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New 5G modem flaws and Apple’s data breach report

Dan Virgillito
December 11, 2023 by
Dan Virgillito

New 5G flaw impacts various devices from major smartphone brands, Apple-backed report states 2.6 billion records were exposed in two years, and the U.S. Senator’s mobile notification warning. Catch all this and more in this week’s edition of Cybersecurity Weekly.

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1. New 5Ghoul flaw impacts hundreds of 5G devices from major brands

Researchers from Singapore University of Technology and Design have identified 14 security flaws in 5G modems. Named '5Ghoul', these vulnerabilities can disrupt or downgrade 5G connections on Android and iOS devices. Nearly 714 smartphones from 24 brands are at risk, including those from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Huawei. While Qualcomm and MediaTek have released patches for 12 of the 14 vulnerabilities, the remaining two flaws have been withheld under further notice.

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2. Apple-backed study says 2.6 billion personal records leaked in 2 years

An Apple-backed data breach research found that hackers stole 2.6 billion records between 2021 and 2022. There was also a 20% increase in breaches in early 2023 compared to the previous year. It's believed that attacks on third-party vendors and sophisticated ransomware attacks are key factors for the increasing scope of breaches. The report stresses the growing need for robust cloud security, with Apple advocating for stronger encryption like the one it offers in Advanced Data Protection for iCloud.

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3. U.S. Senator warns foreign governments are spying via mobile push notifications

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has warned of foreign govt agencies using iOS and Android phone notifications to spy on users. Wyden's office was tipped off last year about foreign agencies demanding push alert records from these tech giants. Since these notifications go through Apple and Google's servers, Wyden fears they could be used for surveillance. He's urged the Justice Department to allow more transparency from these companies regarding such government demands.

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4. Hackers breach federal agency servers using Adobe ColdFusion exploit

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a warning about ongoing hacker attacks exploiting a critical Adobe ColdFusion vulnerability. Identified as CVE-2023-26360, this flaw enables hackers to execute arbitrary code. In one instance, threat actors used the vulnerability to deploy a remote access trojan and attempted to steal sensitive information. CISA advises agencies to upgrade to the latest ColdFusion versions and implement security measures like network segmentation to mitigate risks.

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5. New Autospill flaw puts Android password managers at risk

Security researchers have developed a new attack method for stealing Android account credentials during autofill operations. Revealed at the Black Hat Europe security conference, the ‘AutoSpill” method targets password managers that use Android's WebView framework to render web content like login pages within apps. This vulnerability allows AutoSpill to capture autofilled credentials without requiring JavaScript injection. The researchers tested this method against popular password managers on Android and found that many, including 1Password and LastPass, were susceptible to the attack.

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Dan Virgillito
Dan Virgillito

Dan Virgillito is a blogger and content strategist with experience in cyber security, social media and tech news.