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Hosting firm says it lost all customer data after ransomware attack

Sounds like what could happen to Microsoft O365 and they have no liability (there are inexpensive backup solutions available)

By Bill Toulas August 23, 2023 10:40 AM (great reporting)
Danish hosting firms CloudNordic and AzeroCloud have suffered ransomware attacks, causing the loss of the majority of customer data and forcing the hosting providers to shut down all systems, including websites, email, and customer sites.

The two brands belong to the same company and stated that the attack unfolded last Friday night. However, today’s operational status remains highly problematic, with the firm’s IT teams only managing to restore some servers without any data.

Moreover, the firm’s statement clarifies that it won’t be paying the threat actors a ransom and has already engaged with security experts and reported the incident to the police.

Unfortunately, the system and data restoration process isn’t going smoothly, and CloudNordic says many of its customers have lost data that appears to be irrecoverable.

“Since we neither can nor wish to meet the financial demands of the criminal hackers for a ransom, CloudNordic’s IT team and external experts have been working intensively to assess the damage and determine what could be recovered,” reads CloudNordic’s statement (machine translated)

“Sadly, it has been impossible to recover more data, and the majority of our customers have consequently lost all their data with us.”

Both public notices include instructions on recovering websites and services from local backups or Wayback Machine archives.

Given the situation, the two hosting service providers previously recommended that heavily impacted customers move to other providers, such as Powernet and Nordicway.

Article (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hosting-firm-says-it-lost-all-customer-data-after-ransomware-attack/)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President

Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

Sneaky Amazon Google ad leads to Microsoft support scam

By Lawrence Abrams August 21, 2023 01:52 PM

A legitimate-looking ad for Amazon in Google search results redirects visitors to a Microsoft Defender tech support scam that locks up their browser.
Today, BleepingComputer was alerted to what appeared to be a valid advertisement for Amazon in the Google search results.
The advertisement shows Amazon’s legitimate URL, just like in the company’s typical search result, as shown below.

These tech support scams will automatically go into full-screen mode, making it hard to get out of the page without terminating the Google Chrome process.
However, when Chrome is terminated in this way, on the relaunch, it will prompt users to restore the previously closed pages, reopening the tech support scam.
A demonstration of today’s fake Amazon Google ad leading to the tech support scam site can be seen below

Google ads abused to distribute malware
BleepingComputer reached out to both Google and Amazon regarding this malvertising but has not received a response at the time of this publication.
Google advertisements have been heavily abused over the past year by other threat actors to distribute malware, which sometimes leads to ransomware attacks.
The threat actors would create replicas of legitimate sites but swap the download links to distribute trojanized programs that install malware.
The Royal ransomware operation also creates Google advertisements promoting malicious sites that install Cobalt Strike beacons. These beacons are used to provide initial access to corporate networks to conduct ransomware attacks.

Article (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sneaky-amazon-google-ad-leads-to-microsoft-support-scam/)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

Apple Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products

Apple has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected device.

CISA encourages users and administrators to review the following advisories and apply the necessary updates.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6
iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8
macOS Ventura 13.5
macOS Monterey 12.6.8
macOS Big Sur 11.7.9
Safari 16.6
tvOS 16.6
watchOS 9.6

Link (https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2023/07/25/apple-releases-security-updates-multiple-products)

Barracuda RMM 2023.3 upgrade Read

Dear Partners,

Barracuda RMM 2023.3 will be released to our cloud instances starting on July 26, 2023 US Time. This release includes integration with SentinelOne for macOS devices, a new default monitoring policy for SentinelOne, BitLocker policies, Site Security Scan improvements, and more.

PLEASE NOTE: Barracuda RMM has upgraded its application framework to Microsoft .NET 4.8. All users must upgrade to Microsoft .NET 4.8 or the Barracuda RMM 2023.3 installer will fail. Service Center requires Microsoft .NET 4.8 and Advanced Services. Onsite Managers, Device Managers, and Support Assistants also require Microsoft .NET 4.8.

Additionally, the upgrade of .NET 4.8 requires new versions of the PSA/Service Desk connectors, which are available for download from the Update Center. Re-integration is not required; however, the updated connectors are.

A maintenance window is required for this upgrade, during which all services will be unavailable. Please plan accordingly, using the schedule outlined below.
AU01: Monday, July 24 from 0900 – 1100 UTC-0400
EU01: Wednesday, July 26 from 1400 – 1600 UTC-0400
EU02: Wednesday, July 26 from 1500 – 1700 UTC-0400
EU03: Wednesday, July 26 from 1600 – 1800 UTC- 0400
EU04: Wednesday, July 26 from 1700 – 1900 UTC- 0400
US01: Wednesday, July 26 from 2200 – 0000 (+1) UTC-0400
US02: Wednesday, July 26 from 2300 – 0100 (+1) UTC-0400
US03: Thursday, July 27 from 0000 – 0200 UTC-0400
US04: Thursday, July 27 from 2200 – 0000 (+1) UTC-0400
US05: Thursday, July 27 from 2300 – 0100 (+1) UTC-0400
US07: Friday, July 28 from 0000 – 0200 UTC-0400

Barracuda RMM 2023.3 will be generally available on Thursday, July 27, 2023, and will be available for download at the bottom of the Download page on Campus. A Campus account and login is required. Please contact rmmsupport@barracuda.com with any questions.

Regards,

The Barracuda MSP Team

By Sergiu Gatlan June 23, 2023 02:06 PM

Federal agencies ordered to patch by July 14th

Today, CISA ordered federal agencies to patch recently patched security vulnerabilities exploited as zero-days to deploy Triangulation spyware on iPhones via iMessage zero-click exploits.

The warning comes after Kaspersky published a report detailing a Triangulation malware component used in a campaign it tracks as “Operation Triangulation.”

Kaspersky says it found the spyware on iPhones belonging to employees in its Moscow office and from other countries. The attacks started in 2019 and are still ongoing, according to the company, and they use iMessage zero-click exploits that exploit the now-patched iOS zero-day bugs.

Russia’s FSB intelligence agency also claimed that Apple collaborated with the NSA to create a backdoor, facilitating the infiltration of iPhones in Russia. The FSB also said it allegedly found thousands of infected iPhones owned by Russian government officials and embassy staff in Israel, China, and NATO member nations.

“We have never worked with any government to insert a backdoor into any Apple product and never will,” an Apple spokesperson told BleepingComputer.

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7,” the company said on Wednesday when describing the two Kernel and WebKit vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-32434 and CVE-2023-32435) exploited in the attacks.

The company also fixed a WebKit zero-day (CVE-2023-32439) this week that can let attackers gain arbitrary code execution on unpatched devices. This was also tagged by CISA today as an actively exploited flaw.

The list of affected devices is extensive, as the zero-day affects older and newer models, and it includes:

iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later
iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation)
Macs running macOS Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura
Apple Watch Series 4 and later, Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7, and SE
On Thursday, Apple sent another round of threat notifications alerting customers they were targeted in state-sponsored attacks, one day after patching the zero-days exploited to deploy Triangulation spyware. However, it’s not clear to what incidents these new warnings are related to, according to CNN reporter Chris Bing.

Article Link (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-orders-agencies-to-patch-iphone-bugs-abused-in-skspyware-attac/)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

Bitdefender Gravity Zone Mobile Device Manager is now ready to Activate

I finally met with the Project Manager today, to go over security

If you are a partner of MspPortal Partners Inc I can activate the account and now support it, Bitdefender has no tech support available yet.

We starting playing with the project over 2 weeks ago when it was released..Great Product..Pricing is stellar a must have for your clients

Contact the office for activation

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

Microsoft’s Azure portal down following new claims of DDoS attacks

By Lawrence Abrams June 9, 2023 11:52 AM

Update at 6/9/23 1:33 PM ET added below

The Microsoft Azure Portal is down on the web as a threat actor known as Anonymous Suda claims to be targeting the site with a DDoS attack.

Attempting to access the portal at https://portal.azure.com displays an error message stating, “Our services aren’t available right now. We’re working to restore all services as soon as possible. Please check back soon.” The mobile app appears unaffected at this time.

“Azure Portal – Errors accessing the Azure Portal – Applying Mitigation

Impact Statement: Starting at approximately 15:00 UTC on 9 Jun 2023, Azure customers may experience error notifications when trying to access the Azure Portal (portal.azure.com).

Current Status: We have determined a potential root cause and are actively engaged in different workstreams applying load balancing processes in order to mitigate the issue. The next update will be provided within 60 minutes or as events warrant.

This message was last updated at 16:35 UTC on 09 June 2023″

At the same time, a threat actor known as Anonymous Sudan claims to be conducting a DDoS attack against the Microsoft Azure portal, sharing an image of the page not working.

Regardless of the threat actor’s origins, this has not been a good week for Microsoft, with the threat actor conducting DDoS attacks on other Microsoft web portals for Outlook.com and OneDrive, which also suffered outages at the same time.

Link (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsofts-azure-portal-down-following-new-claims-of-ddos-attacks/)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

Bitdefender Web Categories in GravityZone Content Control

This next KB describes the section Web Categories in GravityZone Content Control:
GravityZone: Security: Network Protection: Operation: Web Categories in GravityZone Content Control
Read Link

(https://www.bitdefender.com/business/support/en/77209-79818-operation.html#UUID-261aadd6-5c24-73b5-d8be-ccc2bf1be88a)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President

Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

Bitdefender releases MDM protection finally Gravity Zone Portal

Security for Mobile is a cloud-only mobile security solution able to protect mobile devices with Android or iOS operating systems against multiple threat vectors.

  • Features:
  • Advanced malware detection – safeguards mobile devices from a broad variety of threats by offering comprehensive malware detection capabilities.
  • Phishing protection – analyses incoming messages and detects any malicious links or content that could be used to acquire sensitive data or credentials.
  • Network security – offers an extensive set of tools for protecting mobile devices against a variety of network-based hazards. It helps assure the security and integrity of mobile devices in the current threat landscape by monitoring network traffic, providing secure connectivity, and detecting and preventing attacks.·
  • Compliance and policy enforcement – assist organizations in protecting their mobile devices from a variety of threats and ensuring that they are used securely and compliantly by making sure that all applications are properly vetted.
  • Mobile threat intelligence – provides users the real-time security and analytics they need to protect their mobile devices from a variety of threats.
  • Integration with mobile device management (MDM) solutions – enhances mobile security features. Because of the integration, enterprises may install the mobile threat defense solution using their existing MDM infrastructure. The integration also enables mobile device security policies to be enforced automatically.
  • Web content filtering – warns and prevent users from accessing potentially harmful websites and links, such as malware, phishing, botnets, and suspicious domains, or websites that violate your organization’s standards.
  • Are you an ISP, MSP, VAR or reseller?
  • All MspPortal Partners currently can be provisioned upon request, pricing is very aggressive tier pricing available no contract, just monthly usage.
  • Contact Us

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President

Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”