Data of 2.6 Million Duolingo Users Leaked on Hacking Forum

 

source: infosecurity-magazine.com  |  image: pixabay.com

 

Data from 2.6 million users of Duolingo, a language learning platform with over 74 million monthly users, has been leaked on a hacking forum.

The compromised data, which includes real names, login names, email addresses and internal service-related details, was initially offered for sale on the now defunct Breached hacking forum in January 2023 for $1500. 

Despite Duolingo’s confirmation to The Record that the data was sourced from publicly available profiles, the leaked email addresses are particularly alarming as they are not public information and can facilitate targeted phishing attempts.

“We’re aware of this report. These records were obtained by data scraping public profile information. We have no indication that our systems were compromised. We take data privacy and security seriously and are continuing to investigate this matter to determine if any further action is needed to protect our learners,” a spokesperson from the company confirmed to Infosecurity in an email. 

Continue reading “Data of 2.6 Million Duolingo Users Leaked on Hacking Forum”

Officials found suspected Chinese malware hidden in various US military systems. Its intended use is disruption rather than surveillance, a ‘disturbing’ change in intent, experts say.

 

source: businessinsider.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

  • Suspected Chinese malware has been identified in several US military systems. 
  • Unlike other surveillance malware from China, this malware seems intended to disrupt operations.
  • The malware could also have the ability to disrupt normal civilian life and businesses.

US officials found suspected Chinese malware across several military systems — and unlike previous attacks, experts say the intent is more likely to disrupt rather than to surveil, The New York Times reports.

The attacks first came into the public eye in May after Microsoft identified malicious code in telecommunications software in Guam, where the US houses the Andersen Air Force Base.

Continue reading “Officials found suspected Chinese malware hidden…”

New report details China’s presence in U.S. systems

 

source: axios.com (contributed by FAN, Bill Amshey)  |  image: pexels.com

 

U.S. officials are reportedly concerned about the possibility that China-backed hackers have snuck malware onto networks underpinning military and critical infrastructure operations.

Driving the news: That’s according to a New York Times report that ran Saturday, which raises the question of whether China is already laying the groundwork for a potential Taiwan invasion.

Why it matters: U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have long anticipated that cyber warfare would play a major role in a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

  • In that scenario, experts anticipate that China would use a destructive cyberattack to disrupt communications between the U.S. and Asian countries.

The big picture: In recent years, China state-backed hackers have become stealthier and more difficult to detect on networks — targeting internet-facing security tools to evade traditional detection and stealing obscure encryption keys to hack government email accounts.

  • The Times’ report is the latest warning that China-backed hackers are getting savvier.

Details: The new concerns build on a Microsoft report released in May that identified a new piece of China-linked malware on telecommunications systems in Guam and elsewhere in the U.S.

  • Now, the Times reports the malware is more widespread and older than initially suggested. The White House has reportedly kicked off a series of Situation Room meetings and started briefing state officials and utility companies.

Yes, but: It’s unclear what the motive for the campaign might be. Countries spy on each other all the time, but a destructive cyberattack is much rarer and would have larger geopolitical consequences.

What they’re saying: “Without weighing in on the specific details of the NYT story, the topic is significant, but threats of this nature, which seek to compromise our critical infrastructure, are not new,” Marc Raimondi, a former national security official, told Axios.

  • “It’s something to be concerned about for sure, but it’s amongst many things that we should be concerned about regarding the [People’s Republic of China] and our other advanced adversaries in the cyber and critical infrastructure realm,” he added.

Russia-Linked RomCom Hackers Targeting NATO Summit Guests

source: securityweek.com  |  image: pixabay.com

 

A recent RomCom cyber operation has been targeting NATO Summit guests and other entities supporting Ukraine.

As part of a recently identified cyber operation, a Russia-linked threat actor known as RomCom has been targeting entities supporting Ukraine, including guests at the 2023 NATO Summit taking place July 11-12, the cybersecurity unit at BlackBerry reports.

Taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania, the NATO Summit has on the agenda talks focusing on the war in Ukraine, as well as new memberships in the organization, including Sweden and Ukraine itself.

Taking advantage of the event, RomCom has created malicious documents likely to be distributed to supporters of Ukraine, and appears to have dry-tested its delivery on June 22 and a few days before the command-and-control (C&C) domain used in the campaign went live,BlackBerry explains.

Continue reading “Russia-Linked RomCom Hackers Targeting NATO Summit Guests”

How Your Real Flight Reservation Can Be Used to Scam You

source: wired.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

Scammers use a booking technicality, traveler confusion, and promises of dirt-cheap tickets to offer hot deals that are anything but.

HOW DO YOU tell that your plane ticket is real? If it checks out on the airline’s website, you’re good to go, right? Don’t be sure. Fraudsters are abusing a little-known but decades-old technicality in how airline reservations work to con people out of their cash.

Mevonnie Ferguson, who lives in Kent in the UK, says she was scammed out of £994 ($1,267) by someone claiming to work at a travel agency called Infinity Global Travel. A single working mother of two daughters, Ferguson says she was sold what appeared to be a valid British Airways ticket from London to Kingston, Jamaica. When she looked up the reservation on BA’s website using the confirmation number and her last name, it showed up valid and fine. But about two weeks after purchasing this ticket from Infinity Global Travel, and just days before her scheduled departure date, the reservation disappeared from BA’s website without a trace.

Ferguson, who also relayed her story to the UK’s Channel 5, contacted the airline and explained her situation, but she was told there were no flights booked in her name. BA would not release information to Ferguson, as she was not the party who had directly booked the reservation with the airline, she says. After some persuasion, the BA representative ultimately told Ferguson that while the reservation code she provided was correct, there was no record of an e-ticket number.

Ferguson has since tried to get a refund from the supposed travel agent, who has neither returned her money nor responded to subsequent calls and emails. A BA spokesperson asked WIRED for additional details so they could investigate but did not otherwise respond to a request for comment.

This problem isn’t unique to British Airways or any one airline in particular. In fact, it’s an intentional part of the air travel industry’s reservation process that scammers can abuse. 

Hold Up

Like many travelers, Ferguson did not understand the difference between a “confirmed” and a “ticketed” reservation, travel industry jargon terms that are not synonymous. The system makes it possible to create what appears to be a valid flight reservation, but which is actually a mere temporary reservation “hold.” 

Continue reading “How Your Real Flight Reservation Can Be Used to Scam You”

Searching for AI Tools? Watch Out for Rogue Sites Distributing RedLine Malware

 

source: thehackernews.com  | image:  pixabay.com

 

Malicious Google Search ads for generative AI services like OpenAI ChatGPT and Midjourney are being used to direct users to sketchy websites as part of a BATLOADER campaign designed to deliver RedLine Stealer malware.

“Both AI services are extremely popular but lack first-party standalone apps (i.e., users interface with ChatGPT via their web interface while Midjourney uses Discord),” eSentire said in an analysis.

“This vacuum has been exploited by threat actors looking to drive AI app-seekers to imposter web pages promoting fake apps.”

Continue reading “Searching for AI Tools? Watch Out…”

Hackers Promise AI, Install Malware Instead

source: securityweek.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

Facebook parent Meta warned that hackers are using the promise of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT to trick people into installing malware on devices.

Meta on Wednesday warned that hackers are using the promise of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT to trick people into installing malicious code on devices.

Over the course of the past month, security analysts with the social-media giant have found malicious software posing as ChatGPT or similar AI tools, chief information security officer Guy Rosen said in a briefing.

“The latest wave of malware campaigns have taken notice of generative AI technology that’s been capturing people’s imagination and everyone’s excitement,” Rosen said.

Continue reading “Hackers Promise AI, Install Malware Instead”

Meet APT43, the newest North Korean threat

source: Axios, contributed by FAN Bill Amshey  |  image: pexels.com

 

Researchers have identified a new state-backed hacking group in North Korea: APT43.

Driving the news: Mandiant, a threat intelligence firm owned by Google, said in a report today that APT43 has been engaging in espionage campaigns to support the North Korean regime.

  • APT43 also appears to target cryptocurrency firms and services and uses the profits to fund its espionage operations, the report states.
  • The group typically targets organizations in South Korea and the United States, with a special focus on government, business services, manufacturing and education and research groups.

The big picture: Mandiant has “moderate confidence” that APT43 is specifically linked to North Korea’s foreign intelligence service.

  • Mandiant has been tracking this gang’s activities since 2018, and today’s report officially elevates the group to an official state-backed hacking group.

Of note: Other companies refer to the group as “Kimsuky” or “Thallium” in their reports. Each cyber research firm uses its own naming conventions for identifying hacking groups.

Details: APT43 engages in two types of cyber activity: Spear-phishing email campaigns to harvest specific targets’ credentials and high-value research, and cryptocurrency firm hacks to get funds for its own operations.

  • In the spear-phishing attacks, APT43 poses as reporters and researchers to trick employees at U.S. defense and research organizations, as well as South Korea-based think tanks, into clicking on a malicious email link or responding with key intel.
  • APT43 has been seen using cryptocurrency services to launder stolen currency, suggesting the group has been involved in the string of recent attacks.

Threat level: Unlike other state-backed hacking groups, APT43 has yet to be seen exploiting critical, unknown vulnerabilities in systems.

  • However, the group continues to maintain “a high tempo of activity” and has collaborated with several North Korea state-backed hacking groups.

US cyber officials make urgent push to warn businesses about vulnerabilities to hackers

source: cnn.com  |  image: pixabay.com

WashingtonCNN — 

US cybersecurity officials are unveiling a new program to warn critical American companies that their systems are vulnerable to ransomware attacks before the hackers can successfully strike.

The new federal program – details of which were shared exclusively with CNN – is needed because “the pace and the impact of (ransomware) intrusions are still unacceptable,” said Eric Goldstein, a senior official at the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Ransomware attacks, like the 2021 incident that temporarily shut down one of America’s largest fuel pipelines, have disrupted key services important to American life and made the issue a national and economic security concern for the Biden administration.

But federal officials and private researchers have sometimes struggled in recent years to get in touch with key organizations like hospitals or universities in the crucial window between when a hacker gains access to a network and when they lock up the network and demand a multimillion-dollar ransom.

Continue reading “US cyber officials make urgent push to warn businesses about vulnerabilities to hackers”

Ring Is in a Standoff With Hackers

source: wired.com  |  image: pixabay.com

WHAT’S MORE CONTROVERSIAL than a popular surveillance camera maker that has an uncomfortably cozy relationship with American police? When ransomware hackers claim to have breached that company—Amazon-owned camera maker Ring—stolen its data, and Ring responds by denying the breach.

But we’ll get to that.

Five years ago, police in the Netherlands caught members of Russia’s GRU military intelligence red-handed as they tried to hack the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. The team had parked a rental car outside the organization’s building and hid a Wi-Fi snooping antenna in its trunk. Within the GRU group was Evgenii Serebriakov, who was caught with further Wi-Fi hacking tools in his backpack.

 

Ring Is in a Standoff With a Ransomware Gang

ALPHV, a prolific group of hackers who extort companies with ransomware and leak their stolen data, said earlier this week that it had breached security camera maker Ring and threatened to dump the company’s data online if it doesn’t pay. “There’s always an option to let us leak your data …” the hackers wrote in a message to Ring on their leak site. Ring has so far responded with a denial, telling Vice’s Motherboard, “We currently have no indications of a ransomware event,” but it says it’s aware of a third-party vendor that has experienced one. That vendor, Ring says, doesn’t have access to any customer records. 

Meanwhile, ALPHV, which has previously used its BlackCat ransomware to target companies like Bandai Namco, Swissport, and hospital firm Lehigh Valley Health Network, stands by its claim to have breached Ring itself, not a third-party vendor. A member of the malware research group VX-Underground shared with WIRED screenshots of a conversation with an ALPHV representative who says that it’s still in “negotiations” with Ring.