CyberSecure Specialist

30 May

ESET World 2024: Big on prevention, even bigger on AI

Information

Hundreds of cybersecurity professionals, analysts and decision-makers came together earlier this month for ESET World 2024, a conference that showcased the company’s vision and technological advancements and featured a number of insightful talks about the latest trends in cybersecurity and beyond. The topics ran the gamut, but it’s safe to say that the subjects that resonated the most included ESET’s cutting-edge threat research and perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI). Let’s now briefly look at some…

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30 May

‘Operation Endgame’ Hits Malware Delivery Platforms

Information, Insights

Law enforcement agencies in the United States and Europe today announced Operation Endgame, a coordinated action against some of the most popular cybercrime platforms for delivering ransomware and data-stealing malware. Dubbed “the largest ever operation against botnets,” the international effort is being billed as the opening salvo in an ongoing campaign targeting advanced malware “droppers” or “loaders” like IcedID, Smokeloader and Trickbot. A frame from one of three animated videos released today in connection with Operation…

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29 May

Beyond the buzz: Understanding AI and its role in cybersecurity

Information

Digital Security A new white paper from ESET uncovers the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence for cyber-defenders Phil Muncaster 28 May 2024  •  , 5 min. read Artificial intelligence (AI) is the topic du jour, with the latest and greatest in AI technology drawing breathless news coverage. And probably few industries are set to gain as much, or possibly to be hit as hard, as cybersecurity. Contrary to popular belief, some in the field…

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29 May

Is Your Computer Part of ‘The Largest Botnet Ever?’

Information, Insights

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today said they arrested the alleged operator of 911 S5, a ten-year-old online anonymity service that was powered by what the director of the FBI called “likely the world’s largest botnet ever.” The arrest coincided with the seizure of the 911 S5 website and supporting infrastructure, which the government says turned computers running various “free VPN” products into Internet traffic relays that facilitated billions of dollars in online fraud…

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28 May

Treasury Sanctions Creators of 911 S5 Proxy Botnet

Information, Insights

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today unveiled sanctions against three Chinese nationals for allegedly operating 911 S5, an online anonymity service that for many years was the easiest and cheapest way to route one’s Web traffic through malware-infected computers around the globe. KrebsOnSecurity identified one of the three men in a July 2022 investigation into 911 S5, which was massively hacked and then closed ten days later. The 911 S5 botnet-powered proxy service, circa…

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25 May

Mandatory reporting for ransomware attacks? – Week in security with Tony Anscombe

Information

Video As the UK mulls new rules for ransomware disclosure, what would be the wider implications of such a move, how would cyber-insurance come into play, and how might cybercriminals respond? 24 May 2024 UK authorities are reportedly planning to make it mandatory for ransomware victims to report incidents to the government and obtain a license before making ransom payments. Additionally, proposals include banning ransom payments for critical national infrastructure entities to deter cybercriminals from…

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24 May

What happens when AI goes rogue (and how to stop it)

Information

Digital Security As AI gets closer to the ability to cause physical harm and impact the real world, “it’s complicated” is no longer a satisfying response Cameron Camp 22 May 2024  •  , 3 min. read We have seen AI morphing from answering simple chat questions for school homework to attempting to detect weapons in the New York subway, and now being found complicit in the conviction of a criminal who used it to create…

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24 May

Introducing Nimfilt: A reverse-engineering tool for Nim-compiled binaries

Information

ESET Research Available as both an IDA plugin and a Python script, Nimfilt helps to reverse engineer binaries compiled with the Nim programming language compiler by demangling package and function names, and applying structs to strings 23 May 2024  •  , 6 min. read The Nim programming language has become increasingly attractive to malware developers due to its robust compiler and its ability to work easily with other languages. Nim’s compiler can compile Nim to…

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24 May

Cisco Releases May 2024 Cisco ASA, FMC, and FTD Software Security Publication

Attacks, Insights, Malware

Cisco released a bundled publication for security advisories that address vulnerabilities in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA), Firepower Management Center (FMC), and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software. A cyber threat actor could exploit one of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. Users and administrators are encouraged to review the following publication and apply necessary updates: Cisco Event Response: May 2024 Cisco ASA, FMC, and FTD Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication

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23 May

Stark Industries Solutions: An Iron Hammer in the Cloud

Information, Insights

The homepage of Stark Industries Solutions. Two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a large, mysterious new Internet hosting firm called Stark Industries Solutions materialized and quickly became the epicenter of massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on government and commercial targets in Ukraine and Europe. An investigation into Stark Industries reveals it is being used as a global proxy network that conceals the true source of cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns against enemies of…

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