08/29/2023-09/06/2023 Hackers Exploit MinIO Storage System Vulnerabilities, GitLab Outage vs. Continuous Code Development, Threat Actors Targeting Microsoft SQL Servers And More.

1. New Python Variant of Chaes Malware Targets Banking and Logistics Industries

The banking and logistics sectors face a renewed malware threat known as Chaes, which has undergone significant updates. Originally written in Python to evade detection, Chaes now features enhanced communication protocols. Lucifer, the group behind Chaes, breached over 800 WordPress websites in early 2022. The latest variant, Chae$ 4, exhibits substantial improvements, including broader service targeting for credential theft. Despite these changes, the malware’s delivery method remains consistent. Victims visiting compromised websites are prompted to download software, initiating the ChaesCore module, responsible for connecting to a command-and-control server.Chaes maintains persistence through scheduled tasks and communicates via WebSockets. The malware’s emphasis on cryptocurrency theft underscores its financial motivation, using tactics like Module Packer to modify browser shortcuts. It leverages Google’s DevTools Protocol for extensive control over web browsers.

2. Hackers Exploit MinIO Storage System Vulnerabilities to Compromise Servers

An unknown threat actor has targeted the MinIO high-performance object storage system, exploiting critical vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-28432 and CVE-2023-28434) to gain unauthorized access and execute code on affected servers. The attacker used a publicly available exploit chain to backdoor the MinIO instance. These vulnerabilities, with CVSS scores of 7.5 and 8.8, can expose sensitive data and enable remote code execution on the compromised system. The attacker leveraged the flaws to obtain admin credentials, replace the MinIO client with a trojanized version, and create a deceptive update. This trojanized binary establishes a backdoor, receiving and executing commands via HTTP requests. A downloader script, compatible with both Windows and Linux, profiles compromised hosts to determine subsequent actions, reflecting the attacker’s advanced capabilities. 

3. PoC Exploit Released for Critical VMware Aria’s SSH Auth Bypass Vulnerability

Proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code has emerged for a recently patched critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-34039) in VMware Aria Operations for Networks. This flaw allows an attacker to bypass SSH authentication, rated at 9.8 in severity. It stems from a lack of unique cryptographic key generation, with hardcoded keys present in versions 6.0 to 6.10.

Additionally, VMware addressed CVE-2023-20890, an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which could grant administrative access to write files in arbitrary locations, enabling remote code execution. This PoC release coincides with VMware fixing a high-severity SAML token signature bypass flaw (CVE-2023-20900), impacting Windows and Linux versions of VMware Tools. It allows attackers with man-in-the-middle network access to bypass SAML token signature verification for VMware Tools Guest Operations.
Simultaneously, Fortinet FortiGuard Labs warned of ongoing exploitation of Adobe ColdFusion vulnerabilities by threat actors to deploy cryptocurrency miners and hybrid bots like Satan DDoS and RudeMiner, capable of cryptojacking and DDoS attacks. Users are urged to apply updates promptly for security.

4. GitLab Outage vs. Continuous Code Development

GitLab as a hosting service has shown to be a very solid option, but it is not without flaws. It is widely recommended to use third-party backup software. Please keep in mind that your source code, projects, Intellectual Property, hours of labor, and thousands of dollars are on the line. Every company’s disaster recovery and business continuity strategy should include a backup strategy suited for their needs. One of the biggest GitLab outages occurred in 2017 and lasted for six hours. It happened because of human error – the unintentional deletion of data from major database servers. Unfortunately, GitLab erased some production data and was unable to retrieve it in the end. Database and data modifications, including projects, comments, user accounts, issues, and snippets were lost.

To prepare for gaps in continuous code development, the company needs to come up with a sufficient backup strategy. First, you must specify the two most crucial parameters: Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). The highest volume of data that may be lost following a recovery from a disaster, failure, or equivalent event before data loss exceeds what is acceptable to a business is described as RPO. RTO refers to the amount of time and service level required to restore a business process following a disaster to prevent the unacceptably negative effects of a loss of continuity.

GitProtect for GitLab provides a comprehensive set of data recovery tools. It’s adaptable, with point-in-time recovery to any location – whether a local device or a remote repository is preferred.

5. Five Open-Source Projects to Secure Access to Your Applications

If you are like most devs, then securing your applications is one of those things that you do not want to (and should not) handle yourself.

• Authentication. Authentication is your app’s first line of defense. The process focuses on securing access to your application by verifying that the user is who they claim to be prior to logging them in.
• Keycloak is a Java-based open-source application authentication project. It provides SSO, user management, and user federation capabilities.
• Dex is a Go-based open-source service that uses OpenID Connect to authenticate users for other applications. It is a CNCF sandbox project that works with any application that supports OIDC. It adds an array of protocols for querying the authentication platforms and identity providers it is connected to.
• Open Policy Agent (OPA) provides a general purpose decision engine for enforcing authorization logic, along with a domain specific language for writing that logic as authorization policies (Rego). These policies are stored and versioned in their own repos and treated like any other code.
• OpenFGA is a CNCF sandbox project that provides a relationship-based access control (ReBAC) system. In ReBAC systems, permissions are based on relationships between subjects (users/groups) and application resources. They are also graph-based systems, built for scale and speed.

6. Okta Warns of Social Engineering Attacks Targeting Super Administrator Privileges

Okta, an identity services provider, has issued a warning about a recent surge in social engineering attacks targeting IT service desk personnel. The attackers aim to convince service desk staff to reset all multi-factor authentication (MFA) factors for highly privileged users. Once successful, they exploit Okta Super Administrator accounts to impersonate individuals within the compromised organization. These attacks occurred between July 29 and August 19, 2023.

The threat actor responsible remains unidentified, but the tactics resemble those associated with Muddled Libra, which shares some similarities with Scattered Spider and Scatter Swine. The attacks center around a commercial phishing kit called 0ktapus, which enables the creation of fake authentication portals to harvest credentials and MFA codes.

To counter these threats, Okta recommends implementing phishing-resistant authentication, enhancing help desk identity verification procedures, enabling end-user notifications for new devices and suspicious activities, and reviewing and limiting Super Administrator role usage.

7. Threat Actors Targeting Microsoft SQL Servers to Deploy FreeWorld Ransomware

Threat actors are exploiting vulnerable Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) servers to distribute Cobalt Strike and the ransomware strain FreeWorld in a campaign named DB#JAMMER. The attackers use enumeration, RAT payloads, exploitation tools, credential stealers, and ransomware payloads, primarily FreeWorld. They gain initial access through MS SQL server brute-forcing, proceed to enumerate the database, and leverage xp_cmdshell for further reconnaissance. The attackers then establish persistence, disable the system firewall, and transfer malicious tools, including Cobalt Strike, using remote SMB shares. The campaign also involves lateral movement and attempts at RDP persistence through Ngrok. Strong passwords for publicly exposed services are crucial to prevent such attacks.

8. North Korean Hackers Deploy New Malicious Python Packages in PyPI Repository

Three more malicious Python packages have been discovered on the PyPI repository as part of the VMConnect supply chain attack, which is believed to involve North Korean state-sponsored threat actors. These packages, named tablediter, request-plus, and requestspro, mimic popular Python tools and download an unknown second-stage malware.

The packages are designed to appear trustworthy, using typosquatting to impersonate legitimate packages like prettytable and requests. Tablediter runs a remote server to retrieve and execute a Base64-encoded payload. It now waits until the compromised application imports the package and calls its functions to avoid detection.

Request-plus and requestspro collect information from infected machines and transmit it to a command-and-control (C2) server. The server responds with a token, which the infected host sends back to a different URL on the same C2 server to receive a double-encoded Python module and a download URL. This token-based approach mirrors a previous npm campaign associated with North Korean actors, suggesting a common tactic for delivering second-stage malware.