Over the weekend, President Joe Biden signed legislation not only reauthorizing a major FISA spy program but expanding it in ways that could have major implications for privacy rights in the US.

The ability of the United States to intercept and store Americans’ text messages, calls, and emails in pursuit of foreign intelligence was not only extended but enhanced over the weekend in ways likely to remain enigmatic to the public for years to come.

On Saturday, US president Joe Biden signed a controversial bill extending the life of a warrantless US surveillance program for two years, bringing an end to a months-long fight in Congress over an authority that US intelligence agencies acknowledge has been widely abused in the past.

At the urging of the agencies and with the help of powerful bipartisan allies on Capitol Hill, the program has also been extended to cover a wide range of new businesses, including US data centers, according to recent analysis by legal experts and civil liberties organizations that were vocally opposed to its passage.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, allows the US National Security Agency (NSA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), among other agencies, to eavesdrop on calls, texts, and emails traveling through US networks, so long as one side of the communication is foreign.

Americans caught up in the program face diminished privacy rights.

While the government requires a foreign target to commence a wiretap, Americans are often party to those intercepted conversations. And although US attorney general Merrick Garland insisted in a statement on Saturday that the updates to the 702 program “ensure the protection of Americans' privacy and civil liberties,” and that the government never intentionally targets Americans, the government nevertheless reserves the right to store their communications and access them later without probable cause.

“Section 702 is supposed to be used only for spying on foreigners abroad,” says Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Instead, sadly, it has enabled warrantless access to vast databases of Americans’ private phone calls, text messages, and emails.”

Under the law, the government can retain communications captured by the 702 program for half a decade or more—indefinitely, so long as the government makes no effort to decrypt them.

A trade organization representing some of the world’s largest tech companies came out against plans to expand Section 702 in the final hours of the debate, claiming that a new provision authored by House Intelligence Committee members would damage the competitiveness of US technologies, “arguably imperiling the continued global free flow of data between the US and its allies.”

US intelligence obtains its vast surveillance power through yearly certifications doled out by a secret court. The certifications permit the NSA in particular to force businesses in the US—categorized as “electronic communications service providers,” or ECSPs—to cooperate with the program, collecting data and installing wiretaps on the agency’s behalf.

Years ago, the government sought to unilaterally expand the definition of ECSP under the law, seeking to compel the cooperation of whole new categories of businesses. That effort was beaten back by the FISA court in 2022, in a ruling that stated only Congress has the “competence and constitutional authority” to rewrite the law.

On the spy community’s behalf, the House Intelligence Committee introduced an amendment last year to codify the sought-after expansion of the 702 program, broadening the definition of what it means to be an ECSP.

With the backing of party leaders, the House and Senate intel committees maintained an outsize influence over the bill’s trajectory through Congress, lobbying lawmakers hand-in-hand with the intelligence community to defeat a slate of popular reforms, including a House amendment that would have required the FBI to obtain search warrants before accessing the communications of Americans collected under Section 702.

The House and Senate judiciary committees, which oversee the work of the US Justice Department, have traditionally held jurisdiction over FISA. However, much of their authority was sapped after the House speaker, Mike Johnson, adopted the pro-surveillance views of the intel committee members, which align with those of the White House.

Legal experts—including a rare few attorneys who’ve argued cases before the FISA court in the past—say the new ECSP text ensnares owners of facilities housing equipment used to store and carry data, as well as commercial landlords and virtually anyone with access to communications equipment in those spaces. The text, they argue, may be interpreted by the government as granting it authority to compel the assistance of “delivery personnel, cleaning contractors, and utility providers,” among others.

Criticism of the 702 program largely stems from revelations of abuse in a declassified court filing from 2022, which describes rampant misuse of the 702 database by the FBI. Investigators at the bureau have been caught unlawfully scouring 702 data for information on American protesters, journalists, and political donors. On at least one occasion, an FBI analyst worked to access the communications of a sitting member of Congress.

The FBI instituted scores of new procedures in an attempt to clamp down on the abuse internally, practices that are now codified under the law. House and Senate intelligence members say codifying the policies will serve as a sufficient bulwark against further abuse. Civil libertarians who have pursued new warrant requirements under FISA—an amendment that was dropped after a tie vote in the House of Representatives last week—argue, conversely, that the FBI should not be trusted to oversee itself in the wake of recent scandal.

Liza Goitein, a FISA expert and senior director at the Brennan Center of Justice at New York University School of Law, says the bill signed by Biden on Saturday represents “a gift to any president who may wish to spy on political enemies.”

“Although some senators fought valiantly to protect Americans’ civil liberties, they could not overcome the barrage of false and misleading statements from the administration and surveillance hawks on the congressional intelligence committees,” says Goitein. “This is a truly shameful episode in the history of the US Congress, and sooner or later, the American people will pay the price.”

The Next US President Will Have Troubling New Surveillance Powers

Plus: New York’s legislature suffers a cyberattack, police disrupt a global phishing operation, and Apple removes encrypted messaging apps in China.

Looking for love? Be careful what you wish for.

A loose-knit community of con artists known as Yahoo Boys has begun using real-time face-swap technology to woo victims with romance scams. Using a variety of tools and techniques, the scammers use AI-powered apps to make themselves look like entirely different people on video calls. Just remember: If someone you’ve never met IRL is asking you for money, just say no.

Elsewhere in the world of harmful deepfakes, two major websites used for creating fake nude images of people are now blocked in the United Kingdom. The censorship, which appears to be self-imposed, comes just days after the UK proposed legislation that would ban nonconsensual, sexualized AI-generated images.

A Russian cybercriminal gang called Cyber Army of Russia Reborn appears to have been created with the help of Sandworm, the notorious Russian military hacking unit that has carried out devastating cyberattacks against Ukraine for years. The difference? Cyber Army of Russia Reborn is even more brazen, taking credit for attacks against critical infrastructure in Europe and the United States.

Change Healthcare’s ransomware saga entered a new chapter this week. A cybercriminal group called RansomHub claims to be selling highly sensitive patient information stolen from the company. The sale follows RansomHub’s claims that it possesses terabytes of data stolen in a February attack by another ransomware gang known as AlphV or Black Cat, which received a $22 million payment in March. Change Healthcare says it has spent $872 million response to the ransomware attack as of March 31.

The biggest global surveillance program carried out by the US may be about to get bigger. A two-year renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which technically expired on Friday, will soon go up for a vote by the US Senate after passing the House last week. Included in the legislation is a provision that would greatly expand the number of businesses that could be conscripted to spy on behalf of the US government, which critics have called the “Stasi provision.” One of the largest lobbying firms for Big Tech companies has opposed the provision over fears that tech industry workers could be forced to become informants.

That’s not all. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

There’s a kernel of truth in every good fiction, which is why the very real Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, is a constant go-to for shows like the _X-Files_ and games like _Metal Gear Solid_. It tends to pop up whenever a shadowy government agency is needed to reverse engineer a stolen alien artifact or construct a giant killer robot. A Darpa announcement this Thursday, however, sounds almost too much like the opening sequence of a Hideo Kojima game: With the help of the US Air Force Test Pilot School, the agency says an experimental aircraft known as the X-62 was successfully flown by artificial intelligence during a simulated dogfight against a human pilot in an F-16. “The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades,” US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall says, “but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now.”

**New York State Legislature Hit by Cyberattack**

Details are scant as to the impact, but for at least several hours this week, hackers felled computer systems supporting the work of New York’s state legislature. While an attack on something called the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission isn’t quite as jaw-dropping as one against a power plant or a naval base, the LBDC is one of a dozen required stops that legislation in New York must make en route to becoming law. Bills can’t be introduced, amended, or reviewed by committee without it, much less get a vote. Luckily, the agency reports it was able to get back on its feet within a few hours using a “backup system.” An investigation of the attack is ongoing.

**Police Disrupt Global Phishing Operation**

An armada of law enforcement agencies arrested 37 suspects around the world last weekend in an operation targeting LabHost, reportedly one of the world’s largest phishing-as-a-service platforms. The investigation was spearheaded by the London Metropolitan Police in cooperation with Europol. Investigators uncovered a whopping 40,000 phishing domains being operated by as many as 10,000 users worldwide, Europol says. LabHost charged a monthly fee of $249. That cybercriminals have discovered the psychological benefits of just-below pricing is yet another sign of the growing popularity and sophistication of these markets.

**Apple Removes Encrypted Messaging Apps in China**

Encrypted messaging apps WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram have gone the way of Winnie the Pooh. Citing “national security concerns,” China ordered Apple to delete “certain apps” from its Chinese App Store this week, the tech behemoth announced (while neglecting to specify which ones). Apple reportedly met with Chinese authorities to express concern over how banning the apps would impact its users but relented after being met with a stone wall. “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” the company said, “even when we disagree.” Apple is heavily dependent on China’s workforce to manufacture its products, and sales in the region have topped $70 billion in recent years. That Apple has become beholden to the Chinese government because of this is no longer much of a secret.

AI-Controlled Fighter Jets Are Dogfighting With Human Pilots Now

PRESS RELEASE

TEL AVIV, Israel -- (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Miggo, a cybersecurity startup introducing the first Application Detection and Response (ADR) platform, announced today $7.5 million in seed funding led by global cybersecurity VC firm YL Ventures with the participation of CCL (Cyber Club London), cybersecurity leaders from Elastic and Everon and former CISOs of Google, Zscaler and Nike. Miggo's ADR platform addresses a critical gap in application security by enabling security teams to detect and respond to targeted application attacks in real-time.

2023 saw a rise in high-profile application attacks that went undetected by traditional tools. The MOVEit, Microsoft SharePoint, Ivanti Gateway and GoAnywhere breaches highlight critical AppSec blind spots of application behavior in runtime and how attackers are hedging their bets on this well-known, ongoing security gap. According to Justin Somaini, Partner at YL Ventures and former CISO of Unity, SAP and Yahoo!, “Applications in production constitute one of the few true blind spots of today’s security programs. Last year’s incidents alone underscore how critically we need to secure the application layer. This is a space that still needs a lot of innovation to address what traditional tools cannot.”

Today, applications are the primary target of nearly 80% of data attacks, according to Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report. More recent shifts to distributed application architecture, which requires multiple chains of trust between different services, have further broadened the domain’s threat landscape. Attackers can manipulate flows between services without detecting existing security sensors like EDR, WAF and CNAPP tools. The only way to identify such malicious activity is with direct views into applications while they're running.

Under the leadership of Daniel Shechter, CEO and co-founder, and Itai Goldman, CTO and co-founder, Miggo developed a platform that analyzes interactions and data flows within applications to detect and mitigate attacks before they can escalate into breaches. "We need to proactively tackle this massive and largely unseen attack surface. Not only do we need precise detection and response for unexpected behaviors directly in live application environments, but also insight and understanding into the inner workings of today’s distributed applications as they run," explained Shechter.

Miggo's technology precisely discovers and maps the architecture of distributed applications to establish behavioral baselines and monitor for deviations from intended design or code execution flows. Leveraging live in-application context, Miggo determines if a deviation indicates that the application is exploitable, under active exploitation or backdoored, and initiates targeted mitigations to contain breaches by pinpointing the offender and affected areas to recommend precise remediation strategies.

The combined ability to detect live threats to applications and respond within the applications themselves are key innovations, according to CISO Mike Melo. “Miggo is finally providing transparency for our most significant attack vector with the exact tools each stakeholder requires to protect and defend mission-critical assets. ADR is the unified solution we need to not only give us application-layer visibility and control but also dramatically lower our mean time to detect and respond to application attacks,” he said.

Discover how Miggo can safeguard your applications against the next generation of cyber threats. Visit miggo.io for more information and to schedule a demo.

About Miggo  
Miggo is the first Application Detection and Response platform, providing the visibility, response and understanding you need to prevent application breaches. Using in-application context to shed light on your biggest attack surface, Miggo’s ADR enables businesses to monitor how applications behave in runtime and stop attackers from manipulating chains of trust between distributed services. With Miggo, monitor application weak spots and identify and mitigate attacks in real-time. Visit miggo.io for more information.

About YL Ventures  
YL Ventures funds and supports visionary cybersecurity entrepreneurs from seed to scale to help them evolve transformative ideas into market-leading companies. The firm accelerates company growth with tailored support through its powerful network of Chief Information Security Officers, global industry leaders and a dedicated team of multidisciplinary experts. Based in Silicon Valley, New York and Tel Aviv, YL Ventures manages five funds with $800M in total AUM. The firm has a track record of seeding cybersecurity unicorns such as Axonius and Orca Security and its portfolio companies have been successfully acquired by high-profile, global industry leaders including Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, Okta and Proofpoint. In 2022, YL Ventures ranked 8th out of over 250 venture capital firms in PitchBook’s prestigious Global Manager Performance Score League Tables and was the only cybersecurity-focused VC to secure a top 10 spot.

Miggo Launches Application Detection and Response (ADR) Solution

By Deeba Ahmed
Shadowboxing in Search Results: Tuta Mail De-ranked and Disappearing on Google!
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Tuta Mail (Tutanota) Accuses Google of Censoring Its Search Results

Is Google hiding Tuta Mail from search results? Here’s the controversy surrounding Tuta Mail’s search ranking and dig deeper into the potential violation of Europe’s DMA. Learn about algorithmic bias, the importance of search transparency, and how users can navigate a potentially unfair digital marketplace.

For many users seeking privacy-focused email solutions, the popular open-source encrypted email service Tuta Mail (previously Tutanota) is a great alternative to mainstream providers. However, the company recently raised concerns about its visibility in Google search results. 

****Tuta Mail Being De-ranked on Google?****

Hanover, Germany-based Tuta Mail, the world’s second-largest secure email service provider, isn’t appearing on Google for search terms like “encrypted email” or “secure email”. Moreover, a dramatic drop in search ranking for “Tutanota login” is observed, suggesting a potential violation of the European Digital Markets Act (DMA).

What happens when Tutanota login is typed in Google (Screenshot: Hackread.com)

According to Tuta Mail’s blog, its users in Germany cannot view Tuta’s website as the first result but only on their Android app on Google Play. It may have severe implications for Tuta’s business, despite being a Google-specific issue, because on other search engines, like Bing or DuckDuckGo, there’s no such issue. This lack of search visibility for relevant keywords can hinder Tuta’s ability to compete in the email service market and put them at a disadvantage. 

****Why Might Google Be De-ranking Tuta Mail?****

Tuta Mail’s lower ranking in Google search results could be due to various factors, including relevance, algorithmic bias, and technical issues. Google’s search algorithms prioritize user experience, and other email service providers may have higher relevance scores. Technical glitches or indexing problems can cause temporary website disappearance from search results, but this is highly unlikely for an established service like Tuta Mail. It is a complex issue and Google must address it to ensure transparency and user awareness. 

What’s more concerning is that it violates the DMA, which promotes fair competition for privacy-conscious companies. The DMA being a new regulation, is evolving its enforcement of search engine practices. If Tuta Mail has evidence of Google manipulating search results, they could file a complaint.

****Not the First Time for Tuta:****

Tuta Mail has been facing blockages from multiple sides. In 2022, Hackread.com reported Microsoft blocking Tutanota/Tuta Mail email addresses from registering for Microsoft Teams accounts, despite the service having over 2 million registered users.

Russia also blocked Tuta in certain parts of the country in February 2020 without notifying the team about the reason whereas the service has been blocked in Egypt since October 2019.

In a comment to Hackread.com, Matthias Pfau, co-founder of Tuta Mail, criticized Google’s monopoly over search engine results, specifically its impact on determining what to show and what not to show.

> _“This issue is limited to Google only. But due to Google’s search dominance in Europe and North America, the drop we see in search results directly affects our business: When potential users are not able to find our website on Google, it means we lose business. Google must stop this unfair limitation of showing our website in search results immediately. We have tried to contact Google directly, but since this did not work, we have to make the issue public.”_
> 
> Matthias Pfau, co-founder of Tuta Mail

1.  How Internet Censorship Affects You – Pros & Cons
2.  Google to Delete Inactive Gmail Accounts From Today
3.  Top 10 worst countries for Internet freedom & censorship
4.  Simple Yet Vital Tips to Send Documents Securely via Email
5.  Google Incognito Mode: New Disclaimer Reveals Data Tracking

Tuta Mail (Tutanota) Accuses Google of Censoring Its Search Results

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1904-03 - An update for firefox is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions. Issues addressed include a use-after-free vulnerability.

    The following advisory data is extracted from:https://access.redhat.com/security/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2024/rhsa-2024_1904.jsonRed Hat officially shut down their mailing list notifications October 10, 2023.  Due to this, Packet Storm has recreated the below data as a reference point to raise awareness.  It must be noted that due to an inability to easily track revision updates without crawling Red Hat's archive, these advisories are single notifications and we strongly suggest that you visit the Red Hat provided links to ensure you have the latest information available if the subject matter listed pertains to your environment.- Packet Storm Staff====================================================================Red Hat Security AdvisorySynopsis:           Important: firefox security updateAdvisory ID:        RHSA-2024:1904-03Product:            Red Hat Enterprise LinuxAdvisory URL:       https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:1904Issue date:         2024-04-18Revision:           03CVE Names:          CVE-2024-2609====================================================================Summary: An update for firefox is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions.Red Hat Product Security has rated this update as having a security impact ofImportant. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available for each vulnerability from the CVE link(s) in the References section.Description:Mozilla Firefox is an open-source web browser, designed for standards compliance, performance, and portability.This update upgrades Firefox to version 115.10.0 ESR.Security Fix(es):  * GetBoundName in the JIT returned the wrong object (CVE-2024-3852)* Out-of-bounds-read after mis-optimized switch statement (CVE-2024-3854)* Incorrect JITting of arguments led to use-after-free during garbage collection (CVE-2024-3857)* Permission prompt input delay could expire when not in focus (CVE-2024-2609)* Integer-overflow led to out-of-bounds-read in the OpenType sanitizer (CVE-2024-3859)* Potential use-after-free due to AlignedBuffer self-move (CVE-2024-3861)* Memory safety bug fixed in Firefox 125, Firefox ESR 115.10, and Thunderbird 115.10 (CVE-2024-3864)For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, acknowledgments, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.Solution:https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258CVEs:CVE-2024-2609References:https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#importanthttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275547https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275549https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275550https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275551https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275552https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275553https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275555

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1904-03

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1834-03 - An update for shim is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service. Issues addressed include buffer overflow, bypass, integer overflow, and out of bounds read vulnerabilities.

The following advisory data is extracted from:

https://access.redhat.com/security/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2024/rhsa-2024_1834.json

Red Hat officially shut down their mailing list notifications October 10, 2023.  Due to this, Packet Storm has recreated the below data as a reference point to raise awareness.  It must be noted that due to an inability to easily track revision updates without crawling Red Hat's archive, these advisories are single notifications and we strongly suggest that you visit the Red Hat provided links to ensure you have the latest information available if the subject matter listed pertains to your environment.

- Packet Storm Staff

====================================================================  
Red Hat Security Advisory

Synopsis:           Important: shim security update  
Advisory ID:        RHSA-2024:1834-03  
Product:            Red Hat Enterprise Linux  
Advisory URL:       https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:1834  
Issue date:         2024-04-16  
Revision:           03  
CVE Names:          CVE-2023-40546  
====================================================================

Summary: 

An update for shim is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service.

Red Hat Product Security has rated this update as having a security impact of Important. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available for each vulnerability from the CVE link(s) in the References section.

Description:

The shim package contains a first-stage UEFI boot loader that handles chaining to a trusted full boot loader under secure boot environments.

Security Fix(es):

* shim: RCE in http boot support may lead to Secure Boot bypass (CVE-2023-40547)

* shim: Interger overflow leads to heap buffer overflow in verify_sbat_section on 32-bits systems (CVE-2023-40548)

* shim: Out-of-bounds read printing error messages (CVE-2023-40546)

* shim: Out-of-bounds read in verify_buffer_authenticode() malformed PE file (CVE-2023-40549)

* shim: Out-of-bound read in verify_buffer_sbat() (CVE-2023-40550)

* shim: out of bounds read when parsing MZ binaries (CVE-2023-40551)

For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, acknowledgments, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.

Solution:

https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258

CVEs:

CVE-2023-40546

References:

https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#important  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2234589  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2241782  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2241796  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2241797  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2259915  
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2259918

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1834-03

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1832-03 - An update for the squid:4 module is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions. Issues addressed include a denial of service vulnerability.

    The following advisory data is extracted from:https://access.redhat.com/security/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2024/rhsa-2024_1832.jsonRed Hat officially shut down their mailing list notifications October 10, 2023.  Due to this, Packet Storm has recreated the below data as a reference point to raise awareness.  It must be noted that due to an inability to easily track revision updates without crawling Red Hat's archive, these advisories are single notifications and we strongly suggest that you visit the Red Hat provided links to ensure you have the latest information available if the subject matter listed pertains to your environment.- Packet Storm Staff====================================================================Red Hat Security AdvisorySynopsis:           Important: squid:4 security updateAdvisory ID:        RHSA-2024:1832-03Product:            Red Hat Enterprise LinuxAdvisory URL:       https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:1832Issue date:         2024-04-16Revision:           03CVE Names:          CVE-2024-25111====================================================================Summary: An update for the squid:4 module is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions.Red Hat Product Security has rated this update as having a security impact of Important. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available for each vulnerability from the CVE link(s) in the References section.Description:Squid is a high-performance proxy caching server for web clients, supportingFTP, and HTTP data objects.Security Fix(es):* squid: Denial of Service in HTTP Chunked Decoding (CVE-2024-25111)* squid: denial of service in HTTP header parser (CVE-2024-25617)For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, acknowledgments, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.Solution:https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258CVEs:CVE-2024-25111References:https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#importanthttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2264309https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2268366

Red Hat Security Advisory 2024-1832-03

A cybercriminal gang called RansomHub claims to be selling highly sensitive patient information stolen from Change Healthcare following a ransomware attack by another group in February.

Change Healthcare is facing a new cybersecurity nightmare after a ransomware group began selling what it claims is Americans’ sensitive medical and financial records stolen from the health care giant.

“For most US individuals out there doubting us, we probably have your personal data,” the RansomHub gang said in an announcement seen by WIRED.

The stolen data allegedly includes medical and dental records, payment claims, insurance details, and personal information like Social Security numbers and email addresses, according to screenshots. RansomHub claimed it had health care data on active-duty US military personnel.

The sprawling theft and sale of sensitive health care data represents a dramatic new form of fallout from the February cyberattack on Change Healthcare that crippled the company’s claims-payment operations and sent the US health care system into crisis as hospitals struggled to stay open without regular funding.

Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, previously acknowledged that a ransomware gang known as BlackCat or AlphV breached its systems, and told WIRED last week that it is investigating RansomHub’s claims about possessing the company’s stolen data. Change Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the group’s alleged sale of its data.

The wide variety of patient data that RansomHub claims to be selling is a testament to Change Healthcare’s role as a critical intermediary between insurers and health care providers, facilitating payments between both parties and collecting reams of sensitive information about patients and their medical procedures in the process.

Among the sample records that RansomHub posted are a list of open claims handled by the company’s EquiClaim subsidiary that includes patient and provider names; a hospital record for a 74-year-old woman in Tampa, Florida; and part of a database record related to US military service members’ health care.

RansomHub said it would allow individual insurance companies that worked with Change Healthcare and had their data compromised to pay ransoms to prevent the sale of their records. It specified that it was selling data belonging to MetLife, CVS Caremark, Davis Vision, Health Net, and Teachers Health Trust.

Change Healthcare’s “processing of sensitive data for all of these companies is just something unbelievable,” RansomHub said in its announcement.

Most firms whose data RansomHub claims to possess did not immediately respond to WIRED's request for comment.

Mike DeAngelis, the executive director of corporate communications for CVS Health says the company is “aware of unsubstantiated claims from threat actors that confidential data, including personal information of patients and members belonging to multiple organizations, was accessed as part of Change Healthcare’s cyber security incident.”

“We are closely monitoring Change Healthcare’s response to this issue and will provide updates with more information as appropriate,” DeAngelis adds, noting that Change Healthcare has not yet confirmed that patient data “was impacted by this incident.”

Brett Callow, a threat analyst at the security firm Emsisoft who closely tracks ransomware gangs, says the new sale of stolen data was probably “less about actually selling the data” and more about putting Change Healthcare—and the partner companies whose records it failed to protect—“under additional pressure to pay.”

Change Healthcare appears to have paid a $22 million ransom to AlphV to stop it from leaking terabytes of stolen data.

Two months into the crisis spawned by the ransomware attack, Change Healthcare has faced mounting losses. The company recently reported spending $872 million responding to the incident as of March 31.

At the same time, Change is under increasing pressure from lawmakers and regulators to explain its cybersecurity lapse and the steps it’s taking to prevent another hack.

A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the health sector’s cyber posture on Tuesday, with key lawmakers saying they were disappointed that UnitedHealth Group declined to make an executive available to testify. And the Department of Health and Human Services is investigating whether Change Healthcare’s failure to prevent hackers from accessing and stealing its data violated federal data-security rules.

_Updated 4/16/2024, 5:38 pm ET: Added additional details about the firms whose data RansomHub claims to possess._

Change Healthcare’s New Ransomware Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse

By Uzair Amir
Worried about prying eyes? We explain how messenger apps keep your chats confidential with features like encryption & multi-factor authentication.  Learn about security risks & emerging technologies for a safer digital future.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Texting Secrets: How Messenger Apps Guard Your Chats

In today’s digital age, conversations are more online than face-to-face; hence, we must be careful with our messages. The widely used **messenger applications** designed for modern communication have advanced greatly in ensuring that our chat remains confidential. However, what measures are taken by such systems to keep our conversations safe from any malicious activity?

****End-to-End Encryption****

This security measure ensures that messages are decrypted only by the intended users. With end-to-end encryption, decryption is only possible by the receiver – the third party cannot intercept or **eavesdrop on the message**.

WhatsApp and Telegram are some chat applications that employ this encryption to secure user chat. Encryption of messages occurs “at the end” with the sender, and it can only be decrypted when it reaches the intended receiver “at the other end”; therefore creating a problem even for the messaging companies that would wish to decrypt and read the messages.

****Security Measures Beyond Encryption****

*   **Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):** To improve security, two-factor authentication requires users to enter a code that is sent to their mobile phone apart from the usual login details. This makes it much safer against unauthorized hackers when passwords get stolen to send **messenger hacked** links and gain access to sensitive accounts.
*   **Biometric Authentication:** Messenger applications can benefit from convenient and safe biometric authentication options like fingerprint and facial recognition. Through the use of individual biological attributes, it guarantees that only the authorized user can unlock their conversations.
*   **Secure Messaging Protocols:** Messenger applications are built on secure messaging protocols (like the Signal Protocol or the Off-the-Record Messaging protocol), enabling encrypted communication channels among different individuals. These protocols ensure that the message remains private even during any attack on the network.

****Challenges and Vulnerabilities********Phishing Attacks****

The security of messenger apps is still seriously threatened by **phishing attacks** when cybercriminals make efforts to deceive people and disclose their login details as well as other important data. Mitigation of this risk requires education as well as awareness about phishing techniques.

**Messenger app security** is also at risk from social engineering tactics like impersonation or manipulation. People must stay alert and suspicious of any odd messages or friend requests coming from unfamiliar ones; rather, they must confirm that the sender is who they claim to be before giving out any confidential data.

****Device Security Risks****

Messenger app communication may be unsafe due to weaknesses in device security, such as malware or **insecure Wi-Fi networks**. To prevent this, it is important to have regular software updates, antivirus software and secure network connections.

****Emerging Technologies in Chat Security****

*   **Quantum Cryptography:** Quantum mechanics is used in quantum cryptography to ensure that data is stored in quantum states, resulting in high levels of safety. Although it is still being considered as an attempt, quantum cryptography provides a potential solution to secure messaging encryption.
*   **Blockchain-Based Messaging Platforms:** With blockchain technology, it becomes possible to have messaging systems which do not centralize message data but rather store it across a distributed network, making it almost impossible for someone to corrupt or prevent certain messages from passing through. The **blockchain messaging applications** enhance safety as well as confidentiality through open and unchangeable message logs.
*   **AI-Powered Threat Detection:** In messenger applications today, there is a growing trend of utilizing artificial intelligence as well as machine learning algorithms to identify and deal with security threats. These systems analyze user activities, messages exchanged, as well as network flow metadata to detect, prevent and respond immediately to any breaches of security.

****Balancing Security and Usability****

Although it is important to have strong security systems, messenger applications need to balance between security and ease of use to be convenient. The flow of messages must not be disrupted, and there should be no negative impact on user experience as a result of complicated security protocols.

****The Future of Secure Messaging****

The landscape of chat security will change with advancing technology. The security of messenger applications will be improved by developments in **encryption algorithms**, authentication mechanisms, and threat detection technologies to guarantee that our conversations remain confidential and safe within cyberspace.

To promote secure communication, it is crucial to educate people on how they can stay safe and why privacy matters. Messaging platforms take part in user awareness programs that emphasize risks posed by hackers and promote preventative security steps.

The security of our conversations is very important at a time when digital communication is dominant. Many security features are used by messaging applications such as end-to-end encryption, biometric authentication, etc., to protect our conversations against any threats.

Nonetheless, the pace at which cyber threats change and develop means that new forms of securing chats must be continuously created. To achieve this, we have to keep on guard and adopt new technologies so that our conversations will stay private and safe.

1.  Zama Secures $73M Series A Lead for Homomorphic Encryption
2.  WhatsApp Encryption Explained — “Everything is not what it seems”
3.  Encrypted Email Service ProtonMail Supports Physical Security Keys

Texting Secrets: How Messenger Apps Guard Your Chats

By Deeba Ahmed
Apple has issued iPhone security alerts to 92 countries, stating that their devices have been targeted by a mercenary spyware attack, expressing high confidence in the warning.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: iPhone Users in 92 Countries Targeted by Mercenary Spyware Attacks

Apple has issued security alerts to millions of iPhone users across 92 countries, stating that their devices are being targeted by mercenary spyware. The alerts suggest that the attack is likely targeting users based on their identity or activities.

Apple has been informing users of threats for years, targeting journalists and politicians in over 150 countries since 2021. Some users have found invasive Pegasus spyware on their iPhones, created by Israeli spyware maker NSO Group. However, the company hasn’t provided any official numbers in the current case.

Apple’s threat notification (Read Apple’s updated statement here)

****Apple Requests Users to Take It Seriously!****

As reported by The Economic Times, Apple has stated in the warning email that the attack is likely targeted due to specific characteristics or actions, urging users to take it seriously.

A targeted mercenary spyware attack could remotely access sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone, according to Apple’s threat notification email.

Despite the Indian government’s opposition to security alerts by Apple, India is among the countries affected by this issue, and it’s unclear if US iPhone owners were targeted, as Apple hasn’t provided any further details.

Apple has sent multiple alerts to over 150 countries since 2021 and it previously sued Israeli firm NSO Group for aiding adversaries in targeting iPhone users. Moreover, Apple has been releasing iOS updates to address potential spyware attacks, often as emergency security measures, especially when an iPhone flaw is already being exploited.

If you have received this notification, remember that Apple has dedicated a page to offer guidance on changing passwords and enabling two-factor authentication to enhance security.

****What are Mercenary Attacks?****

Mercenary attacks are targeted spyware attacks, which are a unique type of cyberattacks that targets specific individuals based on their profession, social status, or access to sensitive information. They use sophisticated spyware, like Pegasus, to infiltrate devices and gather vast amounts of data.

These attacks, are expensive and require extensive resources to execute. Mercenary attacks are rare and complex cybercrimes, costing millions and targeting a small number of people worldwide, according to a company email.

Brian Higgins, security specialist at Comparitech commented on the issue. _“_There have been enough periodic Pegasus activations in recent years for those who are regularly targeted to hopefully have some kind of response or mitigation plans in place,_“_ he said.

_“_Most often journalists and activists in jurisdictions of risk are targeted as they are vulnerable to intervention, prosecution and attack by the regimes they challenge – and data harvested in these breaches can facilitate all of these activities,_“_ Brain warned.

_“_It’s rather a disappointing buck-passing exercise for Apple to direct them to a third party, non-profit Security Helpline, given the history of implications for individual targets in previous incidents. You’d think as proprietors of a vulnerable platform, they would offer to help out themselves._“_

1.  Apple Issues Urgent Security Patches for Zero-Day Flaws
2.  iLeakage Attack: Theft of Data from Apple’s Safari Browser
3.  QuaDream, Israeli iPhone hacking spyware firm, to shut down
4.  Fake Lockdown Mode Exposes iOS Users to Malware Attacks
5.  iPhone Spyware Exploits Obscure Chip Feature, Hits Researchers

Tag

#sap