11/23/2023-11/29/2023 Google Chrome Under Active Attack, Exploiting New Vulnerability, Critical OwnCloud Flaw, Bugs in Routers and NVRs for Massive DDoS Attacks And More.

1. Zero-Day Alert: Google Chrome Under Active Attack, Exploiting New Vulnerability

Google has rolled out security updates to fix seven security issues in its Chrome browser, including a zero-day that has come under active exploitation in the wild. Tracked as CVE-2023-6345, the high-severity vulnerability has been described as an integer overflow bug in Skia, an open source 2D graphics library. 
Google confirmed the existence of a dangerous exploit (CVE-2023-6345) but didn’t disclose much. Earlier, a similar flaw (CVE-2023-2136) was actively exploited. This new exploit might be linked. Six zero-days in Chrome have been patched this year, including critical vulnerabilities like type confusion and buffer overflows. To stay safe, update to Chrome version 119.0.6045.199/.200 on Windows and 119.0.6045.199 on macOS and Linux.

2. Hackers Can Exploit ‘Forced Authentication’ to Steal Windows NTLM Tokens

Security researchers identified a severe case of “forced authentication,” exploiting Microsoft Access files to leak a user’s NTLM tokens on Windows systems. By tricking victims into opening manipulated .accdb or .mdb files, attackers can automatically expose NTLM tokens to their servers via any TCP port, like port 80. This attack capitalizes on a legitimate feature allowing data source linking in Access to relay these tokens to a malicious server, potentially enabling relay attacks within an organization.
Attackers embed a remote SQL Server link within an .accdb file inside an MS Word document using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). When victims open this file and interact with the linked table, their client communicates with the attacker’s server, facilitating a relay attack on the organization’s NTLM server. This flaw in NTLM, a protocol for user authentication, has vulnerabilities to brute-force and relay attacks, making such exploits concerning for system security.

3. Hackers Start Exploiting Critical OwnCloud Flaw, Patch Now

 Hackers are exploiting a critical ownCloud vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-49103 that exposes admin passwords, mail server credentials, and license keys in containerized deployments. Of the three flaws, CVE-2023-49103 received a maximum CVSS severity score of 10.0 as it allows a remote threat actor to execute phpinfo() through the ownCloud ‘graphapi’ app, which reveals the server’s environment variables, including credentials stored within them. A brief description of the other 2 vulnerabilities is as follows:

• CVE-2023-49105 (CVSS score: 9.8) – WebDAV Api Authentication Bypass using Pre-Signed URLs impacting core versions from 10.6.0 to 10.13.0.
• CVE-2023-49104 (CVSS score: 9.0) – Subdomain Validation Bypass impacting oauth2 prior to version 0.6.1.

4. Mirai-based Botnet Exploiting Zero-Day Bugs in Routers and NVRs for Massive DDoS Attacks

An ongoing malware campaign exploits two undisclosed vulnerabilities, enabling remote code execution, to enlist routers and video recorders in a Mirai-based DDoS botnet. Akamai detected this, targeting devices with default credentials to install Mirai variants. Details are withheld to aid forthcoming patches. The attacks surfaced in late October 2023, spotted by Akamai against their honeypots. Named “InfectedSlurs,” the botnet employs racially charged language in its control servers. Akamai linked it to Mirai variants like hailBot and JenX. Additionally, they highlighted a web shell called wso-ng, an advanced tool used for data theft, lateral movement, and persistence, posing significant risks to affected organizations. Off-the-shelf web shells challenge attribution and serve cyber espionage motives.

5. GoTitan Botnet Spotted Exploiting Recent Apache ActiveMQ Vulnerability

 A critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-46604) in Apache ActiveMQ is actively exploited by threat actors, including the Lazarus Group, to deploy the GoTitan botnet and PrCtrl Rat. The flaw allows remote code execution, scoring 10.0 on CVSS. Once breached, attackers drop payloads, with GoTitan orchestrating DDoS attacks using various protocols. Notably, it’s designed for x64 architectures, creating a debug log (‘c.log’) indicating early development stages. Fortinet also observed attacks deploying Ddostf DDoS botnet, Kinsing cryptojacking malware, and the Sliver command-and-control framework on susceptible Apache ActiveMQ servers. Users are urged to address the Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability promptly to mitigate these threats.

11/15/2023-11/22/2023 Malicious PyPI Packages, New Intel CPU Vulnerability, CISA Adds Three Security Flaws to KEV Catalog And More.

1.  27 Malicious PyPI Packages with Thousands of Downloads Found Targeting IT Experts

An unknown threat actor has been observed publishing typosquat packages to the Python Package Index (PyPI) repository with an aim to deliver malware capable of gaining persistence, stealing sensitive data, and accessing cryptocurrency wallets for financial gain. The 27 packages, which masqueraded as popular legitimate Python libraries, attracted thousands of downloads. A defining characteristic of this attack was the utilization of steganography to hide a malicious payload within an innocent-looking image file, which increased the stealthiness of the attack. A common denominator to these packages is the use of the setup.py script to include references to other malicious packages (i.e., pystob and pywool) that deploy a Visual Basic Script (VBScript) in order to download and execute a file named “Runtime.exe” to achieve persistence on the host. The continuous wave of attacks targeting the software supply chain has also prompted the U.S. government to issue new guidance this month for software developers and suppliers to maintain and provide awareness about software security.

2. Reptar: New Intel CPU Vulnerability Impacts Multi-Tenant Virtualized Environments

Intel has released fixes to close out a high-severity flaw codenamed Reptar that impacts its desktop, mobile, and server CPUs. Tracked as CVE-2023-23583 (CVSS score: 8.8), the issue has the potential to allow escalation of privilege and/or information disclosure and/or denial of service via local access.Successful exploitation of the vulnerability could also permit a bypass of the CPU’s security boundaries. The impact of this vulnerability is demonstrated when exploited by an attacker in a multi-tenant virtualized environment, as the exploit on a guest machine causes the host machine to crash resulting in a Denial of Service to other guest machines running on the same host.

3. LockBit Ransomware Exploiting Critical Citrix Bleed Vulnerability to Break In

Various threat actors, including LockBit ransomware affiliates, are actively exploiting a critical security flaw (CVE-2023-4966) in Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway appliances. This flaw, dubbed Citrix Bleed, enables bypassing password requirements and multifactor authentication, leading to session hijacking. The U.S. CISA, FBI, MS-ISAC, and ASD’s ACSC have issued a joint advisory. Despite Citrix addressing the vulnerability last month, it was weaponized as a zero-day since August 2023. Mandiant is tracking four UNC groups exploiting it globally. LockBit has joined in, using the flaw to execute PowerShell scripts and deploy RMM tools. This incident highlights the ongoing risk of ransomware attacks exploiting exposed service vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, a Check Point study notes that Linux-targeting ransomware, geared towards medium and large organizations, exhibits a trend of simplification in core functionalities.

4. CISA Adds Three Security Flaws with Active Exploitation to KEV Catalog

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added three actively exploited vulnerabilities to its catalog. These include CVE-2023-36584 (MotW Security Feature Bypass in Microsoft Windows), CVE-2023-1671 (Sophos Web Appliance Command Injection), and CVE-2020-2551 (Oracle Fusion Middleware Unspecified). CVE-2023-1671 allows critical pre-auth command injection, while CVE-2020-2551 compromises WebLogic Server. Though there are no documented in-the-wild attacks for CVE-2023-1671, Palo Alto Networks reported spear-phishing by the pro-Russian APT group Storm-0978 using CVE-2023-36584. This flaw, patched in October 2023, was part of an exploit chain delivering the RomCom RAT. Federal agencies are urged to apply fixes by December 7, 2023, to safeguard against potential threats.

5. Kinsing Hackers Exploit Apache ActiveMQ Vulnerability to Deploy Linux Rootkits

Kinsing threat actors are actively exploiting a critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-46604) in Apache ActiveMQ servers to infect Linux systems with cryptocurrency miners and rootkits. Once infiltrated, Kinsing deploys a cryptocurrency mining script, causing damage to infrastructure and degrading system performance. Known for targeting misconfigured containerized environments, Kinsing adapts quickly to exploit newly disclosed flaws, as seen in its recent abuse of the Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability. This flaw allows remote code execution, enabling the installation of the Kinsing malware. The group, aiming for full system compromise, loads its rootkit in /etc/ld.so.preload. Organizations using affected Apache ActiveMQ versions are urged to update promptly. Simultaneously, AhnLab warns of cyber attacks targeting vulnerable Apache web servers for a cryptojacking campaign.

11/08/2023-11/15/2023 BlazeStealer Malware in Python Packages on PyPI, Intel CPU Vulnerability, Unpatched Critical Cloud Director Vulnerability And More.

1. Reptar: New Intel CPU Vulnerability Impacts Multi-Tenant Virtualized Environments

Intel has issued fixes for a high-severity vulnerability named Reptar affecting desktop, mobile, and server CPUs. Tracked as CVE-2023-23583 with a CVSS score of 8.8, the flaw poses risks of privilege escalation, information disclosure, and denial of service through local access. Successful exploitation could breach CPU security boundaries, leading to a host machine crash in virtualized environments, affecting other guest machines. Google Cloud highlights the vulnerability’s potential for information disclosure and privilege escalation. Intel released updated microcode for affected processors in November 2023, emphasizing no current evidence of active exploits. Simultaneously, AMD addressed the CacheWarp flaw (CVE-2023-20592) in their processors, enabling unauthorized access to SEV-protected VMs.

2. Alert: Microsoft Releases Patch Updates for 5 New Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

Microsoft has addressed 63 security vulnerabilities in its November 2023 updates, with three actively exploited flaws. Among the 63, three are Critical, 56 Important, and four Moderate. Notably, five zero-days include Windows SmartScreen and DWM Core Library vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-36025 allows SmartScreen bypass through a specially crafted Internet Shortcut, while CVE-2023-36033 and CVE-2023-36036 can grant SYSTEM privileges. CISA added these to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, advising fixes by December 5, 2023. Microsoft also patched critical remote code execution flaws (CVE-2023-36028, CVE-2023-36397), a heap-based buffer overflow in curl library (CVE-2023-38545), and an Azure CLI information disclosure bug (CVE-2023-36052). The latter could expose plaintext passwords and usernames in log files, with Microsoft addressing the issue in Azure CLI version 2.54 to enhance security against inadvertent usage.

3. Urgent: VMware Warns of Unpatched Critical Cloud Director Vulnerability

VMware is warning about a critical, unpatched security flaw (CVE-2023-34060, CVSS score: 9.8) in Cloud Director affecting instances upgraded to version 10.5. A malicious actor with network access can bypass authentication restrictions on ports 22 and 5480. Notably, this bypass is absent on port 443. VMware acknowledges the vulnerability’s impact is due to the use of an affected version of sssd from the underlying Photon OS. While a fix is pending, VMware provides a workaround via a shell script (“WA_CVE-2023-34060.sh”). The company assures implementing the temporary mitigation will not require downtime or affect Cloud Director functionality. This follows VMware’s recent patch for a critical flaw (CVE-2023-34048) in vCenter Server allowing remote code execution.

4. Zero-Day Alert: Lace Tempest Exploits SysAid IT Support Software Vulnerability

The threat actor Lace Tempest, associated with Cl0p ransomware, exploited a zero-day flaw (CVE-2023-47246) in SysAid IT support software in targeted attacks. SysAid has patched the path traversal vulnerability in version 23.3.36. Lace Tempest executed commands through SysAid to deliver a Gracewire malware loader, enabling human-operated activities such as lateral movement, data theft, and ransomware deployment. The attacker uploaded a WAR archive containing a web shell to the SysAid Tomcat web service, providing backdoor access. A PowerShell script executed a loader for Gracewire, and another script erased evidence post-exploitation. The attack involved MeshCentral Agent and PowerShell to download and run Cobalt Strike. Organizations using SysAid are urged to promptly apply patches and scan for signs of exploitation.

5. CISA Alerts: High-Severity SLP Vulnerability Now Under Active Exploitation

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a high-severity flaw in the Service Location Protocol (SLP) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (CVE-2023-29552, CVSS score: 7.5). The vulnerability, disclosed by Bitsight and Curesec, is a denial-of-service (DoS) issue enabling significant amplification attacks through spoofed UDP traffic. SLP facilitates system discovery and communication on local area networks (LANs). Though specific details of exploitation are unknown, it poses a risk for DoS attacks with a substantial amplification factor. CISA mandates federal agencies to implement mitigations, including disabling SLP on systems in untrusted networks, by November 29, 2023, to safeguard against potential threats.

6. Beware, Developers: BlazeStealer Malware Discovered in Python Packages on PyPI

Malicious Python packages on the Python Package Index (PyPI) are targeting developers to steal sensitive information. Disguised as obfuscation tools, the packages contain BlazeStealer malware. The eight packages, including Pyobftoexe and Pyobfadvance, were active since January 2023 and downloaded 2,438 times globally before removal. BlazeStealer, run as a Discord bot, grants attackers control over victims’ systems, harvesting data, executing commands, encrypting files, and even causing system shutdown. The malware was distributed via setup.py and init.py files, retrieving a Python script from transfer[.]sh. The majority of downloads originated from the U.S., emphasizing the need for developer vigilance in verifying packages before use. This incident follows Phylum’s discovery of crypto-themed npm modules delivering next-stage malware.