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InfoSec News Nuggets 10/30/2024

Meta is reportedly working on its own AI-powered search engine, too

Meta is working on an AI-powered search engine to decrease its dependence on Google and Microsoft, according to a report from The Information. The search engine would reportedly provide AI-generated search summaries of current events within the Meta AI chatbot. The Meta AI bot built into Instagram and Facebook currently uses Google — whose parent company, Alphabet, will report quarterly earnings tomorrow — and Microsoft Bing to answer questions about recent news and events.

 

Wanted. Top infosec pros willing to defend Britain on shabby salaries

While the wages paid by governments seldom match those available in the private sector, it appears that the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency is a long way short of being competitive in its quest for talent. In a recent job advert, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) sought a lead cyber security expert and advertised annual pay of £41,935 ($54,408). It’s also looking for a senior cyber security expert willing to sign up for £50,937 ($66,085). The role is in the National Cyber Security Centre, based in the UK capital, so there’s an additional £6,250 ($8,109) London Allowance, and the possibility of a small “skills payment.”

 

Free ISP announces data breach, millions of users possibly affected

One of the biggest internet service providers (ISP) in France has confirmed suffering a cyberattack that saw it lose sensitive customer data. A threat actor alias “drusselx” opened a new thread on the infamous Breach forums, advertising a major database for sale, claiming it contains data on 19.2 million Free customers, and holds more than 5.11 million IBAN numbers. An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is a unique identifier for bank accounts used in international transactions to ensure accuracy and streamline cross-border payments. 

 

Admins better Spring into action over latest critical open source vuln

If you’re running an application built using the Spring development framework, now is a good time to check it’s fully updated – a new, critical-severity vulnerability has just been disclosed. Tracked as CVE-2024-38821, the vulnerability affects apps developed using Spring WebFlux only, and when exploited can lead to security rules being bypassed. An application is only considered vulnerable to CVE-2024-38821, in this case, if WebFlux is used, if the app is using the framework’s static resources support, and a non-permitAll authorization rule is applied to that support. All conditions must be met in order for an app to be considered vulnerable.

 

How a series of opsec failures led US authorities to the alleged developer of the Redline password-stealing malware

U.S. prosecutors have charged Russian national Maxim Rudometov over his alleged involvement in developing and distributing the notorious Redline password-stealing malware. The charges were announced as part of “Operation Magnus,” first unveiled by the Dutch National Police on Monday. This years-in-the-making operation saw international law enforcement agencies dismantle the infrastructure of Redline and Meta, two prolific malware strains that have been used to steal sensitive information from millions of people.

 

Colorado Secretary of State posted spreadsheet with voting system passwords

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office inadvertently posted a spreadsheet to its website with a hidden tab that included voting system passwords. In a statement to 9NEWS, a spokesperson for the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said that “the Department is working to remedy this situation where necessary.” “The Department took immediate action as soon as it was aware of this and informed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which closely monitors and protects the county’s essential security infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.

 

Beijing claims it’s found ‘underwater lighthouses’ that its foes use for espionage

China has accused unnamed foreign entities of using devices hidden in the seabed and bobbing on the waves to learn its maritime secrets. The nation’s Ministry of State Security made the allegation in a Tuesday post to its WeChat account claiming authorities seized a variety of devices from the sea floor. The ministry alleged some of the devices acted as “secret sentinels” that operated for lengthy but unspecified periods for the purpose of “covertly collecting marine hydrological information and data on the activities of various ships around them and serving the preset of the battlefield environment.” The ministry further alleged it found drifting devices.

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