TMX loan data breach, Italy bans ChatGPT and WordPress Elementor Pro exploit
High-cost lender TMX announces data breach affecting millions of customers, hackers actively exploit vulnerability in the Elementor Pro WordPress plugin and Italy’s ChatGPT ban. Catch all this and more in this week’s edition of Cybersecurity Weekly.
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1. Consumer lender TMX discloses data breach, nearly 5 million customers affected
High-cost lender TMX Finance and its affiliates announced they suffered a data breach that affects around 5 million customers. The breach was traced back to early December 2022, but was only discovered in February 2023. The hackers reportedly stole personal information, including passport and social security numbers. TMX Finance is offering affected customers credit monitoring and identity protection services. The incident highlights the ongoing threat of cyberattacks for companies handling sensitive information.
2. Hackers exploit bug in the popular Elementor Pro WordPress plugin
Hackers are exploiting a vulnerability in the popular Elementor Pro WordPress plugin, used by over 11 million websites. The flaw, discovered on March 18, 2023, impacts version 3.11.6 and all previous versions, allowing authenticated users to change site settings and perform a complete site takeover. Security firm PatchStack reveals that adversaries exploit the bug to redirect visitors to malicious domains or upload backdoors to the breached site. Users should upgrade to version 3.11.7 or above as a safety measure.
3. Italy bans ChatGPT, citing privacy concerns
Italy has banned and launched an investigation into OpenAI's ChatGPT over privacy concerns, making it the first Western country to block the advanced chatbot. The model, backed by Microsoft, has millions of users and can answer questions in natural, human-like language using the internet as its database. There have been concerns over AI's potential risks, including spreading misinformation and bias. OpenAI said it was committed to protecting people's privacy and looked forward to making ChatGPT available in Italy again soon.
4. New AlienFox malware spoofs credentials of 18 cloud services
Hackers are using the "AlienFox" modular toolkit to compromise the email and web hosting services of 18 companies, according to SentinelLabs researchers. The adaptable toolkit extracts sensitive information, such as API keys and secrets, from configuration files of service providers like Office365, AWS, and Google Workspace. AlienFox scripts are distributed mainly via Telegram and open-source repositories, leading to constant adaptation and variation in the wild. Researchers have uncovered two versions of the tools, with version 3.x containing the script Lar.py, which automates the extraction of keys and secrets from a compromised web application framework called Laravel.
5. Misconfigured Microsoft app leads to the hijacking of Bing search results
A misconfigured Microsoft application allowed unauthorized users to log in and modify Bing search results in real-time. Wiz Research discovered the issue, dubbed "BingBang," and reported it to Microsoft on January 31, 2023. The attack affected multi-tenant apps that had been misconfigured, which accounted for around 25% of scanned apps. In addition to the Bing.com modification, attackers could use an XSS attack to potentially compromise the accounts of Office 365 users. Microsoft confirmed the fix on March 28, 2023, and Wiz Research was awarded a bug bounty of $40,000.
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In this Series
- TMX loan data breach, Italy bans ChatGPT and WordPress Elementor Pro exploit
- Canada Flipper Zero ban and new RustDoor macOS malware
- AnyDesk hack and iPhone patched kernel flaw
- Tesla Pwn2Own hacks and iOS push alerts abuse
- TeamViewer breach and Atlassian Jira outage
- Moscow ISP revenge hack and Microsoft Sharepoint bug warning
- X verified accounts hack and SpectralBlur macOS malware
- CISA default password alert and SOHO KV-botnet campaign
- New 5G modem flaws and Apple’s data breach report
- Staples cyberattack, Agent Racoon backdoor and other news
- British Library ransomware attack, Windows fingerprint authentication bypass
- Samsung UK data breach and ransomware actor’s SEC complaint
- ICBC ransomware attack and ChatGPT outage
- Boeing Lockbit ransomware attack, Apple’s vulnerability and WhatsApp mods spyware
- Octo Tempest hacking group and new iLeakage attack
- Okta support system breach and Google Ads fake KeePass campaign
- Skype DarkGate malware, Shadow PC breach and AvosLocker ransomware warning
- 23andMe data theft, MGM’s $100M ransomware loss and the Azure VM breach
- Malicious Bing Chat ads and FBI’s dual ransomware warning
- T-Mobile app glitch and fake Booking.com pages
- Airbus data leak, Cisco Webex ad malware and €345 million TikTok fine
- New Apple iMessage exploit and CISA’s Apache RocketMQ warning
- Forever 21 data breach and Android BadBazaar espionage
- Duolingo data leak and the Met Police IT hack
- Discord.io data breach and Ivanti Avalanche vulnerabilities
- UK Electoral Commission hack and Microsoft’s role in China email breach
- Salesforce email zero-day exploit and Microsoft Power Platform criticism
- Airlines disclose pilot data breach and the Microsoft Teams bug
- GravityRAT Android Trojan and new MOVEit Transfer flaw
- University of Manchester hack and Honda API flaws
- MOVEit zero-day exploit and the U.S. iPhone hack accusation
- Daam Android virus and Barracuda zero-day flaw
- TP-Link router exploit and 18-year-old charged with hacking DraftKings accounts
- Discord support hack and Toyota location data leak
- Twitter private tweets bug and Cisco phone router vulnerabilities
- Cisco XSS zero-day flaw and PaperCut vulnerabilities
- 3CX hackers hit critical infrastructure and secondhand routers cause security concerns
- Hyundai data breach and Microsoft’s warning to accountants
- Western Digital cloud breach and the MSI ransomware hack
- ChatGPT data leak and Gmail message theft by North Korean hackers
- U.S. federal agency hack and the return of FakeCalls Android malware
- Massive AT&T data breach and fake jobs targeting security researchers
- U.S. Marshals service breach and TPM 2.0 security flaws
- Dangerous ChatGPT apps and food giant Dole ransomware attack
- GoDaddy malware installations, record-breaking DDoS attack and the new WhiskerSpy malware
- Reddit’s employees phished, healthcare firms targeted and the new Screenshotter malware
- JD Sports data breached, VMware ESXi servers attacked and the HeadCrab malware
- Yandex source code leaked, 4500+ WordPress sites hacked and the new SwiftSlicer malware
- PayPal accounts breached, Fortinet VPN flaw exploited, and the new Hook malware
- Twitter users’ emails leaked, ChatGPT used to write malware and Slack’s repository breach
- Uber data leaked, 48 DDoS-for-hire domains seized and Facebook posts phishing attack
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