Daixin Ransomware Team

 

Ransomware does not slow down. Bad guys saw the gain in this attack technique and they are highly motivated to carry on this attack.

A ransomware warning against the Daixin Team for healthcare sector came from CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), FBI and HHS (Health and Human Services) in USA.

Daixin Team attackers have been linked to multiple health sector ransomware incidents since (at least) June 2022.

"U.S. health organizations are advised to take the following measures to defend against Daixin Team's attacks:

- Install updates for operating systems, software, and firmware as soon as they are released.

- Enable phishing-resistant MFA for as many services as possible.

- Train employees to recognize and report phishing attempts."

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-govt-warns-of-daixin-team-targeting-health-orgs-with-ransomware/

"'The Daixin Team is a ransomware and data extortion group that has targeted the HPH Sector with ransomware and data extortion operations since at least June 2022,' the advisory revealed.

Since June, Daixin Team attackers have been linked to multiple health sector ransomware incidents where they've encrypted systems used for many healthcare services, including electronic health records storage, diagnostics, imaging services, and intranet services."

"The ransomware gang gains access to targets' networks by exploiting known vulnerabilities in the organizations' VPN servers or with the help of compromised VPN credentials belonging to accounts with multi-factor authentication (MFA) toggled off."

INTERPOL's Black Axe Cyber Crime Operation

 

Cyber crime is not a joke. It is a quite serious thing.

INTERPOL led an operation where they took down an organized cyber crime syndicate called "Black Axe".

The amount of seized assets in this operation was not so big (around $2 million) but the important and great thing here is that 14 countries are involved in this operation.

https://thehackernews.com/2022/10/interpol-led-operation-takes-down-black.html

https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2022/International-crackdown-on-West-African-financial-crime-rings

https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/17/interpol_black_axe_fraud/

"The International Criminal Police Organization, also called the Interpol, has announced the arrests of 75 individuals as part of a coordinated global operation against an organized cyber crime syndicate called Black Axe.

'Black Axe' and other West African organized crime groups have developed transnational networks, defrauding victims of millions while channeling their profits into lavish lifestyles and other criminal activities, from drug trafficking to sexual exploitation,' the agency said.

The law enforcement effort, codenamed Operation Jackal, involved the participation of Argentina, Australia, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, the U.A.E, the U.K., and the U.S.

Black Axe, which originated as a confraternity in Nigeria around 1977 before evolving into a mafia group, has not only been linked to killing and scamming operations, but also has been accused of infiltrating the country's political system.

Two of the alleged online scammers, who were arrested late last month in South Africa, are believed to have orchestrated a variety of fraudulent schemes that netted them $1.8 million from victims.

The probe further led to 49 property searches, resulting in the seizure of 12,000 SIM cards and other luxury assets, including a residential property, three cars, and tens of thousands in cash. It also intercepted €1.2 million in the suspects' bank accounts.

In October 2021, eight members of the cartel were charged by the U.S. Justice Department for engaging in 'widespread internet fraud involving romance scams and advance fee schemes' from at least 2011 through 2021.

'Illicit financial funds are the lifeblood of transnational organized crime, and we have witnessed how groups like Black Axe will channel money gained from online financial scams into other crime areas, such as drugs and human trafficking,' Interpol's Stephen Kavanagh said."

Optus Data Breach

Data breaches occur all around the world in all continents.

2.1 million ID numbers were exposed from an Australian telecommunications company.

https://www.securityweek.com/optus-says-id-numbers-21-million-compromised-data-breach

"Australian telecommunications company Optus says that 2.1 million of its customers had numbers associated with their identification documents compromised in a recent data breach.

On September 22, the wireless carrier announced it had fallen victim to a cyberattack that resulted in the potential compromise of the personally identifiable information of some of its customers, without providing specifics on the number of impacted individuals."

"While the wireless carrier has not provided specific details on how the cyberattack occurred, it appears that the company might have inadvertently exposed internal resources to the internet, providing the attackers with an easy way in."