This Week in Security News: Trend Micro Research Uncovers the Business Infrastructure of Cybercrime and Apple Launches Security Device Research Program
Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read new insights from Trend Micro that look at the market for underground hosting services and where cybercriminals rent the infrastructure for their business. Also, learn about Apple’s new iPhone Research Device Program that will provide certain hackers with special devices to conduct security research.
Read on:
Trend Micro Research Uncovers the Business Infrastructure of Cybercrime
This week Trend Micro released new insights analyzing the market for underground hosting services and detailing how and where cybercriminals rent the infrastructure that hosts their business. This first report of a planned three-part series details the market for buying and selling these services, which are the backbone of every other aspect of the cybercriminal business model, whether that includes sending spam, communicating with a command and control server, or offering a help desk for ransomware.
Have You Considered your Organization’s Technical Debt?
In the tech world where one seemingly tiny vulnerability can bring down your whole system, managing technical debt is critical. Fixing issues before they become emergent situations is necessary in order to succeed. By spending a little time each day to tidy up a few things, you can make your system more stable and provide a better experience for both your customers and your fellow developers.
New ‘Shadow Attack’ Can Replace Content in Digitally Signed PDF Files
Fifteen out of 28 desktop PDF viewer applications are vulnerable to a new attack that lets malicious threat actors modify the content of digitally signed PDF documents. The list of vulnerable applications includes Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Perfect PDF, Foxit Reader, PDFelement, and others, according to new research published this week by academics from the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany.
Cleaner One Pro Speeds Up Your Mac: Part 2
In the first part of this blog series, Trend Micro introduced its Cleaner One Pro, a one-stop shop to help you speed up your Mac, highlighting the quick optimizer, the main console, and the cleaning tools. In part two, Trend Micro resumes the discussion of how to make your Mac run faster with more Cleaner One Pro features: system and application management, privacy protection and other options.
Multi-Platform Malware Framework Linked to North Korean Hackers
Security researchers at Kaspersky have identified a multi-platform malware framework that they believe North Korea-linked hackers have been leveraging in attacks over the past couple of years. Called MATA, the platform appears to have been in use since spring 2018 to target computers running Windows, Linux, and macOS. The framework, which consists of components such as a loader, an orchestrator, and plugins, is believed to be linked to the prolific North Korean hacking group Lazarus.
Updates on ThiefQuest, the Quickly-Evolving macOS Malware
In early July, Trend Micro noticed a new malware dubbed ThiefQuest, a threat that targets macOS devices, encrypts files, and installs keyloggers in affected systems. However, new reports on the malware state the assumption that the malware’s ransomware activity is not its main attack method; rather, it is a pre-emptive move to disguise its other capabilities such as file exfiltration, Command and Control (C&C) communication, and keylogging.
Apple’s Long-Awaited Security Device Research Program Makes its Debut
In order to make it easier for security researchers to find vulnerabilities in iPhones, Apple is launching an iPhone Research Device Program that will provide certain hackers with special devices to conduct security research. Beyond enhancing security for iOS users and making it easier to unearth flaws in iPhones, the program also aims to improve the efficiency of ongoing security research on iOS.
Guidelines Related to Security in Smart Factories Part 5: CIS Controls
The purpose of this blog series is to explain typical examples of general-purpose guidelines for ICS and OT security and understand the concepts required for security in smart factories. As a subset of NIST SP800-53 which was introduced in part four, part five explains the CIS Controls that correspond to practical guides.
US Charges Two Chinese Spies for a Global Hacking Campaign that Targeted COVID-19 Research
U.S. prosecutors have charged two Chinese nationals, said to be working for China’s state intelligence bureau, for their alleged involvement in a massive global hacking operation that targeted hundreds of companies and governments for more than a decade. The 11-count indictment, unsealed Tuesday, alleges Li Xiaoyu, 34, and Dong Jiazhi, 33, stole terabytes of data from high-technology companies around the world—including the United States.
Twitter Hacked in Bitcoin Scam
Are Apple, Elon Musk, Barrack Obama, Uber, Joe Biden, and a host of others participating in a very transparent bitcoin scheme? No. The question was whether individual accounts were compromised or if something deeper was going on. Underlying this whole situation is a more challenging issue: The level of access that support has to any given system.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s new iPhone Research Device program? Share your thoughts in the comments below or follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation: @JonLClay.
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