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by titanadmin | Sep 1, 2023 | Network Security, Spam Software |
SpamTitan is a next-generation anti-spam, anti-phishing, and anti-malware solution for businesses that incorporates AI-based threat detection, email sandboxing, and many other advanced email security features. Some of the most important and best-loved features of SpamTitan are explained below:
Email Sandboxing in SpamTitan
Email sandboxing is a vital element of email security, yet many email security solutions lack this feature. An email sandbox is a secure, virtual machine where links can be followed and attachments opened where they cannot cause any harm. A malicious link that leads to an automatic malware download can be followed in safety, and even the nastiest piece of malware can be executed without risk as the sandbox is isolated, not connected to any network, and contains no real data.
The sandbox is configured to appear to be a genuine endpoint in order to trick malicious actors into thinking malware has reached its intended target. When a file is opened in the sandbox it is subject to deep analysis, and any malicious or suspicious actions are detected. Emails are subject to a battery of front-end checks, including scans using two anti-virus engines, and any emails that pass these checks but are determined to potentially pose a risk are sent to the sandbox for behavioral analysis. That includes emails along with any attached documents, spreadsheets, and executable files.
Sandboxing for email is important because of the speed at which novel malware samples are used in attacks. Rather than just use one version of a keylogger in a campaign, a threat actor will use dozens of versions of that keylogger, each differing slightly to evade signature-based detection mechanisms. AI and automation are used by threat actors to churn out new malware variants rapidly, and signature-based detection alone is no longer good enough. With sandboxing, email protection is greatly improved against these zero-day threats which would otherwise be delivered to end users’ inboxes.
Pattern Filtering in SpamTitan
One of the most loved features of SpamTitan is Pattern Filtering. It saves IT security teams a considerable amount of their precious time by ensuring spammy and phishy emails are not delivered. The Pattern Filtering feature allows administrators to use their own terminology to block inbound emails. Simply set a word or phrase through Pattern Filtering, and SpamTitan will search the subject line and message body and can be configured to generate a warning or quarantine the email if the word or phrase is found.
An example of where this can be useful is combating the Nigerian scam/419 fraud, a type of advanced fee fraud. The 419 comes from Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code which prohibits this kind of scam. While the scam is common with Nigerian cybercriminals, cybercriminal groups in many different countries also conduct this type of scam. While the themes of the emails vary, they all have the same aim. An example would be a prominent person who has substantial funds in their account has been unable to transfer the funds out of the country due to unfair restrictions. They offer to transfer these funds to the user’s account to get the money out of the country in exchange for a percentage of those funds as payment, which may be as high as 20%, which is a life-changing amount of money. The catch? In order to proceed, charges need to be covered and they must be paid in advance. The Pattern Filtering option can be used to block these emails by incorporating phrases commonly used in these emails.
Geo-Filtering in SpamTitan
SpamTitan also incorporates geo-filtering, which allows users to block emails from specific countries. If you never do business with countries in Africa, for example, you can simply block all emails coming from African IP addresses with a few clicks of a mouse, rather than manually blocking IP addresses from which you get a lot of spam emails. This feature saves IT teams a considerable amount of time. One user who has benefited greatly from this feature is Benjamin Jeffrey, IT manager at M&M Golf Cars. His company was receiving many requests from countries that the company does not do business with and was getting flooded with spam emails from a specific IP subnet in a country. He configured the geo-filtering and instantly blocked all those messages. When he checked 6 months after configuring that feature, around 12,000 emails had been blocked. Geo-blocking is also useful for blocking malware quickly. Malware distribution campaigns are often launched from a handful of countries, and geo-filtering can be used to block those messages with ease.
AI and Machine Learning in SpamTitan
SpamTitan has AI and machine learning capabilities to improve the detection of spam and phishing emails. These technologies learn about the emails that are typically received by a company and create a baseline against which new emails can be measured. When emails deviate from the norms, they are flagged as risky and are subjected to more stringent security checks or are quarantined for manual inspection. These technologies greatly improve spam and phishing email catch rates and allow SpamTitan to improve day-by-day. These technologies are a vital defense against zero-day phishing threats – new threats that have not been encountered on the 500+ million endpoints from which threat intelligence is gathered.
Find out More About SpamTitan
These are just some of the most loved and most beneficial features of SpamTitan. In addition to having a high catch-rate and low false positive rate, SpamTitan is one of the most affordable email security solutions on the market, it’s quick and easy to set up, and requires little maintenance. The features, price, and ease of use are why it is loved by thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and managed service providers. To find out more, give the TitanHQ team a call. The product is available on a 100% free trial if you want to put it to the test, and product demonstrations can be arranged on request.
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Sandboxing Technology for Email
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by titanadmin | Aug 31, 2023 | Phishing & Email Spam |
Phishing attacks are often conducted to obtain credentials in order to gain initial access to business networks; however, many businesses have implemented multi-factor authentication which prevents stolen credentials from being used to access accounts. With multi-factor authentication implemented, credentials alone are not sufficient as access will only be granted if one or more additional authentication mechanisms are navigated. Multifactor authentication can significantly improve protection against phishing attacks, but it does not guarantee protection against unauthorized account access, and multi-factor authentication bypass attacks are increasing.
To bypass multifactor authentication, threat actors typically use adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) techniques using a phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform. PhaaS platforms such as EvilGinx, Muraena, and Modlishka use reverse proxy servers to steal session cookies that allow multi-factor authentication to be bypassed. In these attacks, the user is directed to the phishing site hosting the phishing kit and when they enter their credentials the site proxies them to the actual website that is targeted in real time. The website returns the MFA screen, which is proxied to the user, and when the user enters the additional authentication, it is proxied to the actual website. The MFA is successfully completed and a session cookie is returned, which is used by the attacker to access the targeted account as the genuine user. The phishing site redirects the user to another page, unaware that their account has been compromised. The attacker will be able to access the account for as long as the session cookie is active.
An alternative method of bypassing MFA is to use synchronous relay servers. This method is used by the Storm-1295 threat group, which provides the Greatness PhaaS platform. This PhaaS platform presents the user with a copy of the sign-in page for the website, similar to standard phishing attacks that only steal credentials. This method uses a phishing kit server that dynamically loads the phishing page and MFA request page and communicates with the PhaaS platform relay server through an API. The PhaaS platform provides a synchronous relay server to relay captured credentials and MFA codes to the sign-in service but does not proxy network traffic.
According to Microsoft, there has been a marked increase in AitM attacks this year which are being conducted through already established MFA-bypassing PhaaS platforms and there has also been an increase in phishing services incorporating AitM capabilities. Businesses need to ensure that they are properly protected against these phishing attacks. The first line of defense is still a spam filter, which will block the majority of phishing emails to ensure they do not land in inboxes where they can be clicked. SpamTitan Plus provides the best protection against phishing attacks. SpamTitan Plus has 100% coverage of ALL current market-leading anti-phishing feeds, which ensures 1.6x faster detection of phishing than all current market leaders.
End-user training is also important for improving resilience against phishing attacks. By providing ongoing training and phishing simulations, employees will learn how to recognize and avoid phishing attempts that are able to circumvent spam filters. SafeTitan is a comprehensive security awareness training and phishing simulation platform that user data shows can improve resilience to phishing by up to 80%.
The increase in the use of MFA-bypassing PhaaS platforms means businesses can no longer rely on standard MFA controls to protect their accounts. While any form of MFA is better than none, businesses should transition to the most secure MFA methods that are resistant to these phishing attacks, such as FIDO2 security keys and certificate-based authentication.
by titanadmin | Aug 30, 2023 | Phishing & Email Spam, Security Awareness |
Companies in Spain are being targeted by a ransomware group that uses phishing emails to distribute LockBit Locker ransomware. According to a recent warning issued by the Central Cybercrime Unit of the Policía Nacional, the campaign has a very high level of sophistication and has so far targeted architecture companies; however, the campaign may be expanded to target other sectors.
LockBit is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation where affiliates are recruited to conduct ransomware attacks in exchange for a cut of any ransoms they generate. LockBit is one of the most active ransomware groups and was the most deployed ransomware variant in 2022. The LockBit Locker group conducting this campaign claims to be affiliated with the notorious LockBit group; however, those claims have yet to be verified. What is known is that this is a highly capable group that conducts sophisticated attacks targeting specific industry sectors. The lures and communications used in these attacks are very difficult to distinguish from genuine communications from legitimate companies.
The group appears to have adopted tactics used by business email compromise (BEC) threat actors who build trust with the victim over several emails. An initial communication is sent to a company and the threat actor then engages in conversations over several emails to make it appear that the firm is engaging with a legitimate company that is seeking their services.
The Policía Nacional described one of the attacks, which saw the initial email sent from the non-existent domain, fotoprix.eu. The threat actor claimed to be a photography company looking for a quote from architecture firms for a renovation of their premises. The targeted company responded to the initial email, then the threat actor exchanged several more messages before proposing a date to hold a meeting to finalize the budget. As a prerequisite, documents were sent via email that contained specifications for the proposed renovation to allow the architecture form to provide an accurate quote. The archive file attached to the email contained a shortcut file that executes a malicious Python script, which establishes persistence and executes the LockBit Locker payload to encrypt files. A ransom demand is then dropped on the encrypted device, payment of which is required to recover files.
Ransomware groups are constantly changing their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) which is why it is so important to provide ongoing security awareness training to the workforce. This campaign is especially concerning because of the effort the threat actor is putting into the impersonation of a potential customer. Ransomware groups often copy each other’s tactics, and if this campaign proves to be successful, the same TTPs are likely to be used by other groups.
It is therefore recommended to incorporate these TTPs into your security awareness training and make sure that employees are made aware of this new method of attack. Companies that use TitanHQ’s SpamTitan solution can easily provide training to the workforce on specific tactics through short training modules and incorporate new tactics in their phishing simulations. Phishing simulations can be quickly and easily spun up through the platform in response to changing TTPs and administrators will be able to get instant feedback on the likelihood of employees falling for a campaign. A phishing simulation failure will immediately trigger a training module specific to the threat, ensuring employees are provided with the additional training they need to avoid similar threats in the future.
Call TitanHQ today for more information on the SafeTitan security awareness training and phishing simulation platform and find out how it can significantly improve your company’s security posture.
by titanadmin | Aug 24, 2023 | Network Security |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning that Chinese hackers are continuing to gain access to Barracuda email security appliances, even those that have been patched against a recently disclosed zero day vulnerability, and has urged organizations to immediately remove the appliances.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-2868, affects Barracuda Network’s Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliances and occurs when the appliance screens email attachments. The vulnerability is a remote command injection vulnerability that allows the unauthorized execution of system commands with administrator privileges on the ESG appliance. Barracuda issued a patch to fix the flaw on May 20, 2023, after identifying hacks on May 19.
The vulnerability can be exploited via maliciously formatted TAR file attachments that are sent to an email address affiliated with a domain that has an ESG appliance connected to it. When the attachments are scanned it results in a command injection into the ESG, and system commands are executed with the privileges of the ESG. No user interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability.
According to the FBI, Chinese hackers have been exploiting the vulnerability since October 2022 as part of a state-run cyberespionage operation and have compromised hundreds of appliances. Mandiant assisted with investigating the hacks and said this is the broadest cyber espionage campaign conducted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers since the mass exploitation of a Microsoft Exchange vulnerability in 2021.
In a Flash Alert issued on Wednesday, the FBI recommended all affected devices be immediately replaced. “The FBI strongly advises all affected ESG appliances be isolated and replaced immediately, and all networks scanned for connections to the provided list of indicators of compromise immediately,” and said the patches released by Barracuda to address the flaw were ineffective.
The advice follows that of Barracuda, which said in June that all hacked Email Security Gateway appliances should be immediately replaced, regardless of whether patches had been applied. Even after the patches had been applied, continued malicious activity was observed on the previously compromised devices. A new form of malware, dubbed Submarine, was deployed on compromised appliances, which resides in a structured query language (SQL) database on the appliance and is a backdoor that provides persistent access.
Vulnerabilities can exist in any software solution, even those that are meant to provide protection. This is why it is important to have multiple layers of protection. If one layer fails, others are there to detect and block threats. Many threats start with a malicious email, which is why email security is so important. Having SpamTitan Plus in place will provide a high degree of protection and will stop malware from reaching its intended recipient. SpamTitan Plus is a leading-edge, AI-driven anti-phishing and anti-malware solution with the newest “zero-day” threat protection and intelligence. The solution includes 100% coverage of all current market-leading anti-phishing feeds and provides 1.6x faster detection of threats than the current market leaders. SpamTitan Plus provides unrivaled protection against malicious links in emails and includes signature-based malware detection and behavioral detection through sandboxing. For more information on SpamTitan Plus, give the TiotanHQ team a call.
by titanadmin | Aug 23, 2023 | Phishing & Email Spam |
Phishing campaigns do not need to be especially sophisticated to be effective, as a recently identified campaign that targets Zimbra Collaboration credentials clearly demonstrates. Zimbra Collaboration, previously known as Zimbra Collaboration Suite, is a software suite that includes an email server and web client. Zimbra Collaboration email servers are targeted by a range of different threat actors, including state-sponsored hackers and cybercriminals for espionage, conducting phishing attacks, and gaining a foothold that can be used for a more extensive compromise of an organization.
This global campaign targets users’ credentials and does not appear to be targeted on any specific sector and the threat actor behind the campaign and their motives are not known. The highest number of attacks have occurred in Poland, Ecuador, and Italy. Like many phishing campaigns, the emails warn users about a security update, security issue, or pending account deactivation, and the emails appear to have been sent from an email server administrator.
The emails include an HTML attachment, which is opened as a locally hosted page in the user’s browser. The HTML file displays a Zimbra login prompt that is tailored for each organization and includes their logo and name, and the targeted user’s username is prefilled. If the user enters their password, the credentials are transmitted to the attacker’s server via an HTTPS POST request.
The campaign was identified by security researchers at ESET, who observed waves of phishing emails being sent from companies that had previously been targeted, which suggests that some of the attacks have allowed the threat actor to compromise administrator credentials and set up new mailboxes to target other organizations.
Despite the simplicity of the campaign, it has proven to be very effective, even though the login prompt in the HTTP file differs considerably from the genuine Zimbra login prompt, and the page is opened locally, which suggests a lack of security awareness training due to the failure to identify the red flags in the emails. The emails are also likely to have a low detection rate by email security solutions, as the only malicious element is a single link to a malicious host, which is within the HTML file rather than the email body,
Phishing remains one of the most effective ways for hackers to gain initial access to networks. Combatting phishing attacks requires a combination of measures. A spam filter such as SpamTitan should be used to block the emails and prevent them from reaching their intended targets. SpamTitan incorporates signature-based and behavioral detection mechanisms for identifying malware, link scanning, and reputational checks to ensure a high catch rate and low false positive rate.
No spam filtering solution will be able to block all malicious emails without also having an unacceptably high false positive rate, so it is important to also provide regular security awareness training to employees to teach them how to recognize and avoid malicious emails. Security awareness training should also incorporate phishing simulations to give employees practice at identifying threats. If a threat is not detected, it can be turned into a training opportunity. TitanHQ’s security awareness training platform – SafeTitan – delivers instant training in response to a failed phishing simulation, and also delivers training in response to other security mistakes, ensuring training is provided when it has the greatest impact. Training data shows that SafeTitan reduces employee susceptibility to phishing attacks by up to 80%, and combined with SpamTitan email security, ensures that businesses are well protected from phishing attacks and other cyber threats.
SpamTitan and SafeTitan, like all TitanHQ solutions are available on a free trial and product demonstrations can be arranged on request.
