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    in Information Technology

    ChaChi: a new GoLang Trojan used in attacks against US schools

    A new Trojan written in the Go programming language has pivoted from attacks against government agencies to US schools.

    The research team from BlackBerry Threat Research and Intelligence said on Wednesday that the malware, dubbed ChaChi, is also being used as a key component in launching ransomware attacks. ChaChi is written in GoLang (Go), a programming language that is now being widely adopted by threat actors in a shift away from C and C++ due to its versatility and the ease of cross-platform code compilation.   According to Intezer, there has been roughly a 2,000% increase in Go-based malware samples over the past few years.  “As this is such a new phenomenon, many core tools to the analysis process are still catching up,” BlackBerry noted. “This can make Go a more challenging language to analyze.” ChaChi was spotted in the first half of 2020, and the original variant of the Remote Access Trojan (RAT) has been linked to cyberattacks against French local government authorities, listed by CERT France in an Indicators of Compromise (IoC) report (.PDF); but now, a far more sophisticated variant has appeared.  The latest samples available have been connected to attacks launched against large US schools and education organizations. 

    In comparison to the first variant of ChaChi, which had poor obfuscation and low-level capabilities, the malware is now able to perform typical RAT activities, including backdoor creation and data exfiltration, as well as credential dumping via the Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS), network enumeration, DNS tunneling, SOCKS proxy functionality, service creation, and lateral movement across networks. The malware also makes use of a publicly accessible GoLang tool, gobfuscate, for obfuscation purposes.  ChaChi is named as such due to Chashell and Chisel, two off-the-shelf tools used by the malware during attacks and modified for these purposes. Chashell is a reverse shell over DNS provider, whereas Chisel is a port-forwarding system. BlackBerry researchers believe the Trojan is the work of PYSA/Mespinoza, a threat group that has been around since 2018. This group is known for launching ransomware campaigns and using the extension. PYSA when victim files have been encrypted, standing for “Protect Your System Amigo.” The FBI has previously warned of an increase in PYSA attacks against both UK and US schools. Generally, the team says that PYSA focuses on “big game hunting” — picking lucrative targets with big wallets able to pay vast amounts when a ransom is demanded. These attacks are targeted and are often controlled by a human operator rather than a task of automated tools.  “This is a notable change in operation from earlier notable ransomware campaigns such as NotPetya or WannaCry,” the researchers say. “These actors are utilizing advanced knowledge of enterprise networking and security misconfigurations to achieve lateral movement and gain access to the victim’s environments.”  Previous and related coverage Have a tip? Get in touch securely via WhatsApp | Signal at +447713 025 499, or over at Keybase: charlie0 More

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    in Networking

    Best video-on-demand streaming services in 2021: Expert picks

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    When I started cord-cutting, only hardcore techies and television fans were doing it. It was really difficult to do. Today, there are more people watching streaming shows than there are paying for cable or satellite TV and anyone can do it with any high-quality streaming device and a decent broadband connection.  There are three reasons for this shift. First, the best live TV streaming services now offer pretty much anything you’d ever want from a traditional TV cable or satellite service and more. Streaming TV is just better than old-school TV today. Second, even though live TV streaming services prices are catching up with cable, for now, streaming services are still more affordable. Finally, the video-on-demand (VoD) services, which started the cord-cutting revolution, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, produce more “must watch” TV than their older competitors.  For example, Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery; Disney Plus’s The Mandalorian; and Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit all have huge audiences and are popular with critics as well. Today, except for HBO, which has its own streaming-specific service now, HBO Max, you’re more likely to find the show you want to watch on a streaming service than on antenna, cable, or satellite. But, which service is right for you? Before jumping into them, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention there are numerous free VoD services. If money is tight, there’s still a lot of good streaming movies and TV shows out there for you. Since everyone’s tastes vary, and these services’ video offerings change every month, rather than try to list them in a “best to worst” order, I’ve listed them in alphabetical order.

    If you want to watch English-language TV from outside the US, you’ll love Acorn TV

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    If you’re a British and international English TV fan like I am, then Acorn TV is for you. On it, I can get my fill of shows like Agatha Raisin, Doc Martin, Lovejoy, and Midsomer Murders, including the new season 22. It also includes other shows such as the Australian hits Ms Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, starring the incomparable Esse Davis, and A Place to Call Home. If it strikes you that’s a lot of mysteries, you’re right, it is. Acorn focuses on mysteries from around the English-speaking TV world. Its rival, BritBox, has a larger library, but it primarily shows only shows from the United Kingdom’s BBC and ITV. So, for example, Australian-based Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries is only available on Acorn.This service used to have a lot of performance problems. That’s no longer the case. That said, at best, you can only watch shows in 720p HDTV. You’ll find no 4K or UHD content here. You can, however, stream up to a generous four shows at once. Acorn TV costs $6 a month or $60 a year. You can either stream up to four streams directly or subscribe to it via Amazon Prime Video. The advantage to this latter approach is far more streaming devices support Prime Video than Acorn TV.  Pros:Great selection of non-American English language mysteries.Good price.Con: Currently only has shows in HDTV.Could have a wider selection of British TV programs.

    $6 at Acorn TV

    Free two-day Amazon shipping and great videos, what’s not to like?

    sjvn

    Amazon Prime Video is far more than just videos. For $119 a year or $13 a month, besides free videos, you get free two-day shipping on most Amazon purchases. a free monthly Kindle book download and free music streaming via Amazon Music. If you’re already using Amazon Prime for buying stuff, using its Amazon Prime Video is a no-brainer. If Amazon Prime doesn’t interest you, Prime Video is also available as a $9 a month subscription. For new users, it also comes with a 30-day free trial.The service offers VoD for older movies and TV shows. Many, but far from all, of these, require an additional fee to rent or purchase. Lately though, like Netflix, Amazon is getting known for its great original content such as Good Omens, Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and The Boys. I’ll also always owe a debt of gratitude to Amazon for saving the best science-fiction show of all time, The Expanse. Amazon is also readying a new Prime Video Lord of the Rings series. Rumor has it that the last will be the most expensive TV series ever produced. Many of Amazon’s originals and some newer films are available in 4K and UHD. Prime Video also bundled in some live sporting events. You can stream up to three shows at once. You can also subscribe to many other VoD channels through Amazon Prime. These include well-known ones such as HBO Max, Showtime, and MLB TV to more obscure ones such as Docurama, Best Westerns Ever, and Shout! Factory TV. All of these channels cost the same on Prime Video as they would if you subscribed to them directly. This can be handy because you can get to multiple streaming services using the single Prime Video interface. Each service comes with its own seven-day free trial.Put it all together and, even if I didn’t shop at Amazon, I’d pay for Amazon Prime Video.Pros:Excellent selection of movies and TV shows.Great interface to multiple, more obscure VoD networks.Con: Some non-free offerings, which require additional costs.

    View Now at Amazon Prime Video

    Someday Apple TV+ will be for everyone, today’s it’s really just for Apple users.

    sjvn

    I wouldn’t I’d pay more than Apple TV+’s $4.99 per month. There’s just not a lot there. It has few “free” videos in its library, and its original content is, well, minimal. On the other hand, you can get this streaming service for free with the purchase of a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or even an iPod. Students can also get it for free with an Apple Music subscription, or you can get Apple+ as part of an Apple One bundle.Of course, to each their own, when it comes to what you enjoy watching, except for the science-fiction alternative history, For all Mankind, and the drama The Morning Show, I really don’t see many interesting shows.The service does, however, have many newer movies you can watch for additional fees. Unlike most other VoD services, it doesn’t really have a video library to watch old favorites. On the plus side, you can share your subscription with up to six people via Apple’s Family Sharing feature. One good point is that the content, when it’s available, can be viewed and heard in 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision. Just make sure you have the right gear to support those higher-end video and audio technologies, or all that will go to waste.Apple’s naming conventions are confusing. The Apple TV is Apple’s streaming device. With it, you can watch not only the Apple TV+ streaming service but other services such as Hulu and Netflix. You can also watch Apple TV+ on Roku, newer Amazon Fire devices, and some smart TVs. There’s also an Apple TV app. This lets you watch some other streaming services,  which, ala Amazon Prime Video, you can also subscribe to via Apple; Apple TV+ streams; and rent or purchase TV shows and movies. This app does not, to no one’s surprise, run on Android devices.Apple TV Plus has promise, and it’s handy if you’re already deep into the Apple world. But if you’re not a dyed-in-the-wool Apple fan, you can skip this service. Pros: Works well with Apple-based equipment.Supports high-end video streams in a variety of formats. Cons:Very limited “free” video library.Few original shows.

    View Now at Apple TV Plus

    Even more British TV.

    sjvn

    The BBC and ITV got together and created BritBox to bring their offerings, both old and new, to viewers in Canada and the States. Its competition, Acorn TV, doesn’t have as many shows, but it focuses more on mysteries from around the English-language TV world. On BritBox, you’ll find old favorites such as Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes, my favorite take on the 221B Baker St. detective, Sharpe, and Fawlty Towers. It also has an excellent selection of United Kingdom soaps such as Coronation Street, EastEnders, and Emmerdale.One plus BritBox has over Acorn TV is you can download your favorite shows on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. With Acorn TV you must have an active internet connection. BritBox also supports up to five simultaneous streams.You can get BritBox for a monthly fee of $7 or, for the more affordable annual fee of $70. Pros: The closest thing you’ll get to the BBC and ITV on this side of the pond.Can download videos for later watching.Cons:Acorn and BritBox are almost the same, but the differences are great enough that, if you really love English, as in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand TV, you really need both.  

    $7 at BritBox

    Classic and contemporary art-house and independent films.

    sjvn

    Is the first thing you do when you check out a streaming TV network such as Sling TV or  YouTubeTV is see if they have Turner Classic Movies (TCM) because you love classic movies? If that’s you, you may want to consider adding The Criterion Channel to your streaming device.Like all hardcore classic, independent, and art-film move fans know, the Criterion Collection puts out the definitive copies of the best of the best of these kinds of movies. So if your best directors list includes Kurosawa, Truffaut, and  Kieślowski, instead of Lucas, Nolan, and Tarantino, chances are you already have Criterion Blu-Ray and DVDs in your cinema collections. Oh, and you refer to movies as cinema. Besides the movies themselves, The Criterion Channel also features documentaries on film, interviews with directors, and commentaries on movies. My only caveat, and I am a serious movie fan, is that not every film from the Criterion Collection can be streamed. Darn it! It’s not for everyone, but for people who really love movies, it’s essential. You can try it out with a 14-day free trial. After that, if you like it, the channel will cost you $11 a month or $100 a year.Pros: Excellent selection of classic movies.Cons:Not all Criterion Collection movies are available for streaming. 

    $11 at The Criterion Channel

    Disney+ includes content from Disney, Marvel, Fox Entertainment, and Star Wars.

    sjvn

    Disney+ is the one new streaming service I can recommend for almost anyone. The reason? I’ll give you four reasons: the Disney, Marvel, Fox Entertainment, and Star Wars movies and TV show library. For popular entertainment, you can’t beat Disney Plus. Disney+ is still building up its original content library, but it already has one huge hit, The Mandalorian. Honestly, though, tens-of-millions would still be subscribing even if they didn’t have any original content.With the pandemic keeping us in our homes, Disney Plus is also exploring pay-per-view (PPV) for movies like the live-action Mulan. In addition, other new movies, such as Marvel’s The Black Widow, will also be appearing on Disney+ screens. At $7 per month, it’s also one of the cheapest VoD streaming services. Better still, much of its content is available in 4K resolution with HDR color. For streaming, it also currently supports four simultaneous streams. There are some people out there, somewhere, who might not find something fun to binge-watch on Disney+. But, unfortunately, I just don’t know any of them.Pros:Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, do I need to say more?Excellent price.Support for high-end video formats.Cons:Honestly, I can’t think of any. If you’re into any of its content, you can’t beat it, especially for $7 a month.

    View Now at Disney +

    If you love HBO, you’ll love HBO Max.

    sjvn

    HBO’s new streaming service HBO Max had trouble getting out of the gate. But now that Roku and Amazon Fire are on board, its future looks great. That’s because, like Disney+, it has a huge library of content people love to watch. Their audiences are different, though, with Disney+ tending to be younger than the audience for such HBO classics as Deadwood and The Sopranos. You may be a little confused as to what’s what with HBO streaming. I can’t blame you. I watch a lot of HBO shows, and I cover this stuff for a living, and I’ve been puzzled. So here’s how it works: HBO Go is on the way out. It dies on July 31, 2021. So if you’re already an HBO Go’s customer, you’ll automatically be moved to HBO Max. HBO Now is still around, at least for now, but it’s been renamed HBO. So, what’s the difference? With HBO, you get, well, HBO. With HBO Max, you also get access to some movies and TV series from Warner Brothers; New Line; DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim; Looney Tunes Cartoons; CrunchyRole anime; and some classic movies from TCM. You’ll also be able to watch some new HBO Max exclusive shows. In particular, as we slowly start going back to movie theaters, Warner Brothers is releasing its new movies both in theaters and on HBO Max. If you’re not comfortable going out yet or just prefer watching movies at home, HBO Max is worth the money. These movies, such as Wonder Woman 1984, In the Heights, and the forthcoming Matrix 4 (Yes, with Keanu Reeves) for no additional fee. You can watch these on up to three devices at once.If you’re already subscribed to HBO via your cable or satellite provider, you get HBO Max for free. Otherwise, HBO Max will run you $15 a month. That’s not cheap, but you do get a lot to watch for your money.HBO Max is releasing a cheaper, ad-supported tier. This version will cost $10 monthly. But, it doesn’t come with all the $15 edition’s bells and whistles. For example, it doesn’t support 4K video, you can only stream one movie or show at a time, and you won’t get free access to the new Warner Brothers movies. Is the ad version worth it? Well, if you’re really tight on money, it may be. However, I recommend you pay the full freight. Just going out with your partner to see Denis Villeneuve’s soon-to-be-released take on Dune alone at a high-end theater will cost as much as the money you’d save from not subscribing to the $15 a month HBO Max. Pro:Great collection of recent movies.,Exceptional original content.First release Warner Brothers movies included.Con:It’s on the expensive side. 

    $15 at HBO Max

    Hulu offers a worthwhile collection of TV episodes and movies.

    sjvn

    Hulu’s big brother, Hulu + Live TV’s big selling point is it’s the one service that combines both live TV and VoD. It’s a powerful package. Besides great original content, such as exclusive titles like The Handmaid’s Tale, it also has a large catalog of other on-demand shows and movies. On top of that, you get over 65 live and on-demand channels. But Hulu + Live TV costs $65 a month, while Hulu, the pure VoD play, costs $6 a month or $60 a year with ads or $12 a month without ads. Is it worth it? I think so.That’s because Hulu comes with a huge library of 21st Century Fox content, that’s too adult for Disney Plus. It also has a good selection of original content. This includes some of my personal favorites such as Harlots and Veronica Mars. As for the video itself, Hulu only supports one stream at a time. Hulu + Live TV ups that to two streams. Some of its original shows are available in 4K, but most of the content is in HDTV.Pros: Good TV and movie library.Good value with its live TV streaming combination.Cheap if you can live with ads.Cons:The base service only supports one stream at a time.

    $6 at Hulu

    Netflix’s still the best streaming service around thanks to its wealth of great original content.

    sjvn

    The 800-pound gorilla of streaming is Netflix. It has a great older TV show and movie content. But what most of us watch on Netflix is its ever-growing collection of original programs.Shows such as Glow, Emily in Paris, The Queen’s Gambit, and Black Mirror set the standard in great streaming TV, but I doubt very much you know exactly how many original shows Netflix produces. In 2019 alone, Netflix released more originals in 2019 than the entire TV industry did in 2005. Netflix released more than one new video a day, and the numbers are going to go up. Trust me, no matter what kind of video entertainment you like, you’ll find something not only to watch but love, on Netflix. All of this comes with a rather complex pricing scheme. At the first tier, $9, you can watch on one screen in SD. Move up to $14 a month, which is what I recommend, and you get HDTV and two simultaneous streams. For $18 per month, you get 4K and four streams.The only thing I dislike about Netflix, and it’s really not the company’s fault, is its video partners are constantly moving shows and movies on and off the service. There’s a reason why there’s a website called What’s on Netflix, which does nothing but track what’s on and what’s about to leave Netflix. Still, let’s get real, Netflix remains the one essential streaming service. Pros:Great movie and TV library.Great original content. Cons:It’s getting more expensive as the years roll by.It’s hard to keep track of what’s on and what’s off the service at any given moment. 

    View Now at Netflix

    All CBS shows, all the time, and more.

    sjvn

    CBS was the first of the big broadcast networks to decide to go into streaming in a big way with CBS All Access. Its biggest selling point is the insanely large CBS catalog of past and new shows as well as live CBS news and sports content. That hasn’t changed since the service has been rebranded Paramount Plus.In addition, it includes shows from MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The Smithsonian Channel, and, of course, Paramount. I don’t care what kind of show you like; you’ll find something you want to watch on this service.What it doesn’t have is a lot of original content. What new shows it does have, such as Star Trek: Picard, The Good Fight, and The Twilight Zone, I like. But they may not be for you. That’s changing rapidly, with the networks adding 36 original series in 2021.Unlike Warner Brothers and HBO Max, Paramount won’t be releasing new movies to the streaming service at the time they appear in theaters. However, some, but not all their releases, will make it to Paramount Plus  30 to 90 days after their premiere. This will include films like A Quiet Place Part II and Mission: Impossible 7, but not Transformers 7 nor Top Gun: Maverick.One blemish is that even the new Star Trek shows are only available in HDTV. For now, there’s no 4K or HDR content.Paramount Plus currently costs $10-per-month for one stream at a time. Very soon, however, there will be a cheaper $4.99 a month plan, which will include ads and without all the main service’s content.Is it worth it? I think so. You just need to ask yourself, “How much do I love Star Trek and the rest of the CBS TV library?”Pros:Wonderful and deep TV library.A broad selection of content.Con:Paramount movies won’t be released on the service at the same time as they appear in theaters.A trifle on the expensive side.

    $10 at Paramount Plus

    With many great old NBC shows, Peacock is worth watching.

    sjvn

    Following CBS’s lead, NBC launched its own streaming network, Peacock. It includes a large collection of old and new NBC shows. Peacock, at this point, is relying on its rich library of classic NBC shows such as Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Columbo. The streaming network also has the enormously popular Law & Order and Chicago Fire franchises. What it doesn’t have though is its most popular recent comedies: Friends and Seinfeld. Ross, Rachel etc. only appear now on HBO Max, while Jerry and his crew recently left Hulu and it will show up this fall on Netflix. Since Peacock’s parent company owns Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and DreamWorks, we can be sure there will be lots of movies streaming from the service in time. So far, Peacock has little original content. So far, Brave New World and a Saved by the Bell reboot are the most interesting of the shows. At best, though, you can only watch these shows in HDTV. Still, you can watch up to three streams at once. This network has three price tiers. The first is free. You must put up with a few commercials, but you can watch a lot of NBC shows. Peacock Premium costs $5 per month or $50 per year. For it, you get access to more of the NBC library and Peacock originals. But, you’re still stuck with commercials. If you want to watch without ads, you must upgrade to the Peacock Premium Plus ad-free plan for $10 per month or $100 annually. Still, with only five minutes of commercial, Peacock promises, at most, you may not want to pay for Premium Plus.As a free service, Peacock’s great. If you find yourself, as I did, watching more and more NBC programs, you may find yourself spending the 50 bucks to watch even more shows.Pros: Good selection of “Must See TV.” Decent free tier.Cons: No 4K or other high-end video options.Two of “NBC’s” biggest name shows aren’t available.

    View Now at Peacock

    Which video services are right for you?

    That’s a decision only you can make, but I can give you some guidance.Do you have kids? Love Star Wars? The Marvel Cinematic Universe? Your choice is obvious: Get Disney Plus.Are you addicted to British TV? BritBox is for you. If you’ve really got a bad case–and I do–you can get both Acorn TV and BritBox for less money than HBO Max. Movies! Movies! Movies! OK, OK, you’ll want Netflix and HBO Max. And, if, in addition, you enjoy the French New Wave or Japanese Noir, you’ll want The Criterion Channel. Are there particular shows that you must watch over and over again? Find the streaming services that offer your favorites and get them. But, buyer beware, TV shows in particular move around a lot from one service to another. For example, if you fall asleep to Friends every night, for now, all the seasons are only available on HBO Max. 

    Will cutting the cable cord save you money?

    Back in 2009, when I first cut the cable cord, I saved over $100 a month and still got to watch all my shows. Now, 12 years later, my internet video streaming bills are closing in on cable TV-level bills. Why? Internet streaming is copying the tired, old cable business models. As a result, almost all the live TV services saw price increases in 2020, and they’ll only go up higher in 2021.So, be picky about what services you get. I subscribe to pretty much all of them, but then I get paid to keep an eye on them. Chances are, you’re not so lucky. You should also check to see if your video needs can be met by one or more of the excellent free video-streaming services. In addition, some services, such as Peacock, offer a free tier with advertising. 

    How much internet speed do you need for streaming?

    To make use of any of these services, you’ll need broadband internet. If you’re living on your own, you may be able to get by with as little as 10Mbp. However, if you’re sharing your home with others and/or you want to watch 4K videos, I recommend you get at least a 25Mbps internet connection. Not sure how fast your connection is? Try one of these Internet speed tests.

    What gear do you need for streaming?

    You might think, “What do I need a streaming device for? Can’t I get all the streaming services I want from my smart TV? But, actually, no, no, you can’t.I wish you could, but today smart TVs are still a poor choice. That’s because, generally speaking, TV manufacturers do a lousy job of supporting streaming services. For example, in 2019, older smart TVs from Samsung and Vizio stopped supporting Netflix. If they can do that to Netflix, the most popular of all subscription-based video streaming services, you know they’ll neglect other services as well.  Besides, some smart TVs also don’t support newer channels. So, for example, if your kids are demanding Frozen 2 on Disney+ and you have a non-supported Vizio Smartcast TV, you’ll have to explain to your five-year-old that they can’t watch Anna, Else, and Olaf after all. Good luck with that.There are a lot of streaming devices out there. Personally, I recommend any of the Roku devices. They don’t cost much, they support pretty much all services, and they’re easy to use. If you’re looking for the best possible one, I recommend the Roku Ultra for $69. If you want to save your pennies, get a Roku Express 4K Plus for $30,Finally, to make the most of these services, you need a television that’s up to managing 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) movies and TV shows. If you’re a home theater nerd like me and you’ve been saving up your bucks, get an LG OLEDG1P series. The 65″ model lists for $2,800. If you want OLED goodness without a premium price, check out the LG OLEDCXP series. This line’s 65″ screen TV costs $1,900. For the best pairing of price and quality, check out the TCL 6-Series. Here, the 65″ model costs $1,100. Finally, you don’t have to pay a ton of money to get a great TV. The TCL 4-Series works well, and its 65” version only costs $650. No, it’s not as good as the others, but it’s more than good enough for streaming Sweet Tooth, Leverage: Redemption, or Underground Railroad 

    How do we choose which streaming services to recommend?

    I watch a lot of TV. I always have. My dad had his own TV sales and repair shop. So I literally grew up with an oscilloscope probe in one hand and a soldering iron in the other. I spent my summers climbing up and building TV towers in rural West Virginia, where the only way you were going to watch a TV show was with an antenna 50 to 100 feet in the air. Since then, I’ve been streaming since before most of you knew what streaming was, and you thought the best thing about Netflix was its DVD delivery service. With that in my background, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that I watch and subscribe to pretty much every major streaming service out there. Although those I don’t subscribe to, I at least sample every now and again. So, when I tell you about the services I recommend, it’s because I know them well and I really like them.  

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    in Information Technology

    IT leaders say cybersecurity funding being wasted on remote work support: survey

    IT leaders are taking issue with the amount of cybersecurity money their organizations are spending to support remote work, according to a new survey from JumpCloud.On Wednesday, the company released the findings of its 2021 State of the SME IT Admin Report, which featured the responses of 401 IT decision-makers at small and medium-sized enterprises from April. Those surveyed include managers, directors, vice presidents, and executives.More than 60% of respondents said their enterprise was paying “for more tooling than they need” to manage user identities, while another 56% said too much was being spent on enabling remote work. Respondents were more split on the top concerns, with 39% referencing software vulnerabilities, 37% expressing concern about reused usernames and passwords and 36% mentioning unsecured networks. Another 29% said device theft was also a concern. 
    JumpCloud
    Nearly one-fourth of all respondents said their organization was adopting a Zero Trust security approach, and 33% said they were in the process of incorporating it. MFA is also popular among respondents, with 53% saying they require MFA across everything.Much of the study focused on employees who are now using both personal and work devices while also accessing company resources from devices outside of the corporate security perimeter. Rajat Bhargava, CEO of JumpCloud, attributed the responses to the situation IT administrators faced during COVID-19.

    “Remote work put enormous pressure on admins and organizations, and now that the work landscape has changed permanently, the top priority for SMEs is to address those challenges,” Bhargava said. “IT professionals’ 2021 priorities of layered security for more secure work-from-anywhere, making remote work easier, and more efficient device management underscore the need for a more consolidated, platform-based approach to IT that reduces complexities and cost.”According to more than 50% of survey respondents, IT budgets will be devoted overwhelmingly to supporting remote management, security, and cloud services. More than 73% of respondents said remote work allowed employees to develop bad security practices, and managing remote workers has become one of the biggest challenges for IT administrators. Two-thirds of all IT managers reported feeling “overwhelmed” with managing remote workers. “IT admins turn to MSPs in droves: 84% of respondents said they have already or plan to engage an MSP. 34% engaged an MSP to manage the IT stack completely; 30% engaged an MSP to support internal IT teams/individuals, and 21% said they are exploring what an MSP can do to support IT better,” the company explained.  “Most common reasons to use MSPs are: for security (51%); employee hardware (46%); and cloud services (46%). Nearly 75% say their IT budgets increased in the past year, while only 38% saw their own salaries increase. In fact, 26% say they’re being paid less. Despite all they’ve gone through, a clear majority report they’re actually happier in their work (58.6%). Only 17% say they’re less happy.” More

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    in Information Technology

    MITRE ATT&CK unveils Workbench sharing tool and NSA-backed D3FEND

    The MITRE Corporation announced the release of a new tool that will help cybersecurity users add their own knowledge and experiences to ATT&CK. Jon Baker, the director of research for the Center for Threat-Informed Defense, wrote a blog post about the tool — named ATT&CK Workbench — explaining that it was built because sophisticated users of MITRE ATT&CK have “struggled to integrate their organization’s local knowledge of adversaries and their tactics, techniques, and procedures with the public ATT&CK knowledge base.”Richard Struse, director of the Center for Threat Informed Defense for MITRE Engenuity, told ZDNet the idea for this project came from conversations with organizations that use ATT&CK as a way to organize their security posture. “Some of them were struggling with managing two different views: the ‘official’ MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base based on publicly-reported adversary behavior and their own internal knowledge of adversaries and their TTPs,” Struse said. “We saw that a lot of time and effort was being spent trying to manually integrate these two and we felt that a solution that gave people a ‘single pane of bits’ that they could look use to manage their threat-intel would have a significant positive impact on the security community. Our members concurred and this led to the creation of this R&D project.” Struse added that having a modern, API-driven platform to organize and manage all adversary TTP-related threat intelligence will make it that much easier for organizations to fully integrate ATT&CK into their processes.”ATT&CK Workbench has the potential to fundamentally improve and accelerate the use of ATT&CK by security practitioners around the world,” Struse said.

    The effort was sponsored by Microsoft, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, AttackIQ, and HCA Healthcare, originally starting as a research project. Baker said Workbench was an easy-to-use open-source tool that allows organizations to manage and extend their own local version of ATT&CK and keep it synchronized with the ATT&CK knowledge base.”Workbench allows users to explore, create, annotate, and share extensions of the ATT&CK knowledge base. Organizations or individuals can initialize their own instances of the application to serve as the centerpiece to a customized variant of the ATT&CK knowledge base, attaching other tools and interfaces as desired,” Baker wrote. “Through the Workbench this local knowledge base can be extended with new or updated techniques, tactics, mitigations groups, and software. Additionally, Workbench provides means for a user to share their extensions with the greater ATT&CK community facilitating a greater level of collaboration within the community than is possible with current tools.”If an organization uses ATT&CK for security operations, actively tracks threats against ATT&CK or plans security investments based on ATT&CK, then the Workbench tool is suggested, Baker added. The center was able to add a note-taking capability to the Workbench platform which allows users to put annotations in their copy of ATT&CK related to matrices, techniques, tactics, mitigations, groups, and software.Baker explained that data created within Workbench can be incorporated into existing ATT&CK data and new groups or software can be connected to existing techniques through procedure examples, or new sub-techniques can be created under existing ATT&CK techniques. Through Workbench, users will also be able to publish their work and share it with others who may be in a similar situation. Other users can then subscribe to certain collections of notes in ATT&CK data. Baker said the center is planning to continue adding to the platform throughout 2021 and was eager to see how users responded to the tool. In addition to Workbench, MITRE announced a new NSA-funded project called D3FEND. In a statement, the NSA said D3FEND is “a framework for cybersecurity professionals to tailor defenses against specific cyber threats is now available through MITRE.”  The NSA worked with MITRE to harden the defenses of the National Security Systems, the Department of Defense, and the Defense Industrial Base.”The D3FEND technical knowledge base of defensive countermeasures for common offensive techniques is complementary to MITRE’s ATT&CK, a knowledge base of cyber adversary behavior,” the NSA said in a statement. “D3FEND establishes terminology of computer network defensive techniques and illuminates previously-unspecified relationships between defensive and offensive methods. This framework illustrates the complex interplay between computer network architectures, threats, and cyber countermeasures.”MITRE added that it released D3FEND as a complement to the ATT&CK framework and said it provides a model of different ways organizations can combat offensive techniques. The creation of D3FEND, according to the NSA, will help “drive more effective design, deployment, and defense of networked systems writ large.” “Frameworks such as ATT&CK and D3FEND provide mission-agnostic tools for industry and government to conduct analyses and communicate findings,” the NSA statement said. “Whether categorizing adversary behavior or detailing how defensive capabilities mitigate threats, frameworks provide common descriptions that empower information sharing and operational collaboration for an ever-evolving cyber landscape.” More

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    in Information Technology

    Microsoft warns: Now attackers are using a call centre to trick you into downloading ransomware

    Microsoft’s cybersecurity researchers are now on the hunt for BazarCall, a criminal group that’s using call centers to infect PCs with malware called BazarLoader – a malware loader that’s been used to distribute ransomware.   BazarCall (or Bazacall) actors have been active since January and were notable because they used call center operators to guide victims into installing BazarLoader on to a Windows PC. 

    Palo Alto Networks’ Brad Duncan recently detailed the group’s techniques in a blogpost. As he describes, the malware provides backdoor access to an infected Windows device: “After a client is infected, criminals use this backdoor access to send follow-up malware, scan the environment and exploit other vulnerable hosts on the network,” Duncan noted. SEE: Security Awareness and Training policy (TechRepublic Premium)Usually, the attack starts with phishing emails advising the victim that a trial subscription has expired and that they will be automatically charged a monthly fee unless they call a number to cancel the trial. The group’s activity has now caught the attention of Microsoft’s Security Intelligence team. Microsoft’s focus is on the group’s phishing emails that target Office 365 users. The example it shows is an email purporting to be from a tech firm claiming that the victim has downloaded a demo version that will expire in 24 hours, at which point they will be charged for the software. 

    We’re tracking an active BazaCall malware campaign leading to human-operated attacks and ransomware deployment. BazaCall campaigns use emails that lure recipients to call a number to cancel their supposed subscription to a certain service. pic.twitter.com/RS5wGSndhv— Microsoft Security Intelligence (@MsftSecIntel) June 22, 2021

    “When recipients call the number, a fraudulent call center operated by the attackers instruct them to visit a website and download an Excel file in order to cancel the service. The Excel file contains a malicious macro that downloads the payload,” Microsoft Security Intelligence explain. Microsoft’s security team has also observed the group using the Cobalt Strike penetration testing kit to steal credentials, including the Active Directory (AD) database. Cobalt Strike is frequently used for lateral movement on a network after an initial compromise. The AD theft is a big deal for the enterprise since it contains an organization’s identity and credential information. Microsoft has published a GitHub page for publicly sharing details about the the BazarCall campaign as it tracks it. It’s updating details about the phishing emails, use of Cobalt Strike for lateral movement, malicious Excel macros, Excel delivery techniques, and use of Windows NT Directory Services, or NTDS, to steal AD files.  More

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    in Information Technology

    Prospect of sideloading mandate strikes fear into the heart of Apple

    Image: Apple
    In case you thought the recent interview of Tim Cook, where the Apple CEO said allowing users to load apps from outside its app store would “destroy the security of the iPhone”, was a one-off, Apple returned to the topic on Wednesday in a paper released on its site. To paint a picture of Apple’s missive, one only needs to keep in mind the warning from Dr Peter Venkman about “human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!” because make no mistake, Apple wants you to think it would be a disaster of Biblical proportions. “Allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on third-party app stores, but also on the App Store,” the paper states. “Malicious actors would take advantage of the opportunity by devoting more resources to develop sophisticated attacks targeting iOS users, thereby expanding the set of weaponized exploits and attacks …. that all users need to be safeguarded against. “This increased risk of malware attacks puts all users at greater risk, even those who only download apps from the App Store.” In attacking a hypothetical future where Apple is forced to offer sideloading, by the nature of the argument, it would be impossible to quantify exactly how much worse that future would be. The iPhone maker is correct that sideloading would open a new avenue for malware, and Apple wants regulators around the world to picture it as a vomitorium where malware would flow onto its platform to do very bad things. Apple also made clear the downsides would impact its entire population of users, because when you fight a political battle, it’s important to make sure your side is able to “think of the children” in a better way than the alternative.

    “[Sideloading] would also make it more difficult for users to rely on Ask to Buy, a parental control feature that allows parents to control their children’s app downloads and in-app purchases, and Screen Time, a feature to manage their and their children’s time with their devices,” the paper said. “Scammers would have the opportunity to trick and mislead kids and parents by obfuscating the nature of their apps, making both features less effective.” Using the life of a father, dubbed John, and his daughter Emma, aged 7, Apple showed how a sideloaded apps could ruin their day through unauthorised purchases, ransoming John’s photos on his camera roll, and purchasing pirated apps. “This means that users like John, who had grown to take the safety and protection of iPhone and the App Store for granted, would have to constantly be on the lookout for the ever-changing tricks of cybercriminals and scammers, never knowing who or what to trust,” Apple said. Imagine having to live in a world where a trickster was around the corner looking to benefit from you, and you needed to be on alert to not be ripped off. Let’s hope Cupertino doesn’t find out about cryptocurrency hustlers, or even the dodgy furniture salesman at the local strip mall. Another thing to keep in mind when reading this paper is that Apple has succinctly described the world of MacOS where users, at the time of publication, are still able to install random apps from strange places on the internet. In its fight with Epic, Apple has taken to saying the level of malware on the Mac was unacceptable. And what is the level of malware that has turned the Mac into this vertible malware free-for-all? A couple of pieces a week. How Microsoft must weep over reaching such plague-like levels. But the real thing to be worried about, for Apple and its users alike, would be anything that pushes iOS into being more like Android — for religious reasons, if nothing else. To get a handle on the raging malware party on Google’s ecosystem, the advertising company regularly publishes the levels of potentially harmful apps (PHA), which can absolutely be read as pieces of malware. For all devices running Android with Google Mobile Services enabled — so not pure open source or some Chinese manufacturers — the level of PHAs is just coming off a two-year high, reaching 0.122% of devices. For an ecosystem of around 3 billion devices, that’s around 366 million devices — small percentages, but big absolute numbers. Google says that as the Android version on devices increases, the level of PHAs goes down to 0.076% for Android 10, and 0.031% for Android 11. For phones that only install apps from the Play Store, the PHA levels drop to 0.065%, with India leading the world with the highest rate at 0.121%, followed by Japan at 0.084%, Indonesia at 0.075%, and the US at 0.071%. Having higher rates of malware in places like Japan is something that Proofpoint has observed, with malware being advertised with web redirects after a user’s location is pinned.”As the official app stores become more restrictive with respect to the types of programs allowed within the marketplace, we anticipate a continued uptick in the downloading and usage of unofficial apps. Software like Fortnite, advanced ad blocking apps, torrenting apps, and rooting apps are popular enough that people will utilise third-party sources in order to run the program on their phone,” Jacinta Tobin, Proofpoint VP of Cloudmark Operations told ZDNet earlier this week.”As long as highly coveted applications are barred from mainstream outlets, users will continue to seek out those sources elsewhere. “App capabilities are a concern regardless of the download source. Users should be extremely diligent and be cautious of apps requesting permissions to contact lists, accessing SMS, or permissions relating to the phone.”Sage advice regardless of platform or where apps are coming from.However, given Apple’s more rigorous app inspection standards, the Android numbers would certainly be a top line for the more than one billion iPhone users, although potentially having 122 million devices infected with malware is nothing to sneeze at. But that is also something that Google and Microsoft, as well as Apple with MacOS, have to deal with each and every day. It might not be solvable and will take the gloss of the iOS walled garden, but users will still be able to choose not to use any potential sideloading feature that Apple might be forced to introduce. After all, that’s what user choice is all about. Related Coverage More

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    in Networking

    Temasek Polytechnic to disperse 3,000 sensors in bid to cut campus carbon footprint

    Temasek Polytechnic is dispersing at least 3,000 sensors across its campus to churn real-time data that it says can identify potential faults and predict changing conditions. These insights will enable the education institution to make tweaks to its operations for better efficiencies and reduce its carbon emissions. The move is part of Singapore-based Temasek Polytechnic’s digitalisation efforts to enhance work processes and operational efficiencies in its campus, which spans 30 hectares including 49 buildings, linkways, and landscape. Its plans encompassed a tender it called to implement a digital facilities management platform, and led to the appointment of urban infrastructure consulting firm, Surbana Jurong. The vendor also roped in IoT (Internet of Things) systems integrator, UnaBiz. 

    Data collected from the 3,000 sensors would be fed to a digital twin, or virtual replica of the physical campus. Data from air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems would be monitored to keep temperature and humidity at healthy levels, while sensors installed at locations around the campus would track the number of people at specific locations to ensure capacity limits were not breached. Sensors tracking occupancy also would help the campus manage establish usage patterns and, where necessary, reconfigure operations to be more cost efficient. Data from the various mechanical and electrical systems would be aggregated on the facilities management platform, enabling Temasek Polytechnic to track energy usage and identify opportunities to reduce costs as well as carbon emissions.The data platform would have machine learning capabilities and visualisation tools, allowing campus managers to review information pulled from sensors tracking temperature, humidity, and occupancy.  

    The institution’s director of estates and facilities management, Gary Png said: “[It] will allow for more efficient building operations, while lowering our carbon footprint. We have 49 buildings spread across a 30- hectare campus, so it makes practical sense to pursue and implement smart facilities management solutions across campus. “his will not only be sustainable and save on resources, but will also benefit our students from the Diploma in Integrated Facility Management, who will be getting hands-on learning and working experience. By using such real data in decision-making, they will be exposed to the future of facility management,” Png said.According to James Chan, director of Surbana Jurong’s facilities management arm SMM, its deployment would allow Temasek Polytechnic to glean real-time information of its environment and monitor the status of its equipment, so systems could be rectified before they were faulty and further reconfigured to cut out unnecessary energy consumption. The vendor has served as the polytechnic’s facilities management vendor for the past six years. UnaBiz’s SIngapore managing director Jonathan Tan said: “The convergence of digital twin, IoT, and machine learning allow facility managers to transform data into actions. Real-time access to accurate data combined with building information…[enables] facility managers to respond to issues immediately [and] provide a high degree of prediction accuracy to prevent breakdowns, optimise building performance, and increase energy efficiency–the key drivers of sustainability at large.”Unabiz has operations in Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan, and has deployed 1 million sensors in 28 markets. The companies declined to provide how much would be invested into the project. RELATED COVERAGE More

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    in Artificial Intelligence

    Developing drones to address pandemic-related challenges in Scandinavia

    The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic spurred an immediate need to develop new, innovative systems in supply chains and infrastructure. And for three Norwegian graduate students enrolled in the MIT Professional Education Advanced Study Program (ASP), spring 2020 was the moment when technology, innovation, and preparation met opportunity.

    Lars Erik Matsson Fagernæs, Bernhard Paus Græsdal, and Herman Øie Kolden were all students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) but only met after they arrived on the MIT campus for their ASP in 2019. Fagernæs came to MIT to study computer science, Græsdal focused on robotics, and Kolden came to study plasma physics, though he had prior experience with drones through a job at a defense contractor.

    When the pandemic began in early 2020, Fagernæs, Græsdal, and Kolden were all still in Cambridge, Massachusetts. NTNU would eventually recall them home, but not for a few months. To pass the time, they read news from Norway and identified a problem that they thought they could solve.

    Norway is not an easy country to traverse, with roads laid out circuitously around mountains and fjords. Small regional hospitals do not have easy access to the labs and testing facilities at larger university hospitals. “Some local governments don’t even test for Covid during weekends because they have issues with transportation,” says Fagernæs. “In some parts in the north, you have to drive for 10 or 15 hours just to transport tests to the hospital for analysis.”

    The friends had already been working on a drone-related project and pivoted to the idea of making a drone to transport biological samples. They chose a fixed-wing quadcopter design that combines vertical takeoff and landing with efficient long-distance travel.

    Long-duration drones for medical delivery

    Their prototype drones were built at MIT and tested in the Johnson Athletic Center around its running track. They found inspiration in the work of MIT professors like Russ Tedrake, director of the Center for Robotics at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and a professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

    “Bernhard and Lars took my graduate robotics class,” Tedrake says. “They were extremely engaged and regularly asked questions that made it clear they were not just listening to the lectures, but were actively experimenting with the ideas. My role was to introduce them to topics in dynamics, control, and optimization, and talk them through the projects, but the innovation and hard work was all theirs!”

    In building their drone, Fagernæs, Græsdal, and Kolden had to overcome a number of technical issues, including icing, vibrations, and variable temperatures. Evolving EU drone regulations necessitated building redundant systems and a parachute in case of malfunction. However, the biggest challenge was the distance they needed to fly, 120 kilometers from start to end. An autonomous flight of that length had never been completed in Scandinavia before.

    “People thought we were crazy,” Fagernæs recalls. “But we were lucky enough to speak to the right people at the hospital who were desperate for a solution, and they decided to give us a chance. So, we have been working ever since, day and night.”

    This past March, the students achieved a proof-of-concept flight, making a 120-kilometer flight in just 80 minutes, cutting hours off ground transport times — all with minimal piloting. They believe this is the longest autonomous drone flight in Scandinavia, strong evidence to support the viability of a much-needed service that will extend far beyond the Covid era.

    “The drone has both internal and external sensors, which give you information about the world. Then based on that information, it’s able to navigate and fly autonomously,” says Græsdal.

    Given the number of sensors and automation built into the aircraft, a single pilot could conceivably back up 10 or more drones.

    “Because of the current state of regulations, nobody in the world operates fully autonomous drones. It’s definitely coming, though,” Kolden adds. “We have what’s called a ‘back-backseat pilot’ so if there’s a warning then you can take control.”

    Crediting MIT

    In order to develop their technology further, Fagernæs, Græsdal, and Kolden have also launched a startup, Aviant. Publicity from their test flight has already led to interest from their Scandinavian neighbors. “We are now expanding into Sweden,” reports Fagernæs. “We are doing two projects in Sweden, helping with all sorts of logistics with drones, because [transportation infrastructure] is a huge problem in Sweden as well.”

    The trio is effusive about their MIT experience. “We’re starting a company, changing Norwegian infrastructure — this never would have happened without MIT,” Græsdal says.

    “As ASP students, everything at MIT was open to us. We had offices to work in and networking events sponsored by ASP, where we met other students, as well as people from industry,” adds Fagernæs.

    Fagernæs, Græsdal, and Kolden count Bianca Sinausky, program administrator of ASP, as a personal friend for the guidance she provided throughout their time on the MIT campus, and for her assistance navigating pandemic-related disruption as they returned home and completed their program requirements from Norway.

    According to Sinausky, the students were ideal candidates for the program. “The Advanced Study Program offers those with a bachelor degree the opportunity to enroll in MIT classes as a non-degree student, and provides maximum flexibility for working professionals and exceptional graduate students who want to enhance their knowledge and further their careers with an MIT education,” she says. “It’s gratifying when ASP students like Bernhard, Herman, and Lars Erik meet at MIT through their passion for engineering, technology, and science, and are able to quickly make a positive impact in their home country, and potentially around the world.”

    Adds Bhaskar Pant, executive director of MIT Professional Education, “the success of these Norwegian students underscores the reason why we consider the Advanced Study Program the ‘jewel in the crown’ at MIT Professional Education. It is a very special boutique program that allows enrollees to access the full resources of MIT while networking with each other to realize their high aspirations, including building a startup to help meet human challenges during and after a pandemic!” More