ensure a good baseline of cybersecurity were mentioned as:
1. Protection against unauthorized access to space vehicle functions 

2. Physical protection of command

3. Control and telemetry receiver systems

4. Measures to counter communications jamming and spoofing

5. Management of supply chain risks and improved collaboration between space system owners. 

The document likewise included that such attacks could bring about the loss of mission data, damage to space systems, and loss of control over space vehicles such as satellites, space stations, and launch vehicles, which could lead to collisions that generate dangerous orbital debris.

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cryptocurrency mining
Bitcoin bitcoin exchange Blockchain Crypto-wallet cryptocurrency cryptocurrency hack cryptocurrency mining

New Wave of Cryptocurrency Misappropriation, Hacking, Theft and Fraud Targeting Users Massively in 2020


Crypto criminals have ramped up cryptocurrency theft, hacking, and fraud by a significant margin in the year 2020. They have amassed a sum of $1.36 billion in ill-gotten crypto from January 2020 to May 2020, according to the blockchain analytics firm. The year 2020 is recorded being on the track to become the second-costliest year of all in the history of crypto; only behind 2019’s record of $4.5 billion. The largest contribution in the year’s ongoing standings came from Chinese scam ‘WOTOKEN’ that allegedly scammed more than 700,000 users and stole over $1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies – 46,000 bitcoin, 2.04 million ethereum, 56,000 bitcoin cash, 292,000 litecoin, and 684,000 EOS.

Cryptocurrency is a virtual or digital currency that uses cryptographical functions to make financial transactions. In order to gain transparency and immutability, it makes use of blockchain technology. It is decentralized in nature as there is no central authority controlling or interfering in the processes that include making cryptocurrency exchanges directly between two parties using private and public keys. Equating to money in the real-world it attracts a large possibility of cyber fraud.

On June 2, 2020, CipherTrace released its Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report covering the global trends and latest developments to fight money laundering, terrorism financing, and sanctions evasion. It highlighted the need for regulation and compliance while reporting that 74% of bitcoin in exchange-to-exchange transactions was the cross border and 88% of funds sent to exchanges in 2019 by US Bitcoin ATMs were offshore. Researchers also noted that phishing sites are the most popular COVID-19 related products marketed on the dark web.

“While only 9.8% of the dark market’s one-hop (direct) interactions went directly to exchanges, 30.7% of its two-hop (once removed) interactions went to exchanges—more than tripling the risk exposure to exchanges,” the report read.

In addition, cryptocriminals are also employing several new malware to target cryptocurrencies, an undocumented Trojan called ‘KryptoCibule’ has been found targeting various cryptocurrencies by replacing wallet addresses and stealing cryptocurrency-related files. Previously reported P2P botnet, FritzFrog attempted to brute-force SSH servers of government, education and medical institutions, and telecom players, with an objective of mining cryptocurrency via XMRig miner. Over two weeks ago, a new botnet, dubbed as TeamTNT was observed stealing AWS credentials from affected servers.

With the old techniques being upgraded and the new ones being continually introduced to mine illicit financial gains, cryptocurrencies have become one of the most increasingly targeted areas at present. Users are advised to stay perceptive to indicatives of criminal behavior.
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Russia
Data Breach Hackers News Russia

Hackers broke into the system of the Georgian Ministry of Health to steal data on the Russian nerve agent Novichok


 According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the purpose of infiltrating the Ministry of Health's database was to get hold of important medical records

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the Cyber Crimes Department of the Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has begun an investigation into the fact of unauthorized entry into the computer system of the Ministry of Health of Georgia.

Recall that the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that on September 1, 2020, a cyberattack was carried out from one foreign country on the computer system of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protection of Georgia in order to obtain and use important medical records from the database.

"According to the evidence collected at this stage, this cyberattack was carried out by a special service of a foreign country," stated the Georgian Interior Ministry.

The department claims that some original documents obtained as a result of illegal penetration into the computer system are currently uploaded to one of the foreign websites and are available to the mass user. In addition, clearly fabricated documents are uploaded to the website, which are deliberately fabricated in order to intimidate the public.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia will appeal to the relevant services of the partner countries with a request to provide effective assistance in a quick and effective investigation of this complex and specific crime,” said the ministry in a statement.

It is interesting to note that Yuri Shvytkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, stated that there are laboratories in Georgia and the United States that produce Novichok, a Soviet-era chemical weapon.

Recall that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics, was poisoned with a nerve agent Novichok. Currently, he is in Charite hospital in Germany. This caused a violent reaction in the West.

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WhatsApp
CVE Facebook Vulnerability and Exploits WhatsApp

WhatsApp Reveals Six Bugs On Its Security Advisory Website


The Social Messaging app WhatsApp has been open about its bugs and vulnerabilities recently. To be vocal about the issue, the company has set up a dedicated website that will work as a security advisory and inform users about the latest developments on issues and bugs in WhatsApp. Owned by social media giant Facebook, WhatsApp, with a current user base of around 2 million, has set up the website as an initiative to keep the community informed about security and be more transparent with its users.


The dedicated website is not limited to WhatsApp users but open to the entire cybersecurity community. The move comes as a response to the criticisms that WhatsApp faced over its handling of security issues. The dedicated platform will give users detailed reports of security updates related to WhatsApp, along with CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) details. The updates will help cybersecurity experts to know the effect of these bugs and vulnerabilities.

WhatsApp reported six security bugs that it had recently discovered. The company had released security patches for these six bugs before the hackers could exploit them. Few of the bugs could be remotely launched. CVE-2020-1890, an android based WhatsApp bug, sent the recipients sticker, which contained malicious codes. The bug could be deployed without user interaction. Few bugs, however, required user interaction and couldn't be launched remotely. CVE-2019-11928 bug became active when a desktop WhatsApp user clicked any location link, allowing cross-site scripting. WhatsApp says that it will keep the community updated about the latest developments through its advisory platform, trying to release security patches as soon as possible.

According to reports, five of the six bugs were patched on the same day; however, the last bug took quite some time. "We are very committed to transparency, and this resource is intended to help the broader technology community benefit from the latest advances in our security efforts. We strongly encourage all users to ensure they keep their WhatsApp up-to-date from their respective app stores and update their mobile operating systems whenever updates are available," says WhatsApp.
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Information Security risk
Cyber Security Cyber Security News Information Security risk

Russian experts warn about security risks of Bluetooth on a smartphone

Associate Professor of computer science at the Russian University of Economics, Alexander Timofeev said that hackers can use Bluetooth to break into an electronic device.

"The possibility of Bluetooth hacking can endanger any information stored on the device (photos, emails, texts). In addition, an attacker can gain control of the device and send unwanted data to it,” noted Timofeev.

According to him, at the hacker festival What The Hack, which takes place in the Netherlands, experts showed how using a laptop and a special program with a directional antenna people can eavesdrop on what the driver of a passing car is talking about through a Bluetooth headset.

The head of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Sergey Zabula agreed that constantly enabled Bluetooth carries a significant threat to the security of the phone and its owner. Scammers are constantly improving their attack methods, and the small range of Bluetooth signal propagation is no longer a problem for them.

"Using amplifiers, hackers can get into a user's device without even asking for their permission and without knowing the secret key of the connection”, noted Mr. Zabula.

The consequences of attacks using Bluetooth can be varied. So, in just a few seconds, fraudsters can connect to a user's device, install malware, and eventually steal or delete valuable information. Moreover, via Bluetooth, hackers can listen to calls, set their forwarding, and send calls and text messages, which in turn leads to financial losses of the victim. Also, using a Bluetooth connection, fraudsters can carry out a DoS attack and completely disable the phone.

Experts recommend disabling Bluetooth as soon as it is no longer necessary, since this function, when activated, is a "godsend for scammers."

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