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Date: 12/20/2022
In a security advisory released by Microsoft on December 13, 2022, Microsoft disclosed that “drivers certified by Microsoft Windows Hardware Developer Program were being used maliciously in post-exploitation activity.” The advisory attributes this activity to “abuse of several developer program accounts” yet goes on paradoxically to state that “no compromise has been identified,” according to the advisory.
This abuse was discovered by Mandiant and Sophos in the course of ransomware incident response. It is common for incident responders to ignore signed drivers and software during triage efforts, as most malicious software is unsigned. The fact that these drivers were signed with Microsoft certificates makes their detection quite difficult.
This news, combined with findings recently published by Google (as described in Wired magazine) indicating that a number of compromised “platform certificates” had been used to sign into malicious Android apps, suggests that detection of malicious activity will not get easier in 2023.
Ensure that software patches are applied soon after release.Keep security detection and prevention technologies up-to-date and train staff on their proper usage.Augment security staff by acquiring an incident response retainer with a reputable information security company. Use this retainer when suspicious activity cannot be explained by in-house staff.
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The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has recently added two vulnerabilities impacting Veeam Backup software to the catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2022-26500 and CVE-2022-26501, and both have a CVSS score of 9.8.
These vulnerabilities are caused by the Veeam Distribution Service, which listens on TCP port 9380 by default, allowing unauthenticated users to access internal API functions. This would allow an unauthenticated attacker who has positioned themselves on an internal network the ability to remotely execute code. As with many ransomware attacks, threat actors look to encrypt or delete backups, and these vulnerabilities may be leveraged to achieve this task.
Ensure patches have been applied. Patches are available for both vulnerabilities in 11a (build 11.0.1.1261 P20220302) and 10a (build 10.0.1.4854 P20220304). Furthermore, ensure that an offline copy of backups is maintained so that data can be restored in the event of Veeam backup corruption.
Sources
https://thehackernews.com/2022/12/cisa-alert-veeam-backup-and-replication.html
On December 13, 2022, Microsoft published CVE-2022-44698, a vulnerability in the SmartScreen application that allows for bypassing inbuilt security features in the Windows Operating System. Although this vulnerability was patched on Tuesday, threat actor groups have been seen actively exploiting this vulnerability in the wild.
The primary attack is threat actors using malicious JavaScript files to deliver malware, such as Magniber and Qbot. These files are often sent via phishing campaigns. Bypassing the inbuilt security features allows threat actors to create easy footholds in environments without proper security-in-depth approaches.
Organizations are urged to ensure that December’s Patch Tuesday updates have been adequately deployed across the environment’s Windows footprint. Additionally, deploying security-specific software on top of the built-in Windows features can allow organizations to better control and prevent attacks like these.
Sources
https://cyware.com/news/hackers-exploit-bug-in-windows-security-feature-to-drop-ransomware-76479fa7
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2022-44698
The Chinese state actor group APT5 has been seen exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Citrix and Fortinet products. These vulnerabilities include Citrix’s CVE-2022-27518 and Fortinet’s CVE-2022-42475. APT5 has been actively targeting internet-exposed Citrix and Fortinet systems that are improperly patched, specifically across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States.
These vulnerabilities allow threat actors to perform arbitrary code execution on the appliance, which gives threat actors a powerful initial access avenue. APT5 specifically heavily leans on establishing footholds that are hard to detect and focuses on operating under the radar. Once discovered APT5 has been seen to ‘go dark’ and stop malicious actions for an extended period of time, only to come back with modified tactics and additional emphasis on evasion.
An organization should ensure that any internet-exposed system is adequately patched and monitored for malicious activity. This is especially true with these recent Citrix and Fortinet vulnerabilities. Additionally, an up-to-date asset inventory can assist in preventing the overlooking of devices that are externally accessible. This includes proper decommissioning policies and procedures.
Sources
https://cyware.com/news/chinese-attackers-target-citrix-and-fortinet-zero-days-in-the-wild-93abff0d
https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-27518
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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.
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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.
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Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
