Short Takes – 12-21-24

ICS Threat Analysis: New, Experimental Malware Can Kill Engineering Processes. Forescout.com blog post. Pull quote: “The artifact clusters we identified may primarily act as nuisances in real OT environments. Yet, the fact that this type of malware can infiltrate critical networks is alarming.including a 14-year old sample observed thousands of times. Even more concerning is the ability of hacking groups to create malware targeting engineering processes with assistance from generative AI while using legitimate services for C2. This reliance on legitimate services makes detecting these threats more challenging. The gap between a relatively simple example like Chaya_003 and more sophisticated OT-specific malware is narrowing, especially as generative AI empowers less skilled attackers to craft OT-specific code.”

Current State of SonicWall Exposure: Firmware Decryption Unlocks New Insights. BishopFox.com blog post. Pull quote: “Our scan identified a total of 430,363 unique targets (IP address and port combinations) with SonicOS/X login pages exposed on the public internet. Of these, the majority had both the management and SSL VPN interfaces accessible, while the rest only exposed one interface.”

The Top Cybersecurity Agency in the US Is Bracing for Donald Trump. Wired.com article. Pull quote: “Under Biden, CISA gained broader authority and new funding to monitor other agencies’ networks for suspicious activity, turning it into the centralized defender of federal networks that many experts always hoped it would become. That could change under Trump, especially if senior officials close to Trump bristle at CISA’s oversight.” Too much guessing in the article, not much information from the Trump transition team yet.

White House charges Pentagon to develop cislunar monitoring tech, including for ‘planetary defense’. BreakingDefense.com article. Pull quote: “This includes taking the lead in the development of new, and/or improvement of current, ground- and space-based sensors for monitoring the cislunar region. In particular, the plan notes that the Pentagon should assess the value of putting new satellites in “novel orbits” to monitor satellites and space debris near the Moon.” Priorities will probably be different in Trump DOD.

New supersonic ramjet detonation engine takes to the sky. NewAtlas.com article. Pull quote: “The JinDou400, however, uses detonation combustion instead of a regular, steady burning flame. It creates controlled explosions (detonations) in the combustion chamber which are far more powerful and efficient than regular combustion (at high speeds), allowing the engine to produce more thrust with less fuel and work effectively, but only at much higher speeds.”