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Date: 04/24/2023
An ongoing campaign has been discovered involving threat actors exploiting a bug in a plugin named Eval PHP, which allows users to insert PHP code into posts that are then executed every time the posts are opened in a web browser. This plugin has not been updated in about 10 years and yet it is still downloaded regularly.
Successful exploitation has resulted in backdoors being deployed to the file structure. The malicious requests to these sites have been observed originating from Russian IP addresses. Also, some databases have been infected with malicious code in the “wp_posts” table, which stores the site’s navigation menu and posts. An attacker can use this backdoor access to serve malicious pages on an infected site or pivot to infect other systems.
WordPress site owners should take steps to secure the WordPress admin dashboard by removing public access and ensuring MFA is being enforced. Additionally, systems should be protected and monitored with an Endpoint Detection & Response platform.
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Across all industries, unprotected or compromised assets, data, and credentials pose a challenge for organizations to detect and secure. Cybersecurity firm CybelAngel found critical exposures outside an organization’s firewall as the biggest threat to cybersecurity. CybelAngel found that 87% of all detected threats are from third-party or malicious actors, and more than 70 billion files, including intellectual property and financial information, are currently available on unsecured web servers. The report also highlights the top three exposed industries: retail, telecommunications, and business services.
Potential Impact
The report reveals that intellectual property and financial information are among the files freely available on unsecured web servers. These data breaches could have significant financial and reputational impacts on businesses. The report also highlights that many vulnerabilities are associated with unpatched assets, and the top 10 CVEs were found unpatched at least 12 million times each. This highlights the need for a proactive and comprehensive security approach by cybersecurity teams.
Information Stealer malware is expected to proliferate within the enterprise due to the prevalence of unhashed passwords. Shadow IT, including OT and IoT, will increase as companies struggle to protect their known assets. The report found that 8% of all detected OT/IoT devices had vulnerabilities that could serve as a bridge to breach an otherwise secure network. With cloud adoption, the number of unsecured and misconfigured clouds is also expected to rise.
The report suggests that cybersecurity teams take a proactive and comprehensive approach to look for early indicators of risk. This requires complete visibility into the enterprise attack surface management (EASM), including known assets, shadow assets, partner, vendor, supplier assets, and more.
Companies should prioritize patching and updating their assets regularly to reduce the number of unpatched vulnerabilities. Furthermore, they should implement a comprehensive password management system to reduce the risk of information stealer malware. Finally, businesses should prioritize protecting their available assets while also being aware of shadow IT and vulnerabilities in OT and IoT devices. Companies should also ensure that their cloud services are configured securely to reduce the risk of data breaches.
Sources
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/24/critical-cybersecurity-exposures/?web_view=true
PaperCut print management servers are affected by a remote code execution vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-27350 (CVSS 9.8). This vulnerability was also recently added to the known exploited vulnerabilities list maintained by CISA. CVE-2023-27350 allows an unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication and execute code with SYSTEM privileges.
Successful exploitation is likely to result in a backdoor being deployed. In some instances, remote management tools have been dropped on vulnerable servers. Attackers will likely use this access to execute more severe attacks like ransomware or data exfiltration.
Administrators should upgrade their software to the fixed versions as soon as possible. Fixed versions of PaperCut MF and PaperCut NG are versions 20.1.7, 21.2.11 and 22.0.9 and later. Additionally, management interfaces should not be publicly exposed and be put behind a VPN. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) have been published by Arctic Wolf and administrators should reference these findings: https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/cve-2023-27350/. Lastly, it is recommended that all systems be protected with Endpoint Detection & Response tools which also allow for 24/7/365 monitoring and anomaly detection.
Sources
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published an advisory informing organizations of a critical vulnerability found in Inea ME RTUs, a remote terminal unit manufactured by Slovenian-based industrial automation company Inea. The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-2131, with a CVSS score of 10, could allow remote code execution and result in the attacker gaining complete control of the device. The impacted product is used globally in energy, transportation, and water & wastewater industries. The researcher who discovered the vulnerability, Floris Hendriks, has developed a method for discovering devices using the Censys search engine and has identified a couple of internet-exposed devices.
The exploitation of CVE-2023-2131 can result in an attacker gaining root privileges on the targeted RTU, allowing them to change the input and outputs, control industrial processes such as opening and closing pumps or water gates, and crash the system. The severity of the impact will depend on how the organization uses the RTU. An attacker can also use this vulnerability for network pivoting to gain access to the organization’s local network.
Organizations that use Inea ME RTUs should immediately update to firmware version 3.36 to patch the vulnerability. In addition, they should consider implementing security measures such as isolating the RTUs from the internet, regularly monitoring and updating their devices’ firmware, and conducting regular security assessments of their systems. Researchers such as Floris Hendriks demonstrate the importance of investing in cybersecurity expertise and conducting proactive security research to identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malicious actors.
Sources
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-110-01
According to a report published by Mandiant, 3CX enterprise communications software suffered a supply-chain attack in March 2023, in which a “trojanized” version of 3CX’s legitimate software was available on their website. Investigators at Mandiant found that the root cause of this attack was another supply-chain attack. A compromised version of X_Trader, a piece of software unrelated to 3CX was at the root of the 3CX compromise.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, Mandiant’s chief technology officer Charles Carmakal described the combination of supply-chain attacks as “a very novel and interesting and quite scary threat”. Carmakal further comments that “there’s just a number of victims that don’t yet know they’re compromised”. According to the Washington Post, 3CX “claims more than 12 million daily users”.
If 3CX software is used in your environment, search systems are the indicators of compromise, referenced in Mandiant’s article linked below. If any indicators are found, initiate incident response procedures.
Sources
https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/3cx-software-supply-chain-compromise
Security Firm ESET analyzed eighteen used corporate routers and found authentication keys and credentials.
Authentication keys and router credentials in the wrong hands can compromise an entire corporate network.
While eighteen devices is a small number to draw broad conclusions on, this is a good reminder for companies to ensure that all devices are wiped out before disposing of them.
Sources
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Ho Chin is Chief Financial Officer at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Ho leads Finance, HR, IT and Professional Development. As part of the executive leadership team, Ho works to establish the company’s overall strategy and ensure proper execution of the supporting initiatives pertaining to the above areas of responsibility.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Ho led finance and administrative functions at multiple private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies across multiple industries. Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michael Stamas is an entrepreneur, board member, Vice President and a founder of GreyCastle Security. With more than two decades of experience in the technology sector, Mike pairs his management and business development skills with a deep understanding of cybersecurity. Mike brings a unique brand of risk-based advising to GreyCastle clients and prospects.
Mike holds certifications in numerous security and technology related areas, including the Department of Homeland Security and other security technologies like Symantec, Cisco and Microsoft.
Mike plays an active role in his community and serves as a board member and Vice President of InfraGard Albany as well as an advisory board position with the Capital Region YMCA.
Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
Dan Kalil is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Chairman at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Dan provides vision, leadership and strategies that drive GreyCastle Security’s position as an industry leader. With an emphasis on customer success, Dan’s profitable growth model leverages a customer-centric business approach that balances employee wellbeing and social responsibility.
Prior to becoming CEO, Dan served as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which he supported multiple acquisitions and helped the organization achieve substantial sales growth. In addition to serving as CEO at GreyCastle Security, Dan continues to hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Assured information Security (AIS) in Rome, New York, a company he co-founded in 2001.
Over the course of the last 22 years, Dan has been committed to advancing the state of cybersecurity and has played an instrumental role in the identification and development of critical, next-generation cyber capabilities. He has held positions in almost every facet of cybersecurity, beginning as a computer forensic examiner and progressing through the management and executive leadership ranks. In addition to co-founding AIS, Dan has facilitated multiple cybersecurity startups, raised investment capital and has served in various lead and support roles toward the acquisition of five companies in the last eight years.
Dan has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in Utica, New York.
Dan Maynard serves as GreyCastle Security’s Chief Operating Officer, where he currently leads Sales, Marketing and Legal.
Dan has enjoyed a 30+ year career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry, during which time he has held various leadership positions for organizations such as Rochester Tel/RCI, Citizens Communications (Frontier), PAETEC Communications, IntegraOptics, tw telecom/Level3 and Centurylink.
In addition to various voice and data technology platforms, he possesses a strong background in leadership development, sales and marketing leadership, transformational leadership and strategic planning. Dan has a thirst for knowledge and as a committed lifelong learner, he encourages and supports professional development initiatives for his teams and continues his involvement with Vistage International.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
When not at work, Dan enjoys traveling, golfing, attending Utica Comets hockey games and relaxing in the Adirondacks on beautiful Canada Lake with family and friends.
Dan Didier is the Vice President of Solutions and board member at GreyCastle Security.
Dan has been a cybersecurity practitioner for more than 20 years and uses his knowledge and experience to develop cybersecurity solutions that ensure readiness and preparedness.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Our Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) have responded to hundreds of breaches, intrusions, malware infections, thefts, employee investigations, fraud cases and other incidents. Our highly-certified experts have extensive experience in command, coordination and correction of incidents in nearly every industry throughout North America, from local businesses to Fortune 500 international conglomerates.
800-403-8350Francesca LoPorto-Brandow is Director of Culture at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Francesca leads all social responsibility efforts and partnerships and develops effective strategies that promote organizational-wide behaviors and attitudes consistent with a culture of safety, inclusion, teamwork, motivation and high-performance.
Prior to this role, Francesca was Director of People & Culture at GreyCastle and with her leadership, the company’s culture has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Nationally recognized Best Workplace, Albany Business Review Best Places to Work and Albany Times Union Top Workplaces.
Before joining GreyCastle Security, Francesca worked as an OD consultant and focused on strategic culture change at The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. for more than six years. There, she facilitated client education sessions, coached leaders and teams, developed and executed consulting interventions and served as strategy project leader on various client engagements. Her work has taken her into Fortune 100 companies and across borders including Panama, Singapore and beyond.
Francesca is a Lean Six Sigma–certified Green Belt, a proud YWCA-GCR board member and in 2013, she coordinated and emceed the inaugural TEDx Troy—a livestream of TEDCity 2.0. Since 2012, she has coordinated and emceed the Troy 100 Forum, a biannual forum for government, religious and community leaders to discuss issues vital to the future of Troy, New York.
Bilingual in English and Italian, Francesca holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Technology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management & Technology. She was awarded Cybersecurity Recruiter of the year North America in 2017 by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
Jamie Aiello is Senior Vice President of Services and Product Management at GreyCastle Security. In this position, Jamie is responsible for leading a high performing and well-balanced team that is ultimately responsible for the identification, selection, execution and successful performance of our company’s diverse portfolio of cybersecurity offerings.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Jamie has held leadership positions with Annese and Associates, ConvergeOne and BlueSky IT Partners with a focus on delivering cost effective information technology solutions for companies across multiple verticals.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.
