A review of recent Kroll incident response cases consistently proves that the healthcare industry is one of the most frequently targeted sectors. This observation mirrors what is experienced by national cybersecurity agencies as multiple warnings have been launched during 2022, highlighting how ransomware gangs and nation state actors are now aggressively targeting healthcare institutions.
In August 2021, threat actors started to exploit ProxyShell vulnerabilities in certain Microsoft Exchange Server versions. Today, not only is Kroll seeing actors continue to leverage ProxyShell in larger network intrusions but also now organizations must also be on guard for the so-called ProxyNotShell vulnerabilities, which surfaced in September 2022.
Kroll has observed threat actors abusing Google Ads to deploy malware masquerading as legitimate downloads or software that has been “cracked” or modified to remove or disable features such as copy protection or adware. As part of our analysis of this trend and threat, we have identified specifically that VIDAR malware, an information-stealing trojan, is using Google Ads to advertise spoofed domains and redirect users to fraudulent sites or malware downloads.
Kroll analysts have identified new tactics used by threat actors associated with the AvosLocker ransomware. Critical vulnerabilities have been exploited within Veeam Backup and Replication, which may be an attempt to hide activity from detection technologies. The proxy tool “Chisel” has been identified, which can encrypt traffic through a victim’s firewall and could be used as a further evasion technique.
As organizations continue to move their business operations into the cloud, the expanded attack surface generated by the “digital transformation” continues to present new opportunities for threat actors. Luckily, strategies to mitigate these new risks do exist and, as always, these center around the techniques and tactics of the adversaries.
In Q3 2022, Kroll saw insider threat peak to its highest quarterly level to date, accounting for nearly 35% of all unauthorized access threat incidents. Kroll also observed a number of malware infections via USB this quarter, potentially pointing to wider external factors that may encourage insider threat, such as an increasingly fluid labor market and economic turbulence.
The increase in successful cyberattacks driven by both an explosion of ransomware activity and a series of high profile zero-day vulnerabilities, is forcing cyber insurers to further scrutinize the companies they insure and the policies they offer.
