OODA Analysis and Briefs

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Google Chrome Extensions Could Be Used to Track Users Online

According to evidence created by a web developer known as ‘z0ccc,’ some Google Chrome extensions could be used to track users online. The developer created a website that is designed to generate a fingerprint of devices based on Google Chrome extensions installed on the browser that is visiting in order to prove his claims. The…
1.5 million customers impacted by Flagstar Bank data breach

Bleeping Computer has reported that a security incident impacting Flagstar Bank has led to the exposure of personal data belonging to roughly 1.5 million customers. The security incident reportedly occurred when an unauthorized third party gained access to the bank’s network. The security breach occurred between December 3 and December 4 of last year, according…
Microsoft Addresses Wi-Fi Hotspots Issues in Latest Update

Microsoft has addressed a known issue that is currently affecting Wi-Fi hotspot features in its systems. The vulnerability has been added to its official Health Dashboard page as of this week after the company discovered that Windows 10 and 11 machines are subject to the bug. It is likely that the bug was introduced through…
At least 200 civilians killed in western Ethiopia, say reports and officials

Possibly more than 200 civilians have been killed in the Oromia region of Ethiopia by the rebel group the Oromo Liberation Army on Saturday. A police officer reported that most of the victims were ethnic Amharas. The attack was on the town of Gimbi and was connected to fighting between government forces and the OLA.…
South Korea launches homegrown Nuri rocket carrying satellites into orbit

Satellites were successfully launched into orbit by South Korea on Tuesday with its homegrown Nuri rocket. This is a large step for the country’s space program after a failed launch attempt last year where the dummy satellite launched failed to reach low Earth orbit due to the third-stage engine shutting down. The three-stage rocket weighed…
Inverse Finance exploited again for $1.2M in flash loan oracle attack

Just two months after losing $15.6 million in a price oracle manipulation exploit, Inverse Finance has again been hit with a flash loan exploit that saw the attackers make off with $1.26 million in Tether (USDT) and Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC). Inverse Finance is an Ethereum-based decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol and a flash loan is a type…
Why Hackers Are Winning the Ransomware Game

The threat landscape is in a constant state of flux. While malicious activity is incessant and we know it will continually occur, the methods and the rates of which threat actors target victims continues to morph and ransomware has begun to take center stage. Taking a look back at 2021, ransomware more than doubled in…
The Crypto Party Is Over

On Super Bowl Sunday, a Crypto.com ad featuring billionaire NBA star LeBron James lit up millions of Americans’ TVs. “If you want to make history, you gotta call your own shots,” Mr. James said in the 30-second spot for the popular cryptocurrency-trading platform. The words that splashed across the screen as the commercial ended read…
What you need to know about staked ether, the token at the center of crypto’s liquidity crisis

Another controversial cryptocurrency is causing havoc in the digital asset market — and this time, it’s not a stablecoin. Staked ether, or stETH, is a token that’s supposed to be worth the same as ether. But for the past few weeks, it has been trading at a widening discount to the second-biggest cryptocurrency, fanning the…
Capital One Hacker Convicted of 7 Federal Crimes

A former Amazon engineer has been convicted of seven federal crimes after she was caught stealing the personal data of over 100 million people. Following a seven-day trial and 10-hour deliberation by the jury, 36-year-old Paige A. Thompson was convicted on Friday(Opens in a new window) in the US District Court in Seattle of seven federal…
Atlassian Confluence Server Bug Under Active Attack to Distribute Ransomware

A recently disclosed critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Atlassian’s Confluence Server collaboration platform is now under active attack, in a spate of attacks bent on deploying a variety of malware, including ransomware. Researchers from Sophos have observed several attacks over the past two weeks in which attackers used automated exploits against vulnerable Confluence instances…
Dozens killed and millions stranded by India and Bangladesh floods

At least 59 people have died in lighting strikes or landslides caused by the severe monsoon storms in India and Bangladesh. Millions of people have been stranded and emergency workers are struggling to reach those in trouble. The flooding is expected to get worse over the next few days. Bangladesh described the recent flooding as…
Left-wing candidate and former guerrilla Gustavo Petro wins Colombian presidential race

Gustavo Petro will be Colombia’s first leftist leader. He won the country’s presidential race on Sunday by a slim margin with over 50% of the votes against 77-year-old entrepreneur Rodolfo Hernandez. Petro’s running mate, Francia Marquez, will be the first Afro-Colombina to hold an executive office. In his victory speech, Petro said he was open…
WordPress Updates More Than a Million Sites to Fix Critical Ninja Forms Vulnerability

Content Management system (CMS) provider WordPress has updated over one million sites in order to patch a critical vulnerability that affects a popular plugin known as Ninja Forms. Wordfence threat intelligence allegedly detected the flaw in June and reported it to the company. The details were explained in an advisory posted by the company on…
China-linked APT Flew Under Radar for Decade

Researchers from SentinelLabs have disclosed a small but lethal China-linked APT that has gone undetected by security researchers for almost a decade. The researchers state that evidence suggests that the APT, named Aogin Dragon, has flown under the radar since 2013. During this time, they have been running cyberattack campaigns against companies and organizations in…
DragonForce Gang Unleash Hacks Against Govt. of India

Hactivist group DragonForce Malaysia has unleashed a slew of cyberattacks against India due to comments made by the Prophet Mohammed by a political spokesperson. According to Radware, DragonForce Malaysia has started to indiscriminately scan, deface, and launch denial of service attacks against a plethora of websites hosted in India. In addition to the DDoS campaign,…
Cybersecurity Researchers Find Several Google Play Store Apps Stealing Users Data

A group of cybersecurity researchers have reportedly identified numerous apps available on the Google Play Store as of May 2022 that contain built-in adware, information stealing malware, and other malicious devices. On some of the apps, spyware has been secretly installed and is capable of stealing information from other app notifications in order to capture…
2,000 arrests in crackdown on social engineering and business email scams

Interpol has announced a major crackdown on social engineering campaigns that led to the arrest of 2,000 individuals. Interpol stated that the raid occurred over the span of two months at 1,700 different locations. In addition to the arrests, Interpol obtained $50 million in fraudulently gained proceeds. The individuals arrested were described by the international…
US Researchers Spot New Hertzbleed Flaw Affecting AMD and Intel CPUs

Researchers at the University of Texas have discovered, in collaboration with the University of Washington and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a new vulnerability that reportedly affects all modern AMD and Intel CPUs. The flaw is being referred to as “Hertzbleed” and is a new group of side-channel attacks. The meaning behind the name is…
Sri Lanka only has enough fuel for about five more days, minister says

Sri Lanka’s fuel stocks only will last for five more days according to its power and energy minister on Thursday. The island nation is waiting for an official confirmation from the Indian government for a $500 million credit line for fuel. The country is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in seven decades. …
Forty fighters ‘neutralised’ in drone strikes in Niger

French drone strikes have killed almost 40 fighters traveling on motorcycles near Niger’s border with Burkina Faso, it was announced by France’s military Thursday. The French military called the drone stricts a new tactical success for France’s counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region in Africa. The motorcycles belonged to an armed terrorist group and the…
EU leaders back immediate candidate status for Kyiv

France, Germany, Italy and Romania have backed Ukraine’s bid to join the EU, and support giving the country immediate candidate status. Ukraine would still be required to meet the accession criteria in full. French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the EU would stand by Ukraine until its victory against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues…
Violent protests erupt in India against new military recruitment scheme

Crowds in northern India were pushed back by police firing shot in the air on Thursday as protests grew against a new military recruitment system. Authorities shut off the internet in at least one district as the protests have gotten more chaotic. Prime Minister Narenda Modi and his government announced an overhaul of the recruitment…
SEC’s Expansion of Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit Signals Increased Enforcement Ahead

In a move that further executes upon the SEC’s increasingly tough rhetoric on cryptocurrency and cybersecurity, SEC Enforcement recently announced that it will nearly double the size of its newly-renamed Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, the specialized unit that focuses on enforcement in those areas. This development is remarkable for the dramatic expansion of what…
Explainer: The world of crypto lending

Major U.S. cryptocurrency lending company Celsius Network froze withdrawals and transfers on Monday, citing “extreme” market conditions, sparking a sell-off across crypto markets. Here’s what you need to know about crypto lending – a corner of the digital asset market that has boomed over the last two years during soaring interest in cryptocurrencies. Just as customers at…
Security Threat Exposed for Browser-based Crypto Wallets

A number of popular browser-based crypto wallets are vulnerable to hacking under certain conditions, according to new research. Blockchain security firm Halborn found several instances where wallets including Brave, MetaMask and Phantom can be compromised under specific computer conditions — adding yet another wrinkle to traders still reeling from recent high-profile decentralized finance (DeFi) hacks. The conditions…
Hacker Steal Your Crypto? New MetaMask Tool Could Help You Get it Back

If someone steals your credit card or goes on a shopping spree with your debit card, there’s a good chance Visa or your bank will reverse the charges and help you untangle the mess. But for fraud victims in the crypto realm, the experience is very different. “If you lose your crypto, it’s a very humbling…
FTC Blames Meta for Over Half of all Social Media Crypto Scams

Social media is taking the blame for yet another of the world’s significant problems, as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is putting the onus for the $1 billion lost to cryptocurrency scams on the industry. While cryptocurrency has the potential to be a world-changing technology, its unregulated nature has made it ripe for scams over the…
BNPL Fraud Alert as Account Takeovers Surge

According to Imperva, account takeover attacks targeting the financial services sector have surged by almost 60% from April to May this year. Security researchers believe this may be due in part to buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes targeting consumers. BNPL has become increasingly popular due to inflation, living crises, and other financial stressors. By…
This new Android malware bypasses multi-factor authentication to steal your passwords

Researchers at F5 Labs have identified a new form of Android malware that steals passwords, bank details, and crypto wallets from users. The malware bypasses multi-factor authentication to compromise devices and has been dubbed MaliBot. MaliBot is potentially very dangerous to Android users, as it can also access text messages, steal web browser cookies, and…
US-led coalition capture senior IS leader in north Syria raid

A senior leader of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has been captured in an overnight raid in Syria according to US-led coalition forces. The leader’s name was Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi and the coalition stated he was an experienced bomb maker and operational facilitator. Troops arrived in two helicopters in al-Humayra in the Aleppo province…
Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces move towards negotiations

A committee has been formed by the Ethiopian government to negotiate with forces from the Tigray region. This committee was announced on Tuesday to parliament by Prime Minister Ably Ahmed. The committee will be led by the Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen. A report of the negotiations are expected to be detailed and submitted within…
Iran Spear-Phishers Hijack Email Conversations in New Campaign

Check Point security has discovered a new state-backed phishing operation perpetrated by the Iranian Phosphorus APT group. The campaign is primarily targeting high-ranking Israeli and US officials. Historically, Phosphorus APT has been targeting Israeli officials such as deputy Prime Minister Tzipi Livni, a former major general in the Israeli Defense Forces, and a US ambassador…
CipherTrace report shows a decline in illicit activity in the crypto ecosystem

Amid the extreme market conditions, a June 13 report by CipherTrace details positive developments in the crypto ecosystem, suggesting a decline in crypto-related crimes. The report showed increased crypto trade volumes from $4.3 trillion in 2020 to $16 trillion in 2021. The firm claims that this exponential growth is why regulators are looking into the crypto…
How Can Crypto Investors Avoid the Regulatory Risks Associated with Centralized Storage.

Cryptocurrency storage is one of the most important things that investors should consider when joining the burgeoning digital asset market. However, most people in this space have little to no knowledge of the existing options. As it stands, crypto exchanges currently hold the larger share of investors’ capital despite the associated risks, including hacking and regulatory…
Wave of Discord Hacks Is Making the Crypto Crash More Painful for Investors

Virtually every cryptocurrency has been crashing for at least a month—and it keeps getting worse. This has led to major cryptocurrency companies Crypto.com, Gemini, and Coinbase to lay off between 5 percent, 10 percent, and 18 percent of their staff, respectively. But there is one group that’s still thriving in the crypto world: Discord hackers. In…
Hackers are using fake apps and wallets to steal your crypto

Cryptocurrency users and enthusiasts are being targeted by malicious actors with fake wallet apps that steal their precious tokens, researchers have found. Cybersecurity researchers from Confiant discovered that some of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency wallets are being spoofed by clones(opens in new tab) that carry malware. Coinbase, MetaMask, TokenPocket, and imToken products are among those affected,…
Why the cryptocurrency market crash portends bad times for cybersecurity

Ever since the Luna-Terra stable coin crisis surfaced, the global cryptocurrency market has been on a freefall. To give you an idea of the decline, the global crypto market cap has fallen below the $1 trillion mark and is currently resting at $970 billion. The market cap is expected to fall further as more investors…
EU signs gas deal with Israel, Egypt in bid to ditch Russia

A tripartite deal between the European Union, Egypt and Israel on natural gas exportation has been signed. The EU bloc has been seeking a way to diversify sources of energy away from Russia. The deal was finalized at the East Mediterranean regional energy conference in Cairo and will allow for large exports of Israeli gas…
El Salvador’s Bitcoin investment suffers amid crypto meltdown

El Salvador’s government purchased hundreds of coins of bitcoin last year and had announced that cryptocurrency would become a legal tender. El Salvador’s investment, however, is now rapidly losing value. The investment has lost approximately $50 million. The 2,301 bitcoins amassed by the government since September 2021 were initially worth $103 million. The coins are…
State-sponsored Chinese threat actors compromise telecom and network service providers

A new joint advisory released by the National Security Agency, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI addressed an issue that pertains to threat actors exploiting previously disclosed vulnerabilities. The matter is targeting organizations in both the private and public sectors, worldwide. The report was created based on knowledge obtained…
Brazil’s data protection authority to gain independence from presidential office

According to a provisional measure published today, Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) will gain autonomy from the presidency after being elevated to special authority status. The announcement states that the ANPD will become an autarchy yet still maintain its existing organization structure created under a 2018 law. Due to the power and score of…
Metaverse and cybersecurity, what are the challenges for the future?

The growth of the metaverse emphasizes the need to address the cybersecurity challenges posed by this new multimedia environment. It is increasingly likely that the metaverse will be subject to cyberattacks that pose a real risk to both the companies that choose to be active in the metaverse and the users who access it. It…
Binance US Sued Over Promoting, Selling UST and LUNA

A class-action lawsuit was filed today against Binance.US, alleging that the cryptocurrency exchange misled consumers about the safety of Terra’s stablecoin UST, and native token LUNA. The suit also claims Binance violated federal law both by selling UST and LUNA, cryptocurrencies that the plaintiffs claim are securities that should have been registered with the SEC, and…
There’s a new plan to regulate cryptocurrencies. Here’s what you need to know

Things change fast in the world of crypto. Prices were at dizzying heights in November, and then came the crash. In just a couple of weeks in May, cryptocurrencies lost more than half a trillion dollars in market value. The most spectacular implosion was a cryptocurrency called TerraUSD. It was a stablecoin – meaning its value was…
In defense of cryptocurrency

Last week a group of technologists, including Bruce Schneier, sent a letter to Congress outlining their concerns around cryptocurrency and urging Congress to regulate the space. Now let me be the first to say that I broadly support this goal. I have no problem with the idea of legislators (intelligently) passing laws to regulate cryptocurrency. Indeed,…
Combating Crypto Breaches: Smart Cybersecurity Practices You Should Know

Investing in crypto requires strong defenses against security breaches. These tactics can help keep your funds safe. As of 2022, one in five Americans has invested in or traded some form of cryptocurrency. Popular coins like Bitcoin are increasingly finding their way into mainstream payment methods accepted at everyday stores, both online and in the material…
Final legal challenges to be heard before first flight in Rwanda asylum plan

Four people due to be on the first flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda are planning legal challenges before take-off on Tuesday. There are only eight people remaining on the passenger list after dozens of people won legal cases and were removed from the flight. There was a last-ditch effort to block the flight completely…
Every bridge leading to key city Severodonetsk destroyed

The local governor of Severodonetsk in Ukraine has announced all bridges to the city have been destroyed. The city is now effectively cut off and delivering supplies and evacuating civilians is now impossible. Russian artillery has forced Ukrainian officials out of the city center as the city has been a top goal for Russia for…
Expanding SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit Is Essential – But There Are Potential Risks

The SEC recently announced that it was doubling the size of its unit which deals with cryptocurrency assets. It plans to increase the footprint of the unit to reach 50 agents. The unit was first launched in 2017 and since then, has brought forward over 80 enforcement actions, mostly related to fraud and unregistered offerings. It…
Gemini Sued by IRA Financial Over $36M Hack

Gemini is being sued for allegedly providing IRA Financial an onboarding system with a single point of failure, which allowed the theft of $36 million in IRA customer money. The exchange is also accused on failing to freeze accounts with sufficient rapidity. IRA Financial Trust (IRA) is suing Gemini over the February 2022 hack that saw…
Decentralized Crypto Exchange Offline After Hacker Steals $113M

Hackers found a flaw in a decentralized crypto exchange and exploited it to steal an estimated $113 million. On Sunday, the founder and CEO of Maiar—a decentralized exchange (DEX) that bills itself as “the future of money”—and the Elrond blockchain that it runs on, wrote on Twitter that he and his team were “investigating a set…
What’s the catalyst behind the crypto crash?

The web3 market is a mess. There’s enough going on that it will take us a moment to unpack the situation this morning, but leading indicators of sentiment in the blockchain ecosystem are sufficiently nasty to set the stage: Bitcoin is off around 13% in the last 24 hours to $23,436; ETH is off around…
How do Cryptocurrencies Affect Cybersecurity?

The digitization of our world is continuing at an accelerating pace. More and more of our lives and our economy are moving online. Even our money is increasingly digital. We use credit cards and bank transfers to make most of our purchases and electronic wallets to store our money. With the rise of cryptocurrencies, we…
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet says will not seek second term

Michelle Bachelet is the United Nations human rights chief and has announced she will not seek a second term. Her current four-year term expires at the end of August and she will not continue in the position. Bachelet made a trip to China last month and was criticized for not doing more for the alleged…
Ukraine war: Evidence shows widespread use of cluster munitions in Kharkiv

New Amnesty International research has revealed that Russia has killed hundreds of civilians in Kharkiv using shelling and cluster munitions, which are widely banned. The weapons used include 9N210/9N235 cluster bombs and scatterable munitions which are rockets that eject smaller mines that explode at later times in intervals. In five separate sites in residential neighborhoods…
Left surge threatens Macron majority in French election

French President Emmanuel Macron is at risk of losing his majority after a challenge from left-wing parties in National Assembly elections this weekend. Jean-Luc’s Mélenchon’s let-green alliance and Macron’s Ensemble finished neck and neck in terms of votes cast in Sunday’s first round of elections. Next week is the second round of voting and…
Researchers Block Two Million Extortion Emails Daily

Security researchers at Proofpoint have warned users to be aware of extortion scams after announcing that they block millions of these emails every day. Proofpoint released a new blog post claiming that on average, it blocks a million extortion emails every 24 hours. This figure reportedly rises to two million on high volume days. Most…
Vulnerabilities Targeting InfiRay Thermal Cameras May Result in Industrial Process Hacking

Austrian cybersecurity firm SEC Consult discovered a series of vulnerabilities that affect thermal cameras produced by Infiray. The cameras, model IRAY-A8Z3, are vulnerable to multiple attack vectors that could result in remote code execution (RCE). SEC Consult released details of the vulnerabilities in the Tuesday advisory, stating that the flaws were due to insecure coding…
U.S. Water Utilities Prime Cyberattack Target, Experts

Last week the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission released new statements regarding the security of US water facilities. According to the statement, industrial controls governing water facilities and critical infrastructure are underprepared for cyberattacks. In addition, they remain a prime target for attackers who wish to harm the…