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Welcome to the latest edition of the Cyber Safe Threat Updates, a weekly series in which we bring attention to the latest cyber attacks, scams, frauds, and malware including Ransomware, to ensure you stay safe online.
PBI data breach impacted more than 1.2m customers of Wilton Reassurance Life Company
Wilton Reassurance Life Company, a Connecticut-based insurance provider, disclosed a significant data breach affecting over 1.2 million customers. The breach exposed the sensitive personal information of these individuals.
Wilton Reassurance Life Company reported the breach to the Office of the Maine Attorney General and shared a notification from Pension Benefit Information (PBI), a company known for its obituary databases and population management solutions, which experienced a breach due to a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit file transfer application.
Was there an investigation?
PBI conducted an internal investigation with external cybersecurity experts and confirmed that a threat actor exploited the zero-day vulnerability to access one of their MOVEit Transfer servers between May 29 and May 30, 2023. During this time, certain data was exfiltrated from the server.
Initially, PBI reported around 371,359 individuals impacted, but later, they disclosed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that at least 1,209,825 individuals were affected. Wilton Reassurance Life Company, among other companies conducting business with PBI Research Services, discovered the breach on June 7.
What data was compromised?
The compromised data included customer names and Social Security Numbers. Wilton Reassurance Life Company offers impacted individuals a year of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Kroll.
Source: https://bit.ly/45cAxsE
Industrial PLCs worldwide impacted by CODESYS V3 RCE flaws
Millions of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) employed in industrial settings around the world face potential risks due to 15 vulnerabilities found within the CODESYS V3 software development kit.
Does Microsoft acknowledge the risk?
These vulnerabilities expose these PLCs to remote code execution (RCE) and denial of service (DoS) attacks. The CODESYS V3 SDK is widely used by over 500 device manufacturers for programming more than 1,000 PLC models, allowing customised automation sequences. The vulnerabilities were identified by Microsoft researchers, who disclosed them to CODESYS in September 2022.
Although security updates were released in April 2023, the slow update cycle of these devices prompted Microsoft to issue a detailed advisory to raise awareness about the risks. The vulnerabilities affect multiple components of the SDK, leading to potential buffer overflow attacks.
What you need to do
Despite requiring authentication to exploit, a related flaw can bypass this requirement. Microsoft’s analysis demonstrated that in 12 out of 15 cases, remote code execution on the PLCs was achieved. To mitigate risks, administrators are urged to update to CODESYS V3 v3.5.19.0 and disconnect critical industrial devices, including PLCs, from the internet.
Source: https://bit.ly/3smfN2T
Parking app scams: Drivers are being tricked into signing up for expensive subscriptions
The menace of parking app scams has been highlighted by Which? a prominent consumer protection entity. Illicit advertisers are deceiving customers by manipulating promotions for parking apps and exploiting QR codes to trap unsuspecting individuals within hard-to-cancel subscription schemes.
Cyber criminals do not discriminate
What this story highlights is that cyber criminals will stop at no lengths to try and capture the data of unsuspecting individuals.
This recent cyber threats update reveals a disconcerting incident involving a website named Alltainment. An individual told Which? about a distressing experience, which saw their attempt to register for a parking app result in an involuntary subscription to a £39.99 monthly payment under the false pretence of an entertainment package. This incident exposes how deceitful these scams can be, with Trustpilot reviews showing how many people have been caught out by the fraud.
How does the fraud happen?
This fraudulent scheme appears to happen in two different ways. First, individuals seeking legitimate parking apps such as JustPark, Parkonomy, PayByPhone, and Ringgo find themselves unwittingly subscribed to the services of Alltainment. Second, manipulating QR codes encountered in daily life diverts users towards the subscription mentioned above service. These tactics underscore the multifaceted complexion of modern cyber scams.
The investigation meticulously traces the operations of Alltainment, the company which is supposedly responsible for the scam. To be caught out by the scam, all you have to do is search for the authentic JustPark app via Google. The top search result, misleadingly affiliated with JustPark, redirects users to uk.apkpac[dot]com (do not visit) —a website which hosts clickable advertisements for Alltainment. The site then effectively coerces them into inadvertent subscriptions.
Be vigilant when entering payment details
JustPark, the well-renowned and legitimate parking app provider, has stated that it is aware of the scam and has reported it. However, it still urges individuals to be vigilant when signing up for parking subscriptions and entering bank details. Always check the website address; if you have any concerns, it is better not to take the risk. Check the domain on the website but also check the email address.
Source: https://bit.ly/3OXJal8
Contact Neuways to help your business become Cyber Safe
If you need any assistance with cyber security assistance, then please contact Neuways and we will help you where we can. Just get in touch with our team today.
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