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volvo rd snatch gatlan bleeping computer

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Volvo Cars, a Swedish carmaker, acknowledged a cyber security lapse that gave hackers access to its research and development data. The business revealed that during the intrusion, a third party obtained unauthorized access to one of its file repositories, including some restricted R&D data. According to Volvo’s investigation, the incident might have had an impact on how it runs.

The Snatch cyber threat organization then released 35.9 MB as proof of ownership, along with pictures of allegedly stolen data and the Volvo logo.

The Chinese Geely Holdings-owned manufacturer has its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, and employs about 40,000 people worldwide. Its sales in the first half of 2021 exceeded $15 billion, and on October 29, the company had the greatest IPO in Europe this year.

Volvo admits to a security lapse that exposed R&D information

In response to the data breach, Volvo alerted the appropriate authorities and “quickly took security remedies, including efforts to prevent further access to its property.”

Along with starting an investigation into the security breach, the company also hired a cybersecurity expert from outside the organization. The investigation’s preliminary findings demonstrated that the company’s R&D data was unlawfully accessed by a third party.

The investigators also noted that the security breach might have an effect on how the business operates.

The company stated that preliminary investigations “indicate that a limited amount of the company’s R&D property has been stolen during the intrusion.” Based on the information at hand, Volvo Cars came to the conclusion earlier today that there might be an impact on the company’s operations. ​​​​​​

Volvo made no mention of the type of R&D data that was stolen or the extent of the security incident. The business also declined to speak further on the issue.

In response to queries for more information, Volvo responded that while the firm does not comment on rumors about potential cyberattacks, it does take all threats and thefts of property seriously.

In line with this, the business asserted that cybersecurity was a top priority and that it “actively participates in the international work on standards and best practices, applying and contributing to the cybersecurity suggestions adopted by the industry.”

Additionally, the business gave the public the reassurance that the security lapse had no impact on the “safety or security of its customers’ cars or their personal data.” The security lapse appears to have been a suspected business cyberespionage incident aimed at R&D data.

According to Trevor Morgan, product manager at Comfort AG, “the predicament that Volvo finds itself in underlines a peripheral hazard in leaked or stolen company data-the chance of intellectual property and other private information slipping into the wrong hands.”

The ‘Snatch’ Volvo hackers refute being a ransomware organization.

On November 30, 2021, the cybercriminal gang Snatch admitted responsibility for the security breach, according to the news source Inside-It.

By starting Windows computers in Safe Mode, the Snatch ransomware version compromises its victims. The technique enables the malware to evade detection by security measures that are ineffective in Safe Mode.

According to Bleeping Computer, the threat actors denied any affiliation with the ransomware outfit. The gang stated that they are not affiliated with “projects formed earlier under the same name” and added that they do not seek payment to unlock data.

The group also asserted that they only used data from prospective consumers. Their declaration backs up the earlier assertion that the R&D data theft might have been a cyber-espionage incident.

Erich Kron, a supporter of KnowBe4’s security awareness program, pointed out that the incident showed how the intellectual property was vulnerable.

Despite the fact that ransomware groups frequently steal personal information, Kron noted that corporate information and intellectual property can also be a target. The majority of ransomware is propagated via phishing emails or by taking advantage of RDP instances that are accessible via the internet.

Kron further pointed out that Snatch threat actors use RDP tools for network lateral movement. He advised using strong passwords, staying away from password reuse, and keeping an eye out for brute force assaults on RDP connections.

Chris Clark, Senior Manager at Synopsys Software Integrity Group, stated that “automotive manufacturers go to considerable efforts to hide next model year automobiles from prying eyes, and the same is true for data, especially R&D data.” In a competitive market like the automotive sector, protecting important assets like research data is very important.

Imran Javed Awan brings 9 years of experience in helping grassroots, mid-sized organizations and large institutions strengthen their management and resource-generating capacities and effectively plan for the future. He is also a mentor and professional advisor to artists working in all disciplines.

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Exclusive: U.S. spy agency probes sabotage of satellite internet during Russian invasion, sources say

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11 March (Reuters) According to three persons with direct knowledge of the situation, Western intelligence agencies are looking into a cyberattack by unidentified hackers that crippled broadband satellite internet connection in Ukraine at the same time as Russia’s incursion.

Analysts for the French government cybersecurity agency ANSSI, the Ukrainian intelligence service, and the U.S. National Security Agency are evaluating whether the remote sabotage of a satellite internet provider’s service was carried out by Russian-state-backed hackers attempting to cut off communications to prepare the battlefield.

On February 24, between 5 and 9 a.m., the digital blitz on the satellite service commenced as Russian forces entered Ukraine and began shooting missiles, impacting major Ukrainian cities including the capital, Kyiv.

According to a representative of the American telecommunications company Viasat, which controls the impacted network, satellite modems belonging to tens of thousands of users in Europe were taken offline as a result of the incident.

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Some clients across Europe, including Ukraine, have internet connectivity from Viasat Inc.’s KA-SAT satellite, which was blocked by the hackers. Some are still offline more than two weeks later, resellers told Reuters.

Due to Viasat’s role as a defense contractor for the United States and its allies, what seems to be one of the most serious wartime cyberattacks officially documented thus far has caught the attention of Western intelligence.

According to government contracts examined by Reuters, KA-SAT has given Ukrainian military and police forces internet connectivity.

According to Pablo Breuer, a former SOCOM technician for the United States, cutting off satellite internet connectivity could make it more difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against Russian forces.

“The range of conventional land-based radios is limited. You must rely on these satellites if you’re deploying contemporary smart systems, smart weapons, and trying to perform combined arms movements “Breuer remarked.

When contacted for comment, the Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond right away. Moscow has consistently denied claims that it takes part in cyberattacks.

In what the Kremlin refers to as a “de-Nazification” campaign, the Russian military has surrounded Ukrainian cities. The West has condemned this as an unprovoked attack and has imposed harsh penalties against Moscow as a result. View More

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Viasat claimed in a statement that a “deliberate, isolated and external cyber event” was to blame for the disruption for clients in Ukraine and elsewhere, but the company has not yet offered a thorough, open justification.

In an email, business representative Chris Phillips said, “The network has stabilized and we are restoring service and activating terminals as rapidly as possible.” He added that the company was giving priority to “essential infrastructure and humanitarian assistance.”

Managing director of the Czech telecoms firm INTV, Jaroslav Strategy, said that the impacted modems appeared to be fully inoperative. He claimed that normally, the SurfBeam 2 modems’ four status lights would show whether they were online or not. The lights on the Viasat-made equipment would not switch on at all following the attack.

The Viasat representative claimed that a bug in the satellite network’s “administration section” had given the hackers remote access to the modems, forcing them offline. He claimed that some of the impacted devices would need to be replaced and that the majority of them would need to be reprogrammed, either on-site or at a repair facility.

The Viasat representative declined to provide any information and was evasive when asked what the “management part” of the network meant. A Eutelsat subsidiary continues to run KA-SAT and its related ground stations, which Viasat acquired from the European firm Eutelsat last year.

Questions were forwarded to Viasat through Eutelsat.

According to two persons with knowledge of the situation, Viasat has hired the American cybersecurity company Mandiant to look into the infiltration. Mandiant specializes in finding state-sponsored hackers.

Mandiant, ANSSI, and the NSA’s spokespeople all declined to comment.

Government customers who directly purchased services from Viasat, according to the corporation, were unaffected by the outage. However, a third firm manages the KA-SAT network and contracts out service via a number of distributors.

According to contracts published on ProZorro, a Ukrainian transparency portal, the military and security services of Ukraine have purchased a number of various communications equipment that utilize the Viasat network during the previous few years.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

Some online vendors are still holding off on replacing their hardware.

The Czech telecom chief, Strategy, claimed Viasat was not at fault.

On the morning of the invasion, when he arrived at work, a monitor displayed regional satellite coverage in the Czech Republic, neighboring Slovakia, and Ukraine, all of which were highlighted in red.

“What happened was immediately evident,” he stated.

 

 

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Apple Patches iOS and macOS Against Newly Exploited WebKit Flaw

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As 2022 comes to a close, Apple is delivering its customers a significant series of security upgrades that fix hundreds of flaws in numerous products, including a zero-day vulnerability that iOS users are reportedly being exploited by hackers.

As many Apple fans should already be aware, the Cupertino-based corporation released an update to iPhone 8 and subsequent models in November that appeared to be trivial and irrelevant. Apple did not reveal the exact reason for the patch, merely stating that “information will be forthcoming soon.”

The advisory now includes a real CVE and a brief summary indicating that iOS 16.1.2 plugs a significant security hole that threat actors may have used.

The problem, identified as CVE-2022-42856, is in WebKit, the rendering engine that apps utilize to show web content on both iOS and macOS.

By using “maliciously constructed online content” to inject into the target device, a type of confusion flaw might be used by threat actors to execute arbitrary code, possibly malware, or steal data.

According to the alert, “Apple is aware of a report that this problem may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS published before iOS 15.1.”

Google’s Threat Analysis Group researcher Clément Lecigne is credited for finding the problem.

On previous generation devices including the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone SE, most current iPads, and even the seventh-generation iPod touch, iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2 fix this horrible zero-day vulnerability.

Users of Apple TV are also impacted, and tvOS 16.2 by Apple fixes the problem. In addition, standalone upgrades to Safari for macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey, as well as for macOS Ventura 13.1, fix the issue.

Numerous further security flaws in Apple’s devices are being fixed, and they are all detailed on this page.

iOS 16.2, a brand-new point update for iPhone and iPad owners, not only addresses security but also adds a number of new features and enhancements. Go to Settings -> General -> Software Upgrade and select Download and Install to update your iDevice.

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At long last, foreign investors can now invest in China’s VPN Market

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At long last, foreign investors can now invest in China’s VPN Market

In Beijing, the Chinese government finally declared that foreign companies can now invest in the ownership of their virtual private network services throughout the nation.

However, foreign investors are only permitted to purchase up to 50% of VPN businesses established in China. This restriction gives China the ability to maintain control over domestic goods that have been approved while providing a significant incentive for future investments.

Changes to investment caps on information services for various application stores, internet providers, and other topics are also covered by the policy update.

Everyone is shocked by this news because China has been fighting international VPNs for a very long time, preventing their entry into the nation, and imposing fines and punishments on users who disobeyed the banning laws. The only issue China had with VPNs was that they allowed users to bypass the Great Firewall and access foreign websites that were supposed to be blocked due to government censorship.

China will not relax its stringent control and internet access restrictions, despite the new measures the Chinese government has taken to attract international investment.

The state will continue to put pressure on foreign businesses to follow its rules.

What regulations have China put into place for incoming international investors?

The Chinese government’s first priority is to impose internet censorship. They took care to keep local servers running so that user data could be stored and made accessible to local law enforcement. They also informed the investors that users who appear to be employing a censorship bypass method may be blocked and reported.

China seeks to develop its many service businesses under this new program.

Additionally, the Chinese government is considering allowing access to their digital behemoths Tencent and Alibaba by expanding the search engine market on the Chinese internet.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China is currently creating precise laws and regulations that would compel all Chinese businesses to allow the appearance of their competitors’ websites in search engine results.

It would be an unprecedented move for the Chinese internet, one that would make dominating it harder than it has ever been if the Ministry of Industry moves forward with these new laws and regulations.

 

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