Daily Briefing for 04.16.24

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Researchers stop ‘credible takeover attempt’ similar to XZ Utils backdoor incident (The Record) The thwarted social engineering attempts highlight the urgent need to address weaknesses in the management of open source software.

SteganoAmor campaign: TA558 mass-attacking companies and public institutions all around the world (Positive Technologies) SteganoAmor campaign: TA558 mass-attacking companies and public institutions all around the world

Experts spotted a new macOS Backdoor named SpectralBlur linked to North Korea (Security Affairs) Researchers discovered a macOS backdoor, called SpectralBlur, which shows similarities with a North Korean APT's malware family.

Ransomware group Dark Angels claims the theft of 1TB of data from chipmaker Nexperia  (Security Affairs) The Dark Angels (Dunghill) ransomware group claims the hack of the chipmaker Nexperia and the theft of 1 TB of data from the company.

Change Healthcare faces another ransomware threat—and it looks credible (Ars Technica) Hackers already received a $22 million payment. Now a second group demands money.

Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates

Palo Alto Networks releases fixes for zero-day as attackers swarm VPN vulnerability (The Record) The company released hotfixes for the vulnerability affecting GlobalProtect VPN, which carries the highest severity score possible of 10.

Delinea releases Secret Server patches for critical vuln (The Register) Attackers could nab an org's most sensitive keys if left unaddressed

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

New cybersecurity bill would shore up water system protections | StateScoop (StateScoop) A new bill introduced by U.S. House lawmakers would create a new governing body comprised of cybersecurity and water system experts.

US senator calls for China EV ban (The Register) Fears of low-cost invasion and data spies spark call for ban

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

Nebraska Man Indicted for Multi-Million Dollar "Cryptojacking" Scheme (US Department of Justice) “As alleged, by hijacking cloud providers’ computing power, Parks stole millions worth of powerful computing resources to acquire cryptocurrency,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will continue to prioritize prosecuting criminal actors who use new, sophisticated technology to engage in the old scheme of fraud and deceit.”

For a complete running list of events, please visit the Event Tracker.

Events

Spring 2024 CISSP Study Group presented by ISSA Central MD (Columbia, or virtual, Maryland, USA, Feb 20 - May 1, 2024) Our Study Group fosters a learning environment to better absorb and understand the material. This is much better than the alternative of cram it in and regurgitate it on a test immediately following. Our approach simply makes the information more useful and easier to interpret! You can attend each session in-person in Columbia, MD, or attend virtually on line.

SANS Pen Test Austin 2024 (Austin (and virtual), Texas, USA, Apr 22 - 27, 2024) At SANS Pen Test Austin 2024, choose from 41 interactive courses with hands-on labs. Practice your skills and compete against your peers during NetWars Tournaments, and network with your instructor and industry colleagues in real-time. Each course includes electronic and printed books, and several courses align with GIAC certifications!

Insider Threat Program Development, Management & Optimization Live Web Based Training Course (Virtual, Apr 23 - 24, 2024) This highly sought after and very comprehensive training course, will ensure that the Insider Threat Program (ITP) Manager and other key stakeholders that support the ITP (Insider Threat Analyst, FSO, CSO, CISO, Human Resources, CIO - IT, Network Security, Counterintelligence Investigators, Behavioral Science Professionals, Legal Etc.), have the Core / Advanced Knowledge, Blueprint, Resources needed for developing, managing or optimizing an ITP. Students will be provided with an ITP Management Toolkit that provides an abundance of educational resources, templates and checklists for ITP development, management and optimization. All materials will be provided to the student in electronic format (Via Download) before the training. Our student satisfaction levels are in the exceptional range. Over 900+ individuals have attended this training course and received ITP Manager Certificates.

SANS Baltimore Spring 2024 (Baltimore (and virtual), Maryland, USA, Apr 28 - May 3, 2024) At SANS Baltimore Spring 2024, choose from 41 interactive courses with hands-on labs. Practice your skills and compete against your peers during NetWars Tournaments, and network with your instructor and industry colleagues in real-time. Each course includes electronic and printed books, and several courses align with GIAC certifications!

World’s Top 50 Innovators 2024 (London, England, UK, May 8 - 10, 2024) We are thrilled to invite you to join us at one of the most prestigious events in the tech calendar, the World’s Top 50 Innovators 2024! Get ready to embark on an incredible journey of inspiration, creativity, and breakthrough technologies that will shape the future. Innovation is the driving force behind progress, and once again it’s time to celebrate the companies that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Come and join us to learn what’s on the horizon, understand the bigger picture, and celebrate world-firsts and sensational achievements in the high-tech sectors. The format will be a series of Codex Talks, each of which is a concise presentation, lasting 15 minutes (or less), in which the speaker addresses a challenging question faced by their technology or industry today, and ends with a bold prediction for the future.