CyberSecurity news
FlagThis - #cryptocurrency
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Nicholas Kitonyi@NFTgators
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A pro-Israel hacking group, known as Predatory Sparrow, has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. The attack resulted in the theft of approximately $90 million in various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Dogecoin, as well as over 100 other cryptocurrencies. According to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, the funds were drained from the exchange’s wallets into blockchain addresses containing anti-government messages explicitly referencing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The attackers, instead of attempting to profit financially, intentionally destroyed the stolen cryptocurrency in what has been described as a symbolic political statement. The funds were sent to blockchain addresses with the phrase "F***iRGCTerrorists" embedded within them. Experts say that generating addresses with such specific terms requires significant computing power, suggesting the primary goal was to send a message rather than to gain financially. The incident underscores the rising geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran and the vulnerability of cryptocurrency exchanges to politically motivated cyberattacks. The cyberattack on Nobitex is part of a broader pattern of cyber warfare between Israel and Iran. While the physical conflict has seen airstrikes and other military actions, the digital realm has become another battleground, with potentially significant repercussions for both countries and the wider global community. This incident also follows reports of internet restrictions within Iran, limiting citizens' access to information and communication amidst escalating tensions. The global cybersecurity community needs to stay prepared for security repercussions for the two combatants and the wider global community as the cyberwarfare portion of the conflict is already spilling over off the battlefield and outside the region.
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Editor-In-Chief, BitDegree@bitdegree.org
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The BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange has successfully thwarted an intrusion attempt orchestrated by the Lazarus Group, a notorious hacking organization with ties to North Korea. The exchange's security team detected the attack, preventing any compromise of their systems. In a significant countermove, BitMEX's security team managed to access one of the Lazarus Group's servers, providing valuable insights into their operations and tactics.
Researchers at BitMEX uncovered critical missteps made by the Lazarus Group during their campaigns, including exposed IP addresses and an accessible database. One key finding involved a rare slip-up where a hacker inadvertently revealed their real IP address, which was traced to Jiaxing, China. This location is near Shanghai and represents a notable lapse in security for the typically secretive group. BitMEX also blocked a phishing attempt linked to the Lazarus Group, where attackers posed as NFT partners on LinkedIn to trick one of its employees. The Lazarus Group's attack strategy often begins with relatively unsophisticated methods like phishing to gain initial access to targeted systems. In this case, the attackers invited a BitMEX employee to a private GitHub repository containing code for a fake Next.js/React website. The goal was to make the victim run the project, which included malicious code, on their computer. BitMEX emphasized that the "Lazarus Group" comprises multiple hacking teams under the control of the North Korean government, responsible for stealing significant sums of money through various cyberattacks.
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lucija.valentic@reversinglabs.com (Lucija@Blog (Main)
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A malicious Python package named `solana-token` has been discovered on the Python Package Index (PyPI) targeting Solana developers. This rogue package, posing as a utility for the Solana blockchain, was designed to exfiltrate source code and developer secrets from compromised machines to a hard-coded IP address. The ReversingLabs research team uncovered this supply chain attack, highlighting the increasing trend of malicious actors targeting cryptocurrency projects. Before being taken down, the `solana-token` package was downloaded over 600 times, potentially distributed through developer-focused platforms.
The malicious package contained telltale signs of compromise, including hardcoded IP addresses, outbound communications to non-standard network ports, and code that reads local files, typical of information stealers. One insidious method employed by the package scanned the Python execution stack, copied, and exfiltrated source code contained in all the files in the execution chain to a remote server. The objective was to steal sensitive information such as developer secrets and hardcoded crypto credentials, which could grant attackers unauthorized access to cryptocurrency wallets and critical infrastructure. This incident is not isolated, a previous package with the same name was published and removed in 2024, suggesting that the same malicious actors may be behind the new malicious version, said the report. Cybersecurity experts recommend that organizations respond to address the increasing number of supply chain threats targeting cryptocurrency projects by aggressively monitoring for suspicious activity and unexplained changes within open source and commercial, third-party software modules. By stopping malicious code before it is allowed to penetrate secure development environments, teams can prevent destructive supply chain attacks.
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