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Date: 10/25/2022
Wordfence, a WordPress security company, announced exploitation attempts for a recently released Apache Commons Text vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-42889 (CVSS 9.8) and dubbed Text4Shell. The vulnerability is in a feature that expands text with lookups and replacing a string will call the vulnerable lookup function.
Several methods can be invoked during exploitation. Some fields that introduce security issues are dns, url, and script, which could potentially allow for arbitrary code execution. It should be noted that the vulnerable functions are not widely used, but for those affected the impact could be significant.
The released fix included removal of the dns, url, and script lookups from the default behavior. This fix can be applied by upgrading the package to version 1.10.0. If an upgrade is not possible, the StringSubstitutor can be initialized with safe StringLookup configurations.
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Security researcher Will Dormann described an apparent flaw in Windows SmartScreen which allowed for unhindered execution of malicious JavaScript. If a JavaScript file is signed with a corrupt Authenticode signature, windows SmartScreen does not recognize the “Mark of the Web” (MOTW) data in a file downloaded from the internet. This failure results in code being run without warning the user that the file in question has been downloaded from the internet. BleepingComputer announces this as a “Zero-Day” vulnerability, although a CVE number has not been assigned.
Dorman and a journalist from Bleeping Computer have described cases in which Magniber ransomware was deployed using this method.
To put security teams between a rock and a hard place: Disabling the “Check apps and files” SmartScreen feature reportedly mitigates this bypass; this action does, however, disable other security features. Monitor patch releases from Microsoft for fixes to this issue.
Sources
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/exploited-windows-zero-day-lets-javascript-files-bypass-security-warnings/
https://twitter.com/wdormann/status/1582466468968792064
In a blog post titled “A New Attack Surface on MS Exchange Part 4 – ProxyRelay!”, security researcher Orange Tsai provides details on an attack surface on Microsoft Exchange servers comprised of at least four vulnerabilities. Orange Tsai became famous for identifying and demonstrating the ProxyLogon and ProxyShell vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange. This latest blog post from Orange Tsai is a continuation of his research on the Microsoft Exchange attack surface.
Exploitation of ProxyShell and ProxyLogon vulnerabilities since their discovery has resulted in numerous network intrusions, with impact ranging from spam campaigns to data exfiltration and devastating ransomware attacks. If reliable exploit code is released for the vulnerabilities described by Orange Tsai, expect it to be used extensively by threat actors.
Sources
https://devco.re/blog/2022/10/19/a-new-attack-surface-on-MS-exchange-part-4-ProxyRelay/
An alert was published by CISA, the FBI, and HHS to the healthcare sector about a cybercrime gang known as the Daixin Team targeting US-based healthcare organizations.
The Daixin Team appears to be following the typical ransomware attack process of double extortion where data is encrypted and exfiltrated. This group tries to ensure sensitive data, such as PHI, is encrypted and/or exfiltrated. The group also maintains a leak site to publish victim data. The alert indicated that initial access is gained through VPN servers and often taking advantage of unpatched security flaws and compromised credentials obtained via phishing emails.
Organizations should ensure latest software and patches are in place, enforce multifactor authentication for all access and email accounts, and maintain offline backups. Implementation of Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) software which will provide behavioral analysis is also recommended.
Sources
https://thehackernews.com/2022/10/cisa-warns-of-daixin-team-hackers.html
When the F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF or BIG-IP ASM module is provisioned, an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability exists in the BIG-IP iControl REST interface. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2022-41617 with a CVSS score of 7.2.
The vulnerability can be exploited from the perspective of a privileged authenticated attack with network access to the iControl REST interface. This applies to systems deployed in Standard or Appliance mode. The vulnerability can be exploited if an attacker sends a crafted request to an affected system.
The fix for this vulnerability is to upgrade to a non-vulnerable version as advised here: https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K11830089. Additionally, it is recommended to implement segmentation so that network access to administrative interfaces or sensitive systems is restricted as much as possible to reduce security risk.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
