Cybersecurity Patch Note Vol. 6
Holiday hacks, malware mischief, and unpatched chaos—this week's cyber intel
In this week’s cyber buffet, the spice is nice.
This week’s threat intel roundup is a delicious (not for some) buffet of cyber misadventures—picture, if you will, ransomware hors d’oeuvres (yes, of course I had to look up how to spell this), malware mains, and a side of poorly timed updates—maybe that’s the dessert.
Holiday Spirit? Not So Fast, Apache.
Nothing says “happy holidays” like scrambling to patch critical vulnerabilities. The Apache Software Foundation decided to drop a festive surprise—security updates targeting severe issues in MINA, HugeGraph-Server, and Traffic Control products. Great news, except it landed during the holiday season, when most IT teams are [insert your own responsible number here] eggnogs deep. Unpatched exploits over the holidays? That’s a recipe for disaster. Is granny’s eggnog recipe still a secret? I won’t tell anyone…
North Korea’s Malware Masterclass
Trust North Korean hackers to turn a phishing campaign into some kinda art form. Their latest malware, “OtterCookie,” sounds adorable but packs a big bite. Disguised as enticing job offers in the “Contagious Interview” campaign, it targets unsuspecting software developers. Malware delivery disguised as a dream job? Hey, we got Trojan Horse 2.0 over here.
Windows 11—Glow-Ups and Glitches
Microsoft’s holiday gift? A bug in media-based installations of Windows 11 (version 24H2) that blocks security updates. Their fix—use the December 2024 patch until they figure it out. In the meantime, the Task Manager got a sleek new look—complete with a search bar and less eye-straining graphs. Glow-ups are great, but maybe prioritise functionality next time? Way to go, Microsoft, you’re an inspiration to us all.
Botnets Are Back in Style
A Mirai-based botnet is having a field day exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in DigiEver DS-2105 Pro NVRs and TP-Link routers. This campaign’s been full bore since October, turning unsecured devices into playgrounds for hackers. Lesson of the week—patch your firmware or face the consequences.
Hackers, but Make It Cosmic
The European Space Agency’s web shop got hacked, serving up fake Stripe payment pages at checkout. And now? The shop is now “temporarily out of orbit.” Cosmic irony outta the way, this highlights how even space agencies aren’t immune to basic payment system exploits.
Crypto Heists & Countdown Threats
North Korea’s ‘TraderTraitor’ hackers just pulled off a $308 million crypto heist from Japan’s DMM Bitcoin exchange. Meanwhile, the Clop ransomware gang is back, extorting victims of their Cleo data theft attacks. They’ve even added a countdown clock—because nothing says “urgent” like a ticking timer on your stolen data.
Closing Thoughts
From holiday headaches to high-stakes hacks, this week reminds us why cybersecurity is never boring. Stay safe, patch your systems, and keep your wits about you. Oh, and don’t drink too much eggnog—unless you’re the weird uncle, then, have at it, I guess?
That’s it for now.
As always,
Good luck,
Stay safe and,
Be well.
See ya!