This month’s Microsoft Patch Tuesday includes important updates that patch two zero-day vulnerabilities that are already being actively exploited.
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If there is anything to be learned from the massive attacks that have been seen on connected devices, it is that the internet of things (IoT) is riddled with vulnerabilities. We have seen this time and again with how botnets are created from system weaknesses and have harnessed poor basic security to disrupt many devices and services.
In the past year, we embarked on a closer look at the security of IoT devices around the world. We chose devices that are available in different Amazon regions and are widely used in the Japan market, and tried to find out whether remote code execution (RCE) is possible. What we ended up finding out was more than that.
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In many instances, researchers and engineers have found ways to hack into modern, internet-capable cars, as has been documented and reported several times. One famous example is the Chrysler Jeep hack that researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek discovered. This hack and those that have come before it have mostly been reliant on specific vulnerabilities in specific makes and/or brands of cars. And once reported, these vulnerabilities were quickly resolved. But what should the security industry’s response be when a hack is found that is not only successful in being able to drastically affect the performance and function of the car, but is also stealthy and vendor neutral?
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WannaCry ransomware’s outbreak during the weekend was mitigated by having its kill switch domain registered. It was only a matter of time, however, for other cybercriminals to follow suit. Case in point: the emergence of UIWIX ransomware (detected by Trend Micro as RANSOM_UIWIX.A) and one notable Trojan our sensors detected.
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Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday for October fixed another previous zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) via MS16-118 and MS16-126: CVE-2016-3298. Before the lid was put on it, the security flaw was employed alongside CVE-2016-3351 by operators of the AdGholas malvertising campaign, analysis and disclosure of which were made with our collaboration with Proofpoint’s @kafeine last July 2016. The campaign was notable for the economies of scale and scope it achieved in its heyday until its operations were stymied. As shared by @kafeine, it was even integrated in Neutrino exploit kit’s malvertising chain as a malicious JavaScript.
Exploiting CVE-2016-3298 enables attackers to check for specific antivirus (AV) software installed in the system in order to avoid AV detection and threat research/analysis. This sounds innocuous, but determining if the system is unsecure eases—and even automates—the undertaking of sneaking malware into it.
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