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Microsoft Exchange Server cyberattacks: who is behind it and why are they attacking?
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsA wave of data breaches and cyberattacks began in early 2021 when four zero-day vulnerabilities were found in Microsoft Exchange on-premises servers. These vulnerabilities meant that hackers had access to user credentials connected to network devices. As well as, admin privileges on servers affected by the zero-day exploits.
Typically, attackers install something called a ‘backdoor’, which is a covert way of bypassing encryption or authentication. With a ‘backdoor’, attackers can access impacted servers after updates to fix the exploits.
Why Microsoft Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is seen as a good target for attackers who want to get into business networks. Microsoft says that their email server software is unique in its environment as hackers can carry out a multitude of tasks using the same scripts or tools that admin use for maintenance. “Credential stuffing” is the assumption numerous users will recycle passwords and usernames across an array of services.
Once attackers log in as a user; they perform actions that allow them to remotely connect to the server, assume the role of administrators with said privileges. With administrator rights, hackers can upload code to create a ‘backdoor’ so that they will have continued access. Even if patches are downloaded to protect Exchange servers, they won’t retroactively remove any installed ‘backdoors’. This means hackers can still access the server until these, and any additional user accounts are removed.
Who are the hackers?
Microsoft says that the original attackers were Hafnium, a group they say operates out of China. It is a cyber-espionage hacking group, often referred to as an APT (an advanced persistent threat). This type of group is often a state-sponsored, stealthy actor that goes undetected for a long time. Hafnium has alleged ties with the Chinese government, but they have denied all responsibility for this recent Microsoft Exchange breach. Microsoft has described this group as “highly skilled and sophisticated.”
Although Hafnium was the first hacking group to exploit the vulnerabilities, there are now thought to be over 10 different groups with each using a different style and procedures.
Who is vulnerable to attack?
Microsoft confirmed that their Exchange Server versions for 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 are susceptible. All cloud-based services like Office 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online are not affected.
So far, estimates suggest 250,000 servers have been attacked; including small or medium businesses, local governments and local institutions across the globe. These are the main victims of the attacks because they don’t have the necessary expertise to resolve cyberattacks.
Tom Burt of Microsoft wrote in a blog post that victims had included law offices, defense contractors, disease researchers, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and universities. Other known victims include local governments and schools.
Latest developments
On March 12th Microsoft Security Intelligence announced that a ransomware called ‘DearCry’ was being used on the first servers infected. This made the servers unusable unless a payment was made to recover the files. Microsoft has said, however, that paying such a ransom won’t guarantee you access to the files.
What businesses and organizations should do?
There are several steps that can secure your Exchange server; a list of which is detailed in this blog post. Essentially, organizations at risk need to take the necessary precautions, ie downloading Microsoft patches. But they should also scan all networks for any threats and potential compromises. The most targeted countries currently are German, the UK and the US. Contact us for your cybersecurity concerns.
Microsoft Exchange Servers Hacked – Is Your Company Affected?
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsNo doubt that you have seen or heard the news about the latest hack and how serious it is. And if you are in the affected group, it is very serious, so pay attention.
Is Your Network Safe?
From CyberheistNews: “On March 2, Microsoft released emergency security updates to plug four security holes in Exchange Server versions 2013 through 2019 that hackers were actively using to siphon email communications from Internet-facing systems running Exchange.
The Chinese hacking group thought to be responsible has seized control over “hundreds of thousands” of Microsoft Exchange email servers worldwide, at least 30,000 in America.
If you are not technical you are probably wondering……”What does it mean for me?”
Bottom Line – If you are running a MS Exchange Outlook Web Access (OWA)
server exposed to the internet; assume you have been compromised between
02/26-03/03 and your system is now infected – until proven otherwise.”
Is My System Infected?
It depends on whether your IT person is keeping your updates and patches up to date. If not,
you are in the group that needs to be alarmed and need to take action.
If you don’t know if that’s you or not, you need to reach out to your technical resource that setup your email, OR a knowledgeable IT firm like CCS Technology and ask them to review your system.
Microsoft says the affected versions are Exchange Server 2013, 2016, 2019. They left off the earlier version like 2003/2007/2010. Why? Because they are safe? No, because they are officially “not supported” by Microsoft anymore, and if you are on one of those versions you have even bigger problems because you’ve been ignoring advice about network security for a long while now.
If you use Microsoft Office 365 or some other hosted Exchange or other email product, you are not in the affected group. You should still use this as a warning. Make sure you have implemented or are implementing a sound security policy! CCS Technology can help you with the design and implementation.
If you want a more in depth explanation of the hack, we suggest: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/03/at-least-30000-u-s-organizations-newly-hacked-via-holes-in-microsofts-email-software/
If you prefer webinar content: https://info.knowbe4.com/microsoft-exchange-mass-hack-chn
If You Might Be Infected
If You Have NOT Been Infected
While this hack is getting all the attention today, in reality, it is just another security flaw for cybercriminals to exploit and take over your technology assets.
It’s not going to slow down. Society in general, and business in particular are developing more apps, adding more features to existing apps, and all of those apps and features are being connected to the internet. It is to address people’s desires for communication and convenience.
Apps are created by humans, and unless the author has a NASA sized budget and timeline, the code in the apps is going to have security flaws. Every new app or feature that we use increases the possibility that the average person/company can be hacked.
At the same time, Cybercrime elements are gaining sophistication. There are criminal marketplaces on the dark web. These are places where criminals can contract for technology, Artificial Intelligence, robotic execution, and even special people skills. Then there are the massive crime syndicates that exploit human nature and the internet to make money. And let’s not forget the state sponsored cyber terrorists. And these are the threats that we know about. Like an iceberg, the part that we can see today is only a small portion of the real threat.
Denial?
It’s no longer a landscape where anyone can say they are not a target.
Take this specific case. The flaw was discovered by hackers and they attacked before Microsoft could fix the flaw. We call that Zero-Day exploits. Hackers likely used artificial intelligence robots that programmed to detect Microsoft exchange servers running the OWA. Any target found that was OWA, immediately carried out the instructions to exploit the flaw and hack their way into your system.
Once in, the hackers begin executing their playbook to completely penetrate and explore your systems.
With this robotic technology, everyone is a target, because it doesn’t matter if you’re big or small, if they can get in, they can exploit you or your data.
AND the cost of the robot attack is minimal. The real cost is the damage done to your network and your customers finding out that your system was hacked.
Why Does This Happen?
We, us humans, are in conflict. We want the freedom, the convenience and the benefits all this technology and the internet give us. However, there is an ever-increasing risk and potential cost to implement those benefits.
Do we invest in securing our networks or not? Does the convenience of having the smart garage door opener outweigh the potential that a criminal can open the door by hacking your wireless network?
There is not one answer that will fit every situation, but the time has come to think about the need to secure the infrastructure before deployment instead of after the damage is done. If you are a leader, you’ve got to change your thinking and place security ahead of function.
The bad actors only have to win once – Your cybersecurity has to win every time.
History Repeats Itself
It’s important to recognize that this has happened before. My grandparents did not lock their house, and I don’t even think there were locks on the doors. In my early adult years, it became normal to lock your house. Then we had to get better locks (deadbolt) to prevent the common thief from using the credit card trick. Now people have locks and security systems that sound an alarm when the door is breached or the window broken. And finally, many people are adding security cameras to record the activity going on at work and at home.
The cyberworld is going down the same path, except the rate of change is blazingly fast. A couple years ago a firewall kept you safe.
Now, multiple layers of prevention and detection are the minimum in order to protect our networks and our data. Even with all of this, we are still fighting an uphill battle.
Contact our team of experts to find out if your system has been breached.
Stay safe out there in the cyber world!
The Hidden Heart of Artificial Intelligence Technology
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsThe futuristic views of artificial intelligence (AI) as synthetic consciousness has been spread in Hollywood and science-fiction novels for generations. However, fantasy-aside, artificial intelligence is simply a process or system that performs tasks that ordinarily need the intelligence of humans. Examples of such tasks are problem-solving, diagnosing medical problems, and recognizing human emotions.
AI is already everywhere
The ‘hidden heart of technology’ that constitutes AI, currently has an important place in society and many of us don’t even realize it’s there. Think about your daily living. Do you browse the internet? Are you buying things online? Do you watch Netflix, HULU or Amazon Prime? Then you’re already interacting with AI.
Netflix and AI
The AI solutions that Netflix provides are particularly unique and have a significant impact on the user and the business.
Perhaps the most obvious to the end-user is the personalization of recommendations. For example, a user who watches Film X is likely to enjoy Film Y. What Netflix does is track user history to make their recommendations based on what other users have gone on to watch too. This is beneficial to users as they get recommendations that they enjoy. It also benefits Netflix too as it keeps its viewers interested and engaged, thus keeping their monthly subscriptions.
Another use of AI in Netflix is the auto-generation of artwork and thumbnails. Believe it or not, but the thumbnails you see for different shows are personalized to you. Netflix uses thousands of video stills from a particular movie to generate thumbnails. Each one is annotated and ranked according to how likely it is to result in a click. The technology is strengthened when users begin watching the show or movie. Netflix can see which thumbnails are the most popular. For example, if a user likes a certain actor, they are more likely to interact with a thumbnail showing that actor. The website Becoming Human has lots of images of different users’ thumbnails to compare, it makes for very interesting reading!
Advertising
Artificial Intelligence in advertising isn’t just about creating adverts; it’s about transforming every level of advertising right from creating the ad to targeting the audience and buying ads. As the Marketing AI Institute states, there are so many uses of AI in advertising that already exist. Brands are using AI to identify audiences, build creative ads, improve ad performance, and optimize customer spending. This happens automatically at scale and in real-time.
The beauty of advertising (specifically online advertising) is that it provides huge amounts of data. This includes things like impressions, bid levels, click-through rates and demographics. Of course, as humans, we’re perfectly capable of producing good advertising and measuring its impact but digital advertising is a whole new ball game. Digital advertising can generate so much more data across content, social media and searches.
With all of the necessary data, ad tools powered by AI can find patterns in ad data and use them to predict campaign changes to improve ad performance. This all takes place in a matter of seconds. For a person to do this it would take between hours and weeks to analyse the data, let alone create improved ads from it.
Cookies – manipulating behavior
If you’re familiar with internet cookies, you’ll know how useful they can be in helping you to remember details and passwords. There’s another side to cookies, however, in that sites use them to track your online behavior and tailor ads to show you. The BBC referred to behavioral advertising as ‘the latest buzz phrase’ back in 2012, but the truth is, this is something still at the forefront almost a decade later. For marketers, cookie profiling is a big advantage. Cookie profiling empowers marketers. They can see the bigger picture of the person they are targeting.
The hidden heart of technology
We’ve seen some examples of how AI is the hidden heart of technology in this blog. The truth is, AI use isn’t always overt at all. Forget I, Robot and The Bicentennial Man. This AI is more like Bruce Willis’s character in The Sixth Sense – hidden in plain sight if you can see it. Artificial intelligence is a rapidly developing area of information technology. As a Managed Service Provider of IT support, we can help you understand how to implement these tools for your business, ensuring your data remains secure. Contact us for any questions you might have.