03/27/2024-04/03/2024 Flaw Found in Popular LayerSlider WordPress Plugin, Malicious Code in XZ Utils for Linux Systems, PyPI Halts Sign-Ups Amid Surge And More.

1. Critical Security Flaw Found in Popular LayerSlider WordPress Plugin

A critical security flaw (CVE-2024-2879) in the LayerSlider plugin for WordPress, rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale, allows attackers to extract sensitive data via SQL injection in versions 7.9.11 through 7.10.0. The issue is patched in version 7.10.1, released on March 27, 2024. LayerSlider, a popular web content editor and design tool, has millions of users worldwide. The vulnerability arises from insufficient parameter escaping, enabling attackers to append SQL queries. Meanwhile, WP-Members Membership Plugin was affected by an unauthenticated stored XSS flaw (CVE-2024-1852, CVSS score: 7.2), now fixed in version 3.4.9.3. This flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts, potentially leading to account creation, redirection, and other attacks if executed within an administrator’s session.

2. Malicious Code in XZ Utils for Linux Systems Enables Remote Code Execution

A recent analysis unveiled a malicious code inserted into XZ Utils, a commonly used package in major Linux distributions. Tracked as CVE-2024-3094 with a CVSS score of 10.0, the compromise allows remote code execution. Microsoft engineer Andres Freund discovered a backdoor, enabling attackers to bypass secure shell authentication and gain complete system access. The backdoor, discovered during micro-benchmarking, stemmed from unusual CPU usage in sshd processes. The compromised XZ Utils version 5.6.0 and 5.6.1 were released in February 2024. Project maintainer Jia Tan introduced the changes, possibly orchestrated over multiple years. The sophisticated attack involved social engineering with fake accounts and co-maintainer requests. The breach underscores the threat of supply chain attacks, with potential severe consequences if integrated into stable Linux releases.

3. PyPI Halts Sign-Ups Amid Surge of Malicious Package Uploads Targeting Developers

The Python Package Index (PyPI) temporarily halted new user sign-ups due to a surge in malicious projects as part of a typosquatting campaign. The suspension, aimed at mitigating a malware upload campaign, lasted 10 hours until March 28, 2024. Threat actors flooded the repository with typosquatted versions of popular packages, targeting developers to steal crypto wallets, browser data, and credentials. Over 100 malicious packages, including variations of ML libraries, were detected. The attack, automated and decentralized, involved over 500 deceptive variants uploaded from a unique account starting March 26, 2024. The malware, detected on Windows systems, steals files, Discord tokens, browser data, and cryptocurrency wallets. This incident underscores the growing threat of software supply chain attacks, necessitating rigorous scrutiny of third-party components by developers. PyPI has previously suspended user registrations multiple times due to similar security concerns.

4. CISA Warns: Hackers Actively Attacking Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerability

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a critical security flaw in Microsoft Sharepoint Server, CVE-2023-24955 (CVSS score: 7.2). The flaw permits authenticated attackers with Site Owner privileges to execute remote code. Microsoft patched this flaw in May 2023. CISA’s move follows the addition of CVE-2023-29357, a privilege escalation flaw, to the KEV catalog two months prior. While an exploit chain combining both vulnerabilities was demonstrated at Pwn2Own Vancouver, there’s no current information on active attacks or threat actors. Microsoft advises enabling automatic updates for protection.

5. Critical Unpatched Ray AI Platform Vulnerability Exploited for Cryptocurrency Mining

Cybersecurity researchers warn of active exploitation of an unpatched vulnerability in Anyscale Ray, an open-source AI platform, for illicit cryptocurrency mining. Dubbed “ShadowRay,” the campaign targets computing power since September 2023 across sectors like education and biopharma. Ray, used by major companies, suffers from CVE-2023-48022 (CVSS: 9.8), allowing remote code execution. Anyscale doesn’t plan to fix it immediately, citing security boundaries, but plans authentication in future versions. Exploiting flaws in Ray components enables unauthorized job submissions and access to sensitive information. Oligo observed hundreds of GPU clusters breached, exposing crucial credentials and enabling cryptocurrency mining. Anyscale releases Ray Open Ports Checker to address cluster security concerns.

03/20/2024-03/27/2024 Sketchy NuGet Package, Active Exploitation of Flaws in Fortinet, Ivanti, and Nice Products, Over 800 npm Packages Found with Discrepancies And More.

1. Sketchy NuGet Package Likely Linked to Industrial Espionage Targets Developers

Threat hunters have discovered a suspicious package, SqzrFramework480, in the NuGet package manager, likely targeting developers working with tools from a Chinese industrial equipment manufacturer. Uploaded on January 24, 2024, by user “zhaoyushun1999,” the package has been downloaded 2,999 times. ReversingLabs noted no similar packages, theorizing it could facilitate industrial espionage via camera-equipped systems. The DLL file within includes features for screen capture and remote pinging, potentially indicating malicious intent. While individual behaviors may not be overtly malicious, combined they raise concerns. This tactic mirrors previous instances of malicious data communication via sockets. The motive remains unclear, but concealing nefarious code in benign software is a known tactic. Despite ambiguity, users must scrutinize libraries before use due to the rising trend of malicious packages in open-source repositories like NuGet.

2. CISA Alerts on Active Exploitation of Flaws in Fortinet, Ivanti, and Nice Products

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added three security flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation. The vulnerabilities are as follows:

• CVE-2023-48788: Fortinet FortiClient EMS SQL Injection (CVSS score: 9.3);
• CVE-2021-44529: Ivanti Endpoint Manager Cloud Service Appliance (EPM CSA) Code Injection (CVSS score: 9.8);
• CVE-2019-7256: Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series OS Command Injection (CVSS score: 10.0).

Fortinet confirmed active exploitation of the FortiClient EMS flaw. Ivanti’s vulnerability allows malicious code execution. Research suggests CVE-2021-44529 might be an intentional backdoor. CVE-2019-7256 has been exploited since February 2020. Federal agencies must apply vendor-provided mitigations by April 15, 2024.CISA and the FBI issued a joint alert urging software makers to address SQL injection flaws, citing the Cl0p ransomware gang’s exploitation of CVE-2023-34362 in Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer. Despite long-standing awareness and available fixes, manufacturers continue to release vulnerable products, endangering customers.

3. Massive Sign1 Campaign Infects 39,000+ WordPress Sites with Scam Redirects

The Sign1 malware campaign has infiltrated 39,000 WordPress sites in six months, using JavaScript injections to redirect users to scam sites. The latest variant infected at least 2,500 sites in two months. Attackers inject rogue JavaScript into HTML widgets and plugins, allowing malicious code insertion. XOR-encoded JavaScript is decoded to execute a file on a remote server, redirecting to a VexTrio-operated traffic distribution system based on specific criteria. The malware dynamically fetches URLs every 10 minutes to evade blocklists. If visitors don’t come from major websites, the malware doesn’t execute. Suspected to exploit WordPress vulnerabilities, the campaign has used up to 15 domains since July 2023. Attackers may use brute-force attacks or plugin vulnerabilities to compromise sites, often injecting code via the Simple Custom CSS and JS plugin.

4. Over 800 npm Packages Found with Discrepancies, 18 Exploit ‘Manifest Confusion’

New research has discovered over 800 packages in the npm registry which have discrepancies from their registry entries, out of which 18 have been found to exploit a technique called manifest confusion. The problem stems from the fact that the npm registry does not validate whether the manifest file contained in the tarball (package.json) matches the manifest data provided to the npm server during the publishing process via an HTTP PUT request to the package URI endpoint. As a result, a threat actor could take advantage of this lack of cross verification to supply a different manifest containing hidden dependencies that’s processed during package installation to stealthily install malicious dependencies onto the developer’s system.Developers should verify package safety beyond npm’s website. Organizations must ensure all packages are safe, especially regarding manifest confusion, by analyzing for hidden dependencies. Trusting packages solely by appearance on npm’s site may be risky.

5. Ivanti Releases Urgent Fix for Critical Sentry RCE Vulnerability

Ivanti disclosed a critical remote code execution flaw, CVE-2023-41724, in Standalone Sentry, urging immediate patching. The vulnerability affects versions 9.17.0 to 9.19.0. Ivanti credited NATO Cyber Security Centre for collaboration. Another critical flaw, CVE-2023-46808, impacting on-premises Neurons for ITSM, permits authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. Patched versions are available. Despite no known customer impact, Ivanti advises applying fixes. Mandiant tracked China-linked cyber espionage clusters exploiting Ivanti flaws. SonarSource revealed an mXSS flaw in Mailspring (CVE-2023-47479), allowing code execution when replying to malicious emails. Yaniv Nizry highlighted mXSS’s ability to bypass sandbox and CSP protections.

6. Atlassian Releases Fixes for Over 2 Dozen Flaws, Including Critical Bamboo Bug

Atlassian patched over two dozen security flaws, notably CVE-2024-1597, a critical SQL injection bug in Bamboo Data Center and Server with a CVSS score of 10.0. Despite its severity, Atlassian noted it stems from an org.postgresql dependency, slightly reducing risk. The vulnerability could allow unauthenticated attackers to exploit assets without user interaction. The flaw affects PostgreSQL JDBC Driver versions prior to those listed. Atlassian clarified that Bamboo and other Data Center products aren’t affected as they don’t use the vulnerable query mode. The vulnerability was introduced in specific versions of Bamboo Data Center and Server. SonarSource’s Paul Gerste discovered the flaw. Users should update their instances promptly.

7. GitHub Launches AI-Powered Autofix Tool to Assist Devs in Patching Security Flaws

GitHub introduced code scanning autofix in public beta for Advanced Security customers, utilizing GitHub Copilot and CodeQL to provide targeted recommendations and avoid new security issues. Covering over 90% of alert types in JavaScript, Typescript, Java, and Python, it suggests fixes for two-thirds of vulnerabilities with minimal editing. Leveraging CodeQL, Copilot APIs, and OpenAI GPT-4, it plans to support more languages like C# and Go. Autofix generates potential fixes and provides explanations, extending beyond the current file to include dependencies. Developers must evaluate suggestions to ensure correctness and security, considering potential limitations like syntactic errors, incorrect placements, semantic changes, unresolved root causes, partial fixes, and insecure dependencies. GitHub warns about possible supply chain attacks due to incomplete dependency knowledge.

03/13/2024-03/20/2024 Critical RCE Vulnerability, Severe SQLi Vulnerability, Kubernetes Vulnerability And More.

1. Fortra Patches Critical RCE Vulnerability in FileCatalyst Transfer Tool

Fortra disclosed a critical security flaw in FileCatalyst, CVE-2024-25153, allowing remote code execution. The vulnerability, with a CVSS score of 9.8, stemmed from a directory traversal issue in the ‘ftpservlet.’ Attackers could upload files outside the designated directory via a crafted POST request. Once uploaded, malicious JSP files could execute code, including web shells. Discovered by Tom Wedgbury, the flaw was patched in FileCatalyst Workflow version 5.1.6 Build 114. Fortra also fixed CVE-2024-25154 and CVE-2024-25155 in FileCatalyst Direct in January 2024, addressing information leakage and code execution vulnerabilities. Given past exploits on Fortra’s MFT solutions, users should promptly apply updates to safeguard against potential threats.

2. Fortinet Warns of Severe SQLi Vulnerability in FortiClientEMS Software

Fortinet has warned of a critical security flaw impacting its FortiClientEMS software that could allow attackers to achieve code execution on affected systems. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-48788, carries a CVSS rating of 9.3 out of a maximum of 10. It impacts the following versions: FortiClientEMS 7.2.0 through 7.2.2 (Upgrade to 7.2.3 or above); FortiClientEMS 7.0.1 through 7.0.10 (Upgrade to 7.0.11 or above. Horizon3.ai found unpatched vulnerabilities in FortiWLM and FortiSIEM: unauthenticated log file read and static session ID issues. Security researcher Zach Hanley highlighted the risk of session hijacking. Users should update promptly to mitigate risks.

3. WordPress Admins Urged to Remove miniOrange Plugins Due to Critical Flaw

MiniOrange’s Malware Scanner and Web Application Firewall plugins for WordPress have a critical security flaw, CVE-2024-2172, rated 9.8 on CVSS. Versions <= 4.7.2 for Malware Scanner and <= 2.1.1 for Web Application Firewall are affected. The plugins were permanently closed on March 7, 2024. Wordfence reported the flaw, which allows an attacker to gain admin privileges by updating a user's password. This can lead to complete site compromise, including uploading malicious files and modifying content. Similarly, a high-severity flaw in the RegistrationMagic plugin (CVE-2024-1991) was addressed in version 5.3.1.0 on March 11, 2024, affecting all versions up to 5.3.0.0. It allows authenticated attackers to elevate their privileges, with more than 10,000 active installations. Users are urged to delete these plugins immediately to mitigate risks.

4. Researchers Detail Kubernetes Vulnerability That Enables Windows Node Takeover

A high-severity flaw in Kubernetes (CVE-2023-5528, CVSS: 7.2) allows remote code execution with SYSTEM privileges on Windows endpoints within a cluster. Attackers exploit the flaw by applying malicious YAML files. Versions affected include kubelet v1.8.0 onwards, patched in versions like v1.28.4. Successful exploitation could lead to complete takeover of Windows nodes. Similar flaws were disclosed by the web infrastructure company in September 2023. The vulnerability arises from insecure function calls and lack of user input sanitization in Kubernetes volumes, particularly with local volumes. The Kubernetes team patched it by replacing a vulnerable command call with a safer native GO function. Meanwhile, threat actors exploit a critical flaw (CVE-2024-0778, CVSS: 9.8) in the end-of-life Zhejiang Uniview ISC camera model 2500-S to distribute the Mirai botnet variant NetKiller, indicating potential widespread use of the Condi botnet source code released on GitHub.

5. Hackers Using Cracked Software on GitHub to Spread RisePro Info Stealer

Cybersecurity researchers have identified numerous GitHub repositories offering cracked software linked to the information stealer RisePro. Dubbed “gitgub,” the campaign involved 17 repositories across 11 accounts, now removed by Microsoft-owned GitHub. These repositories typically featured a README.md file promising free cracked software, embellished with green Unicode circles to feign legitimacy. Each repository directed users to download a RAR archive from “digitalxnetwork[.]com,” containing a 699 MB installer file. Despite its size, the actual payload is a mere 3.43 MB loader designed to inject RisePro (version 1.6) into system processes. RisePro, previously distributed via a pay-per-install malware service, is adept at extracting sensitive information and transmitting it to Telegram channels. Stealer malware, like Snake Keylogger, leverage varied techniques such as FTP, SMTP, and Telegram integration for data exfiltration. Notably, RedLine, Vidar, and Raccoon have emerged as prominent stealers, posing significant threats to cybersecurity. Flashpoint warns of the evolving landscape of information-stealing malware, driven by financial motives and increasing accessibility.