Last Week’s Top Threats and Trends (September 23-29)

Sep 30, 2024Ravie LakshmananCybersecurity / Weekly Recap

Hold onto your hats, folks, because the cybersecurity world is anything but quiet! Last week, we dodged a bullet when we discovered vulnerabilities in CUPS that could’ve opened the door to remote attacks. Google’s switch to Rust is paying off big time, slashing memory-related vulnerabilities in Android.

But it wasn’t all good news – Kaspersky’s forced exit from the US market left users with more questions than answers. And don’t even get us started on the Kia cars that could’ve been hijacked with just a license plate!

Let’s unpack these stories and more, and arm ourselves with the knowledge to stay safe in this ever-evolving digital landscape.

⚡ Threat of the Week

Flaws Found in CUPS: A new set of security vulnerabilities has been disclosed in the OpenPrinting Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) on Linux systems that could permit remote command execution under certain conditions. Red Hat Enterprise Linux tagged the issues as Important in severity, given that the real-world impact is likely to be low due to the prerequisites necessary to pull off a successful exploit.

🔔 Top News

• Google’s Touts Shift to Rust: The pivot to memory-safe languages such as Rust for Android has led to the percentage of memory-safe vulnerabilities discovered in Android dropping from 76% to 24% over a period of six years. The development comes as Google and Arm’s increased collaboration has made it possible to flag multiple shortcomings and elevate the overall security of the GPU software/firmware stack across the Android ecosystem.
• Kaspersky Exits U.S. Market: Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky, which has been banned from selling its products in the U.S. due to national security concerns, raised concerns after some found that their installations have been automatically removed and replaced by antivirus software from a lesser-known company called UltraAV. Kaspersky said it began notifying customers of the transition earlier this month, but it appears that it was not made clear that the software would be forcefully migrated without requiring any user action. Pango, which owns UltraUV, said users also had the option of canceling their subscription directly with Kaspersky’s customer service team.
• Kia Cars Could Be Remotely Controlled with Just License Plates: A set of now patched vulnerabilities in Kia vehicles that could have allowed remote control over key functions simply by using only a license plate. They could also let attackers covertly gain access to sensitive information including the victim’s name, phone number, email address, and physical address. There is no evidence that these vulnerabilities were ever exploited in the wild.
• U.S. Sanctions Cryptex and PM2BTC: The U.S. government sanctioned two cryptocurrency exchanges Cryptex and PM2BTC for allegedly facilitating the laundering of cryptocurrencies possibly obtained through cybercrime. In tandem, an indictment was unsealed against a Russian national, Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov, for his purported involvement in the operation of several money laundering services that were offered to cybercriminals.
• 3 Iranian Hackers Charged: In yet another law enforcement action, the U.S. government charged three Iranian nationals, Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar (Yaser) Balaghi, who are allegedly employed with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for their targeting of current and former officials to steal sensitive data in an attempt to interfere with the upcoming elections. Iran has called the allegations baseless.

📰 Around the Cyber World

• Mysterious Internet Noise Storms Detailed: Threat intelligence firm GreyNoise said it has been tracking large waves of “Noise Storms” containing spoofed internet traffic comprising TCP connections and ICMP packets since January 2020, although the exact origins and its intended purpose remain unknown. An intriguing aspect of the inexplicable phenomenon is the presence of a “LOVE” ASCII string in the generated ICMP packets, reinforcing the hypothesis that it could be used as a covert communications channel. “Millions of spoofed IPs are flooding key internet providers like Cogent and Lumen while strategically avoiding AWS — suggesting a sophisticated, potentially organized actor with a clear agenda,” it said. “Although traffic appears to originate from Brazil, deeper connections to Chinese platforms like QQ, WeChat, and WePay raise the possibility of deliberate obfuscation, complicating efforts to trace the true source and purpose.”
• Tails and Tor Merge Operations: The Tor Project, the non-profit that maintains software for the Tor (The Onion Router) anonymity network, is joining forces with Tails (short for The Amnesic Incognito Live System), the maker of a portable Linux-based operating system that uses Tor. “Incorporating Tails into the Tor Project’s structure allows for easier collaboration, better sustainability, reduced overhead, and expanded training and outreach programs to counter a larger number of digital threats,” the organizations said. The move “feels like coming home,” intrigeri, Tails OS team lead said.
• NIST Proposes New Password Rules: The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has outlined new guidelines that suggest credential service providers (CSPs) stop recommending passwords using several character types and stop mandating periodic password changes unless the authenticator has been compromised. Other notable recommendations include passwords should be anywhere between 15 and 64 characters long, as well as ASCII and Unicode characters should be allowed when setting them.
• PKfail More Broader Than Previously Thought: A critical firmware supply chain issue known as PKfail (CVE-2024-8105), which allows attackers to bypass Secure Boot and install malware, has been now found to impact more devices, including medical devices, desktops, laptops, gaming consoles, enterprise servers, ATMs, PoS terminals, and even voting machines. Binarly has described PKfail as a “great example of a supply chain security failure impacting the entire industry.”
• Microsoft Revamps Recall: When Microsoft released its AI-powered feature Recall in May 2024, it was met with near instantaneous backlash over privacy and security concerns, and for making it easier for threat actors to steal sensitive data. The company subsequently delayed a wider rollout pending under-the-hood changes to ensure that the issues were addressed. As part of the new updates, Recall is no longer enabled by default and can be uninstalled by users. It also moves all of the screenshot processing to a Virtualization-based Security (VBS) Enclave. Furthermore, the company said it engaged an unnamed third-party security vendor to perform an independent security design review and penetration test.

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• Ask the Expert
  • Q: How can organizations secure device firmware against vulnerabilities like PKfail, and what technologies or practices should they prioritize?
  • A: Securing firmware isn’t just about patching—it’s about protecting the very core of your devices where threats like PKfail hide in plain sight. Think of firmware as the foundation of a skyscraper; if it’s weak, the entire structure is at risk. Organizations should prioritize implementing secure boot mechanisms to ensure only trusted firmware loads, use firmware vulnerability scanning tools to detect and address issues proactively, and deploy runtime protections to monitor for malicious activities. Partnering closely with hardware vendors for timely updates, adopting a zero-trust security model, and educating employees about firmware risks are also crucial. In today’s cyber landscape, safeguarding the firmware layer is essential—it’s the bedrock of your entire security strategy.

🔒 Tip of the Week

Prevent Data Leaks to AI Services: Protect sensitive data by enforcing strict policies against sharing with external AI platforms, deploying DLP tools to block confidential transmissions, restricting access to unauthorized AI tools, training employees on the risks, and using secure, in-house AI solutions.

Conclusion

Until next time, remember, cybersecurity is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and most importantly, stay safe in this ever-evolving digital world. Together, we can build a more secure online future.