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Date: 11/17/2022
Evasive malware dubbed KmsdBot has been discovered that targets the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol to gain access to targeted systems. This botnet has been targeting a wide range of organizations rather than a particular industry. The primary root cause of a system being compromised by this malware is the use of weak SSH credentials.
Post exploitation activities include cryptocurrency mining and launching denial-of-service attacks (DoS). The malware is also capable of performing network scanning and propagate via additional brute force attacks. The malware does not stay persistence on infected systems to evade detection.
Review any Internet-facing SSH interfaces and remove them if they are not necessary for business operations or restrict access by source IP address. Furthermore, ensure SSH credentials are creating using strong password policies, or SSH keys where possible. Performing an external vulnerability assessment is a great to understand what ports/services are publicly visible.
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Four vulnerabilities have been disclosed affecting Checkmk IT infrastructure monitoring software. The vulnerabilities include code injection, arbitrary file reading, line feed injection, and Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF).
The attackers claim they will leak stolen data, damage reputation, and get the targeted site blacklisted for spam if the ransom demand is not paid. However, there is essentially no impact to an organization who receives this email.
It is best to mark the messages as spam and delete them. There is no need for an investigation. Though this campaign is a scam, it is important to perform web application testing and external vulnerability assessments to understand the risks of Internet-facing assets so the proper security controls can be implemented to prevent an attacker who actually attempts exploitation.
Sources
Security research by Hornetsecurity has indicated that over 40% of work emails are unwanted spam or malicious phishing. Hornetsecurity’s 2023 Cyber Security Report considered more than 25 billion work emails to identify the current trend of suspicious/malicious emails.
This 2023 report has found that phishing equates up to 39% of all detected attacks in today’s security landscape. Most often these emails contain malicious archive files like Zip and 7z files, making up for 28% of all phishing mail. Hornetsecurity has also found that modern phishing attacks have chosen brand impersonation as a primary attack vector. In these types of attacks, the malicious email(s) will impersonate popular and trusted brands to lure victims into interacting with embedded links or attached files.
The most common attack vector seen by GreyCastle Security’s Incident Response Team is indeed a phishing-compromise. Despite the surprising success rate for phishing emails, organizations can implement effective preventatives for these attacks. As a front-line defense, it is important to have a strong email-security solutions to filter out the vast majority of spam and malicious emails. Additionally, organizations must conduct intelligent and routine email security training. This includes security awareness training and communication, and routine phishing tests and assessments against employees.
It is recommended to tailor phishing tests to your organization to maximize training effectiveness. Organizations can also focus on users who have access to highly confidential material like Personally Identifiable Information (PII), or organization Intellectual Property (IP).s
Sources
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/11/14/email-security-threats
New waves of information-stealing malware campaigns have been observed across the globe. Two campaigns of note are the StrelaStealer and IceXLoader malware strains, both leveraging malicious email attachments to target victims.
First reports of StrelaStealer spread in early November, with reports of the malware targeting users in Spain. This malware steals credentials, attachments, and browser data. Additionally, StrelaStealer can be configured to drop second-stage malware to introduce even further compromise.
IceXLoader has been observed targeting thousands of enterprises around the world. This malware attempts to not only collect sensitive data but also install Remote Administration Tools (RATs) and cryptocurrency mining software. IceXLoader is most successfully installed via successful phishing campaigns.
Information-stealing malware such as these are highly-advanced and often written in obscure coding languages in order to bypass security tools, such as NIM or encoded .NET. However, since their primary approach is phishing email attachments organizations can defend against these with well-implemented security awareness training and email security
Sources
https://thehackernews.com/2022/03/emotet-botnets-latest-resurgence.html
https://thehackernews.com/2022/02/reborn-of-emotet-new-features-of-botnet.html
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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.
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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.
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 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.
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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.
