A WordPress plugin used on over 300,000 websites has been found to contain vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to seize control. Security researchers Ulyses Saicha and Sean Murphy found two critical flaws in the POST SMTP Mailer plugin. The first flaw made it possible for attackers to reset the plugin's authentication API key and view sensitive logs (including password reset emails) on the...

At Tripwire's recent Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group, we had the opportunity to speak with the Manager of Gas Measurement, Controls, & Cybersecurity at a large energy company. More specifically, we focused on SCADA and field assets of gas Operational Technology. The experience at the management level of such an organization provided a wealth of knowledge for the attendees. SCADA...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s January 2024 Security Updates . VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1088 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs There were no in-the-wild or disclosed CVEs included in the January Patch Tuesday drop. CVE Breakdown by Tag While historical Microsoft Security Bulletin groupings are...

Tripwire's December 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft and Google. First on the patch priority are patches for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) that resolve elevation of privilege, remote code execution, and information disclosure vulnerabilities. Please note that CVE-2023-7024 for Chrome is on the CISA Known Exploited...

What is an Attack Surface? An attack surface is the total number of channels, pathways, or areas that threat actors can utilize to gain unauthorized access to networks. The result is that they can obtain private information or carry out a cyber-attack. An attack surface comprises the organizational assets a threat actor can exploit to gain unauthorized access. Attack surfaces include systems that...

One of the most critical aspects of cybersecurity is ensuring that all software is kept up to date with the latest patches. This is necessary to cover any vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could take advantage of in order to infiltrate an organization and launch an attack. With the volume of updates and the effort needed to install and configure them, it is good to know precisely when patches...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s December 2023 Security Updates . VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1086 on Wednesday, December 13th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-20588 AMD has released AMD-SB-7007 – Speculative Leaks Security Notice , which describes how some AMD processors can potentially return speculative data after a...

Tripwire's November 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft. First on the patch priority are patches for Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) that resolve elevation of privilege, remote code execution, and spoofing vulnerabilities. Next on the patch priority list this month are patches for Microsoft Office and Excel that resolve 3 remote code execution...

Tripwire recently held its annual Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group. This year's attendees included more than 200 Tripwire customer utility personnel representing over 80 different registered entities from all across the US and Canada. The company sizes ranged from public utility districts and city municipalities to medium and larger-sized investor-owned utilities, including many of the...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s November 2023 Security Updates . VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1082 on Wednesday, November 15th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-36033 A vulnerability in the Microsoft Desktop Window Manager (DWM) could allow an attacker to gain SYSTEM level privileges. This vulnerability has been publicly...

More decision-makers are investing in grid modernization efforts, knowing that doing so is necessary for keeping pace with modern demands. For example, smart grid fault-detection sensors could warn utility company providers of problems in real time, preventing costly and inconvenient outages. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) can also improve stability. An IoT grid-monitoring approach...

What's the deal with CherryBlos? CherryBlos is a rather interesting family of Android malware that can plunder your cryptocurrency accounts - with a little help from your photos. Wait. I've heard of hackers stealing photos before, but what do you mean by malware stealing cryptocurrency via my photos? How does it do that? Well, imagine you have sensitive information - such as details related to...

Tripwire's October 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft. First on the patch priority is a patch for Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) that resolves a type confusion vulnerability. Next on the patch priority list this month are patches for Microsoft Office that resolve 3 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities. Next are patches that affect components...

Containers offer a streamlined application deployment and management approach. Thanks to their efficiency and portability, platforms like Docker and Kubernetes have become household names in the tech industry. However, a misconception lurks in the shadows as containers gain popularity - the belief that active vulnerability scanning becomes redundant once containers are implemented. This blog will...

In the world of cybersecurity, insider threats remain a potent and often underestimated danger. These threats can emanate not only from malicious actors within an organization but also from well-intentioned employees who inadvertently compromise security with a mis-click or other unwitting action. Having spent many years in system administrator-type roles, I'm actually surprised at how easy it...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s October 2023 Security Updates , which includes a recently introduced release notes format. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1077 on Wednesday, October 11th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-41763 While this vulnerability is labeled as a Skype for Business Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability, the...

Tripwire's September 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft. First on the patch priority are patches for Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) that resolve 5 vulnerabilities such as out of bounds memory access, type confusion, and use after free. Next on the patch priority list this month are patches for Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, and Outlook. The...

Electric grids are part of every nation’s critical infrastructure. Every societal activity and business depends on reliable and safe electricity distribution. The US electric grid is a huge network of powerlines, distribution hubs, and renewable and non-renewable energy generators that is increasingly exposed to cyber-physical risks due to the accelerated reliance on cyber-enabled systems and IoT...

The evolution of the cyber threat landscape highlights the need for organizations to strengthen their ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate cyber risks before they evolve into security incidents. Known unpatched vulnerabilities are often exploited by criminals to penetrate Industrial Control Systems (ICS) environments and disrupt critical operations. Although the terms “patch management” and...