Microsoft has revealed that North Korea-linked state-sponsored cyber actors has begun to use artificial intelligence (AI) to make its operations more effective and efficient.
"They are learning to use tools powered by AI large language models (LLM) to make their operations more efficient and effective," the tech giant said in its latest report on East Asia hacking groups.
The company

Microsoft Warns: North Korean Hackers Turn to AI-Fueled Cyber Espionage

By Deeba Ahmed
Veriti Research exposes surge in Androxgh0st attacks, exploiting CVEs and building botnets for credential theft. Patch systems, monitor for web shells, and use behavioral analysis to protect yourself.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Androxgh0st Malware Compromises Servers Worldwide for Botnet Attack

Veriti Research has discovered a surge in attacks from operators of the Androxgh0st malware family, uncovering over 600 servers compromised primarily in the U.S., India and Taiwan.

According to Veriti’s blog post, the adversary behind Androxgh0st had their C2 server exposed, which could allow for a counterstrike by revealing the impacted targets. The researchers then went on to alert the victims.

Further research revealed that Androxgh0st operators are exploiting multiple CVEs, including **CVE-2021-3129** and **CVE-2024-1709** to deploy a web shell on vulnerable servers, granting remote control capabilities. Moreover, evidence suggests active web shells associated with **CVE-2019-2725**. 

Image: Veriti

****Androxgh0st Threat Actor Ramps Up Activity****

Hackread.com has been tracking Androxgh0st operations since was first noticed in December 2022. The malware operator is known for deploying **Adhublika ransomware** and was previously observed communicating with an IP address associated with the Adhublika group.

Androxgh0st operators prefer exploiting Laravel applications to steal credentials for cloud-based services like AWS, SendGrid, and Twilio. They exploit vulnerabilities in Apache web servers and PHP frameworks, deploying webshells for persistence. 

However. their recent focus seems to be building botnets to exploit more systems. Recently, the FBI and CISA issued a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) advisory, **warning** about Androxgh0st constructing a botnet to carry out credential theft and establish backdoor access. 

Last year, Cado Security Ltd. **revealed** the details of a Python-based credential harvester and a hacking tool called Legion, linked to the AndroxGh0st malware family. Legion is designed to exploit email services for abuse.

****The Way Forward****

Veriti’s research goes onto show the importance of proactive exposure management and threat intelligence in cyber security. Organizations must regularly update their security measures, including patch management for known vulnerabilities, strong web shell deployment monitoring, and behavioural analysis tools to prevent breaches and protect against similar vulnerabilities.

1.  Russian Hackers Hit Ubiquiti Routers for Botnet Creation
2.  ActiveMQ Flaw Exploited to Spread GoTitan Botnet, PrCtrl Rat
3.  Mirai-based NoaBot Botnet Hit Linux Systems with Cryptominer
4.  Qakbot Botnet Disrupted, Infected 700,000 Computers Globally
5.  OracleIV DDoS Botnet Malware Targets Docker Engine API Instances

Androxgh0st Malware Compromises Servers Worldwide for Botnet Attack

Plus: New York’s legislature suffers a cyberattack, police disrupt a global phishing operation, and Apple removes encrypted messaging apps in China.

Looking for love? Be careful what you wish for.

A loose-knit community of con artists known as Yahoo Boys has begun using real-time face-swap technology to woo victims with romance scams. Using a variety of tools and techniques, the scammers use AI-powered apps to make themselves look like entirely different people on video calls. Just remember: If someone you’ve never met IRL is asking you for money, just say no.

Elsewhere in the world of harmful deepfakes, two major websites used for creating fake nude images of people are now blocked in the United Kingdom. The censorship, which appears to be self-imposed, comes just days after the UK proposed legislation that would ban nonconsensual, sexualized AI-generated images.

A Russian cybercriminal gang called Cyber Army of Russia Reborn appears to have been created with the help of Sandworm, the notorious Russian military hacking unit that has carried out devastating cyberattacks against Ukraine for years. The difference? Cyber Army of Russia Reborn is even more brazen, taking credit for attacks against critical infrastructure in Europe and the United States.

Change Healthcare’s ransomware saga entered a new chapter this week. A cybercriminal group called RansomHub claims to be selling highly sensitive patient information stolen from the company. The sale follows RansomHub’s claims that it possesses terabytes of data stolen in a February attack by another ransomware gang known as AlphV or Black Cat, which received a $22 million payment in March. Change Healthcare says it has spent $872 million response to the ransomware attack as of March 31.

The biggest global surveillance program carried out by the US may be about to get bigger. A two-year renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which technically expired on Friday, will soon go up for a vote by the US Senate after passing the House last week. Included in the legislation is a provision that would greatly expand the number of businesses that could be conscripted to spy on behalf of the US government, which critics have called the “Stasi provision.” One of the largest lobbying firms for Big Tech companies has opposed the provision over fears that tech industry workers could be forced to become informants.

That’s not all. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

There’s a kernel of truth in every good fiction, which is why the very real Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, is a constant go-to for shows like the _X-Files_ and games like _Metal Gear Solid_. It tends to pop up whenever a shadowy government agency is needed to reverse engineer a stolen alien artifact or construct a giant killer robot. A Darpa announcement this Thursday, however, sounds almost too much like the opening sequence of a Hideo Kojima game: With the help of the US Air Force Test Pilot School, the agency says an experimental aircraft known as the X-62 was successfully flown by artificial intelligence during a simulated dogfight against a human pilot in an F-16. “The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades,” US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall says, “but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now.”

**New York State Legislature Hit by Cyberattack**

Details are scant as to the impact, but for at least several hours this week, hackers felled computer systems supporting the work of New York’s state legislature. While an attack on something called the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission isn’t quite as jaw-dropping as one against a power plant or a naval base, the LBDC is one of a dozen required stops that legislation in New York must make en route to becoming law. Bills can’t be introduced, amended, or reviewed by committee without it, much less get a vote. Luckily, the agency reports it was able to get back on its feet within a few hours using a “backup system.” An investigation of the attack is ongoing.

**Police Disrupt Global Phishing Operation**

An armada of law enforcement agencies arrested 37 suspects around the world last weekend in an operation targeting LabHost, reportedly one of the world’s largest phishing-as-a-service platforms. The investigation was spearheaded by the London Metropolitan Police in cooperation with Europol. Investigators uncovered a whopping 40,000 phishing domains being operated by as many as 10,000 users worldwide, Europol says. LabHost charged a monthly fee of $249. That cybercriminals have discovered the psychological benefits of just-below pricing is yet another sign of the growing popularity and sophistication of these markets.

**Apple Removes Encrypted Messaging Apps in China**

Encrypted messaging apps WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram have gone the way of Winnie the Pooh. Citing “national security concerns,” China ordered Apple to delete “certain apps” from its Chinese App Store this week, the tech behemoth announced (while neglecting to specify which ones). Apple reportedly met with Chinese authorities to express concern over how banning the apps would impact its users but relented after being met with a stone wall. “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” the company said, “even when we disagree.” Apple is heavily dependent on China’s workforce to manufacture its products, and sales in the region have topped $70 billion in recent years. That Apple has become beholden to the Chinese government because of this is no longer much of a secret.

AI-Controlled Fighter Jets Are Dogfighting With Human Pilots Now

SecOps highlights this week include the executive role in "cyber readiness;" Cisco's Hypershield promise; and Middle East cyber ops heat up.

Source: Panther Media GmbH via Alamy Stock Photo

Welcome to CISO Corner, Dark Reading's weekly digest of articles tailored specifically to security operations readers and security leaders. Every week, we'll offer articles gleaned from across our news operation, The Edge, DR Technology, DR Global, and our Commentary section. We're committed to bringing you a diverse set of perspectives to support the job of operationalizing cybersecurity strategies, for leaders at organizations of all shapes and sizes.

**In This Issue of CISO Corner:**

*   GPT-4 Can Exploit Most Vulns Just by Reading Threat Advisories
    
*   Break Security Burnout: Combining Leadership With Neuroscience
    
*   Global: Cyber Operations Intensify in Middle East, With Israel the Main Target
    
*   Cisco's Complex Road to Deliver on Its Hypershield Promise
    
*   Rebalancing NIST: Why 'Recovery' Can't Stand Alone
    
*   3 Steps Executives and Boards Should Take to Ensure Cyber Readiness
    
*   Rethinking How You Work With Detection and Response Metrics
    

**GPT-4 Can Exploit Most Vulns Just by Reading Threat Advisories**

By Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading

A slicker phishing lure and some basic malware was about all threat actors have been able to squeeze out of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) tools so far — but that's about to change, according to a team of academics.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that by using GPT-4 they can automate the process of gathering threat advisories and exploiting vulnerabilities as soon as they are made public. In fact, GPT-4 was able to exploit 87% of vulnerabilities it was tested against, according to the research. Other models weren't as effective.

Although the AI technology is new, the report advises that in response, organizations should tighten up tried-and-true best security practices, particularly patching, to defend against automated exploits enabled by AI. Moving forward, as adversaries adopt more sophisticated AI and LLM tools, security teams might consider using the same technologies to defend their systems, the researchers added. The report pointed to automating malware analysis a promising use-case example.

Read more: GPT-4 Can Exploit Most Vulns Just by Reading Threat Advisories

Related: First Step in Securing AI/ML Tools Is Locating Them

**Break Security Burnout: Combining Leadership With Neuroscience**

By Elizabeth Montalbano, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading

Widely reported burnout among cybersecurity professionals is only getting worse. It starts at the top with pressure on CISOs mounting from all sides — regulators, boards, shareholders, and customers — to assume all the responsibility for an entire organization's security, without much control of budgeting or priorities. Wider enterprise cybersecurity teams are wearing down too under the weight of putting in long, stressful hours to prevent seemingly inevitable cyberattacks.

Certainly awareness of the stress and strain driving talent away from the cybersecurity profession is widely acknowledged, but workable solutions have been elusive.

Now two professionals looking to break what they call the "security fatigue cycle" say leaning on neuroscience can help. Peter Coroneros, founder of Cybermindz and Kayla Williams, CISO of Devo, have come together to advocate for more empathetic leadership informed by a better understanding of mental health, and will be presenting their ideas in more detail at this year's RSA Conference.

For example, they found tools like iRest (Integrative Restoration) attention training techniques, which have been used for 40 years by US and Australian militaries help people under chronic stress get out of the "flight-or-flight" state and relax. iRest could also be a useful tool for frazzled cybersecurity teams, they said.

Read more: Break Security Burnout: Combining Leadership With Neuroscience

**Global: Cyber Operations Intensify in Middle East, With Israel the Main Target**

By Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading

The unraveling crisis in the Middle East continues to produce historic volumes of cyberattacks to support military operations.

There are two categories of adversary groups at work, according to experts — nation-state threat actors working as an arm of a military operation and hacktivist groups attacking willy-nilly based on opportunity and a victim's perceived proximity to the group's enemies.

Israel's National Cyber Directive boss said Iranian- and Hezbollah-affiliated groups have been trying to take down the country's networks "around the clock."

Cybersecurity experts warns Israel should prepare for destructive cyberattacks to continue as the Iran-Israel cyber conflict escalates.

Read more: Cyber Operations Intensify in Middle East, With Israel the Main Target

Related: Iran-Backed Hackers Blast Out Threatening Texts to Israelis

**Cisco's Complex Road to Deliver on Its Hypershield Promise**

By Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer

Cisco's big reveal of its AI-powered cloud security platform Hypershield was big on buzzwords and left industry watchers with questions about how the tool is going to deliver on its pitch.

Automated patching, anomalous behavior detection and blocking, AI-agents maintaining real-time security controls around every workload, and a new "digital twin" approach are all touted as Hypershield features.

The modern approach would be a major step forward "If they pull it off," David Holmes, a principal analyst with Forrester Research said.

Jon Oltisk, analyst emeritus at Enterprise Strategy Group, compared Hypershield's ambitions to the development of driver-assist features in cars, "The trick is how it comes together."

Cisco Hypershield is scheduled for release in August.

Read more: Cisco's Complex Road to Deliver on Its Hypershield Promise

Related: First Wave of Vulnerability-Fixing AIs Available for Developers

**Rebalancing NIST: Why 'Recovery' Can't Stand Alone**

Commentary By Alex Janas, Field Chief Technology Officer, Commvault

Although NIST's new guidance on data security is an important basic overview, but falls short on offering best practices for how to recover from a cyberattack once it's already happened.

Today, organizations need to assume they have been, or will be, breached and plan accordingly. That advice is perhaps even more important than the other elements of the new NIST framework, this commentary argues.

Companies should immediately work to address any gaps in cybersecurity preparedness and response playbooks.

Read more: Rebalancing NIST: Why 'Recovery' Can't Stand Alone

Related: NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: 4 Steps to Get Started

**3 Steps Executives and Boards Should Take to Ensure Cyber Readiness**

Commentary By Chris Crummey, Director, Executive & Board Cyber Services, Sygnia

Working to develop an effective and tested incident response plan is the best thing executives can do to prepare their organization for a cyber incident. Most major mistakes happen in the first "golden hour" of a cyber incident response, the commentary explains. That means ensuring every member of the team has a well-defined role and can get to work quickly on finding the best path forward, and crucially, not making remediation errors that can upend recovery timelines.

Read more: 3 Steps Executives and Boards Should Take to Ensure Cyber Readiness

Related: 7 Things Your Ransomware Response Playbook Is Likely Missing

**Rethinking How You Work With Detection and Response Metrics**

By Jeffrey Schwartz, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading

During the recent Black Hat Asia conference Allyn Stott, senior staff engineer with Airbnb challenged every security professional to rethink the role metrics play in their organization's threat detection and response.

Metrics drive better performance and help cybersecurity managers demonstrate how detection and response program investment translates into less business risk to leadership.

The single most important security operations center metric: alert volume, Stott explained. He added looking back over his past work, he regrets how much he leaned on the MITRE ATT&CK framework. He recommends incorporating others including SANS SABRE framework and Hunting Maturity Model.

Read more: Rethinking How You Work With Detection and Response Metrics

Related: SANS Institute Research Shows What Frameworks, Benchmarks, and Techniques Organizations Use on their Path to Security Maturity

CISO Corner: Breaking Staff Burnout, GPT-4 Exploits, Rebalancing NIST

Chinese actors are ready and poised to do "devastating" damage to key US infrastructure services if needed, he said.

Source: KaimDH via Shutterstock

FBI Director Christopher Wray this week delivered what might be the starkest warning yet on the threat that China-backed hackers pose to US national and economic security.

In remarks at a Vanderbilt University\-hosted summit on modern conflict and emerging threats, Wray described Chinese hackers as outnumbering FBI personnel by at least 50 to 1 and standing poised to "wreak havoc" on US critical infrastructure at a moment's notice.

**Immediate and Imminent Threat**

Stakeholders across private industry and government need to treat the threat as immediate and implement plans to fortify networks and respond to attacks now, the nation's leading law enforcement official said.

"The \[People's Republic of China\] has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage," Wray said. "Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic and break America's will to resist."

Wray's comments build on repeated warnings in recent months from US officials — and the FBI itself — about a dangerous and systematic escalation in Chinese targeting of networks and systems belonging to organizations in critical infrastructure sectors. Wray and others have repeatedly described the intrusions as attempts by Chinese hackers to methodically pre-position themselves for attacks designed to disrupt telecommunications, energy, water, technology and other critical infrastructure services when needed.

China's cyberattackers are "giving the Chinese government the ability to wait for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow," Wray said. Beijing, he added, is building a capability to deter any US attempts to intervene in the event of a crisis between China and Taiwan.

**Multifaceted Attacks**

The ongoing attempts by Chinese hackers to establish and maintain a presence on critical infrastructure adds to the pressure that US organizations have had to deal with for more than a decade from China-backed cyber-espionage and cybercriminal groups. To support economic initiatives like Made in China 2025 and multiple separate five-year plans, Beijing has for years deployed cyber groups to systematically steal intellectual property and trade secrets from companies in key competitive sectors, Wray said.

Targets have included organizations in fields as diverse as biotech, aviation, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and healthcare. "The PRC is engaged in the largest and most sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in the history of the world," Wray noted. "You could close your eyes and pull an industry or sector out of a hat and, chances are, Beijing has targeted it."

In recent months, the Volt Typhoon group has been one of the most visible faces of what the US regards as China's untrammeled aggression in cyberspace. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and security vendors have, on multiple occasions this year, reported on the threat actor's intrusions into US critical infrastructure networks and operational technology environments with a view to gaining a presence on these networks and lying in wait for instructions to attack. Last year, The New York Times identified Volt Typhoon hitting military bases, prompting worried Biden administration officials to admit that the threat actor's malware was more endemic on US networks than previously thought.

**"Scattershot" and "Indiscriminate" Attacks**

Wray pointed to widespread attacks in 2021 that exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server as one of the "most egregious examples" of China's "scattershot, indiscriminate, cyber campaigns," in recent memory. Those attacks involved China-backed Hafnium group deploying Web shells for remote access on thousands of corporate systems. The FBI — in an unprecedented move at the time — later obtained a court order to remotely remove those Web shells from thousands of infected systems before the threat actor could use them to inflict further damage.

In response to the growing threat, the FBI has mobilized its own field offices in the US and around the world to address the threat, Wray said. The agency is also working with US Cyber Command, the CIA, and foreign law enforcement agencies to disrupt Chinese hacking operations. The effort has included going after known hackers, malware developers, and the owners of support infrastructure like bulletproof hosting services and money launderers.

Private sector organizations can do their part by being more diligent about their cyber defense and response mechanisms and by sharing information that can prevent nascent threats from "metastasizing to other sectors" and businesses, Wray said. "We've seen the best outcomes in situations where a company made a habit of reaching out to their local FBI field office even before there was any indication of a problem, because that put everyone on the same page and contributed to the company's readiness."

**About the Author(s)**

Jai Vijayan is a seasoned technology reporter with over 20 years of experience in IT trade journalism. He was most recently a Senior Editor at Computerworld, where he covered information security and data privacy issues for the publication. Over the course of his 20-year career at Computerworld, Jai also covered a variety of other technology topics, including big data, Hadoop, Internet of Things, e-voting, and data analytics. Prior to Computerworld, Jai covered technology issues for The Economic Times in Bangalore, India. Jai has a Master's degree in Statistics and lives in Naperville, Ill.

FBI Director Wray Issues Dire Warning on China's Cybersecurity Threat

CryptoChameleon attackers trade quantity for quality, dedicating time and resources to trick even the most diligent user into handing over their high-value credentials.

Source: II.studio via Shutterstock

An ongoing, highly sophisticated phishing campaign may have led some LastPass users to give up their all-important master passwords to hackers.

Password managers store all of a user's passwords — for Instagram, their job, and everything in between — in one place, protected by one "master" password. They unburden users from having to remember credentials for hundreds of accounts, and empower them to use more complicated, unique passwords for each account. On the other hand, if a threat actor gains access to the master password, they'll have keys to every single one of the accounts within.

Enter CryptoChameleon, a new, hands-on phishing kit of unparalleled realism. 

CryptoChameleon attacks tend not to be so widespread, but they're successful at a clip largely unseen across the cybercrime world, "which is why we typically see this targeting enterprises and other very high-value targets," explains David Richardson, vice president of threat intelligence at Lookout, which first identified and reported the latest campaign to LastPass. "A password vault is a natural extension, because you're obviously going to be able to monetize that at the end of the day."

Thus far, CryptoChameleon has managed to ensnare at least eight LastPass customers — but likely more — potentially exposing their master passwords.

**A Brief History of CryptoChameleon**

At first, CryptoChameleon looked like any other phishing kit.

Its operators had been around since late last year. In January, they began by targeting the cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Binance. This initial targeting, plus its highly customizable toolset, earned it its name.

The picture changed in February, though, when they registered the domain fcc-okta\[.\]com, mimicking the Okta Single Sign On (SSO) page belonging to the US's Federal Communications Commission (FCC). "That suddenly made this rise from one of many consumer phishing kits that we see out there, to something that's going to pivot into targeting the enterprise, going after corporate credentials," Richardson recalls.

Richardson confirmed to Dark Reading that FCC employees were impacted, but could not say how many or whether the attacks led to any consequences for the agency. It was a sophisticated attack, he notes, that he expects to have worked even on trained employees.

The problem with CryptoChameleon wasn't just who it was targeting, but how well it did at defeating them. Its trick was thorough, patient, hands-on engagement with victims.

Consider, for example, the current campaign against LastPass.

It begins when a customer receives a call from an 888 number. A robo caller informs the customer that their account has been accessed from a new device. It then prompts them to press "1" to allow access, or "2" to block it. After pressing "2," they're told that they'll be receiving a call shortly from a customer service representative in order to "close the ticket."

Then the call comes in. Unbeknownst to the recipient, it's from a spoofed number. On the other end of the line is a live person, typically with an American accent. Other CryptoChameleon victims have also reported speaking with British agents.

"The agent has professional call center communication skills, and offers genuinely good advice," Richardson recalls from his many conversations with victims. "So, for example, they might say: 'I want you to write down this support phone number for me.' And they have victims write down the real support phone number for whoever they're impersonating. And then they give them a whole lecture: 'Only call us on this number.' I had a victim report that they actually said, 'For quality and training purposes, this call is being recorded.' They're using the full call script, everything that you can think of to make someone believe that they're really talking to this company right now."

This supposed support agent informs the user that they'll be sending an email shortly, allowing the user to reset access to their account. In fact, this is a malicious email containing a shortened URL, directing them to a phishing site.

The helpful support agent watches in real time as the user enters their master password into the copycat site. Then they use it to log into their account, and immediately change the primary phone number, email address, and master password, thereby locking the victim out for good.

All the while, Richardson says, "They don't realize it's a scam — none of the victims I talked to. One person said, 'I don't think I ever entered my master password in there.' \[I told them\] 'You spent 23 minutes on the phone with these guys. You probably did.'"

**The Damage**

LastPass shut down the suspicious domain used in the attack — help-lastpass\[.\]com — shortly after it went live. The attackers have been persistent, though, continuing their activity under a new IP address.

With visibility into the attackers' internal systems, Richardson was able to identify at least eight victims. He also offered evidence (which Dark Reading is keeping confidential) indicating that there may have been more than that.

When asked for further information, LastPass senior intelligence analyst Mike Kosak told Dark Reading, "We do not disclose details on the number of customers who are impacted by this type of campaign, but we support any customer who may be a victim of this and other scams. We encourage people to report potential phishing scams and other nefarious activity impersonating LastPass to us at \[email protected\]."

**Is There Any Defense?**

Because hands-on CryptoChameleon attackers talk their victims through any potential security barriers like multifactor authentication (MFA), defending against them begins with awareness.

"People need to be aware that attackers can spoof phone numbers — that just because an 800 or 888 number calls you, it doesn't mean that it's legitimate," Richardson says, adding that  "just because there's an American on the other end of the line also does not mean that it's legitimate."

In fact, he says, "Don't answer the phone from unknown callers. I know that's a sad reality of the world that we live in today."

Even with all the awareness and precautionary measures known to business users and consumers, though, a particularly sophisticated social engineering attack might still get through.

"One of the CryptoChameleon victims I talked to was a retired IT professional," Richardson recalls. "He said, 'I've gotten training my whole life to not fall for these kinds of attacks. Somehow I fell for it'."

LastPass has asked Dark Reading to remind customers of the following:

*   Ignore any unsolicited or unprompted incoming phone calls (automated or with a live individual) or texts claiming to be from LastPass related to a recent attempt to change your password and/or account information. These are part of an ongoing phishing campaign. 
    
*   If you do see this activity and are concerned you may have been compromised, contact the company at \[email protected\].
    
*   And finally, LastPass will never ask you for your password.
    

**About the Author(s)**

Nate Nelson is a freelance writer based in New York City. Formerly a reporter at Threatpost, he contributes to a number of cybersecurity blogs and podcasts. He writes "Malicious Life" -- an award-winning Top 20 tech podcast on Apple and Spotify -- and hosts every other episode, featuring interviews with leading voices in security. He also co-hosts "The Industrial Security Podcast," the most popular show in its field.

Multiple LastPass Users Lose Master Passwords to Ultra-Convincing Scam

Airbnb's Allyn Stott recommends adding the Human Maturity Model (HMM) and the SABRE framework to complement MITRE ATT&CK to improve security metrics analysis.

Source: Dzmitry Skazau via Alamy Stock Photo

Sorting the false positives from the true positives: Ask any security operations center professional, and they'll tell you it's one of the most challenging aspects of developing a detection and response program.

As the volume of threats continues to rise, having an effective approach to measuring and analyzing this kind of performance data has become more critical to an organization's detection and response program. On Friday at the Black Hat Asia conference in Singapore, Allyn Stott, senior staff engineer at Airbnb, encouraged security professionals to reconsider how they use such metrics in their detection and response programs — a topic he broached last year's Black Hat Europe.

"At the end of that talk, a lot of the feedback I received was, 'This is great, but we really want to know how we can get better at metrics,'" Stott tells Dark Reading. "That's an area where I've seen a lot of struggles."

**The Importance of Metrics**

Metrics are critical in assessing the effectiveness of a detection and response program because they drive improvement, reduce the impact of threats, and validate investment by demonstrating how the program lowers risk to the business, Stott says.

"Metrics help us communicate what we do and why people should care," Stott says. "That's especially important in detection and response because it's very difficult to understand from a business perspective.”

The most critical area for delivering effective metrics is alert volume: "Every security operations center I've ever worked in or ever walked foot in, it's their primary metric," Stott says.

Knowing how many alerts are coming in is important but, by itself, is still not enough, he adds.

"The question is always, 'How many alerts are we seeing?'" Stott says. "And that doesn't tell you anything. I mean, it tells you how many alerts the organization receives. But it doesn't actually tell you if your detection and response program is catching more things."

Effectively leveraging metrics can be complex and labor-intensive, adding to the challenge of effectively measuring threat data, Stott says. He acknowledges that he has made his share of mistakes when it comes to engineering metrics to assess the effectiveness of security operations.

As an engineer, Stott routinely evaluates the effectiveness of the searches he conducts and the tools he uses, seeking to get accurate true- and false-positive rates for detected threats. The challenge for him and most security professionals is connecting that information to the business.

**Implementing Frameworks Properly Is Critical **

One of his biggest mistakes was his approach in focusing too much on the MITRE ATT&CK framework. While Stott says he believes it provides critical details on threat actors' different threat techniques and activities and organizations should use it, that doesn't mean they should apply it to everything.

"Every technique can have 10, 15, 20, or 100 different variations," he says. "And so having 100% coverage is kind of a crazy endeavor."

Besides MITRE ATT&CK, Stott recommends using the SANS Institute's Hunting Maturity Model (HMM), which helps describe an organization's existing threat-hunting capability and provides a blueprint for improving it.

"It gives you the ability to, as a metric, say where you're at as far as your maturity today and how the investments you're planning to make or the projects you're planning to do will increase your maturity," Stott says.

He also recommends using the Security Institute's SABRE framework, which provides risk management and security performance metrics validated with third-party certifications.

"Rather than test across all of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, you're actually working on a prioritized list of techniques, which includes using MITRE ATT&CK as a tool," he says. "That way, you're not just looking at your threat intel but also at security incidents and threats that would be critical risks for the organization."

Use of these guidelines for metrics requires buy-in from CISOs, since it means gaining organizational adherence to these different maturity models. Nevertheless, it tends to be driven by a bottom-up approach, where threat intelligence engineers are the early drivers.

**About the Author(s)**

Jeffrey Schwartz is a journalist who has covered information security and all forms of business and enterprise IT, including client computing, data center and cloud infrastructure, and application development for more than 30 years. Jeff is a regular contributor to Channel Futures. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Redmond magazine and contributed to its sister titles Redmond Channel Partner, Application Development Trends, and Virtualization Review. Earlier, he held editorial roles with CommunicationsWeek, InternetWeek, and VARBusiness. Jeff is based in the New York City suburb of Long Island.

Rethinking How You Work With Detection and Response Metrics

The world's most-visited deepfake website and another large competing site are stopping people in the UK from accessing them, days after the UK government announced a crackdown.

Two of the biggest deepfake pornography websites have now started blocking people trying to access them from the United Kingdom. The move comes days after the UK government announced plans for a new law that will make creating nonconsensual deepfakes a criminal offense.

Nonconsensual deepfake pornography websites and apps that “strip” clothes off of photos have been growing at an alarming rate—causing untold harm to the thousands of women they are used to target.

Clare McGlynn, a professor of law at Durham University, says the move is a “hugely significant moment” in the fight against deepfake abuse. “This ends the easy access and the normalization of deepfake sexual abuse material,” McGlynn tells WIRED.

Since deepfake technology first emerged in December 2017, it has consistently been used to create nonconsensual sexual images of women—swapping their faces into pornographic videos or allowing new “nude” images to be generated. As the technology has improved and become easier to access, hundreds of websites and apps have been created. Most recently, schoolchildren have been caught creating nudes of classmates.

The blocks on the deepfake websites in the UK were first spotted today, with two of the most prominent services displaying notices on their landing pages that they are no longer accessible to people visiting from the country. WIRED is not naming the two websites due to their enabling of abuse.

One of the websites with the restriction in place is the biggest deepfake pornography website existing today. Its homepage, when visiting from the UK, displays a message saying access is denied. “Due to laws or (upcoming) legislation in your country or state, we are unfortunately obligated to deny you access to this website,” the message says. It also shows the visitor’s IP address and country.

The other website, which also has an app, displays a similar message. “Access to the service in your country is blocked,” it says, before hinting there may be ways to get around the geographic restriction. The websites do not appear to have any restrictions in place when visiting from the United States, although may also be restricted in other countries.

It is not immediately clear why the sites have introduced the location blocks or whether they have done so in response to any legal orders or notices. Nor is it clear whether the blocks are temporary. Messages sent to the websites through email addresses and contact forms went unanswered. The creators of the websites have not posted any public messages on the websites or their social media channels about the blocks.

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has the power to persue action against harmful websites under the UK’s controversial sweeping online safety laws that came into force last year. However, these powers are not yet fully operational, and Ofcom is still consulting on them.

It’s likely the restrictions may significantly limit the amount of people in the UK seeking out or trying to create deepfake sexual abuse content. Data from Similarweb, a digital intelligence company, shows the biggest of the two websites had 12 million global visitors last month, while the other website had 4 million visitors. In the UK, they had around 500,000 and 50,000 visitors, respectively.

This week, politicians in the UK announced plans for a law that criminalizes the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes. Under the law, which is yet to be passed, people could face an unlimited fine if they create deepfakes to “cause alarm, humiliation, or distress to the victim.” This builds on previous provisions that make it illegal for people in the UK to share sexualized deepfakes.

“While it’s unclear if these platforms have been ordered to block UK access or have done so proactively due to the recent criminalization, it shows legislation can make a meaningful difference in removing the legal ambiguity that many deepfake pornography platforms use as cover for the clear ethical harms they cause,” Henry Ajder, an AI and deepfake expert, tells WIRED. Ajder adds that search engines and hosting providers around the world should be doing more to limit the spread and creation of harmful deepfakes.

While the two websites can still be accessed in the UK using a VPN, the restrictions are a sign that constant pressure—from lawmakers, tech companies, and campaigners—can make deepfake porn harder to access and create. “Of course, people will be able to use VPN to access these websites and apps, but that introduces friction,” Durham University’s McGlynn says. “It introduces a message that there’s something wrong and harmful about this material such that you have to use a VPN to access it.”

“Hopefully,” McGlynn adds, “this can show other governments around the world that if we take steps, we could actually reduce the prevalence \[of\] and easy access to deepfake sexual abuse material.”

The Biggest Deepfake Porn Website Is Now Blocked in the UK

By Waqas
Fear AI taking your IT or cybersecurity job? Don't! Learn how AI creates new opportunities in network management, threat detection & more.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: IT and Cybersecurity Jobs in the Age of Emerging AI Technologies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries, and IT and cybersecurity are no exception. While some fear AI replacing human workers, the reality is far more subtle. AI will undoubtedly automate tasks, but it will also create entirely new job opportunities in both the IT and cybersecurity sectors.

According to the cybersecurity and IT certification exam practice platform Examice, the IT sector has become more lucrative than ever before due to the sudden emergence of AI applications. This growth has caused the need for skilled professionals capable of managing and securing AI-driven systems.

ISC2’s AI Cyber 2024 study also reveals a strong sense of optimism among respondents, with 82% expressing belief in AI’s potential to enhance job efficiency. Additionally, 56% anticipate AI streamlining certain job tasks, thereby allowing more time for tasks of higher value. However, there is a general concern among 75% of respondents regarding the potential misuse of AI for cyberattacks and other malicious purposes.

This article explores how AI will impact these fields and the skills that will be most in demand in the coming years.

****AI’s Impact on IT****

AI’s integration into IT optimises operational tasks and promotes innovation, allowing IT professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives. Here are three key impacts of AI on the IT sector:

*   **Automation of Mundane Tasks:** AI will take over repetitive tasks like server management, software configuration, and basic troubleshooting. This will free up IT professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives like cloud migration, data center optimization, and user experience design.
*   **Enhanced Network Management:** AI-powered tools will proactively monitor networks, identify potential issues, and even take corrective actions before problems arise. This will lead to increased network uptime and efficiency.
*   **The Rise of AI-powered Support:** Chatbots and virtual assistants powered by AI will handle routine user inquiries, freeing up IT staff to address more complex issues.

****New Opportunities in IT****

While adding innovation to the Information Technology sector AI is also creating new opportunities for professionals, job seekers and entrepreneurs. Here are three among countless opportunities that professionals are already taking advantage of, thanks to AI:

*   **AI Integration Specialists:** Businesses will need specialists to integrate AI solutions into existing IT infrastructure and ensure seamless operation.
*   **Data Scientists and Analysts:** The vast amount of data generated by AI systems will require skilled data scientists to analyze it and extract valuable insights.
*   **IT Security Specialists for AI:** As AI becomes more prevalent, securing these systems against cyberattacks will be crucial. This will create a demand for IT security professionals with expertise in AI vulnerabilities.

****AI and Cybersecurity****

Cybersecurity is already a lucrative sector. While hackers can earn big bucks, they also protect and serve their countries by protecting their critical infrastructure from devastating cyber attacks.

It is also a fact that as the cybersecurity sector grows the same can be said about cyber attacks and cyber criminals. Here are 6 key things AI can or is already helping organisations with:

*   **AI-powered Threat Detection:** AI can analyze network traffic patterns and identify malicious activity with greater accuracy and speed than traditional methods. This will be crucial in the fight against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
*   **Vulnerability Detection:** AI can continuously scan systems for vulnerabilities and recommend patches before attackers can exploit them.
*   **AI-driven Phishing Detection:** AI can analyze emails and identify subtle language cues that might indicate a phishing attempt.

*   **Expertise in AI Security:** Understanding how AI systems work and the specific security challenges they pose will be essential.
*   **Human-AI Collaboration:** Security professionals will need to be adept at working alongside AI tools to leverage their combined strengths.
*   **Strong Analytical Skills:** The ability to analyze data and identify security threats will remain a critical skill.

****The Future is Bright****

The rise of AI will undoubtedly change the future of the IT and cybersecurity sectors. However, these changes will not lead to widespread job displacement. Instead, AI will create new opportunities for professionals who are willing to adapt and develop the skills needed to thrive in this evolving environment.

However, cybercriminals are also monitoring the rise of AI. Malicious versions of AI chatbots, such as WormGPT and FraudGPT, are prime examples. Therefore, authorities must take necessary measures to prevent the misuse of AI, while simultaneously fostering its beneficial applications in the IT and cybersecurity domains.

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5.  Employee Duped by AI-Generated CFO in $25.6M Deepfake Scam

IT and Cybersecurity Jobs in the Age of Emerging AI Technologies

Securing the presidential election requires vigilance and hardened cybersecurity defenses.

Shawn Henry, Chief Security Officer, CrowdStrike

April 19, 2024

3 Min Read

Source: thinkx2 via Alamy Stock Photo

COMMENTARY

Foreign adversaries have attempted to disrupt the US elections for years through various methods. This includes espionage and "hack and leak" campaigns that steal sensitive data and later amplify it in public forums. Today, generative AI (GenAI) is altering the battlefield for attacks, and in the modern information ecosystem where misinformation and disinformation can spread rapidly, it has the potential to transform geopolitics.

Throughout my 24-year career with the FBI, I witnessed sophisticated adversaries attempt to sow confusion and cripple networks, as cyber-threat actors developed tools and tactics to disrupt businesses, governments, and more. The malicious use and proliferation of GenAI in 2024 presents one of the toughest challenges we'll face in an election year. 

**Adversaries Continue on Their Path to Disrupt and Dismantle**

Nation-state adversaries affiliated with and tied to the motivations of foreign governments have the resources to scale operations, and pose a constant threat to democracy. As we've seen previously, it's likely that threat actors from China, Russia, and Iran (charged for sending fake, intimidating emails to US voters in 2020) will seek to interfere with the 2024 US election.

Adversaries may seek to target actual election infrastructure itself, including the hardware and software used to tally and transmit votes, as well as political campaign assets. While some actors have leveraged information operations, generative AI is poised to increase the attractiveness of this malicious activity. With GenAI, it is easier than ever for threat actors to create content and influence narratives that support their underlying goals and objectives. This, in turn, can undermine public confidence and perceptions of political issues, parties, and candidates.

In fact, we're already starting to see the impacts. Threat actors from China recently weaponized deepfakes ahead of Taiwan's election, aiming to increase the voting public's confidence in candidates more diplomatic to China. Fabricated information campaigns stemming from state-nexus entities will not be novel in 2024; however, generative AI will make deciphering what is real or not infinitely more difficult. 

The rise of GenAI has also lowered the barrier of entry for virtually anyone to interfere with elections. Less sophisticated hackers or hacktivists with a specific geopolitical goal may be able to create high-quality disinformation campaigns with relative ease. We've already seen a local magician make global headlines this year by using AI to create fake robocalls, and it's only April.

**Countering These Growing Threats**

So, what can be done? When it comes to protecting the disparate election systems, it is critical to apply a risk-informed approach. At the heart of this is hardening environments to protect systems and stop breaches, 24/7 continuous monitoring of systems, and deep visibility into critical areas of risk, including endpoints, cloud, and identity. Employing both threat hunting and threat intelligence is equally as important, as these tools help to proactively protect against adversaries who may attempt to penetrate networks.

State and local elections administration entities have improved their security over the past several election cycles. So too have political parties and campaign entities. But additional attention and investment is warranted.

With respect to information operations, we must continue to raise awareness. Defending against this threat starts with vigilance from everyone. Citizens must be on alert and validate the origin of information they are consuming, consider the source's political stance and objective, and attempt to validate information through trusted sources prior to amplifying it. All Americans have a crucial role to play in critically analyzing the information they are getting and, more importantly, sharing 

Social media companies and GenAI companies should work to detect and prevent threat actors' use of their tools and platform. At a minimum this means cooperating with each other where appropriate and collaborating with cybersecurity companies and IT providers that have experience tracking these groups.

In 2024, voters in all 50 states and across 55 countries will participate in elections, providing numerous opportunities for adversaries with various motivations to disrupt and dismantle confidence in democracy. With proper awareness, preparation, and cybersecurity best practices in place, we can take a big step forward in defending democracy in the digital age. Failure to do so could be catastrophic.

**About the Author(s)**

Chief Security Officer, CrowdStrike

Shawn Henry serves as chief security officer and is one of the company's longest tenured executive leaders, having joined in 2012 after retiring from the FBI senior executive service. In Henry’s role, he oversees all security aspects of CrowdStrike, including the company's information security, business continuity and resiliency, and risk reduction programs, as well as the physical security of CrowdStrike's global facilities, personnel, executive protection, and corporate events. Prior to joining CrowdStrike, Shawn oversaw half of the FBI's investigative operations as Executive Assistant Director, including all FBI criminal and cyber investigations worldwide, international operations, and the FBI's critical incident response to major investigations and disasters.

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