From The Blog
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New APT Group targeting iOS Users with Zero-Click Malware, US gets the Blame
Written by Sean KalinichThere is a new bit of malware targeting iOS users via iMessage from what appears to be a new APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) group. The…Written on Friday, 02 June 2023 14:46 in News Read 233 times Read more...
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AI Drone Decided Humans Were an Obstacle to be Removed in Simulated Test
Written by Sean KalinichThe arguments for and against AI as a threat all seem to be centered on the point of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). This is the…Written on Friday, 02 June 2023 13:07 in Editorials Read 268 times Read more...
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32 Malicious Google Chrome Extensions Removed from the Chrome Web Store
Written by Sean KalinichGoogle’s Chrome (and derivatives) is one of the more popular browsers on the market. It reached the height of popularity via a well-orchestrated marketing push,…Written on Friday, 02 June 2023 12:01 in News Read 543 times Read more...
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Microsoft’s Xbox and Activision Both Considering Pulling Games out of the UK to get around CMA Block
Written by Sean KalinichRemember how the EU regulators said the Microsoft Activision deal was pro competition and pro-consumer? Well, I wonder what they might be thinking now as…Written on Friday, 02 June 2023 10:00 in Game Thoughts Read 189 times Read more...
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RaaS group Updates their Software with Better Performance and Stealthy Features
Written by Sean KalinichThe group behind BlackCat ransomware seem to be following some good business practices as they have launched a new variant with improved performance (faster encryption)…Written on Thursday, 01 June 2023 13:41 in News Read 551 times Read more...
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RedFall – How to Enjoy an Awkward, Buggy, and Confusing Game
Written by Sean KalinichFor the second of our game reviews, since returning to covering games, we decided to look at the Microsoft flagship game RedFall. If you have…Written on Thursday, 01 June 2023 11:05 in Game Thoughts Read 373 times Read more...
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RedFall Developers Hoped the Game would get Cancelled Before Launch
Written by Sean KalinichRedFall by Akrane Austin was not a well-received game. It has been pretty much panned by everyone that played it. The complaints range from a…Written on Thursday, 01 June 2023 11:02 in Game Thoughts Read 209 times Read more...
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Claimed EDR Killer Found to be a Vulnerable AV Driver Similar to Past Evasion Techniques
Written by Sean KalinichA couple of days ago an email was sent to me about a new tool kit being sold on the darker side of the internet.…Written on Thursday, 01 June 2023 08:26 in News Read 240 times Read more...
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Gigabyte Shipped Millions of Motherboards with a Massively Insecure UEFI Patch Function
Written by Sean KalinichThis one goes in both the “failure of imagination” and “this is why we can’t have nice things” category. It seems that Gigabyte, for some…Written on Wednesday, 31 May 2023 16:51 in News Read 117 times Read more...
Recent Comments
- Sean, this is a fantastic review of a beautiful game. I do agree with you… Written by Jacob 2023-05-19 14:17:50 Jedi Survivor – The Quick, Dirty, and Limited Spoilers Review
- Great post. Very interesting read but is the reality we are currently facing. Written by JP 2023-05-03 02:33:53 The Dangers of AI; I Think I Have Seen this Movie Before
- I was wondering if you have tested the microphone audio frequency for the Asus HS-1000W? Written by Maciej 2020-12-18 14:09:33 Asus HS-1000W wireless headset impresses us in the lab
- Thanks for review. I appreciate hearing from a real pro as opposed to the blogger… Written by Keith 2019-06-18 04:22:36 The Red Hydrogen One, Possibly One of the Most “misunderstood” Phones Out
- Have yet to see the real impact but in the consumer segment, ryzen series are… Written by sushant 2018-12-23 10:12:12 AMD’s 11-year journey to relevance gets an epic finish.
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.NET Packer, DTPacker Acts Like a Packer and Downloader with an Odd Password
Written by Sean KalinichMalware delivery and distribution techniques always changing. As blue teams develop an understanding of one type of attack, the attackers shift to something different. Security researchers and security teams follow (or should follow) these methods so they can shift defensive tactics and software to meet the new challenge. This brings us to our topic for today. Researchers over at Proofpoint have identified an unusual packer called DTPacker, a .NET packer that not only obfuscates the payload that it is delivering but can act as both a runtime packer (a self-executing archive) as well as a downloader. This is unusual all on its own, but there are other factors that have been observed in this packer that make it the odd person out.
As Data Compromises Rise will Companies Change Practices to Meet Them?
Written by Sean KalinichThe latest report from the ITRC (Identity Theft Resource Center) has been released and it shows us some sadly unsurprising data. According to the report, 2021 data compromises are up 68% (1,862) compared to 2020 numbers and 23% higher than the highest year on record 2017 (1,506). The report adds that compromise of sensitive personal data is also up but has not topped 2017 as the record year for that type of data loss. Attack trends have changed slightly with attackers appearing to target specific data rather than just trying to dump everything. This has led to an overall reduction in the total number of actual victims while the number of repeat victims is still very high.
Google Claims a Court Ruling will Make Them Act as Something They Already Are, A Censor
Written by Sean KalinichIrony is a funny thing especially when it is so blatantly obvious as in our example today. Google, owners of YouTube, Adsense and many other internet properties. Google has a history of policing content they do not agree with going so far as to demonetize and even ban differing options on topics such as the US 2nd amendment and de-prioritizing searches for topics that run counter to their viewpoint.
Another Day, Another Cloud Storage Campaign from the Molerats APT TA402
Written by Sean KalinichDropbox, Google Docs and other cloud storage services are great tools for collaboration and to ensure that your files are kept, relatively, safe. These services can also be used by attackers with the right setup and files. The APT group know as Molerats is just such a group. They have been identified is several attacks that leveraged Dropbox and Google Docs as their C2 and payload sources. In December of 2021 the ThreatLabz team at zscaler noticed some unusual behavior that turned out to be just such an attack.
Emotet Leveraging Excel 4.0 Macros and Unconventional IP Addressing
Written by Sean KalinichIn a list of things that should be killed with fire, Excel 4.0 Macros are high up. However, the fat that Spamming “services” like Emotet are still using Excel 4.0 Macros tells me that some are not getting the hint. According to recent research from TrendMicro, Emotet is using some very unconventional methods of obfuscating the C2 server IP addresses. The attack patter is the same, email with a poisoned Excel spreadsheet. This spreadsheet contains HTA with the command script, you know the drill.
Dark Souls has a Serious Remote Code Execution Bug During Online Play
Written by Sean KalinichOnline gaming is pretty much the way game developers want to go these days. However, online modes come with risks. With Arner Bros. Games it was Back 4 Blood’s online only progression created such a massive backlash they had to backtrack on their online push. Now we see something more serious than fan backlash, Remote Code Execution bugs in Dark Souls.
More Than a Month After Being Hit by Ransomware Kronos is Still Down
Written by Sean KalinichThe Ultimate Kronos Group was the target of a Ransomware attack in Late 2021 coincidentally at the same time the Log4Shell vulnerability was disclosed. Kronos has not disclosed how the ransomware got into their environment, nor has it been revealed who might be behind the attack. Original estimates were that Kronos would be able to restore the impacted systems and be back online in a few weeks. Now, a bit more than a month later, there have been no real updates on the situation and many organizations are still feeling the effects.
MoonBounce UEFI Malware linked to APT41 by Kaspersky Researchers
Written by Sean KalinichAPT group 41 also known as Winnti has been tied to a wonderful new piece of malware that does not infect your operating system, but the UEFI firmware on your device. The malware in question has been dubbed MoonBounce by the security researchers at Kaspersky who are responsible for finding it. APT41 has been in operation for a while and is identified by their tactics techniques and protocols (TTPs) which include stealthy attacks meant to maintain a long-term presence for information gathering on the target.
White House Issues Memo to NSA and DoD to Improve Security
Written by Sean KalinichIt is no secret that the NSA and DoD (Department of Defense) and other Government agencies have an issue with security. Over the last few years their security has been about as effect as using a sieve to carry water. The top 10 list of security faux paus include such wonders as the Snowden leak and the OPM breach. However, when I see the White House (any administration) send out memorandums telling Government agencies to tighten up security I laugh a bit.
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SaaS is the de facto way of doing business for the SMB (and even for the enterprise). The costs of building your own infrastructure and maintaining it are just too high for most. Instead, it is easier and more cost effective to let someone else handle it. Buying a spot in Amazon Webs Service, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure it not complicated and the tools to help you set up your new business infrastructure are well done (if not always well documented). When you use these services, you do expect them to provide security, but what you may find out is that not all cloud vendors think that should come as part of the package. In fact, many look at them as little more than a way to gain extra revenue and not something that just should be done.
Microsoft Looks to Add Enhanced Zero-Day Protection to Edge
Written by Sean KalinichThe current threat landscape has user account compromise and endpoint takeover as the most common first acts in a security event. The methods used to accomplish this are varied but include such blockbusters as poisoned websites and URLs embedded in email. Once the website is processed the exploit kicks off and things tend to go downhill from there. The most common item abused in your web browser is its ability to process scripts (especially JavaScript). Now Microsoft says they have a way to knock out as much as 45% of exploit attempts related to JavaScript and WebAssembly when using their Chromium based Edge browser.
Apple IndexedDB API Same-Origin Flaw Exposes User Browsing Information
Written by Sean KalinichRemember the days when browsing the internet was simple, all you had to worry about was clearing your cookies and browser history and you were fine. Ok, so it was never truly that simple, but you get my point. Now as internet surfers become more concerned about tracking and companies find new ways to follow you even more, things have gotten a bit crazy. Microsoft’s Edge wants to remember everything you do as does Chrome and Safari. This is presented as giving you a more complete and speedy internet experience, in reality it just creates a trove of data about you that can be used for good or bad.
It seems that Apple may have an issue with their AirTags, the small tracking devices that use the Apple device network to help you find items that you have put trackers on. They are similar although much more effective than items like Tile. The problem is that since these trackers can ping out to any Apple device, there was a chance that they could be used for shady purposes. This possibility was brought up when they were launched and surprisingly, Apple listened. They added in methods to detect if someone is tracking you using an AirTag. True, not releasing something like this would have been better, but some protection is better than nothing.