Security Newsletter
29 June 2020
Over 100 New Chrome Browser Extensions Caught Spying On Users
Google recently removed 106 more extensions from its Chrome Web Store after they were found illegally collecting sensitive user data as part of a "massive global surveillance campaign" targeting oil and gas, finance, and healthcare sectors. "This campaign and the Chrome extensions involved performed operations such as taking screenshots of the victim device, loading malware, reading the clipboard, and actively harvesting tokens and user input," Awake Security said.
The extensions in question posed as utilities offering capabilities to convert files from one format to the other, among other tools for secure browsing, while relying on thousands of fake reviews to trick unsuspecting users into installing them. In total, the extensions were downloaded nearly 33 million times over the course of three months before Awake Security reached out to Google in May.
Telemetry data has revealed that some of these extensions were active on the networks of "financial services, oil and gas, media and entertainment, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, retail, high-tech, higher education, and government organizations," although there's no evidence that they were actually used to collect sensitive data. It's recommended that users review extension permissions by visiting "chrome://extensions" on the Chrome browser, consider uninstalling those that are rarely used, or switch to other software alternatives that don't require invasive access to browser activity.
Read More on TheHackerNews
 
Turn on MFA Before Crooks Do It For You
Hundreds of popular websites now offer some form of multi-factor authentication (MFA), which can help users safeguard access to accounts when their password is breached or stolen. But people who don’t take advantage of these added safeguards may find it far more difficult to regain access when their account gets hacked, because increasingly thieves will enable multi-factor options and tie the account to a device they control. Here’s the story of one such incident.
Read More on KrebsOnSecurity
 
When Security Takes a Backseat to Productivity
So ends a key section of a report the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency produced in the wake of a mammoth data breach in 2016 that led to Wikileaks publishing thousands of classified documents stolen from the agency’s offensive cyber operations division. The analysis highlights a shocking series of security failures at one of the world’s most secretive entities, but the underlying weaknesses that gave rise to the breach also unfortunately are all too common in many organizations today.
The CIA acknowledged its security processes were so “woefully lax” that the agency probably would never have known about the data theft had Wikileaks not published the stolen documents online. What kind of security failures created an environment that allegedly allowed a former CIA employee to exfiltrate so much sensitive data? Here are a few, in no particular order: Failing to rapidly detect security incidents; Moving too slowly to enact key security safeguards; No effective removable media controls. No single person empowered to ensure IT systems are built and maintained securely throughout their lifecycle ...
A key phrase in the CIA’s report references deficiencies in “compartmentalizing” cybersecurity risk. At a high level (not necessarily specific to the CIA), compartmentalizing IT environments involves important concepts such as: Segmenting one’s network so that malware infections or breaches in one part of the network can’t spill over into other areas; Not allowing multiple users to share administrative-level passwords, etc.
Read More on KrebsOnSecurity
 
More #News
 
#Patch Time!
 
#Tech and #Tools
This content was created by Kindred Group Security. Please share if you enjoyed!
Kindred Group in brief
Kindred is one of the largest online gambling companies in the world with a diverse team of 1,600 people serving over 26 million customers across Europe, Australia and the US. We offer pre-game and live Sports betting, Poker, Casino and Games through 11 brands across our markets. We are committed to offer our customers the best deal and user experience possible, while ensuring a safe and fair gambling environment. Kindred is a pioneer in the online gambling industry and is an innovation driven company that builds on trust.
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