Threats & Vulnerabilities: Page

Offensive cyberweapons from enemies may be re-engineered

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency wants to isolate, study, customize and re-engineer malware from adversaries to be used as its own offensive cyberweapons.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 18, 2017

NotPetya ransomware impact costs Maersk hundreds of millions

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk said the NotPetya ransomware attacks severely damaged business processes and the impact has been estimated at as much as $300 million in lost revenue.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 17, 2017

How does CrashOverride malware threaten industrial control systems?

CrashOverride malware targets industrial control systems and can wreak havoc. Expert Judith Myerson explains the capabilities of the malware and what to do to stop it.

By Judith Myerson • Aug. 17, 2017

Microsoft antivirus policy changes under Kaspersky pressure

Microsoft antivirus policy changes for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update in order to avoid further action in an antitrust case brought by Kaspersky.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 11, 2017

U.S. attorney: Gathering cybercrime evidence can be difficult

Assistant U.S. attorney says jurors and courts are getting smarter about cybercrime evidence, although digital cases overall may be getting more difficult to prosecute.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 11, 2017

FBI: Cyber investigations no different from real world

Despite a loud group claiming the burden of proof is harder to meet with digital evidence, an agent says FBI cyber investigations are not much different from traditional cases.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 8, 2017

How did a Moodle security vulnerability enable remote code execution?

A series of logic flaws in Moodle enabled attackers to remotely execute code on servers. Expert Michael Cobb explains how the Moodle security vulnerability can be exploited.

By Michael Cobb • Aug. 8, 2017

How did flaws in WhatsApp and Telegram enable account takeovers?

Flaws in WhatsApp and Telegram, popular messaging services, enable attackers to break encryption and take over accounts. Expert Michael Cobb explains how the attacks work.

By Michael Cobb • Aug. 7, 2017

MalwareTech arrested for Kronos banking Trojan connection

The FBI arrested the famed security researcher known as MalwareTech after a two-year investigation into the creation and distribution of the Kronos banking Trojan.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 3, 2017

Hacking voting machines takes center stage at DEFCON

DEFCON attendees were successful in hacking voting machines and now that there is proof the systems are insecure, more work needs to be done to change election laws and practices.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 2, 2017

Experts debate Vulnerabilities Equities Process disclosure

Experts debated how the government should weigh disclosure in the Vulnerabilities Equities Process and whether to err on the side of offense or defense.

By Michael Heller • Aug. 1, 2017

Did DDoS attacks cause the FCC net neutrality site to go down?

The FCC net neutrality comment site crashed, and it was blamed on DDoS attacks. Expert Matthew Pascucci looks at the technical side of this incident and what was behind it.

By Matthew Pascucci • July 31, 2017

Adobe’s Flash end of life scheduled, finally, for 2020

News roundup: Adobe announced that Flash end of life will happen by the end of 2020. Plus, Microsoft expands its bug bounty program, the 2017 Pwnie Awards winners, and more.

By Madelyn Bacon • July 28, 2017

Phishing research shows troubling trends for enterprise users

Karla Burnett of Stripe presented sobering results of phishing research from her company at Black Hat 2017, suggesting phishing training is ineffective against today's threats.

By Rob Wright • July 27, 2017

Industroyer malware a turning point for ICS security

Security researchers at Black Hat 2017 analyzed the Industroyer malware, the attack on Ukraine's power grid and what it means for industrial control system security in the U.S.

By Rob Wright • July 27, 2017

SHA-1 collision: How the attack completely breaks the hash function

Google and CWI researchers have successfully developed a SHA-1 attack where two pieces of data create the same hash value -- or collide. Expert Michael Cobb explains how this attack works.

By Michael Cobb • July 27, 2017

How are FTP injection attacks carried out on Java and Python?

Vulnerabilities in Java and Python have opened them up to possible FTP injections. Expert Nick Lewis explains how enterprises can mitigate these attacks.

By Nick Lewis • July 26, 2017

ASLR side-channel attack: How is JavaScript used to bypass protection?

Researchers have developed an ASLR Cache side-channel attack that enables them to eliminate ASLR protections. Expert Nick Lewis explains how JavaScript code is used in the attack.

By Nick Lewis • July 25, 2017

Fancy Bear C&C servers taken down by Microsoft lawsuit

Experts applaud Microsoft for clever use of a lawsuit to claim command and control server domains used by malicious Russian APT group Fancy Bear.

By Michael Heller • July 25, 2017

SQL Slammer worm returns: How risky is it for enterprises?

The SQL Slammer worm has re-emerged to attack a vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Expert Nick Lewis explains what enterprises can do to manage out-of-date systems.

By Nick Lewis • July 24, 2017

Dark web markets’ shutdown may lead to more arrests

Cooperation between law enforcement from around the world led to the shutdown of the AlphaBay and Hansa dark web markets and potential leads of illegal vendors.

By Michael Heller • July 21, 2017

How can users protect themselves from the DocuSign phishing email?

A DocuSign phishing email with a link to a malicious Word document recently targeted the company's users. Expert Judith Myerson outlines six ways to avoid this type of attack.

By Judith Myerson • July 20, 2017

Petya malware behavior may change based on AV installed

Researchers found changes in malware behavior when Petya detected certain security products, but experts are unsure why these features might exist.

By Michael Heller • July 13, 2017

Windows NTLM vulnerabilties addressed in July 2017 Patch Tuesday

Client-side security takes the forefront in Microsoft's July 2017 Patch Tuesday, which includes a fix for legacy Windows NTLM authentication processes.

By Michael Heller • July 12, 2017

What made iOS apps handling sensitive data vulnerable to MitM attacks?

A researcher discovered 76 iOS apps containing sensitive user data that were vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Expert Michael Cobb explains how developers can prevent this.

By Michael Cobb • July 12, 2017