Cyberattackers Now Also Make Linux Versions of Their Ransomware

“Security firm Kaspersky said Friday that it discovered a Linux version of the RansomEXX ransomware,” reports ZDNet, “marking the first time a major Windows ransomware strain has been ported to Linux to aid in targeted intrusions.” RansomEXX is a relatively new ransomware strain that was first spotted earlier this year in June. The ransomware has been used in attacks against the…

Kaspersky Warns Intruders are Targeting Linux Workstations and Servers

Researchers at Kaspersky “have warned that sophisticated hackers and crooks are increasingly targeting Linux-based devices — using tools specifically designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the platform,” reports TechRepublic: While Windows tends to be more frequently targeted in mass malware attacks, this is not always the case when it comes to advanced persistent threats (APTs), in which an intruder — often a…

Apple Mistakenly Approved a Widely Used Malware To Run on Macs

Apple has some of the strictest rules to prevent malicious software from landing in its app store, even if on occasion a bad app slips through the net. But last year Apple took its toughest approach yet by requiring developers to submit their apps for security checks in order to run on millions of Macs unhindered. From a report: The process,…

Did A Chinese State-Sponsored Group Breach Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry?

At the Black Hat security conference, researchers from the Taiwanese cybersecurity firm CyCraft revealed at least seven Taiwanese chip firms have been breached over the past two years, reports Wired:
The series of deep intrusions — called Operation Skeleton Key due to the attackers’ use of a “skeleton key injector” technique — appeared aimed at stealing as much intellectual property as possible,…

Russian Watchdog Says Apple Abused Mobile App Market Dominance

Russian competition watchdog FAS on Monday said that Apple has abused its dominant position in the mobile apps market through its App Store for iOS devices and will issue an order demanding that the company resolve regulations breaches. From a report: An Apple spokesman said the company plans to appeal against the FAS ruling. The Russian ruling comes against the backdrop…

How Spies Snuck Malware Into the Google Play Store — Again and Again

Google’s Play Store for Android apps has never had a reputation for the strictest protections from malware. Shady adware and even banking trojans have managed over the years to repeatedly defy Google’s security checks. Now security researchers have found what appears to be a more rare form of Android abuse: state-sponsored spies who repeatedly slipped their targeted hacking tools into the…

Elite Hackers Target WHO As Coronavirus Cyberattacks Spike

According to Reuters, elite hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier this month. While the effort was unsuccessful, the agency said there’s been a more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks as they battle to contain the coronavirus. From the report: The attempted break-in at the WHO was first flagged to Reuters by Alexander Urbelis, a cybersecurity expert and…

‘Microsoft Defender ATP’ Antivirus is Coming to Linux

Microsoft is planning to bring its Defender antivirus to Linux systems next year, reports ZDNet: Microsoft announced the brand change from Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender in March after giving security analysts the tools to inspect enterprise Mac computers for malware via the Microsoft Defender console. Rob Lefferts, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s M365 Security, told ZDNet that Microsoft Defender for…

Google Discloses Chrome Zero-Day Exploited in the Wild

Yesterday, on late Halloween night, Google engineers delivered the best scare of the evening and released an urgent update for the Chrome browser to patch an actively exploited zero-day. From a report: “Google is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2019-13720 exists in the wild,” Google engineers said in a blog post announcing the new v78.0.3904.87 release. The actively-exploited zero-day…

Indian Nuke Plant’s Network Reportedly Hit By Malware Tied To North Korea

North Korea is reportedly behind a cyberattack on India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. “The malware, identified by researchers as North Korea’s Dtrack, was reported by [former analyst for India’s National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) Pukhraj Singh] to have gained ‘domain controller-level access’ at Kudankulam,” reports Ars Technica. “The attack has been reported to the government.” From the report: The attack likely…