Tag Archive for: distributors

A Legal Victory Against CryptBot Malware Distributors

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Google is ramping up its efforts to combat cybercrime, as the tech giant recently announced a legal victory against the distributors of the notorious CryptBot malware.

Crackdown On Cybercriminals

In the latest move in its ongoing campaign against cybercriminals, Google has successfully filed a civil action against malware distributors responsible for CryptBot, a type of malicious software designed to steal sensitive information from users’ computers.

Google estimates that CryptBot has infected approximately 670,000 computers in the past year alone, primarily targeting users of Google Chrome.

A Southern District of New York federal judge unsealed the civil action. It represents Google’s continued commitment to disrupting cybercriminal ecosystems that seek to exploit online users.

This follows Google’s success last year in holding operators of the Glupteba botnet accountable.

Understanding CryptBot Malware

CryptBot, classified as an “infostealer,” can identify and extract sensitive data from victims’ computers, including authentication credentials, social media account logins, cryptocurrency wallets, and more.

The stolen data is then harvested and sold to bad actors for use in data breach campaigns.

Cybercriminals distributing CryptBot have been offering maliciously modified versions of popular software packages, such as Google Earth Pro and Google Chrome, to unsuspecting users.

The malware is designed to target users of Google Chrome, prompting Google’s CyberCrimes Investigations Group (CCIG) and Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to take action against the distributors.

Legal Strategy & Disruption

Google’s litigation targeted several major distributors of CryptBot, believed to be based in Pakistan and operating a worldwide criminal enterprise.

The legal complaint includes claims of computer fraud and abuse and trademark infringement.

To hinder the spread of CryptBot, the court granted a temporary restraining order that allows Google to take down current and future domains associated with the malware’s distribution.

This measure is expected to slow new infections and decelerate the growth of CryptBot while establishing legal precedent and placing those profiting from…

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IcedID Botnet Distributors Abuse Google PPC to Distribute Malware

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IcedID Botnet Distributors Abuse Google PPC to Distribute Malware



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How one coding error turned AirTags into perfect malware distributors

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One of the more frightening facts about mobile IT in 2021 is that simplicity and convenience are far too tempting in small devices (think AppleWatch, AirTags, even rings that track health conditions, smart headphones, etc.). 

Compared with their laptop and desktop ancestors, they make it far more difficult to check that URLs are proper, that SPAM/malware texts/emails don’t get opened and that emlpoyees follow the minimal cybersecurity precautions IT asks. In short, as convenience ramps up, so do security risks. (Confession: Even though I try to be ultra-vigilant with desktop emails, I do periodically — far more often than I should — drop my guard on a message coming through my AppleWatch.)

Another of the always-has-been, always-will-be cybersecurity realities is that small programming errors are easy to make and often get overlooked. And yet, those small errors can lead to gargantuan security holes. This brings us to Apple and Airtags.

A security researcher has come to the CISO rescue and found that an open area for typing in a phone number has unintentionally turned AirTags into God’s gift to malware criminals.

Let’s turn to Ars Technica for details on the disaster. 

“Security consultant and penetration tester Bobby Rauch discovered that Apple’s AirTags — tiny devices which can be affixed to frequently lost items like laptops, phones, or car keys — don’t sanitize user input. This oversight opens the door for AirTags to be used in a drop attack. Instead of seeding a target’s parking lot with USB drives loaded with malware, an attacker can drop a maliciously prepared AirTag,” the publication reported.

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Cyber-attackers may target COVID-19 vaccine makers, distributors next year, Kaspersky says

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FREEPIK

CYBER-ATTACKERS are seen to target coronavirus vaccine manufacturers and firms involved in the distribution beginning next year, internet security firm Kaspersky said.

“The coronavirus vaccine is going to make a major change in our lives starting next year, and it will have its own effects on the cyberspace,” Vitaly Kamluk, director of Kaspersky-Asia Pacific’s global research and analysis team, said at Kaspersky’s Cybersecurity Weekend virtual media forum on Tuesday.

He added, “We see that cyber-attackers will focus on either impersonating the vaccine manufacturers or attacking them, trying to destroy their digital reputation for competitive purposes.”

As for the logistics firms involved in the distribution of the vaccines, Mr. Kamluk said they will also be more vulnerable to cyber attacks, as cybersecurity “is not one of their strongest sides.”

“But with their involvement in the distribution of the vaccines, things can change,” he noted.

He said coronavirus vaccine makers, distributors, and logistics firms “should pay attention to cybersecurity now.”

“They should prepare before the distribution starts by installing security products and by briefing their personnel that things like this may come, so they should not trust every party that contacts them,” he explained.

Kaspersky said businesses should protect their digital reputation, as “five in 10” internet users in the Asia-Pacific region, based on its latest study, “avoid companies who were involved in a scandal or had received negative news coverage online.”

It added that “four in 10” had “stopped using a company’s or brand’s products once they were embroiled in some kind of crisis online.” — Arjay L….

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