Cybersecurity Patch Notes Vol. 5
Pardon Our French, What a Clusterduck
Well, well, well, if it isn't another week in the wide world of web weirdness. Buckle up, ya silly buggers, it's time for your weekly dish of digital drama!
First on the docket, we've got crafty buggers selling stolen credentials with a cracked version of Acunetix. This cracked software is being peddled as a shiny new cloud-based attack tool by at least two services, one of which is linked to a tech firm in Turkey. I mean, come on, who needs an original business model when you can just rip off someone else's software, right?
Google, or Not Google? That's the Scam.
Then there's poor Adam Griffin who lost nearly half a million in cryptocurrencies. A scammer called him from a legit Google phone number warning him that his Gmail account was being hacked. And guess what? The number was an official Google Assistant one! How's that for a mindfuck? Don't trust everything you Google, folks.
npm Packages or Cryptominer Candy?
Moving on, three popular npm packages were compromised via stolen account tokens. Not content with just wreaking havoc, these crafty buggers decided to throw in a cryptominer for good measure. Now they're mining Monero on compromised systems. Talk about taking advantage of a situation, eh?
LockBit? More Like Locked Up!
Next up, we have Rostislav Panev, a Russian-Israeli national who was arrested for allegedly helping develop LockBit encryptors and a custom "StealBit" tool. The U.S. Department of Justice charges him with managing the group's infrastructure. Quite the career highlight, I must say.
Sophos Firewall: The Hotfix is in!
Meanwhile, the folks at Sophos Firewall have been patching up a trio of vulnerabilities in their product that could have let remote unauthenticated threat actors perform... well, naughty things. Good thing they caught that, or we might've had another Ethernet cable situation on our hands.
Krispy Kreme: Doughnuts and Data Breaches
In the world of sweet treats and sour breaches, Krispy Kreme found unauthorized activity on their IT systems. They've since called in the cybersecurity big guns to investigate the impact. But hey, at least the doughnuts are still safe, right?
Ascension: Rising to the Occasion
And let's not forget Ascension, one of the largest private U.S. healthcare systems, which got hit by a cyberattack linked to the Black Basta ransomware operation. They're now mailing data breach notifications to over 5 million affected individuals. Talk about a health crisis!
ACE Shuts Down Pirate Stream
Finally, in a high-seas adventure of the digital kind, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has taken down one of the world's largest live sports streaming piracy rings. The operation, based in Vietnam, primarily targeted audiences across the U.S. and Canada. Yarrr, mateys, there be trouble on the digital seas!
And that, dear readers, wraps up this week's rundown of the cyber circus.
As always,
Good luck,
Stay safe and,
Be well.
See ya!
P.S. Sorry no pictures this week, it’s been pretty crazy.