US Federal Agency Hacked 

Multiple cyber criminal gangs, including a nation state-backed hacking group, have been hacking and exploiting a four-year-old software vulnerability to compromise a US federal government agency. 

An alert from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released on March 15th reveals that hackers from multiple hacking groups have successfully exploited known vulnerabilities in Telerik, a user interface tool for web servers. 

This software, designed for building components and themes for web applications, was running on the US agency’s Internet-facing web server. According to the CISA advisory it looks like the vulnerability went undetected for almost four years. 

Two hacking groups exploited a code-execution vulnerability tracked as CVE-2019-18935 in a developer tool known as the Telerik user interface (UI) for ASP.NET AJAX, which was located in the agency’s Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server.  The Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX is sold by a US software company, Progress. The tool bundles more than 100 UI components that developers can use to reduce the time it takes to create custom Web applications. 

In late 2019, Progress released version 2020.1.114, which patched CVE-2019-18935, an insecure de-serialisation vulnerability that made it possible to remotely execute code on vulnerable servers. The vulnerability carried a severity rating of 9.8 out of a possible 10.

In 2020, the US National Security Agency (NSA) warned that the vulnerability was being used by Chinese state-sponsored actors.

According to CISA “This exploit, which results in interactive access with the web server, enabled the threat actors to successfully execute remote code on the vulnerable web server... Though the agency’s vulnerability scanner had the appropriate plugin for CVE-2019-18935, it failed to detect the vulnerability due to the Telerik UI software being installed in a file path it does not typically scan... This may be the case for many software installations, as file paths widely vary depending on the organisation and installation method.”

Unpatched Vulnerabilities

To successfully exploit CVE-2019-18935, hackers must first know about the encryption keys used with a component known as the Telerik RadAsyncUpload. Federal investigators suspect the threat actors exploited one of 2 vulnerabilities discovered in 2017 that also remained unpatched on the agency server. Attacks from both groups used a technique known as DLL side loading, which involves replacing legitimate dynamic-link library files in Microsoft Windows with malicious ones. Some of the DLL files the group uploaded were disguised as PNG images. 

The malicious files were then executed using a legitimate process for IIS servers called w3wp.exe. A review of antivirus logs identified that some of the uploaded DLL files were present on the system as early as August 2021.
The CISA advisory does not identify the nation-state-sponsored threat group which is only referred to as TA1. Investigators identified nine DLL files used to explore the server and evade security defences. The files communicated with a control server with an IP address of 137.184.130[.]162 or 45.77.212[.]12. The traffic to these IP addresses used unencrypted Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) over port 443.

The hackers’ malware was able to load additional libraries and delete DLL files to hide malicious activity on the network.

CISA also referred to a second group as TA2 which has been identified as XE Group, which researchers from security firm Volexity said is likely based in Vietnam. Both Volexity and Malwarebytes have reported this group as specialising in payment-card skimming. “Similar to TA1, TA2 exploited CVE-2019-18935 and was able to upload at least three unique DLL files into the C:\Windows\Temp\ directory that TA2 executed via the w3wp.exe process,” saye the CISA the advisory stated. 

The breach is most likely the consequence of the unnamed Federal agency failing to install a patch that had been available for years. Tools that scan systems for vulnerabilities often limit their searches to a certain set of pre-defined file paths.  If this can happen in a US government organisation, it can happen inside many other organisations. 

Cyber criminals typically focus on targets that can get them the highest return with the least amount of effort. This is often determined by their ability to scale attacks, and therefore on how prevalent a vulnerability or target system is. Anyone using the Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX should carefully read the CISA advisory  to ensure they’re not exposed. 

To counter such attacks, it's recommended that organisations upgrade their instances of Telerik UI ASP.NET AJAX to the latest version, implement network segmentation, and enforce phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for accounts that have privileged access.

CISA:   Telerik:    Ars Technica:   Malwarebytes:    Volexity:   Techcrunch:    Hacker News

You Might Also Read:

Perfectly Coded APIs Can Be Susceptible To Attack:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 6,500-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible


 

« AI Is Creating New Mobile Scamming Threats   
Britain Pledges To Invest £2.5bn In Quantum Computing »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Our Supplier Directory lists 6,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC - the first, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade information security solution for compliance and risk management - offers businesses efficient control tracking, testing, and enforcement.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Frazer-Nash Consultancy

Frazer-Nash is a leading engineering, systems and technology company. Areas of expertise include information security and cyber security.

MixMode

MixMode

MixMode's PacketSled platform delivers network monitoring, deep forensic analysis and incident response.

Cloudmark

Cloudmark

Cloudmark is a trusted leader in intelligent threat protection against known and future attacks, safeguarding 12 percent of the world’s inboxes from wide-scale and targeted email threats.

National Security Authority (NBU) - Slovakia

National Security Authority (NBU) - Slovakia

The National Security Authority (NBU) is the central government body in Slovakia for the Protection of Classified Information, Cryptographic Services, Trust Services and Cyber Security.

WISeKey

WISeKey

WISeKey is a leading cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT.

SterlingRisk Programs

SterlingRisk Programs

SterlingRisk’s Cyber practice brings experience working with a wide array of clients across a broad spectrum of industries.

Seadot Cybersecurity

Seadot Cybersecurity

Seadot offer cybersecurity services to organizations with a high demand for regulatory compliance and security.

SECUINFRA

SECUINFRA

Since 2010, SECUINFRA have specialized in detecting, analyzing and defending against cyber attacks.

Downdetector

Downdetector

Downdetector Enterprise provides operational monitoring, automated alerting, visibility into third-party services and real-time incident analysis.

Support Link Technologies (SLT)

Support Link Technologies (SLT)

Support Link Technologies are an IT Solutions Company committed to achieving customer satisfaction through excellent customer service.

Telesign

Telesign

Telesign connect, protect, and defend online experiences with sophisticated digital identity and programmable communications solutions.

Var Group

Var Group

Var Group is one of the main partners for innovation in the ICT sector in Italy.

Threater

Threater

Threater (formerly ThreatBlockr / Bandura Cyber) is a cybersecurity platform that provides active network defense by automating the discovery, enforcement, and analysis of cyber threats at scale.

Brunswick Group

Brunswick Group

Brunswick is a critical issues firm. We advise the world’s leading companies on how to navigate the critical issues they face and engage with their critical stakeholders.

Telarus

Telarus

Telarus is a Technology Services Brokerage that holds contracts with the world's leading cloud voice, contact center, cybersecurity, mobility and IoT providers.

Third Wave Innovations

Third Wave Innovations

Third Wave Innovations (formerly RCS Secure) offers a full spectrum of cybersecurity safeguards and IT services.