A vast botnet of over 130,000 compromised devices is now attacking Microsoft 365 accounts worldwide. A botnet is a network of computing devices that have been surreptitiously taken over by hackers and are being controlled remotely without the owners’ knowledge. Microsoft 365 accounts are suffering from ‘password spray attacks’ by the botnet. This involves mass attempts to use large numbers of common passwords to infiltrate users’ Microsoft accounts, targeting basic authentication procedures and thereby bypassing multi-factor authentication.
The US is the top target for cyber-attacks focusing on mobile devices and those connected by the Internet of Things (IoT) plus the operational technology (OT) systems than run facilities such as power plants. According to cybersecurity firm Zscaler’s ThreatLabz 2024 Mobile, IoT, and OT Threat Report, mobile remains a top threat vector, with 111% growth in spyware and 29% growth in banking malware. Technology (18 percent), education (18 percent) and manufacturing (14 percent) continue to be the sectors most targeted by mobile malware. The education sector saw the most dramatic rise in blocked transactions, with a 136 percent increase on the previous year.
“Critical flaws” have been identified in modems deployed in millions of devices worldwide. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has issued a report warning companies of severe security vulnerabilities in Cinterion cellular modems. According to Kaspersky, Cinterion modems are cornerstone components in machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) communications and now offer a back door for all kinds of threat actors. They support various applications, ranging from industrial automation and vehicle telematics to smart metering and healthcare monitoring. Gemalto, the initial developer of the modems, was subsequently acquired by Thales. In 2023, Telit acquired Thales’ cellular IoT products business, including the Cinterion modems.
A Viakoo survey unveiled that 50% of respondents experienced IoT cyber incidents in 2023. Among those IoT cyber incidents, 44% were reported to be 'severe', while 22% were labeled as 'threatening'.
There has been a surge of advertisements on the dark web this year, with over 700 adverts advertising Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks through the Internet of Things (IoT) devices having been identified. The cost of employing the sinister DDoS attack services ranges from $20 per day to $1 000 per month, depending on the amount of protection the target has.
New updated KmsdBot now targets Internet of Things (IoT) An updated version
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