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Date: 08/23/2023
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently added a vulnerability in Citrix ShareFile storage zones controller to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2023-24489 (CVSS score: 9.8) and is described as improper access control of how cryptographic operations are handled.
The vulnerability can potentially be exploited from a remote, unauthenticated perspective to compromise instances by uploading arbitrary files and executing code. Exploitation attempts first spiked toward the end of July. There isn’t a particular threat actor group known to target this vulnerability, but expect this to be in the sights of ransomware actors.
The vulnerability affects all currently supported versions of customer-managed ShareFile storage zones controller before version 5.11.24. A patch was available prior to knowing about the exploitation occurring, but organizations should ensure the patch has been installed. Regular vulnerability scans should be performed to ensure patches and weak configurations are addressed promptly.
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A high-severity vulnerability in WinRAR has been disclosed and is tracked as CVE-2023-40477 (CVSS score: 7.8). The vulnerability is described as improper validation of user-supplied data that could result in buffer overflow.
CVE-2023-40477 can be leveraged to execute in the context of the current process. Note that successful exploitation will require user interaction, such as clicking a malicious link or opening a malicious file. There is currently no evidence that exploitation is currently happening in the wild.
This vulnerability is addressed in WinRAR 6.23 that was released on August 2, 2023. It is also recommended that organizations review workflows for how third-party application updates are addressed. This is typically done most efficiently using third-party patching tools/frameworks that allow for centralized management. Additionally, regular vulnerability scanning is recommended to ensure patches are addressed in a timely manner.
Sources
https://thehackernews.com/2023/08/new-winrar-vulnerability-could-allow.html
Cofense published a blog post on August 16, 2023 describing research into phishing campaigns utilizing QR codes for credential phishing. The research found that these attacks were usually targeted, with the majority aimed at the US energy sector, but it also describes campaigns against a “wide array of industries.”
The QR codes involved in these campaigns were aimed at gathering Microsoft 365 credentials. Stolen credentials are often used to perpetrate fraud or can be used as an initial foothold in a victim’s environment, leading to network compromise and ransomware deployment.
Incorporate this knowledge into user awareness training. Ensure that users know that scanning a QR code is approximately the same as clicking a link. Users should regard both links and QR codes with suspicion before clicking or scanning. Find out what protection is available through your organization’s spam filtering services to detect malicious QR codes.
Sources
https://cofense.com/blog/major-energy-company-targeted-in-large-qr-code-campaign/
Research recently published by Recorded Future’s Insikt group highlights the usage of Legitimate Internet Services (LIS) such as GoogleDrive, Github, and Telegram for malware deployment. Of the 400 malware families studied by Insikt, 25% of them involved LIS abuse. Abuse of LIS by threat actors makes their activity challenging to detect and prevent. The publication mentions that “The lack of comparable reporting makes it challenging to quantify a definitive trend,” but it is likely that LIS abuse will become increasingly common.
The potential impact of malware deployment includes network compromise, data exfiltration, and ransomware deployment.
As the publication suggests, defenders should “flag or block legitimate internet services that are not (typically) used within their environment.” IT service management methodologies and cybersecurity frameworks recommend that organizations keep an inventory of hardware and software assets. In today’s environment, this asset inventory should include internet-based services.
Sources
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