Help Net Security

Cyber crooks are trying out an interesting new approach for getting information-stealing malware installed on Android users’ smartphones: a physical letter impersonating MeteoSwiss (i.e., Switzerland’s Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology). “The letter asks the recipients to install a new severe weather app. However, there is no such federal app with the name mentioned. Rather, the QR code shown in the letter leads to the download of malware called ‘Coper’ (also known as ‘Octo2’),” the … More →

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Attackers have been spotted exploiting two additional vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-9463, CVE-2024-9465) in Palo Alto Networks’ Expedition firewall configuration migration tool, CISA has confirmed on Thursday. About the vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-9463, CVE-2024-9465) CVE-2024-9463 allows unauthenticated attackers to run arbitrary OS commands as root on vulnerable Expedition instances, leading to disclosure of usernames, cleartext passwords, device configurations, and device API keys of PAN-OS firewalls. CVE-2024-9465 – an SQL injection vulnerability – allows unauthenticated attackers to grab data from Expedition’s … More →

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Oscilar unveiled its Cognitive Identity Intelligence Platform to combat the rising tide of AI-powered fraud. The platform’s proprietary “Digital & Behavior Identification” technology transforms digital identity verification in an era where traditional solutions are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated AI-enabled attacks. At its current growth rate, Deloitte’s Center for Financial Services predicts that generative AI could enable fraud losses to reach $40 billion in the United States by 2027, from $12.3 billion in 2023, a compound … More →

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IBM announced Autonomous Security for Cloud (ASC), an AI-powered solution from IBM Consulting designed to automate cloud security management and decision-making to help mitigate risk for organizations accelerating their cloud journey on Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments. Highlighted in IBM’s 2024 Cloud Threat Landscape report, misconfigurations and compliance failures were identified as the top threats organizations face as they increasingly rely on cloud computing environments. Yet, in a technology landscape where security is non-negotiable, maintaining … More →

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Bitsight announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cybersixgill, a global cyber threat intelligence (CTI) data provider. Together, Bitsight and Cybersixgill will provide visibility into an organization’s external attack surface, supply chain, and the threats targeting it. As a result, security leaders can proactively identify, prioritize, and mitigate risk across their first and third party environments. With cyber attacks on the rise, CTI data is increasingly vital. However, applying threat intelligence findings to … More →

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USX Cyber released advanced phishing protection tools within its GUARDIENT XDR platform. This latest enhancement enables organizations to strengthen defenses against sophisticated phishing attacks by providing employees with realistic training and heightened awareness of phishing threats. Phishing attacks are growing increasingly sophisticated and dangerous as threat actors exploit social engineering techniques and AI to enhance their tactics. The new suite includes a phishing simulation tool that mimics real-world phishing techniques, equipping employees to identify and respond … More →

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In this Help Net Security interview, Tony Perez, CEO at NOC.org, discusses the role of continuous monitoring for real-time threat detection, the unique risks posed by APIs, and strategies for securing web applications. Perez also addresses how AI-driven threats are shaping the future of web security and the need for adaptive defenses. Could you elaborate on the importance of continuous monitoring, especially for detecting zero-day vulnerabilities and runtime threats? Continuous monitoring is probably one of … More →

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In this Help Net Security video, Venkat Gopalakrishnan, Principal Data Science Manager at Microsoft, discusses the development of AI-driven risk scoring models tailored for cybersecurity threats, and how AI is revolutionizing risk assessment and management in cybersecurity.

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Finance and insurance sectors found to have the highest number of critical vulnerabilities, according to Black Duck. Finance and insurance industry faces highest vulnerabilities The report, which analyzes data from over 200,000 dynamic application security testing (DAST) scans conducted by Black Duck on approximately 1,300 applications across 19 industry sectors from June 2023 to June 2024, found variations in vulnerability types and remediation practices. Of the 96,917 total vulnerabilities identified, the two most critical categories … More →

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Here’s a look at the most interesting products from the past week, featuring releases from Absolute Security, BlackFog, Eurotech, Nirmata, Rakuten Viber, Syteca, and Vectra. Eurotech ReliaGATE 15A-14 enables organizations to meet regulatory standards The ReliaGATE 15A-14 combines flexible feature expansion to adapt to diverse customer requirements with multiple compact form factors ideal for space-constrained deployments. With cellular carrier certification and global coverage, it enables customers to operate across multiple regions with a single device … More →

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NIST’s latest report, “Hardware Security Failure Scenarios: Potential Hardware Weaknesses” (NIST IR 8517), explores the hidden vulnerabilities in computer hardware, a domain often considered more secure than software. The report highlights how hardware flaws embedded in chip designs can lead to security risks that are difficult to fix post-production. The document outlines 98 failure scenarios, detailing various ways attackers can exploit hardware design and implementation weaknesses. Issues such as improper access control, faulty coding standards … More →

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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is clearing the backlog of unprocessed CVE-numbered vulnerabilities in the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), but has admitted that their initial estimate of when they would finish the job was “optimistic”. About the NVD The National Vulnerability Database is a public repository of vulnerabilities that have been published on MITRE’s CVE List. “NVD staff are tasked with enrichment of CVEs by aggregating data points from the description, references … More →

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Versa introduced the VersaONE Universal SASE Platform to enhance security and networking capabilities across WAN, LAN, data centers, and cloud. Powered by AI, VersaONE delivers converged SASE, SSE, SD-WAN, and SD-LAN products via a unified platform to securely connect all users, devices, locations, and workloads across any and all networks. No other vendor provides this comprehensive range of secure connectivity products from a single platform. VersaONE enables customers to reduce risk and improve resilience, while … More →

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Google has announced new security features for Android that provide real-time protection against scams and harmful apps. These features, powered by advanced on-device AI, enhance user safety without compromising privacy. These new security features are available first on Pixel and are coming soon to more Android devices. Scam Detection One of the key features is Scam Detection, which leverages on-device AI to identify potential scam calls in real-time. This feature analyzes conversation patterns to detect … More →

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After months of news reports that Chinese threat actors have breached the networks of US telecommunications and internet service providers, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have confirmed the success of the attacks, which were part of a “broad and significant cyber espionage campaign.” “Specifically, we have identified that PRC-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call records data, the compromise of private … More →

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CVE-2024-43451, a Windows zero-day vulnerability for which Microsoft released a fix on November 2024 Patch Tuesday, has been exploited since at least April 2024, ClearSky researchers have revealed. About the vulnerability CVE-2024-43451 affects all supported Windows versions and, when triggered, discloses a user’s NTLMv2 hash to the attacker, who can then use it to either mount pass the hash attacks or extract the user’s password from the hash. The result is in both cases the … More →

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Red Hat announced Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5. Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps organizations deploy applications and workloads more quickly and with greater reliability, enabling them to lower costs and more effectively manage workloads across hybrid cloud deployments while mitigating IT risks, from the datacenter to public clouds to the edge. According to IDC, “Organizations continue to find themselves at odds with striking the balance between maintaining their Linux operating system environments and the workloads … More →

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Google Cloud unveiled its Cybersecurity Forecast for 2025, offering a detailed analysis of the emerging threat landscape and key security trends that organizations worldwide should prepare for. The report delivers insights into the tactics of cyber adversaries, providing advice for increasing security posture in the coming year. The year of AI-driven cyberattacks The report highlights a shift in the cybersecurity landscape: the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) as a double-edged sword. While AI offers new … More →

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In this Help Net Security interview, Arun Gupta, Vice President and General Manager for Open Ecosystem, Intel, discusses the company’s commitment to fostering an open ecosystem as a cornerstone of its software strategy. He explains how this approach empowers developers and shapes Intel’s broader technology and business objectives, enhancing platform innovation. Gupta emphasizes that by actively participating in open-source initiatives, Intel aims to lower complexity and improve security, ultimately enabling developers to create impactful solutions … More →

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A joint report by leading cybersecurity agencies from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand has identified the most commonly exploited vulnerabilities of 2023. Zero-day vulnerabilities on the rise The advisory highlights that malicious cyber actors increasingly targeted zero-day vulnerabilities, posing significant threats to enterprise networks. Notably, the exploitation of these zero-days rose compared to 2022. Unlike previous years, where older, unpatched vulnerabilities dominated the list, 2023 saw a spike in zero-day exploits, reflecting … More →

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