Year: 2022

High‑impact UEFI vulnerabilities discovered in Lenovo consumer laptops

ESET researchers have discovered and analyzed three vulnerabilities affecting various Lenovo consumer laptop models. The first two of these vulnerabilities – CVE-2021-3971, CVE-2021-3972 – affect UEFI firmware drivers originally meant to be used only during the manufacturing process of Lenovo consumer notebooks. Unfortunately, they were mistakenly included also in the production BIOS images without being properly deactivated. These affected firmware drivers can be activated by attacker to directly disable SPI flash protections (BIOS Control Register bits and Protected Range registers) or the UEFI Secure Boot feature from a privileged user-mode process during OS runtime. It means that exploitation of these vulnerabilities would allow attackers to deploy and successfully execute SPI flash or ESP implants, like LoJax or our latest UEFI malware discovery ESPecter, on the affected devices.

To understand how we were able to find these vulnerabilities, consider the firmware drivers affected by CVE‑2021-3971. These drivers immediately caught our attention by their very unfortunate (but surprisingly honest) names: SecureBackDoor and SecureBackDoorPeim. After some initial analysis, we discovered other Lenovo drivers sharing a few common characteristics with the SecureBackDoor* drivers: ChgBootDxeHook and ChgBootSmm. As it turned out, their functionality was even more interesting and could be abused to disable UEFI Secure Boot (CVE-2021-3972).

In addition, while investigating above mentioned vulnerable drivers, we discovered the third vulnerability: SMM memory corruption inside the SW SMI handler function (CVE-2021-3970). This vulnerability allows arbitrary read/write from/into SMRAM, which can lead to the execution of malicious code with SMM privileges and potentially lead to the deployment of an SPI flash implant.

We reported all discovered vulnerabilities to Lenovo on October 11th, 2021. Altogether, the list of affected devices contains more than one hundred different consumer laptop models with millions of users worldwide, from affordable models like Ideapad-3 to more advanced ones like Legion 5 Pro-16ACH6 H or Yoga Slim 9-14ITL05. The full list of affected models with active development support is published in the Lenovo Advisory.

In addition to the models listed in the advisory, several other devices we reported to Lenovo are also affected, but won’t be fixed due to them reaching End Of Development Support (EODS). This includes devices where we spotted reported vulnerabilities for the first time: Ideapad 330-15IGM and Ideapad 110-15IGR. The list of such EODS devices that we have been able to identify will be available in ESET’s vulnerability disclosures repository.

Lenovo confirmed the vulnerabilities on November 17th, 2021, and assigned them the following CVEs:

Read more here

Largest Mobile Chipset Manufacturers used Vulnerable Audio Decoder

Highlights:

·       
Check Point Research discovered vulnerabilities in the ALAC
format that could have led an attacker to remotely get access to its media and
audio conversations

·       
MediaTek and Qualcomm, the two largest mobile chipset manufacturers
in the world, used the ALAC audio coding in their widely distributed mobile
handsets, putting millions of Android users’ privacy at risk

·       
Research, dubbed “ALHACK” finds Two thirds of
all smartphones sold in 2021 are vulnerable

·       
Qualcomm and MediaTek acknowledged the vulnerabilities flagged
by CPR, putting patches and fixes in response

Background

The
Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC), also known as Apple Lossless, is an audio
coding format, developed by Apple Inc. and first introduced in 2004 for
lossless data compression of digital music.

In
late 2011 Apple made the codec open source. Since then, the ALAC format has
been embedded in many non-Apple audio playback devices and programs, including
Android-based smartphones, Linux and Windows media players and converters.

Since
then Apple has been updating the proprietary version of the decoder several
times, fixing and patching security issues, but the shared code has not been
patched since 2011. Many third-party vendors use the Apple-supplied code as the
basis for their own ALAC implementations, and it’s fair to assume that many of
them do not maintain the external code.

Check
Point Research has discovered that Qualcomm and MediaTek, two of the largest
mobile chipset makers in the world, ported the vulnerable ALAC code into their
audio decoders, which are used in more than half of all smartphones worldwide.
According to IDC, 48.1% of all Android phones sold in the
US are powered by MediaTek as of Q4 2021, while Qualcomm currently holds 47% of
the market.

What did we find and
what is the potential threat?

The
ALAC issues our researchers found could be used by an attacker for remote code
execution attack (RCE) on a mobile device through a malformed audio file. RCE
attacks allow an attacker to remotely execute malicious code on a computer. The
impact of an RCE vulnerability can range from malware execution to an attacker
gaining control over a user’s multimedia data, including streaming from a
compromised machine’s camera.

In
addition, an unprivileged Android app could use these vulnerabilities to
escalate its privileges and gain access to media data and user conversations.

Responsible disclosure

Check
Point Research responsibly disclosed the information to MediaTek and Qualcomm
and worked closely in collaboration with both vendors to make sure these
vulnerabilities were fixed.

MediaTek
assigned CVE-2021-0674 and CVE-2021-0675 to the ALAC issues. The
vulnerabilities were already fixed and published in the
December 2021 MediaTek Security Bulletin. Qualcomm released the patch for
CVE-2021-30351 in the December 2021 Qualcomm Security Bulletin.

 Source of the article found here

TraderTraitor: North Korean State-Sponsored APT Targets Blockchain Companies

 Summary

Actions to take today to mitigate cyber threats to cryptocurrency:
• Patch all systems.
• Prioritize patching known exploited vulnerabilities.
• Train users to recognize and report phishing attempts.
• Use multifactor authentication.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) are issuing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to highlight the cyber threat associated with cryptocurrency thefts and tactics used by a North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) group since at least 2020. This group is commonly tracked by the cybersecurity industry as Lazarus Group, APT38, BlueNoroff, and Stardust Chollima. For more information on North Korean state-sponsored malicious cyber activity, visit https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/northkorea.

The U.S. government has observed North Korean cyber actors targeting a variety of organizations in the blockchain technology and cryptocurrency industry, including cryptocurrency exchanges, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, play-to-earn cryptocurrency video games, cryptocurrency trading companies, venture capital funds investing in cryptocurrency, and individual holders of large amounts of cryptocurrency or valuable non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The activity described in this advisory involves social engineering of victims using a variety of communication platforms to encourage individuals to download trojanized cryptocurrency applications on Windows or macOS operating systems. The cyber actors then use the applications to gain access to the victim’s computer, propagate malware across the victim’s network environment, and steal private keys or exploit other security gaps. These activities enable additional follow-on activities that initiate fraudulent blockchain transactions.

The U.S. government previously published an advisory about North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors using AppleJeus malware to steal cryptocurrency: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware. The U.S. government has also previously published advisories about North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors stealing money from banks using custom malware:

This advisory provides information on tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to stakeholders in the blockchain technology and cryptocurrency industry to help them identify and mitigate cyber threats against cryptocurrency. 

Click here for a PDF version of this report. 

Warning ! third-party regarding subdomains of ru[.]com using the names of US states

 

This Multi-State
Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Advisory
is being provided to assist agencies and organizations in guarding against
the persistent malicious actions of cybercriminals. Even though the
services provided by the MS-ISAC are only available to the public sector,
all private sector organizations are encouraged to review this
Advisory and implement appropriate mitigation measures.

 

Summary
The MS-ISAC received notice from a trusted third-party regarding subdomains
of ru[.]com using the names of US states. Although many of them are not
currently active, these domains could be used for phishing campaigns or
other malicious activity like malspam. The domains follow a consistent
template with using standard state names (no acronyms, spacing, or hyphens)
in the format <state>[.]ru[.]com. For example: 

 

  • California[.]ru[.]com
  • NewYork[.]ru[.]com
  • NorthDakota[.]ru[.]com
  • Ohio[.]ru[.]com

 

This information is being
provided for situational awareness. The MS-ISAC recommends blocking the
domain at your web filter, on any edge devices, and in your spam
filtering solution. If your organization utilizes the MS-ISAC Malicious
Domain Blocking and Reporting (MDBR) Service, all of the domains have been
added. While some of these domains are currently up for sale, the domain
could become active at any time.

Microsoft Azure: Azure webinar series Migrate Your File Data to Azure at No Cost

 

Microsoft Azure

 

Azure webinar series
Migrate Your File Data to Azure at No Cost

 

 

 

With
the increase in data heavy applications, storing and managing that data
is becoming very critical. Customers are migrating their data to the
cloud to increase agility for their businesses and run their critical
workloads such as SAP, HPC, databases, and Azure Virtual Desktops. Azure
Storage provides enterprise-grade storage, simplified operations, and
integrated data protection for the cloud. Join this webinar to learn
about how you can move your file data to Azure at no cost.  

Learn how to: 

  • Migrate your file data to
    Azure using our ISV solutions.
  • Optimize storage
    migration with best practices.
  • Choose the best storage
    service for your workload.

 

Azure webinar series
Migrate Your File
Data to Azure at No Cost
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
10:00 AM–11:00 AM Pacific Time

Register
here 

Applying the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to the Ground Segment of Space Operations: Draft NIST IR 8401

 

Header

NIST
Cybersecurity and Privacy Program

NIST Requests Comments on “Satellite Ground Segment:
Applying the Cybersecurity Framework to Assure Satellite Command and
Control”

NIST recognizes the importance of the infrastructure that
provides positioning, timing, and navigation (PNT) information to the
scientific knowledge, economy, and security of the Nation. This
infrastructure consists of three parts: the space segment, the ground
segment, and the users of PNT. NIST now requests comments on a draft of
a profile for the ground segment.

NIST IR 8401, Satellite Ground Segment: Applying the
Cybersecurity Framework to Assure Satellite Command and Control,
applies the NIST CSF to the ground segment of space operations. The
document defines the ground segment, outlines its responsibilities, and
presents a mapping to relevant information references. The Profile
defined in this report provides a flexible framework for managing risk
and addresses the goals of Space Policy Directive 5 (SPD-5) for
securing space.

The comment period on this initial
public draft is open through June 20, 2022.
See the publication
details for a copy of the draft and instructions for
submitting comments.


NOTE: A call for
patent claims is included on page iv of this draft. For additional
information, see the Information
Technology Laboratory (ITL) Patent Policy–Inclusion of Patents in ITL
Publications.

Students, kick-start your tech career with Microsoft Certification!

Students, kick-start your tech career with Microsoft Certification!

At Microsoft, our mission is to help you achieve more, so we’re making certifications, and the resources to learn, prepare, and get certified, free to all eligible students, starting with fundamentals certifications.

Technology is changing the future of work. In every industry, employers expect interns and recent graduates to have the digital capabilities they need to thrive in a modern—often hybrid or remote—working environment. While digital skills are a great start, students also need skills in data, AI, and cloud technologies to make the most of every opportunity. Earning a Microsoft Certification does more than just build technical skills; certifications can help you stand out, gain confidence, and even get paid more1. Microsoft Certifications also validate your skills and abilities, while proving your commitment to learning the latest technologies.

Five steps to kick-start your tech career

Process - Six Steps

1. Sign into Microsoft Learn and create your
student profile

Microsoft Learn is
the place to start and customize your learning journey with up-to-date content
developed by experts and a variety of resources. Master new skills with a
comprehensive collection of training options that empower you to learn in a
style that fits you best. Sign into Microsoft Learn and
create your student profile to track your progress on learning activities,
create and share content collections, accrue points and achievements, use free
Azure resources, and get personalized recommendations.

2. Determine which certification is right for
you and start learning

Microsoft
Certifications are based on industry analysis of specific jobs and roles and
are continually updated to reflect the latest technologies. They enhance your
credibility, giving you the professional advantage of globally recognized,
industry-endorsed skills. Earning a Microsoft Certification enables employers
and peers to recognize your talent and experience—and can help you build the
technical skills you need to succeed in today’s fast-paced, digital world.

Microsoft
Certifications start with foundational skills and move into the deeper
technical skills you will need to perform industry roles. Microsoft
Certifications also cover technical topics from Azure to AI, to data analytics
and cybersecurity.

Learn the concepts included in the
certification exams

Exam

Self-paced
online content

Exam cram

AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

✔

✔

DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data
Fundamentals

✔

✔

AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI
Fundamentals

✔

✔

SC-900: Microsoft Security,
Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

✔

✔

PL-900: Microsoft Power Platform
Fundamentals

✔

✔

MB-910: Microsoft Dynamics 365
Fundamentals (CRM)

✔

✘

MB-920: Microsoft Dynamics 365
Fundamentals (ERP)

✔

✘

MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals

✔

✘

3. Verify
your student status, claim your benefits, and practice

You’ve created a
Learn profile, selected a Microsoft fundamentals certification, and prepared
for the exam. Now, you’re ready to practice and get certified.

As part of this
initiative, Microsoft provides free exam vouchers and practice tests to
eligible students. You will just need to verify your enrollment at an
accredited academic institution to claim the benefits.

You’ll be guided
at every step to learn the required skills, prepare for the exam with a
practice test, and then get certified by passing the exam.

Sign up

 Note

This student
initiative is managed by Cloud Ready Ltd. on behalf of Microsoft. When you
access the Cloud Ready website using your Microsoft Account credentials, your
use of that website and any collection of personal data will be governed by
the Cloud Ready Privacy
Policy.

What’s
included:

Free
Microsoft Official Practice Tests: Taking a Microsoft Official Practice
Test can significantly boost your chances of passing the Microsoft certification
exam. Build your knowledge of exam objectives and see detailed explanations for
correct and distractor answers. Provided by MeasureUp, Microsoft Official
Practice Tests recreate the conditions you’ll find in the actual certification
exam. Work in Practice Mode, which includes explanations and references for
each question, or Exam Mode, which simulates the real exam with about 150
relevant questions.

Free
Microsoft Exams: Take
a Microsoft fundamentals certification exam with a free exam voucher. Fundamentals
certifications are a great way to start your certification journey. Validate
your foundational understanding with mixed concepts and apply what you learn
about Microsoft technologies—no area experience required. Fundamentals also
give you a springboard into deeper, role-based learning paths and
certifications.

4. Become certified—and earn college credit

Get even more
credit for your new skills. Students can now receive college credits for
passing Microsoft Exams and earning Microsoft Certifications. Read the story of
students Sam Jones and Jason
Powell, who saved money and completed their degrees faster with
college credits they earned as a result of their Microsoft Certifications.
Review the tools and resources they
used so you can do the same.

 Tip

We’re committed
to ensuring that every person who’s interested in taking Microsoft Certifications
can do so in a way that is fair and accurately reflects their skills and
abilities. Learn more about
requesting accomodations.

5. Share your certification achievements

Celebrate your
success! You worked hard to earn your certification. Now, be sure to share your
new achievement with the world via a digital badge.

Showcasing your
professional achievements may help you get noticed by potential employers. When
you share your digital badge on popular sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and
Twitter, or when you embed it into your resume, personal website, or email
signature, anyone who sees your badge will immediately recognize it as a
trusted Microsoft validation of your achievement.

Learn more about
how to claim your badge and showcase your skills and certifications.

#ProudToBeCertified

Follow the Microsoft Learn
Blog for stories of how Microsoft Certifications have changed
people’s career paths—even at the beginning of their professional lives or as
they start new careers. These personal stories highlight how getting certified
can demonstrate your expertise and capacity for continuous learning, right from
the start of your career in tech.

·       
Certifications can
spark confidence amidst unexpected changes

·       
Microsoft
Certifications boost IT careers from the start

·       
Why you should
celebrate your Microsoft skills and certifications

·       
How the Microsoft
Certification community can help you and your career

1.
Upon earning a certification, 28 percent of technical professionals say getting
certified led to salary or wage increases, and 91 percent reported greater
confidence in their abilities. Pearson VUE, “2021 Value of IT
Certification Report”, 2021.

 

Critical Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Management Interface Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

 

Summary

  • A vulnerability in the authentication functionality of Cisco Wireless
    LAN Controller (WLC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote
    attacker to bypass authentication controls and log in to the device
    through the management interface

    This vulnerability is due to the improper implementation of the
    password validation algorithm. An attacker could exploit this
    vulnerability by logging in to an affected device with crafted
    credentials. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass
    authentication and log in to the device as an administrator. The
    attacker could obtain privileges that are the same level as an
    administrative user but it depends on the crafted credentials.

    Note: This vulnerability exists because of a
    non-default device configuration that must be present for it to be
    exploitable. For details about the vulnerable configuration, see the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory.

    Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are workarounds that address this vulnerability.

    This advisory is available at the following link:
    https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-wlc-auth-bypass-JRNhV4fF

Affected Products

  • Vulnerable Products

    This vulnerability affects the following Cisco products if they are
    running Cisco WLC Software Release 8.10.151.0 or Release 8.10.162.0 and
    have macfilter radius compatibility configured as Other:

    • 3504 Wireless Controller
    • 5520 Wireless Controller
    • 8540 Wireless Controller
    • Mobility Express
    • Virtual Wireless Controller (vWLC)

    Note: The vulnerable releases noted above are available in the Software Center
    on Cisco.com. In addition, specific customers have been given the
    following vulnerable escalation builds that are not in the Software
    Center:

    • 8.10.151.4 to 8.10.151.10
    • 8.10.162.1 to 8.10.162.14

    Determine the Configuration

    To determine whether the Cisco WLC configuration is vulnerable, issue the show macfilter summary CLI command. If RADIUS compatibility mode is other, as shown in the following example, the device is considered vulnerable:

    wlc > show macfilter summary 

    MAC Filter RADIUS Compatibility mode............. Other
    MAC Filter Delimiter............................. Single-Hyphen
    MAC Filter Entries............................... 0

    Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable

    Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.

    Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect the following Cisco products:

    • Catalyst 9800 Embedded Wireless Controller for Catalyst 9300, 9400, and 9500 Series Switches
    • Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
    • Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller for Cloud
    • Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points
    • Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) AireOS products not listed in the Vulnerable Products section

Workarounds

  • There are workarounds that addresses this vulnerability. Choose one of the following based on the environment:

    Option 1: No Macfilters in the Environment

    Customers who do not use macfilters can reset the macfilter radius compatibility mode to the default value using the following CLI command:

    wlc > config macfilter radius-compat cisco

    Option 2: Macfilters in the Environment

    Customers who use macfilters and who are able to change the radius
    server configuration to match other possible compatibility modes can
    modify the macfilter compatibility to either cisco or free using one of the following CLI commands:

    wlc > config macfilter radius-compat cisco
    wlc > config macfilter radius-compat free

    For more information about the different macfilter compatibility modes, see Cisco Wireless Controller Command Reference.

    While these workarounds have been deployed and were proven successful
    in a test environment, customers should determine the applicability and
    effectiveness in their own environment and under their own use
    conditions. Customers should be aware that any workaround or mitigation
    that is implemented may negatively impact the functionality or
    performance of their network based on intrinsic customer deployment
    scenarios and limitations. Customers should not deploy any workarounds
    or mitigations before first evaluating the applicability to their own
    environment and any impact to such environment.

Fixed Software

  • Cisco has released free software updates
    that address the vulnerability described in this advisory. Customers
    with service contracts that entitle them to regular software updates
    should obtain security fixes through their usual update channels.

    Customers may only install and expect support for software versions
    and feature sets for which they have purchased a license. By installing,
    downloading, accessing, or otherwise using such software upgrades,
    customers agree to follow the terms of the Cisco software license:
    https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/end-user-license-agreement.html

    Additionally, customers may only download software for which they
    have a valid license, procured from Cisco directly, or through a Cisco
    authorized reseller or partner. In most cases this will be a maintenance
    upgrade to software that was previously purchased. Free security
    software updates do not entitle customers to a new software license,
    additional software feature sets, or major revision upgrades.

    The Cisco Support and Downloads page
    on Cisco.com provides information about licensing and downloads. This
    page can also display customer device support coverage for customers who
    use the My Devices tool.

    When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.

    In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded
    contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and
    software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the
    new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to
    contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted
    maintenance providers.

    Customers Without Service Contracts

    Customers who purchase directly from Cisco but do not hold a Cisco
    service contract and customers who make purchases through third-party
    vendors but are unsuccessful in obtaining fixed software through their
    point of sale should obtain upgrades by contacting the Cisco TAC: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/web/tsd-cisco-worldwide-contacts.html

    Customers should have the product serial number available and be
    prepared to provide the URL of this advisory as evidence of entitlement
    to a free upgrade.

    Fixed Releases

    In the following table(s), the left column lists Cisco software
    releases. The right column indicates whether a release is affected by
    the vulnerability described in this advisory and the first release that
    includes the fix for this vulnerability. Customers are advised to
    upgrade to an appropriate fixed software release as indicated in this section.

    Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Release First Fixed Release
    8.9 and earlier Not vulnerable
    8.10.142.0 and earlier Not vulnerable
    8.10.151.0 and later 8.10.171.0

    To download the software from the Software Center on Cisco.com, do the following:

    1. Click Browse all.
    2. Choose Wireless > Wireless LAN Controller > Standalone Controllers.
    3. Choose a specific product from the right pane of the product selector.
    4. Choose a hardware platform from the left pane of the software page.

    The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) validates
    only the affected and fixed release information that is documented in
    this advisory.

Exploitation and Public Announcements

  • The Cisco PSIRT is not aware of any public announcements or malicious
    use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.

Source

  • Cisco would like to thank a security researcher with Bispok for reporting this vulnerability.

URL

Revision History

Version

See the cve

This ICS-capable malware targets a Ukrainian energy company

 From the ESET SITE 


Key points:

  • ESET researchers collaborated with CERT-UA to analyze the attack against the Ukrainian energy company
  • The destructive actions were scheduled for 2022-04-08 but artifacts suggest that the attack had been planned for at least two weeks
  • The attack used ICS-capable malware and regular disk wipers for Windows, Linux and Solaris operating systems
  • We assess with high confidence that the attackers used a new version of the Industroyer malware, which was used in 2016 to cut power in Ukraine
  • We assess with high confidence that the APT group Sandworm is responsible for this new attack
Read the full report here