72-497: A global wave of cyberattacks and data breaches began in January 2021 after four zero-day exploits were discovered in on-premises Microsoft Exchange Servers , giving attackers full access to user emails and passwords on affected servers, administrator privileges on the server, and access to connected devices on the same network. Attackers typically install a backdoor that allows the attacker full access to impacted servers even if
144-426: A denial-of-service attack ) rather than integrity (modifying data) or confidentiality (copying data without changing it). State actors are more likely to keep the attack secret. Sophisticated attacks using valuable exploits are more less likely to be detected or announced – as the perpetrator wants to protect the usefulness of the exploit. Evidence collection is done immediately, prioritizing volatile evidence that
216-530: A malware scan which also detects installed web shells, and removes threats that were detected; this is recommended as a temporary mitigation measure, as it does not install other available updates. On 3 March 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive forcing government networks to update to a patched version of Exchange. On 8 March, CISA tweeted what NBC News described as an "unusually candid message" urging "ALL organizations across ALL sectors" to address
288-507: A Microsoft Exchange Server instance was observed by cybersecurity company Volexity on 6 January 2021. By the end of January, Volexity had observed a breach allowing attackers to spy on two of their customers, and alerted Microsoft to the vulnerability. After Microsoft was alerted of the breach, Volexity noted the hackers became less stealthy in anticipation of a patch. On 2 March 2021, another cybersecurity company, ESET , wrote that they were observing multiple attackers besides Hafnium exploiting
360-514: A breach are usually a negative externality for the business. Critical infrastructure is that considered most essential—such as healthcare, water supply, transport, and financial services—which has been increasingly governed by cyber-physical systems that depend on network access for their functionality. For years, writers have warned of cataclysmic consequences of cyberattacks that have failed to materialize as of 2023 . These extreme scenarios could still occur, but many experts consider that it
432-465: A compelling interest in finding out whether a state is behind the attack. Unlike attacks carried out in person, determining the entity behind a cyberattack is difficult. A further challenge in attribution of cyberattacks is the possibility of a false flag attack , where the actual perpetrator makes it appear that someone else caused the attack. Every stage of the attack may leave artifacts , such as entries in log files, that can be used to help determine
504-885: A cyberattack. Hafnium (group) Hafnium (sometimes styled HAFNIUM ; also called Silk Typhoon by Microsoft ) is a cyber espionage group, sometimes known as an advanced persistent threat , with alleged ties to the Chinese government . Hafnium is closely connected to APT40 . Microsoft named Hafnium as the group responsible for the 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server data breach , and alleged they were "state-sponsored and operating out of China". According to Microsoft, they are based in China but primarily use United States–based virtual private servers , and have targeted "infectious disease researchers, law firms, higher education institutions, defense contractors, policy think tanks and NGOs". In July 2021, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said
576-484: A data breach, criminals make money by selling data, such as usernames, passwords, social media or customer loyalty account information, debit and credit card numbers, and personal health information (see medical data breach ). This information may be used for a variety of purposes, such as spamming , obtaining products with a victim's loyalty or payment information, prescription drug fraud , insurance fraud , and especially identity theft . Consumer losses from
648-441: A form of warfare are likely to violate the prohibition of aggression. Therefore, they could be prosecuted as a crime of aggression . There is also agreement that cyberattacks are governed by international humanitarian law , and if they target civilian infrastructure, they could be prosecuted as a war crime , crime against humanity , or act of genocide . International courts cannot enforce these laws without sound attribution of
720-644: A hacker is an individual working for themself. However, many cyber threats are teams of well-resourced experts. "Growing revenues for cyber criminals are leading to more and more attacks, increasing professionalism and highly specialized attackers. In addition, unlike other forms of crime, cybercrime can be carried out remotely, and cyber attacks often scale well." Many cyberattacks are caused or enabled by insiders, often employees who bypass security procedures to get their job done more efficiently. Attackers vary widely in their skill and sophistication and well as their determination to attack
792-429: A huge increase in hacked and breached data. The worldwide information security market is forecast to reach $ 170.4 billion in 2022. Over time, computer systems make up an increasing portion of daily life and interactions. While the increasing complexity and connectedness of the systems increases the efficiency, power, and convenience of computer technology, it also renders the systems more vulnerable to attack and worsens
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#1732845594566864-741: A particular target, as opposed to opportunistically picking one easy to attack. The skill level of the attacker determined which types of attacks they are prepared to mount. The most sophisticated attackers can persist undetected on a hardened system for an extended period of time. Motivations and aims also differ. Depending whether the expected threat is passive espionage, data manipulation, or active hijacking, different mitigation methods may be needed. Software vendors and governments are mainly interested in undisclosed vulnerabilities ( zero-days ), while organized crime groups are more interested in ready-to-use exploit kits based on known vulnerabilities, which are much cheaper. The lack of transparency in
936-417: A robust patching system to ensure that all devices are kept up to date. There is little evidence about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different cyberattack prevention measures. Although attention to security can reduce the risk of attack, achieving perfect security for a complex system is impossible, and many security measures have unacceptable cost or usability downsides. For example, reducing
1008-418: A service , where hackers sell prepacked software that can be used to cause a cyberattack, is increasingly popular as a lower risk and higher profit activity than traditional hacking. A major form of this is to create a botnet of compromised devices and rent or sell it to another cybercriminal. Different botnets are equipped for different tasks such as DDOS attacks or password cracking. It is also possible to buy
1080-515: A suspicious link or email attachment), especially those that depend on user error. However, too many rules can cause employees to disregard them, negating any security improvement. Some insider attacks can also be prevented using rules and procedures. Technical solutions can prevent many causes of human error that leave data vulnerable to attackers, such as encrypting all sensitive data, preventing employees from using insecure passwords, installing antivirus software to prevent malware, and implementing
1152-419: A system, exploit them and create malware to carry out their goals, and deliver it to the targeted system. Once installed, the malware can have a variety of effects depending on its purpose. Detection of cyberattacks is often absent or delayed, especially when the malware attempts to spy on the system while remaining undiscovered. If it is discovered, the targeted organization may attempt to collect evidence about
1224-426: Is an effective way to limit the damage. The response is likely to require a wide variety of skills, from technical investigation to legal and public relations. Because of the prevalence of cyberattacks, some companies plan their incident response before any attack is detected, and may designate a computer emergency response team to be prepared to handle incidents. Many attacks are never detected. Of those that are,
1296-403: Is closely connected to APT40 . Hafnium was linked to the creation of Tarrask, a defense evasion malware used on previous attacks. The malware was used on telecommunications, Internet service providers, and data service companies from August 2021 to February 2022. The malware uses scheduled task abuse to hide payloads delivered to servers. In March 2021, it was reported the group had access to
1368-477: Is email server software, and, according to Microsoft, it provides "a unique environment that could allow attackers to perform various tasks using the same built-in tools or scripts that admins use for maintenance." In the past, Microsoft Exchange has been attacked by multiple nation-state groups. On 5 January 2021, security testing company DEVCORE made the earliest known report of the vulnerability to Microsoft, which Microsoft verified on 8 January. The first breach of
1440-501: Is fully patched. Nevertheless, fully patched systems are still vulnerable to exploits using zero-day vulnerabilities . The highest risk of attack occurs just after a vulnerability has been publicly disclosed or a patch is released, because attackers can create exploits faster than a patch can be developed and rolled out. Software solutions aim to prevent unauthorized access and detect the intrusion of malicious software. Training users can avoid cyberattacks (for example, not to click on
1512-414: Is installed, its activity varies greatly depending on the attacker's goals. Many attackers try to eavesdrop on a system without affecting it. Although this type of malware can have unexpected side effects , it is often very difficult to detect. Botnets are networks of compromised devices that can be used to send spam or carry out denial-of-service attacks—flooding a system with too many requests for
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#17328455945661584-450: Is less important for some web-based services, it can be the most crucial aspect for industrial systems. In the first six months of 2017, two billion data records were stolen or impacted by cyber attacks, and ransomware payments reached US$ 2 billion , double that in 2016. In 2020, with the increase of remote work as an effect of the COVID-19 global pandemic, cybersecurity statistics reveal
1656-422: Is likely to be erased quickly. Gathering data about the breach can facilitate later litigation or criminal prosecution, but only if the data is gathered according to legal standards and the chain of custody is maintained. Containing the affected system is often a high priority after an attack, and may be enacted by shutoff, isolation, use of a sandbox system to find out more about the adversary patching
1728-427: Is not legally liable for the cost if a vulnerability is used in an attack, which creates an incentive to make cheaper but less secure software. Vulnerabilities vary in their ability to be exploited by malicious actors. The most valuable allow the attacker to inject and run their own code (called malware ), without the user being aware of it. Without a vulnerability enabling access, the attacker cannot gain access to
1800-624: Is the detection of systems vulnerable to attack and hardening these systems to make attacks more difficult, but it is only partially effective. Formal risk assessment for compromise of highly complex and interconnected systems is impractical and the related question of how much to spend on security is difficult to answer. Because of the ever changing and uncertain nature of cyber-threats, risk assessment may produce scenarios that are costly or unaffordable to mitigate. As of 2019 , there are no commercially available, widely used active defense systems for protecting systems by intentionally increasing
1872-421: Is the main factor that causes vulnerability to cyberattacks, since virtually all computer systems have bugs that can be exploited by attackers. Although it is impossible or impractical to create a perfectly secure system, there are many defense mechanisms that can make a system more difficult to attack. Perpetrators of a cyberattack can be criminals, hacktivists , or states. They attempt to find weaknesses in
1944-712: Is unlikely that challenges in inflicting physical damage or spreading terror can be overcome. Smaller-scale cyberattacks, sometimes resulting in interruption of essential services, regularly occur. There is little empirical evidence of economic harm (such as reputational damage ) from breaches except the direct cost for such matters as legal, technical, and public relations recovery efforts. Studies that have attempted to correlate cyberattacks to short-term declines in stock prices have found contradictory results, with some finding modest losses, others finding no effect, and some researchers criticizing these studies on methodological grounds. The effect on stock price may vary depending on
2016-480: The CERT Coordination Center 's Will Dormann said the "exploit is completely out of the bag by now" in response. The attacks came shortly after the 2020 United States federal government data breach , which also saw the compromising of Microsoft's Outlook web app and supply chain . Microsoft said there was no connection between the two incidents. Microsoft said that the attack was initially perpetrated by
2088-646: The Hafnium , a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group ( advanced persistent threat ) that operates out of China. Hafnium is known to install the web shell China Chopper . Microsoft identified Hafnium as "a highly skilled and sophisticated actor" that historically has mostly targeted "entities in the United States for the purpose of exfiltrating information from a number of industry sectors, including infectious disease researchers, law firms, higher education institutions, defense contractors, policy think tanks and NGOs." Announcing
2160-489: The Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) publicly posted an out-of-band Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) release, urging its clients to patch their Exchange servers to address a number of critical vulnerabilities . On 15 March, Microsoft released a one-click PowerShell tool, The Exchange On-Premises Mitigation Tool, which installs the specific updates protecting against the threat, runs
2232-597: The United States as being the most attacked country with 17% of all exploit attempts, followed by Germany with 6%, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands both at 5%, and Russia with 4% of all exploits; government / military is the most targeted sector with 23% of exploit attempts, followed by manufacturing at 15%, banking and financial services at 14%, software vendors with 7% and healthcare at 6%. The attack
2021 Microsoft Exchange Server data breach - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-487: The Microsoft Exchange exploits. Advanced Intel detected one of Acer's Microsoft Exchange servers first being targeted on 5 March 2021. REvil has demanded a $ 50 million U.S. dollar ransom, claiming if this is paid they would "provide a decryptor, a vulnerability report, and the deletion of stolen files", and stating that the ransom would double to $ 100 million U.S. dollars if not paid on 28 March 2021. On 2 March 2021,
2376-966: The accusations "groundless." In a July 19, 2021 joint statement, the US , UK , EU , NATO , and other Western nations accused the Ministry of State Security (MSS) of perpetrating the Exchange breach, along with other cyberattacks, "attributing with a high degree of confidence that malicious cyber actors affiliated with PRC’s MSS conducted cyber espionage operations utilizing the zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server disclosed in early March 2021." Hackers took advantage of four separate zero-day vulnerabilities to compromise Microsoft Exchange servers' Outlook Web Access (OWA), giving them access to victims' entire servers and networks as well as to emails and calendar invitations, only at first requiring
2448-399: The actions observed are the downloading of all emails from servers, downloading the passwords and email addresses of users as Microsoft Exchange stores these unencrypted in memory , adding users, adding further backdoors to affected systems, accessing other systems in the network that are unsusceptible to the original exploit, and installing ransomware . As patching the Exchange server against
2520-423: The address of the server, which can be directly targeted or obtained by mass-scanning for vulnerable servers; the attacker then uses two exploits, the first allowing an attacker to connect to the server and falsely authenticate as a standard user. With that, a second vulnerability can then be exploited, escalating that user access to administrator privileges . The final two exploits allow attackers to upload code to
2592-415: The attack as they are more likely to not have received updates to patch the exploit. Rural victims are noted to be "largely on their own", as they are typically without access to IT service providers. On 11 March 2021, Check Point Research revealed that in the prior 24 hours "the number of exploitation attempts on organizations it tracks tripled every two to three hours." Check Point Research has observed
2664-399: The attack had been performed by "Chinese state-backed groups" linked to the Ministry of State Security (MSS). The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the 2021 Microsoft breach. The name "Hafnium" was assigned to the group by Microsoft, which publicly disclosed the group's activity on March 2, 2021. Microsoft described the group as "highly skilled and sophisticated". Hafnium
2736-538: The attack, later stating in a press release that the scope of impact on its systems was "limited" and that "the confidentiality of the EBA systems and data has not been compromised". Security company ESET identified "at least 10" advanced persistent threat groups compromising IT, cybersecurity, energy, software development, public utility , real estate, telecommunications and engineering businesses, as well as Middle Eastern and South American governmental agencies. One APT group
2808-729: The attack, remove malware from its systems, and close the vulnerability that enabled the attack. Cyberattacks can cause a variety of harms to targeted individuals, organizations, and governments, including significant financial losses and identity theft . They are usually illegal both as a method of crime and warfare , although correctly attributing the attack is difficult and perpetrators are rarely prosecuted. A cyberattack can be defined as any attempt by an individual or organization "using one or more computers and computer systems to steal, expose, change, disable or eliminate information, or to breach computer information systems, computer networks, and computer infrastructures". Definitions differ as to
2880-522: The attack, without which countermeasures by a state are not legal either. In many countries, cyberattacks are prosecutable under various laws aimed at cybercrime . Attribution of the attack beyond reasonable doubt to the accused is also a major challenge in criminal proceedings. In 2021, United Nations member states began negotiating a draft cybercrime treaty . Many jurisdictions have data breach notification laws that require organizations to notify people whose personal data has been compromised in
2952-441: The attacker's goals and identity. In the aftermath of an attack, investigators often begin by saving as many artifacts as they can find, and then try to determine the attacker. Law enforcement agencies may investigate cyber incidents although the hackers responsible are rarely caught. Most states agree that cyberattacks are regulated under the laws governing the use of force in international law , and therefore cyberattacks as
2021 Microsoft Exchange Server data breach - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-422: The average time to discovery is 197 days. Some systems can detect and flag anomalies that may indicate an attack, using such technology as antivirus , firewall , or an intrusion detection system . Once suspicious activity is suspected, investigators look for indicators of attack and indicators of compromise . Discovery is quicker and more likely if the attack targets information availability (for example with
3096-401: The company's contractual obligations. After the breach is fully contained, the company can then work on restoring all systems to operational. Maintaining a backup and having tested incident response procedures are used to improve recovery. Attributing a cyberattack is difficult, and of limited interest to companies that are targeted by cyberattacks. In contrast, secret services often have
3168-404: The complexity and functionality of the system is effective at reducing the attack surface . Disconnecting systems from the internet is one truly effective measure against attacks, but it is rarely feasible. In some jurisdictions, there are legal requirements for protecting against attacks. The cyber kill chain is the process by which perpetrators carry out cyberattacks. After the malware
3240-402: The complexity or variability of systems to make it harder to attack. The cyber resilience approach, on the other hand, assumes that breaches will occur and focuses on protecting essential functionality even if parts are compromised, using approaches such as micro-segmentation , zero trust , and business continuity planning . The majority of attacks can be prevented by ensuring all software
3312-491: The condemnation with any form of sanctions. According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki , the administration is not ruling out future consequences for China. Cyberattack A cyberattack (or cyber attack) occurs when there is an unauthorized action against computer infrastructure that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content. The rising dependence on increasingly complex and interconnected computer systems in most domains of life
3384-468: The consequences of an attack, should one occur. Despite developers' goal of delivering a product that works entirely as intended, virtually all software and hardware contains bugs. If a bug creates a security risk, it is called a vulnerability . Patches are often released to fix identified vulnerabilities, but those that remain unknown ( zero days ) as well as those that have not been patched are still liable for exploitation. The software vendor
3456-424: The discovery of "a new family of ransomware " being deployed to servers initially infected, encrypting all files, making the server inoperable and demanding payment to reverse the damage. On 22 March 2021, Microsoft announced that in 92% of Exchange servers the exploit has been either patched or mitigated. Microsoft Exchange is considered a high-value target for hackers looking to penetrate business networks, as it
3528-409: The existing software and server-setup; as smaller organizations often operate under a smaller budget to do this in-house or otherwise outsource this to local IT providers without expertise in cybersecurity, this is often not done until it becomes a necessity, if ever. This means small and medium businesses, and local institutions such as schools and local governments are known to be the primary victims of
3600-401: The exploit does not retroactively remove installed backdoors, attackers continue to have access to the server until the web shell, other backdoors and user accounts added by attackers are removed. On 27 and 28 February 2021, there was an automated attack, and on 2 and 3 March 2021, attackers used a script to return to the addresses to drop a web shell to enable them to return later. Referring to
3672-523: The exploit works, totaling 169 lines of code; the program was intentionally written with errors so that while security researchers could understand how the exploit works, malicious actors would not be able to use the code to access servers. Later that day, GitHub removed the code as it "contains proof of concept code for a recently disclosed vulnerability that is being actively exploited". On 13 March, another group independently published exploit code, with this code instead requiring minimal modification to work;
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#17328455945663744-445: The exploit; this does not retroactively undo damage or remove any backdoors installed by attackers. Small and medium businesses, local institutions, and local governments are known to be the primary victims of the attack, as they often have smaller budgets to secure against cyber threats and typically outsource IT services to local providers that do not have the expertise to deal with cyber attacks. On 12 March 2021, Microsoft announced
3816-405: The hack, Microsoft stated that this was "the eighth time in the past 12 months that Microsoft has publicly disclosed nation-state groups targeting institutions critical to civil society." As of 12 March 2021, there were, in addition to Hafnium, at least nine other distinct groups exploiting the vulnerabilities, each different styles and procedures. The Chinese government denied involvement, calling
3888-470: The market causes problems, such as buyers being unable to guarantee that the zero-day vulnerability was not sold to another party. Both buyers and sellers advertise on the dark web and use cryptocurrency for untraceable transactions. Because of the difficulty in writing and maintaining software that can attack a wide variety of systems, criminals found they could make more money by renting out their exploits rather than using them directly. Cybercrime as
3960-642: The negative effects of cyberattacks helps organizations ensure that their prevention strategies are cost-effective. One paper classifies the harm caused by cyberattacks in several domains: Thousands of data records are stolen from individuals every day. According to a 2020 estimate, 55 percent of data breaches were caused by organized crime , 10 percent by system administrators , 10 percent by end users such as customers or employees, and 10 percent by states or state-affiliated actors. Opportunistic criminals may cause data breaches—often using malware or social engineering attacks , but they will typically move on if
4032-490: The security is above average. More organized criminals have more resources and are more focused in their targeting of particular data . Both of them sell the information they obtain for financial gain. Another source of data breaches are politically motivated hackers , for example Anonymous , that target particular objectives. State-sponsored hackers target either citizens of their country or foreign entities, for such purposes as political repression and espionage . After
4104-427: The server in any location they wish, that automatically runs with these administrator privileges. Attackers then typically use this to install a web shell , providing a backdoor to the compromised server, which gives hackers continued access to the server as long as both the web shell remains active and the Exchange server remains on. Through the web shell installed by attackers, commands can be run remotely. Among
4176-724: The server is later updated to no longer be vulnerable to the original exploits. As of 9 March 2021, it was estimated that 250,000 servers fell victim to the attacks, including servers belonging to around 30,000 organizations in the United States, 7,000 servers in the United Kingdom, as well as the European Banking Authority , the Norwegian Parliament , and Chile's Commission for the Financial Market (CMF). On 2 March 2021, Microsoft released updates for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 to patch
4248-555: The servers that had been initially infected, encrypting device contents, making servers unusable and demanding payment to recover files. Microsoft stated: "There is no guarantee that paying the ransom will give you access to your files." On 18 March 2021, an affiliate of ransomware cybergang REvil claimed they had stolen unencrypted data from Taiwanese hardware and electronics corporation Acer , including an undisclosed number of devices being encrypted, with cybersecurity firm Advanced Intel linking this data breach and ransomware attack to
4320-660: The software used to create a botnet and bots that load the purchaser's malware onto a botnet's devices. DDOS as a service using botnets retained under the control of the seller is also common, and may be the first cybercrime as a service product, and can also be committed by SMS flooding on the cellular network. Malware and ransomware as a service have made it possible for individuals without technical ability to carry out cyberattacks. Targets of cyberattacks range from individuals to corporations and government entities. Many cyberattacks are foiled or unsuccessful, but those that succeed can have devastating consequences. Understanding
4392-431: The system to handle at once, causing it to become unusable. Attackers may also use computers to mine cryptocurrencies , such as Bitcoin , for their own profit. Ransomware is software used to encrypt or destroy data; attackers demand payment for the restoration of the targeted system. The advent of cryptocurrency enabling anonymous transactions has led to a dramatic increase in ransomware demands. The stereotype of
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#17328455945664464-442: The system. The Vulnerability Model (VM) identifies attack patterns, threats, and valuable assets, which can be physical or intangible. It addresses security concerns like confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability within business, application, or infrastructure contexts. A system's architecture and design decisions play a major role in determining how safe it can be. The traditional approach to improving security
4536-487: The task force and will provide them with classified information as deemed necessary. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the U.S. is not yet in a position to attribute blame for the attacks. In July 2021, the Biden administration, along with a coalition of Western allies, formally blamed China for the cyber attack. The administration highlighted the ongoing threat of from Chinese hackers, but did not accompany
4608-451: The type of attack. Some experts have argued that the evidence suggests there is not enough direct costs or reputational damage from breaches to sufficiently incentivize their prevention. Government websites and services are among those affected by cyberattacks. Some experts hypothesize that cyberattacks weaken societal trust or trust in the government, but as of 2023 this notion has only limited evidence. Responding quickly to attacks
4680-480: The type of compromise required – for example, requiring the system to produce unexpected responses or cause injury or property damage. Some definitions exclude attacks carried out by non-state actors and others require the target to be a state. Keeping a system secure relies on maintaining the CIA triad : confidentiality (no unauthorized access), integrity (no unauthorized modification), and availability. Although availability
4752-552: The vulnerabilities to spy on a wide range of targets, affecting an estimated 250,000 servers. Tom Burt, Microsoft's vice president for Customer Security & Trust, wrote that targets had included disease researchers, law offices, universities, defense contractors, non-governmental organizations , and think tanks . Automatic updates are typically disabled by server administrators to avoid disruption from downtime and problems in software, and are by convention installed manually by server administrators after these updates are tested with
4824-561: The vulnerabilities. Other official bodies expressing concerns included the White House , Norway's National Security Authority and the Czech Republic's Office for Cyber and Information Security. On 7 March 2021, CNN reported that the Biden administration was expected to form a task force to address the breach; the Biden administration has invited private-sector organizations to participate in
4896-463: The vulnerabilities. Wired reported on 10 March that now that the vulnerability had been patched, many more attackers were going to reverse engineer the fix to exploit still-vulnerable servers. Analysts at two security firms reported they had begun to see evidence that attackers were preparing to run cryptomining software on the servers. On 10 March 2021, security researcher Nguyen Jang posted proof-of-concept code to Microsoft-owned GitHub on how
4968-606: The vulnerability, and rebuilding . Once the exact way that the system was compromised is identified, there is typically only one or two technical vulnerabilities that need to be addressed in order to contain the breach and prevent it from reoccurring. A penetration test can then verify that the fix is working as expected. If malware is involved, the organization must investigate and close all infiltration and exfiltration vectors, as well as locate and remove all malware from its systems. Containment can compromise investigation, and some tactics (such as shutting down servers) can violate
5040-562: The week ending 7 March, CrowdStrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch stated: "Every possible victim that hadn't patched by mid-to-end of last week has already been hit by at least one or several actors". After the patch was announced, the tactics changed when using the same chain of vulnerabilities. Microsoft Exchange Server versions of 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 were confirmed to be susceptible, although vulnerable editions are yet to be fully determined. Cloud-based services Exchange Online and Office 365 are not affected. Hackers have exploited
5112-573: Was discovered after attackers were discovered downloading all emails belonging to specific users on separate corporate Exchange servers. An undisclosed Washington think tank reported attackers sending convincing emails to contacts in a social engineering attack that encouraged recipients to click on a link. On 11 March 2021, Norway's parliament, the Storting , reported being a victim of the hack, stating that "data has been extracted." The European Banking Authority also reported that it had been targeted in
5184-484: Was identified deploying PowerShell downloaders, using affected servers for cryptocurrency mining. Cybereason CEO Lior Div noted that APT group Hafnium "targeted small and medium-sized enterprises ... The assault against Microsoft Exchange is 1,000 times more devastating than the SolarWinds attack ." On 12 March 2021, Microsoft Security Intelligence announced "a new family of ransomware " called DearCry being deployed to
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