BACKGROUND
 
BruCERT has recently received a number of reports on a scam called “MARISEWABANK”. The scammer contacts victims via SMS containing a WhatsApp link. Once the link is clicked, the victim would be lured into online gambling by promising a profit of 100% to 350% depending on the bank that the victim deposits their money into. The victim will then be asked for their personal and banking details, namely:
•    Bank 
•    Name of account holder 
•    Account number 
•    Online banking username & password 

BACKGROUND

BruCERT has received several complaints recently about a tele-survey phone scam allegedly from a company named Prolific, asking people for their personal email address purportedly to send a survey through email. However, the real purpose is to collect sensitive and personal information.

MODUS OPERANDI

BACKGROUND
 
According to a study, 91% of cyber-attacks start with an email. Scammers hack email accounts so that they can send messages from a trusted email address in hopes of getting the recipients to take action. Their main goal is to get these email contacts to send money, reveal personal information, or click on a link that installs malware, spyware, or a virus.

IMPACT
 

BACKGROUND
Trickbot is a malware-as-a-service botnet that is often described as one of the world's largest. It first appeared as banking malware in 2016, used to steal online banking credentials, and is designed to stealthily infiltrate a victim's computer and remain silent thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.

BACKGROUND

Emotet started as a banking trojan in 2014 and has recently returned as a more dangerous malware targeting local government agencies. It acts as a downloader/dropper to deliver trojans and malicious code to infect devices. Emotet typically spreads through phishing emails or spam that contain Microsoft Word attachments or links along with zip files in order to bypass security filters (i.e. antivirus) to lure victims to click on the link or file.

 
IMPACT

BACKGROUND

The latest phishing attack has caused a wave of business email account takeovers.

Once an email account is compromised, the account credentials are sent to a remote bot which would then sign into the account and analyse recent emails. For each unique email thread, it would then reply to the most recent email, sending a link to a phishing page to capture credentials. Since the phishing emails are being sent as replies to genuine emails between suppliers, customers, and colleagues, this makes the emails appear trustworthy.

BACKGROUND

Background

A technical support scam is a form of fraud, utilizing social engineering and fear tactics to fool victims into divulging useful and confidential information or paying for unnecessary support services due to alleged technical error or software problems.

There are 2 common methods of tech support scams: via a phone call and scareware.

Phone call

BACKGROUND
 
BruCERT has recently received a number of complaints from the public regarding phone scammers impersonating legitimate banks. The scammers contact victims through unofficial channels such as apps like WhatsApp or Viber, usually calling from an international number. They claim to be calling to check all customers’ cards and pressure the victim to reveal personal and financial information.

IMPACT

Background

A technical support scam is a form of fraud, utilizing social engineering and fear tactics to fool victims into divulging useful and confidential information or paying for unnecessary support services due to alleged technical error or software problems.

There are 2 common methods of tech support scams: via a phone call and scareware.

Phone call

BACKGROUND
    
A way for employees to access corporate devices is by using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Remote Desktop is a remote management tool which allows you to connect to any computer and take over the desktop. It’s like you are sitting and looking at your own computer, only remotely. It is highly used especially during this pandemic situation, for those who have moved to work from home. If poorly configured, it might be vulnerable to attacks.

IMPACT

Background:

A novel hack called “Hover with Power” allows an attacker to create a mouse-over in a PowerPoint file which would trigger the download of malware when a user hovers over a link in the presentation. Utilizing an element of social engineering, the user would then have to accept a pop-up dialogue box to run or install the program. The executable file can also be run from a remote server by using the ‘HyperLink To” action. This attack affects .ppsx files which are designed to play presentations and can’t be edited.

Impact:

Background Description:

As most organizations have started Working from Home (WFH) as part of their Business Continuity Planning (BCP) initiatives, implementing a VPN is one of the ways to have a secure connection over the internet.

Background

With the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and in view of Brunei's Ministry of Health advisory to implement social distancing measures, many organizations are encouraging or requiring staff to work from home for an indeterminate amount of time.

However, remote working creates additional opportunities for cyber threat actors to perform malicious cyber activities by exploring open vulnerabilities in less secured networks, thus gaining access to users’ data or the organization's network.

BACKGROUND

Zeus Sphinx trojan first appeared in August 2015. Also known as Zloader or Terdot, it resurfaced in December 2019 and became aggressive in March 2020. Like other banking trojans, Sphinx’s main ability is to collect credentials for online banking sites and the newer version is looking to cash in on interest in government relief efforts around the Covid- 19 pandemic.

Background
Microsoft has warned public that Windows code-execution zero day is under active exploit. The vulnerability consists of two code-execution flaws that can be triggered from improper handling of maliciously crafted master fonts in the Adobe Type 1 Postscript format. Attackers can exploit them by convincing a target to open a specially crafted document or viewing it in the Windows preview pane.

Impact

Background
Last month, a cybersecurity firm discovered that this malware can now steal 2FA codes from Google Authenticator app and doing a simple technique by screenshotting the Authenticator app's interface.

Android banking trojan namely "Cerberus" malware has the capability to steal One-Time Password (OTP) generated through Google Authenticator app that's used as 2FA for many online accounts.

Impact
•    Possible loss of sensitive information especially your bank account credentials