Tag Archive for: DDoS

MySQL servers hit by DDoS malware botnet

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Hackers have been observed targeting vulnerable MySQL servers in an attempt to compromise and assimilate them into a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) botnet. 

Researchers at the AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center (ASEC) came across a hacking campaign during routine database server threat monitoring. The researchers found that the hackers were scanning the internet for MySQL servers and approaching them in two ways: either by trying to exploit a vulnerability in an unpatched environment, or by brute-forcing their way in. Some MySQL endpoints have weak administrator passwords, allowing hackers to win the guessing game and enter the premises.

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DDoS attack was cause behind internet connectivity outage for public healthcare institutions in Singapore, ETCIO SEA

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Investigations on the internet connectivity disruption for public healthcare institutions which happened on 1 November 2023 showed that the outage was caused by a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, where the attackers flood servers with internet traffic to prevent legitimate users from accessing online services. As per national healthtech agency Synapxe, which is responsible for the IT operations that support the country’s public healthcare network, no evidence has been found to indicate that public healthcare data and internal networks have been compromised.

Internet connectivity at public healthcare institutions was disrupted between 9.20am and 4.30pm on 1 November 2023, with most of the affected services restored by 5.15pm. During the disruption, services requiring internet connectivity at public healthcare institutions, including websites, emails, productivity tools for staff, were inaccessible.

Throughout the incident, Synapxe was able to sustain the mission critical systems needed for clinical services and operations at the public healthcare institutions, including access to patient records. Patient data and the internal networks remained accessible and unaffected. Patient care was not compromised.

Synapxe’s networks are protected in a layered defence designed to detect and respond to cyber threats, including DDoS attacks. Its systems are also designed with redundancies for resilience, and these include system backups. To minimise the risks of being overwhelmed by higher-than-usual internet traffic, Synapxe subscribes to services which block abnormal surges in internet traffic before they enter our public healthcare network. In addition, once the traffic is cleared by the blocking service, firewalls are in place to allow only legitimate traffic into the network.

On 1 November 2023, an abnormal surge in network traffic was detected at 9.15am. This surge circumvented the blocking service, and overwhelmed Synapxe’s firewall behind the blocks. This triggered the firewall to filter out the traffic, and all the websites and internet-reliant services became inaccessible. Once the cause was identified, Synapxe…

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Kaspersky Reveals Alarming IoT Threats and Dark Web DDoS Boom

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The cybersecurity researchers at Kaspersky have unveiled alarming statistics about the expanding cybercrime economy on the dark web.

Key Findings:

  1. DDoS Demand Soars: Kaspersky’s analysts discovered over 700 dark web ads for DDoS attack services in H1 2023, highlighting the escalating demand among hackers.
  2. Cost of DDoS Services: Rates for DDoS attack services on the dark web ranged from $20 per day to $10,000 per month, with an average cost of $63.50 per day or $1,350 per month.
  3. IoT Malware Evolution: Fierce competition among cybercriminals has driven the development of IoT malware, with features designed to thwart rival malware, including firewall rules and process terminations.
  4. Brute-Force Attacks Prevalent: Brute-forcing weak passwords remains the primary method for compromising IoT devices, with 97.91% of attacks focusing on Telnet, compared to 2.09% on SSH.
  5. Global Attack Landscape: While China, India, and the United States were the primary targets of IoT attacks, China, Pakistan, and Russia emerged as the most active attackers, highlighting the global reach of cyber threats.

The Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is under siege, with a growing underground economy centered around IoT-related services, particularly for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, according to a recent report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

The study delves into the evolving threats targeting the IoT sector, shedding light on the modus operandi of cybercriminals and the alarming prevalence of malware types.

IoT devices are poised to surpass a staggering 29 billion by 2030, making them an attractive target for cybercriminals. Kaspersky’s research presents crucial insights into dark web activities, prevalent malware strains, and the tactics employed by hackers.

While DDoS protection and mitigation services are utilizing all available resources to secure their clients’ infrastructure; DDoS attacks orchestrated through IoT botnets are experiencing a surge in demand within the cybercriminal community. Kaspersky’s Digital Footprint Intelligence service analysts unearthed over 700 ads for DDoS attack services on various dark web forums in the first half of…

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Canada cyber centre issues alert after government DDoS attacks

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Distributed denial of service attacks against the websites of federal departments and several Canadian provinces and territories — including PEI, Yukon, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — have prompted the federal cyber agency to issue an IT alert.

Since September 13, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has responded to several DDoS campaigns targeting multiple levels within the Government of Canada, as well as the financial and transportation sectors, the alert says.

It doesn’t attribute the attacks, but suggests the cyber centre knows. Publicity is part of what the DDoS attackers seek, “and why we avoid referencing the malicious actor,” the alert says.

Open-source reporting links some of this activity to Russian state-sponsored cyber threat actors whose tactics, techniques, and procedures have been extensively documented, the centre says. In July 2022, the centre predicted Russian state-sponsored cyber threat actors would almost certainly continue to perform actions in support of the Russia’s attack on Ukraine. In Februrary centre reported DDoS attacks on countries that support Ukraine.

“There are relatively simple ways to protect against this kind of campaign,” says the centre. “In most cases, this activity can be managed by standard cyber defence tools. But organizations should consider help from third-party DDoS solutions to ward off significant and focused activity. And once the actors stop the malicious activity, websites go back to normal.”

A DDoS campaign uses a collection of infected computers operating as a botnet to flood a target website’s server with internet traffic and disrupt its ability to provide services.

In most cases, the centre says, this nuisance activity can be managed by on-premises solutions. “However, assistance from third-party DDoS solutions should be considered to prevent significant and focused malicious activity. Websites will commonly return to a normal state of operation once the actors have stopped the malicious activity.”

The centre recommends IT leaders

IT leaders should also review and implement the Cyber Centre’s Top 10 IT Security Actions, particularly recommendations to consolidate, monitor, and defend internet…

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