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Date: 12/12/2022
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has warned healthcare entities of ongoing Royal Ransomware attacks. Unlike many ransomware groups, Royal Ransomware appears to be a private group without affiliates. Their targets in healthcare have primarily focused on U.S. organizations. Ransom demands have ranged from $250,000 to $2 million.
The Royal ransomware operators look to perform double-extortion attacks by finding and exfiltrating sensitive information prior to encrypting data. Volume shadow copies and other methods of recovery can likely be targeted before encryption to increase the likelihood of the victim paying the ransom demand. The initial access vector is known to be malicious links delivered to victims through malicious ads, fake forum pages, or phishing emails that lead to fake installer files for legitimate apps like Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Protecting against ransomware attacks requires a defense-in-depth approach. Organizations should ensure that endpoints are protected by Endpoint Detection & response software and preferably monitored 24/7 by a team with response capabilities, such as a SOC. To minimize the impact of a ransomware attack, maintain an offline (or immutable) copy of backups. Other proactive controls include vulnerability assessments and user awareness training.
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Claroty Security’s research team published a blog post on December 8 detailing a technique using JSON to bypass the Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) of several major vendors, including Palo Alto, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, F5, and Imperva. The blog post describes a successful SQL injection attack using this technique.
For organizations relying on WAFs to mitigate vulnerabilities, this could lead to data breaches. Claroty’s blog post references an included SQLMap module (SQLMap is a very effective security testing tool that automates SQL injection attacks).
Long-standing recommendations regarding WAFs are that they provide temporary cover until web application vulnerabilities are fixed, and this article reiterates that point. Claroty mentions that the vendors specified in the article have updated their code to mitigate this bypass; if your organization uses another WAF, consider it vulnerable but not tested. Consider a WAF as a part of a layered security approach and not the primary means of protection for a web application.
Sources
https://claroty.com/team82/research/js-on-security-off-abusing-json-based-sql-to-bypass-waf
Cryptocurrency mining attacks attempt to install crypto mining software on exploited devices and remain one of the most common attacks targeting Linux systems today. The most common initial access tactic for these attacks is to target Linux devices with unpatched security vulnerabilities and install remote access software to establish a crypto-mining footprint. One such remote access tool that threat actors use is the Chaos RAT software. This software is attributed to Chinese-based development and backing and is proving to be incredibly sophisticated and successful.
Although the specific impact of crypto mining software is often limited to system performance, remote access tools – such as Chaos RAT – contain many other post-exploitation capabilities. Chaos RAT contains abilities to install additional software, carry out remote commands, and establish persistent command and control (C2) communications.
Organizations are urged to ensure that adequate vulnerability management practices are taking place throughout the environment. This can minimize the chances of Linux systems missing critical patches. Additionally, vulnerability scanning should occur regularly to ensure no vulnerabilities are left unattended. Accurate device inventories can also assist in identifying what systems are running Linux operating systems to target for direct supervision.
Sources
Pulse Connect Secure remains one of the most widely used SSL VPN solutions by corporations today. As such, Pulse Secure appliances are heavily targeted by threat actor groups due to the wide variety of vulnerabilities that have impacted Pulse Secure in recent years. The December 7, 2022, report from Censys, has identified that out of the 30,000 Pulse Connect devices detected exposed to the internet, almost 4,500 were found to be missing critical security patches.
Successful exploitation of Pulse Connect Secure can give threat actors direct connection to corporate environments via VPN access. This can be a highly successful avenue for initial access without user interaction or authentication. Some of the most critical vulnerabilities found had CVSS scores of 9.8 to 10.
Organizations should be vigilant about scanning and patching all externally accessible devices to stay on top of any potential vulnerabilities. This is especially true for Pulse Secure appliances. Adequate vulnerability management and patch management procedures and policies can ensure that no critical vulnerabilities are missed and/or fly beneath the radar. Additionally, it is important to keep an accurate device inventory to limit the risk of decommissioned devices from being accidentally left exposed.
Sources
https://censys.io/pulse-connect-secure-a-view-from-the-internet/
Some countries, including the U.S., have seen an uptick in TrueBot infections. TrueBot is a Windows malware downloader that can be a backdoor for post-exploitation activities such as data exfiltration or ransomware. TruBot has been known to be delivered via Raspberry Robin, a worm that is mainly spread through infected USB drives. Recently, TruBot infections have stemmed from abusing a critical vulnerability in Netwrix Auditor (CVE-2022-31199, CVSS score: 9.8)
CVE-2022-31199 is a remote code execution vulnerability that can be exploited in Netwrix Auditor versions prior to the 10.5. attack, giving visibility to an insecure .NET remoting service on port 9004 to attempt exploitation. The impact could result in an Active Directory compromise. TruBot infections have also recently been tied to Clop ransomware.
Organizations should ensure that endpoints are protected by Endpoint Detection & Response software and preferably monitored 24/7 by a team with response capabilities, such as a SOC. Furthermore, consider restricting the use of external drives to reduce the risk of data exposure or worm-like malware stemming from USB drives. Lastly, ensure Netwrix Auditor is fully patched to prevent exploitation of CVE-2022-31199.
Sources
https://thehackernews.com/2022/12/new-truebot-malware-variant-leveraging.html
https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/new-netwrix-auditor-bug-could-let.html
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