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CISA, FBI, NSA and International Partners Issue Advisory on Ransomware Trends from 2021

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), along with the FBI, National Security Agency (NSA), Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK), just published a joint Cybersecurity Advisory outlining the growing international threat posed by ransomware over the past year. The advisory, 2021 Trends Show Increased Globalized Threat of Ransomware, summarizes the top ransomware trends observed across all three countries.

FBI PSA: Criminals Increasing SIM Swap Schemes to Steal Millions of Dollars from U.S. Public

The FBI has published a Public Service Announcement (PSA) regarding the increasing practice of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) swapping by criminals to steal money from fiat and virtual currency accounts. In 2021 alone, the FBI received 1,611 SIM swapping complaints with losses of more than $68 million. According to the FBI, “SIM swapping is a malicious technique where criminal actors target mobile carriers to gain access to victims' bank accounts, virtual currency accounts, and other sensitive information.

Threat Awareness – Qbot Steals Sensitive Data Minutes after the Initial Infection

Qbot/Qakbot remains one of the most widespread malware variants. A new report from researchers at DFIR reveal that Qbot is used to steal sensitive data and execute other malign tasks in a very short time frame. Qbot, which WaterISAC reported on last year, is a highly modular malware used for many nefarious activities such as credential harvesting and dropping ransomware. Qbot usually spreads via phishing emails.

CISA ICS Vulnerability Advisories and Alerts, Updates, and Bulletins - February 8, 2022

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published the following ICS vulnerability advisories, as well as alerts, updates, and bulletins:

ICS Vulnerability Advisories:

Alerts, Updates, and Bulletins:

FBI FLASH: Indicators of Compromise Associated with LockBit 2.0 Ransomware

The FBI has published a TLP:WHITE FLASH providing indicators of compromise associated with LockBit 2.0 ransomware. The FLASH indicates LockBit 2.0 threat actors operate as an affiliate run Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and employ a wide variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), creating significant challenges for defense and mitigation. Some techniques these threat actors include, but are not limited to, purchased access, unpatched vulnerabilities, insider access, and zero day exploits.

Organizations Failing to Implement all of Microsoft’s 365 Security Features

Many organizations are not utilizing the cybersecurity features offered by Microsoft 365, according to research from the IT company Ensono. For its research Ensono surveyed IT staff whose companies use Microsoft 365. Some key findings from the survey reveal that 38 percent of respondents are not using multi-factor authentication, only 43 percent have Conditional Access setup, and 46 percent do have data loss prevention or data classification configured.

Security Awareness – Phishing Campaign Abuses CSV Text Files to Install BazarBackdoor

A recently observed phishing campaign is utilizing malicious CSV text files to install the BazarLoader/BazarBackdoor trojan. BazarBackdoor is a backdoor malware created by the TrickBot gang to provide threat actors with remote access to a compromised device which can then be used to move laterally through a corporate network, install more malware, steal data, and deploy ransomware.

Ransomware Awareness – Study Breaks Down Ransomware Attacks by Sector

A recent study of ransomware attacks between July and September 2021 reveals that the banking, utilities, and retail sectors are the most targeted industries. The utilities sector was the second most targeted by ransomware during the time period, accounting for 20 percent of detected attacks. All three sectors in combination accounted for 58 percent of all detected attacks.

Security Awareness – Fake USPS Phishing Emails Deliver Trickbot and Other Malware

A current phishing scam is purporting to be a message from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) claiming recipients have missed an important delivery, but instead contains a malicious link. In recent phishing awareness posts, WaterISAC has highlighted threat actors using trusted brands in phishing campaigns to fool users more easily into downloading various malware.

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