Black Hat 2021: Lessons from a lawyer

Black Hat 2021: Lessons from a lawyer

Why companies and their security teams need to engage with a lawyer before an incident occurs Presentations at Black Hat often involve slides full of data or code. Rarely, or maybe never, have I seen a slide that details parts of a policy, contract or general legal text. Nick Merker, a partner at ICE Miller…
IISpy: A complex server‑side backdoor with anti‑forensic features

IISpy: A complex server‑side backdoor with anti‑forensic features

The second in our series on IIS threats dissects a malicious IIS extension that employs nifty tricks in an attempt to secure long-term espionage on the compromised servers ESET researchers have discovered and analyzed a previously undocumented backdoor, implemented as an extension for Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft’s web server software. The backdoor, which we…
Black Hat 2021: Wanted posters for ransomware slingers

Black Hat 2021: Wanted posters for ransomware slingers

Is the net closing in on cyber-extortionists and can bounties on their collective heads ultimately help stem the ransomware scourge? Here at Black Hat, the CISA keynote promises to deliver increased cooperation within government agencies over cybercriminals, especially those focused on critical infrastructure and ransoms against systems that might cripple the country. But that’s not…
Is your personal information being abused?

Is your personal information being abused?

Drowning in spam? A study presented at Black Hat USA 2021 examines if sharing your personal information with major companies contributes to the deluge of nuisance emails, texts and phone calls. Every day my inbox seems to receive more and more spam. Understanding what generates it and how to avoid it is essential in the…
Anatomy of native IIS malware

Anatomy of native IIS malware

ESET researchers publish a white paper putting IIS web server threats under the microscope ESET researchers have discovered a set of previously undocumented malware families, implemented as malicious extensions for Internet Information Services (IIS) web server software. Targeting both government mailboxes and e-commerce transactions, as well as aiding in malware distribution, this diverse class of…
IIStealer: A server‑side threat to e‑commerce transactions

IIStealer: A server‑side threat to e‑commerce transactions

The first in our series on IIS threats looks at a malicious IIS extension that intercepts server transactions to steal credit card information ESET researchers have discovered and analyzed a previously undocumented trojan that steals payment information from e-commerce websites’ customers. The trojan, which we named IIStealer, is detected by ESET security solutions as Win64/BadIIS.…
Booking your next holiday? Beware these Airbnb scams

Booking your next holiday? Beware these Airbnb scams

With vacations in full swing, cybercriminals will be looking to scam vacationers looking for that perfect accommodation. Summer vacation planning is in full swing, and most of us are looking to travel again while adhering to the preventive measures that countries have in place regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. And traveling, of course, means looking for…
Cybersecurity agencies reveal list of the most exploited vulnerabilities in the past 2 years

Cybersecurity agencies reveal list of the most exploited vulnerabilities in the past 2 years

There are 30 vulnerabilities listed in total; organizations would do well to patch their systems if they haven’t done so yet The leading cybersecurity and law enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory focusing on the top 30 vulnerabilities that were commonly abused by threat actors over…
Black Hat 2021 – non‑virtual edition

Black Hat 2021 – non‑virtual edition

How is Black Hat USA 2021 different from the past editions of the conference and what are the themes may steal the show this year? Black Hat this year is, well, sparse. I get it… With masks at every turn and some attending virtually, it’s hard to have a conference, especially with the uncertainty of…
Why cloud security is the key to unlocking value from hybrid working

Why cloud security is the key to unlocking value from hybrid working

How can companies and employees who start to adapt to hybrid working practices protect themselves against cloud security threats? When government lockdowns forced workers to stay home en masse for much of 2020, one technology was there to pick up the pieces. Without the three main cloud computing models, software-, platform- and infrastructure-as-a-service (SaaS, PaaS…