IT Security Newsletter

IT Security Newsletter - 6/29/2023

Written by Cadre | Thu, Jun 29, 2023

Network security guy in extradition tug of war between US and Russia

A Russian network security specialist and former editor of Hacker magazine who is wanted by the US and Russia on cybercrime charges has been detained in Kazakhstan as the two governments seek his extradition. Nikita Kislitsin, an employee of Russian infosec shop FACCT, was detained on June 22 at the request of the US, according to a statement by his employer. READ MORE...

Linux version of Akira ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers

The Akira ransomware operation uses a Linux encryptor to encrypt VMware ESXi virtual machines in double-extortion attacks against companies worldwide. Akira first emerged in March 2023, targeting Windows systems in various industries, including education, finance, real estate, manufacturing, and consulting. Like other enterprise-targeting ransomware gangs, the threat actors steal data from breached networks and encrypt files. READ MORE...

Popular generative AI projects pose serious security threat

Many popular generative AI projects are an increased security threat and open-source projects that utilize insecure generative AI and LLMs also have poor security posture, resulting in an environment with substantial risk for organizations, according to Rezilion. Generative AI has surged in popularity, empowering us to create, interact with, and consume content like never before. READ MORE...

Sharpie scanning goof reveals major PlayStation budgets and revenues

Most people know AAA games cost a lot to make, but they can also be cash cows if they're hits. Now, because Sharpies can fail to fully redact paper documents if you scan them, we can quantify some of Sony's PlayStation game budgets, earnings, headcounts, and other figures. As reported by The Verge, the documents were supplied by Sony's CEO of PlayStation Jim Ryan. READ MORE...

NPM Plagued With 'Manifest Confusion' Malware-Hiding Weakness

A weakness in Node Package Manager (npm) could allow anybody to hide malicious dependencies and scripts within their packages, a former GitHub employee claims. Npm is owned by GitHub and is used for JavaScript code sharing, serving more than 17 million developers. It's the world's largest software registry, containing more than 2 million packages, according to the website. READ MORE...

Exploit released for new Arcserve UDP auth bypass vulnerability

Data protection vendor Arcserve has addressed a high-severity security flaw in its Unified Data Protection (UDP) backup software that can let attackers bypass authentication and gain admin privileges. According to the company, Arcserve UDP is a data and ransomware protection solution designed to help customers thwart ransomware attacks, restore compromised data, and enable effective disaster recovery to ensure business continuity. READ MORE...

NANOGrav hears "hum" of gravitational wave background, louder than expected

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, first detected in 2015. But an expected corresponding low-frequency gravitational wave background-a kind of "hum" comprised of a chorus of gravitational waves, most likely emanating from binary pairs of supermassive black holes-has proven more elusive. Now the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has announced the first evidence of this gravitational wave background. READ MORE...

  • ...in 1920, stop-motion animator and special effects designer Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts) is born in Los Angeles.
  • ...in 1929, scientists at Bell Laboratories in New York reveal a system for transmitting television pictures.
  • ...in 1975, Steve Wozniak tests the first prototype of the Apple I personal computer.
  • ...in 1995, the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir.