Jiuma's Security Digest

Source:  30+ Tesla Cars Hacked Globally Using Third-Party Software (cybersecuritynews.com) Following up on our most recent blog post regarding the threat posed by misconfigurations, a recent incident impacting Tesla places those findings under a brighter spotlight. Due to vulnerabilities caused by misconfigurations in TeslaLogger, a third-party software used for data logging, security researcher Harish SG uncovered that  its insecure default settings could be exploited  to gain unauthorized access. After Harish discovered the issue, it  was reported  to the platform's maintainer, who  is expected  to have taken actions to mitigate or resolve that risk.  It is essential to clarify that the vulnerability and potential remote access associated with it did not reside in Tesla's vehicles or in Tesla's infrastructure but rather stemmed from misconfigurations surrounding the use of default credentials and improper storage of API keys by TeslaLogger. Desp...

 Source:  SugarGh0st RAT Attack Organizations & Individuals in AI Research (cybersecuritynews.com) Proofpoint, an enterprise cybersecurity company that specializes in SaaS and products for email security, recently conducted research that identified the SugarGh0st Remote Access Trojan (RAT) as a targeted threat aimed at AI research organizations. Attributed to the UNK_SweetSpecter threat cluster, the attack has  been noted  to be highly targeted, as its victims include academia, private industry, and even government targets who are involved in AI efforts within the U.S.  The attack's modus operandi  is centered  around phishing emails that utilize AI-themed baits sent from a free email account, typically containing phishing material attached to them. These may vary but tend to include a zip archive file that encapsulates a JavaScript dropper embedded within an LNK shortcut file, which  is then deployed  upon the victim's triggeri...

As a passionate and driven cybersecurity enthusiast, I embarked on a side project to enhance my knowledge of cloud security and networking using AWS. This project involved setting up a secure network across two AWS regions using custom VPNs and NAT on EC2 instances. The hands-on experience not only deepened my understanding of AWS but also set me on a path towards better understanding the principles of cloud security as a whole. Objectives and Requirements Objective: Demonstrate configuring a secure network across two AWS regions using custom VPNs and NAT on EC2 instances. Requirements: Select two AWS cloud regions. Create a VPC in each region with distinct CIDR blocks. Configure a public and private subnet in each VPC. Deploy a VPN Gateway VM in the public subnet and a Private VM in the private subnet of each region. Establish a secure tunnel using VPN software between the VPN Gateway VMs. Configure the VPN Gateway VM to provide NAT functionality for the Private VM. Update route table...

  Source:  New XM Cyber Research: 80% of Exposures from Misconfigurations, Less Than 1% from CVEs (thehackernews.com) Research conducted by XM Cyber has uncovered that a whopping 80% of security exposures are due to misconfigurations, while a comparatively minuscule 1% are from Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). Their research, which has studied over 40 million exposures, underlines that more efforts should  be directed  toward properly configuring systems to reduce cyber risk.  Focusing solely on  CVEs  results is a flawed security posture, as misconfigured systems can pose a more substantial risk to critical assets than previously understood. They can create more challenging vulnerabilities, especially since they do not appear on typical vulnerability scans that target software versions rather than configurations. Furthermore, with traditional security measures typically  being  CVE-focused, the odds of misconfigurations slipping ...