Microsoft has released an emergency fix for a year 2022 bug that is breaking email delivery on on-premise Microsoft Exchange servers. Email is getting stuck in the queue, and these errors are caused by Microsoft Exchange checking the version of the FIP-FS antivirus scanning engine and attempting to store the date in a signed int32 variable.
Malicious text messages are being spammed to mobile users, containing a link which redirects Android users to download FluBot malware. The language and wording of the text message can vary,
BruCERT has received a number of reports from concerned members of the public regarding the legitimacy
of phone calls from the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics (JPES).
Please download the security guidelines below & Stay Safe!
BruCERT was established in May 2004 with the vision of enhancing the security of Brunei ICT through proactive prevention and effective response. BruCERT became the nation’s most trusted one-stop referral agency dealing with computer-related security incidents in Brunei Darussalam.
BruCERT also runs an awareness program called Secure Verify Connect, aimed at raising awareness of Internet safety and information security among the Bruneian public, though education, seminars and workshops.
Cyber threats are expected to increase globally as a result of the current conflict in Europe. All organizations in Brunei Darussalam are advised to increase awareness and strengthen all critical systems to safeguard data against potential cyber-attacks, such as website defacement, distributed denial of service (DDoS), and ransomware attacks.
RECOMMENDATIONS
BruCERT recommends that the following immediate actions should be taken.
System hardening
BACKGROUND
Instagram is one of the most popular social media used in Negara Brunei Darussalam, with almost half of the population is using it for communicating. Losing access to your account can be a nightmare scenario for users.
TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE WHILE ON INSTAGRAM
BACKGROUND
Microsoft has released an emergency fix for a year 2022 bug that is breaking email delivery on on-premise Microsoft Exchange servers. Email is getting stuck in the queue, and these errors are caused by Microsoft Exchange checking the version of the FIP-FS antivirus scanning engine and attempting to store the date in a signed int32 variable.
BACKGROUND
Malicious text messages are being spammed to mobile users, containing a link which redirects Android users to download FluBot malware. The language and wording of the text message can vary, such as:
• You have a voicemail message.
• Your parcel is out for delivery. Click the link to track your parcel.
• Someone would like to share a photo album with you.
• Your Android device is infected with malware. You must install this security update to remove the malware.
BruCERT has received reports of a phishing email that claims to be from "BIBD Bank Darussalam Brunei" offering a COVID-19 relief fund to its customers.
BACKGROUND
BruCERT has received a report of a phishing scam involving Brunei Postal Services Department. An SMS message which appears to be from "Brunei Post" informs the recipient that their package has been relocated to a post office branch due to unpaid postage fees. The message includes a shortened link that will redirect the user to a fake website post-bn.com where they will be asked to enter their full name and credit card details.
IMPACT
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Apple has released security updates for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Mac computers to address vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-30860 and CVE-2021-30858) that were being exploited by Pegasus spyware.
The bug allowed for a "zero-click" install of the spyware which is capable of stealing data, passwords, and activating a phone's microphone or camera.
IMPACT
May lead to arbitrary code execution on affected products.
SYSTEM AFFECTED
Apple devices running iOS, macOS and watchOS.
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Due to the challenging pandemic situation in Brunei Darussalam where the population is advised to stay at home, cybercriminals are taking the opportunity to phish sensitive and confidential information by creating a fake website for well-known fast-food chains.
Example:
https:// bn-mcdelivery .ru
This website appears to be hosted in Russia, and offers meals at a very low price, with many menu items that are not available in Brunei outlets.
Modus Operandi
BACKGROUND
Attackers are now actively exploiting Microsoft Exchange Servers using ‘ProxyShell’ vulnerability to install backdoors for later access, which uses three chained MS vulnerabilities to perform unauthenticated, remote code execution. These chained vulnerabilities are exploited remotely through Microsoft Exchange's Client Access Service (CAS) running on port 443 in IIS.
The three chained vulnerabilities used in ‘ProxyShell’ attacks are:
BACKGROUND
In view of the recent directive for organizations to activate their business continuity plan (BCP) protocols, most organizations are requiring employees to work from home (WFH). Remote working creates additional opportunities for cyber threat actors to perform malicious cyber activities by exploring open vulnerabilities in less secured networks, thus gaining access to users’ data or the organization's network.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Below are some security measures that can be applied:
BACKGROUND
Researchers have identified a new Android trojan named FlyTrap, which has affected more than 10,000 victims in over 140 countries since March. It has been able to spread through social media hijacking, third-party app stores, and sideloaded applications.
The malware uses social engineering tricks to compromise Facebook accounts, seemingly offering free Netflix coupon codes, Google AdWords coupon codes, or voting for the best football team.
BACKGROUND
PetitPotam is a newly uncovered security flaw in the Windows operating system which can be used to attack remote Windows servers including Domain Controllers, to authenticate with a malicious destination, allowing an attacker to stage an NTLM relay attack and completely take over a Windows domain.
MODUS OPERANDI
BACKGROUND
MosaicLoader is a Trojan horse-style malware that is being delivered through paid ads in search results designed to lure users looking for cracked software. Links to the malware will appear at the top of search results when people search for cracked versions of popular software.
BACKGROUND
Known vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler service can allow a total compromise of Windows systems. The print spooler is an executable file that manages the printing process. Management of printing involves retrieving the location of the correct printer driver, loading that driver, spooling high-level function calls into a print job, scheduling the print job for printing, and so on.
BACKGROUND
Hacking group Nobelium which has caused concern for a lot of companies all over the world due to its ongoing malicious activity and sophisticated phishing attacks, is once again targeting IT and government organizations in various countries.
Information-stealing malware was found on a device belonging to one of Microsoft's employees with access to account information for a small number of their customers, and the attacker has used the information in some cases to launch highly targeted attacks as part of a broader campaign.
BACKGROUND
BruCERT has recently received a number of reports on a scam called “MARISEWABANK”. The scammer contacts victims via SMS containing a WhatsApp link. Once the link is clicked, the victim would be lured into online gambling by promising a profit of 100% to 350% depending on the bank that the victim deposits their money into. The victim will then be asked for their personal and banking details, namely:
• Bank
• Name of account holder
• Account number
• Online banking username & password
BACKGROUND
BruCERT has received several complaints recently about a tele-survey phone scam allegedly from a company named Prolific, asking people for their personal email address purportedly to send a survey through email. However, the real purpose is to collect sensitive and personal information.
MODUS OPERANDI
BACKGROUND
According to a study, 91% of cyber-attacks start with an email. Scammers hack email accounts so that they can send messages from a trusted email address in hopes of getting the recipients to take action. Their main goal is to get these email contacts to send money, reveal personal information, or click on a link that installs malware, spyware, or a virus.
IMPACT
BACKGROUND
Trickbot is a malware-as-a-service botnet that is often described as one of the world's largest. It first appeared as banking malware in 2016, used to steal online banking credentials, and is designed to stealthily infiltrate a victim's computer and remain silent thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
BACKGROUND
Emotet started as a banking trojan in 2014 and has recently returned as a more dangerous malware targeting local government agencies. It acts as a downloader/dropper to deliver trojans and malicious code to infect devices. Emotet typically spreads through phishing emails or spam that contain Microsoft Word attachments or links along with zip files in order to bypass security filters (i.e. antivirus) to lure victims to click on the link or file.
IMPACT
BACKGROUND
The latest phishing attack has caused a wave of business email account takeovers.
Once an email account is compromised, the account credentials are sent to a remote bot which would then sign into the account and analyse recent emails. For each unique email thread, it would then reply to the most recent email, sending a link to a phishing page to capture credentials. Since the phishing emails are being sent as replies to genuine emails between suppliers, customers, and colleagues, this makes the emails appear trustworthy.
Background
A technical support scam is a form of fraud, utilizing social engineering and fear tactics to fool victims into divulging useful and confidential information or paying for unnecessary support services due to alleged technical error or software problems.
There are 2 common methods of tech support scams: via a phone call and scareware.
Phone call
BACKGROUND
BruCERT has recently received a number of complaints from the public regarding phone scammers impersonating legitimate banks. The scammers contact victims through unofficial channels such as apps like WhatsApp or Viber, usually calling from an international number. They claim to be calling to check all customers’ cards and pressure the victim to reveal personal and financial information.
IMPACT
Background
A technical support scam is a form of fraud, utilizing social engineering and fear tactics to fool victims into divulging useful and confidential information or paying for unnecessary support services due to alleged technical error or software problems.
There are 2 common methods of tech support scams: via a phone call and scareware.
Phone call
BACKGROUND
A way for employees to access corporate devices is by using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Remote Desktop is a remote management tool which allows you to connect to any computer and take over the desktop. It’s like you are sitting and looking at your own computer, only remotely. It is highly used especially during this pandemic situation, for those who have moved to work from home. If poorly configured, it might be vulnerable to attacks.
IMPACT
Background:
A novel hack called “Hover with Power” allows an attacker to create a mouse-over in a PowerPoint file which would trigger the download of malware when a user hovers over a link in the presentation. Utilizing an element of social engineering, the user would then have to accept a pop-up dialogue box to run or install the program. The executable file can also be run from a remote server by using the ‘HyperLink To” action. This attack affects .ppsx files which are designed to play presentations and can’t be edited.
Impact:
Background Description:
As most organizations have started Working from Home (WFH) as part of their Business Continuity Planning (BCP) initiatives, implementing a VPN is one of the ways to have a secure connection over the internet.
Background
With the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and in view of Brunei's Ministry of Health advisory to implement social distancing measures, many organizations are encouraging or requiring staff to work from home for an indeterminate amount of time.
However, remote working creates additional opportunities for cyber threat actors to perform malicious cyber activities by exploring open vulnerabilities in less secured networks, thus gaining access to users’ data or the organization's network.
BACKGROUND
Zeus Sphinx trojan first appeared in August 2015. Also known as Zloader or Terdot, it resurfaced in December 2019 and became aggressive in March 2020. Like other banking trojans, Sphinx’s main ability is to collect credentials for online banking sites and the newer version is looking to cash in on interest in government relief efforts around the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Background
Microsoft has warned public that Windows code-execution zero day is under active exploit. The vulnerability consists of two code-execution flaws that can be triggered from improper handling of maliciously crafted master fonts in the Adobe Type 1 Postscript format. Attackers can exploit them by convincing a target to open a specially crafted document or viewing it in the Windows preview pane.
Impact
Background
Last month, a cybersecurity firm discovered that this malware can now steal 2FA codes from Google Authenticator app and doing a simple technique by screenshotting the Authenticator app's interface.
Android banking trojan namely "Cerberus" malware has the capability to steal One-Time Password (OTP) generated through Google Authenticator app that's used as 2FA for many online accounts.
Impact
• Possible loss of sensitive information especially your bank account credentials
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