CISA received 4 files for analysis from an incident response engagement conducted at an Aeronautical Sector organization.
2 files (bitmap.exe, wkHPd.exe) are identified as variants of Metasploit (Meterpreter) and designed to connect and receive unencrypted payloads from their respective command and control (C2) servers. Note: Metasploit is an open source penetration testing software; Meterpreter is a Metasploit attack payload that runs an interactive shell. These executables are used as attack payloads to run interactive shells, allowing a malicious actor the ability to control and execute code on a system.
2 files (resource.aspx, ConfigLogin.aspx) are Active Server Pages (ASPX) web shells designed to execute remote JavaScript code on the victim server.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) in response to the active exploitation of CVE-2023-27350. This vulnerability occurs in certain versions of PaperCut NG and PaperCut MF and enables an unauthenticated actor to execute malicious code remotely without credentials. PaperCut released a patch in March 2023.
The Snake implant is considered the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool designed and used by Center 16 of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for long-term intelligence collection on sensitive targets. To conduct operations using this tool, the FSB created a covert peer-to-peer (P2P) network of numerous Snake-infected computers worldwide. Many systems in this P2P network serve as relay nodes which route disguised operational traffic to and from Snake implants on the FSB’s ultimate targets. Snake’s custom communications protocols employ encryption and fragmentation for confidentiality and are designed to hamper detection and collection efforts.
Today, CISA released the Untitled Goose Tool to help network defenders detect potentially malicious activity in Microsoft Azure, Azure Active Directory (AAD), and Microsoft 365 (M365) environments. The Untitled Goose Tool offers novel authentication and data gathering methods for network defenders to use as they interrogate and analyze their Microsoft cloud services. The tool enables users to:
Today, CISA released a Cybersecurity Advisory, CISA Red Team Shares Key Findings to Improve Monitoring and Hardening of Networks. This advisory describes a red team assessment of a large critical infrastructure organization with a mature cyber posture. CISA is releasing this Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) detailing the red team’s tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and key findings to provide network defenders proactive steps to reduce the threat of similar activity from malicious cyber actors.
From mid-June through mid-July 2022, CISA conducted an incident response engagement at a Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) organization where CISA observed suspected advanced persistent threat (APT) activity. In the course of incident response activities, CISA determined that cyber threat actors exploited the Log4Shell vulnerability in an unpatched VMware Horizon server, installed XMRig crypto mining software, moved laterally to the domain controller (DC), compromised credentials, and then implanted Ngrok reverse proxies on several hosts to maintain persistence.
Actions to take today to mitigate cyber threats from ransomware: • Install updates for operating systems, software, and firmware as soon as they are released. • Require phishing-resistant MFA for as many services as possible. • Train users to recognize and report phishing attempts.
CISA analyzed 15 files associated with China Chopper malware. The files are modified Offline Address Book (OAB) Virtual Directory (VD) configuration files for Microsoft Exchange servers. The files have been modified with a variant of the China Chopper webshell. The webshells allow an attacker to remotely access the server and execute arbitrary code on the system(s).referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.
CISA analyzed 4 files associated with HyperBro malware. The files creates a backdoor program that is capable of uploading and downloading files to and from the system. The RAT is also capable of logging keystrokes and executing commands on the system.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to provide information on recent cyber operations against the Government of Albania in July and September. This advisory provides a timeline of activity observed, from initial access to execution of encryption and wiper attacks. Additional information concerning files used by the actors during their exploitation of and cyber attack against the victim organization is provided in Appendices A and B.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two more flaws to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, based on evidence of active exploitation.
CISA has urged organizations to patch a recent Zimbra credential theft vulnerability after reports of exploitation in the wild.
Best Practices • Apply patches as soon as possible • Disable unnecessary ports and protocols • Replace end-of-life infrastructure • Implement a centralized patch management system
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) was coauthored by cybersecurity authorities of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom: the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS),
The National Security Agency (NSA) has released a new Cybersecurity Technical Report (CTR): Network Infrastructure Security Guidance. The report captures best practices based on the depth and breadth of experience in supporting customers and responding to threats.
Recommendations include perimeter and internal network defenses to improve monitoring and access controls throughout the network.
Actions to Take Today: • Set antivirus and antimalware programs to conduct regular scans. • Enable strong spam filters to prevent phishing emails from reaching end users. • Filter network traffic. • Update software. • Require multifactor authentication. Leading up to Russia’s unprovoked attack against Ukraine, threat actors deployed destructive malware against organizations in Ukraine to destroy computer systems and render them inoperable.
CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, based on evidence that threat actors are actively exploiting the vulnerability listed in the table below. These types of vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors of all types and pose significant risk to the federal enterprise.
