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Posted by Kim Lewandowski & Dan Lorenc, Google Open Source Security TeamOne of the fundamental security issues with open source is that it’s difficult to know where the software comes from or how it was built, making it susceptible to supply chain attacks. A few recent examples of this include dependency confusion attack and malicious RubyGems package to steal cryptocurrency. Today we welcome the announcement of sigstore, a new project in the Linux Foundation that aims to solve this issue by improving software supply chain integrity and verification. Installing most open source software today is equivalent to picking up a random thumb-drive off the sidewalk and plugging it into your machine. To address this we need to make it possible to verify the provenance of all software - including open source…

Globally, hundreds of thousand of organizations running Exchange email servers from Microsoft just got mass-hacked, including at least 30,000 victims in the United States. Each hacked server has been retrofitted with a “web shell” backdoor that gives the bad guys total, remote control, the ability to read all email, and easy access to the victim’s other computers. Researchers are now racing to identify, alert and help victims, and hopefully prevent further mayhem. On Mar. 5, KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that at least 30,000 organizations and hundreds of thousands globally had been hacked. The same sources who shared those figures say the victim list has grown considerably since then, with many victims compromised by multiple cybercrime groups. Security experts are now trying to alert and assist these victims before malicious hackers…

Sometimes when a complex story takes us by surprise or knocks us back on our heels, it pays to revisit the events in a somewhat linear fashion. Here’s a brief timeline of what we know leading up to last week’s mass-hack, when hundreds of thousands of Microsoft Exchange Server systems got compromised and seeded with a powerful backdoor Trojan horse program. When did Microsoft find out about attacks on previously unknown vulnerabilities in Exchange? Pressed for a date when it first became aware of the problem, Microsoft told KrebsOnSecurity it was initially notified “in early January.” So far the earliest known report came on Jan. 5, from a principal security researcher for security testing firm DEVCOR who goes by the handle “Orange Tsai.” DEVCOR is credited with reporting two of…

At least 30,000 organizations across the United States — including a significant number of small businesses, towns, cities and local governments — have over the past few days been hacked by an unusually aggressive Chinese cyber espionage unit that’s focused on stealing email from victim organizations, multiple sources tell KrebsOnSecurity. The espionage group is exploiting four newly-discovered flaws in Microsoft Exchange Server email software, and has seeded hundreds of thousands of victim organizations worldwide with tools that give the attackers total, remote control over affected systems. On March 2, Microsoft released emergency security updates to plug four security holes in Exchange Server versions 2013 through 2019 that hackers were actively using to siphon email communications from Internet-facing systems running Exchange. In the three days since then, security experts say the…

Over the past few weeks, three of the longest running and most venerated Russian-language online forums serving thousands of experienced cybercriminals have been hacked. In two of the intrusions, the attackers made off with the forums’ user databases, including email and Internet addresses and hashed passwords. Members of all three forums are worried the incidents could serve as a virtual Rosetta Stone for connecting the real-life identities of the same users across multiple crime forums. References to the leaked Mazafaka crime forum database were posted online in the past 48 hours. On Tuesday, someone dumped thousands of usernames, email addresses and obfuscated passwords on the dark web apparently pilfered from Mazafaka (a.k.a. “Maza,” “MFclub“), an exclusive crime forum that has for more than a decade played host to some of…

Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug four security holes that attackers have been using to plunder email communications at companies that use its Exchange Server products. The company says all four flaws are being actively exploited as part of a complex attack chain deployed by a previously unidentified Chinese cyber espionage group. The software giant typically releases security updates on the second Tuesday of each month, but it occasionally deviates from that schedule when addressing active attacks that target newly identified and serious vulnerabilities in its products. The patches released today fix security problems in Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, 2016 and 2019. Microsoft said its Exchange Online service — basically hosted email for businesses — is not impacted by these flaws. Microsoft credited researchers at Reston, Va. based…

PrismHR, a company that sells technology used by other firms to help more than 80,000 small businesses manage payroll, benefits, and human resources, has suffered what appears to be an ongoing ransomware attack that is disrupting many of its services. Hopkinton, Mass.-based PrismHR handles everything from payroll processing and human resources to health insurance and tax forms for hundreds of “professional employer organizations” (PEOs) that serve more than two million employees. The company processes more than $80 billion payroll payments annually on behalf of PEOs and their clients. Countless small businesses turn to PEOs in part because they simplify compliance with various state payroll taxes, and because PEOs are the easiest way for small businesses to pool their resources and obtain more favorable health insurance rates for their employees. PrismHR…

Posted by Matt Levine, Director, Risk Management In an effort to showcase the breadth and depth of Black+ contributions to security and privacy fields, we’ve launched a series in support of #ShareTheMicInCyber that aims to elevate and celebrate the Black+ voices in security and privacy we have here at Google.Today, we will hear from Rob Duhart, he leads a cross functional team at Google that aims to enable and empower all of our products, like Chrome, Android and Maps, to mature their security risk journey.Rob’s commitment to making the internet a safer place extends far beyond his work at Google, he is a member of the Cyber Security Executive Education Advisory Board of Directors at Washington University in St. Louis, where he helps craft the future of cyber security executive education…

A company that rents out access to more than 10 million Web browsers so that clients can hide their true Internet addresses has built its network by paying browser extension makers to quietly include its code in their creations. This story examines the lopsided economics of extension development, and why installing an extension can be such a risky proposition. Singapore-based Infatica[.]io is part of a growing industry of shadowy firms trying to woo developers who maintain popular browser extensions — desktop and mobile device software add-ons available for download from Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla designed to add functionality or customization to one’s browsing experience. Some of these extensions have garnered hundreds of thousands or even millions of users. But here’s the rub: As an extension’s user base grows, maintaining…

Posted by Royal Hansen, Vice President, SecurityBlack History Month may be coming to a close, but our work to build sustainable equity for Google’s Black+ community, and externally is ongoing. Currently, Black Americans make up less than 12% of information security analysts in the U.S. In an industry that consistently requires new ideas to spark positive change and stand out against the status quo, it is necessary to have individuals who think, speak, and act in diverse ways. Diverse security teams are more innovative, produce better products and enhance an organization's ability to defend against cyber threats.In an effort to amplify the contributions of the Black+ community to security and privacy fields, we’ll be sharing profiles of Black+ Googlers working on innovative privacy and security solutions over the coming weeks,…