Additionally, the threat actor released pictures of customer management portals, a database, customer information, and other customer documents as samples of the purportedly stolen data. The threat actor did not, however, elaborate on how the information was acquired.

The stolen data is being offered for sale by the threat actor in return for Monero (XMR), a cryptocurrency valued for its privacy properties. To ensure that the buyer and seller remain anonymous throughout the transaction, the hacker made it clear that they are amenable to utilizing an intermediary. Cybercriminals frequently use this technique to evade being found and followed by police.

The threat actor started selling or disclosing information from several organizations in June, including Apple, AMD, and T-Mobile. Researchers were informed by sources acquainted with the attack that it was taken from a third-party managed services provider for software development and DevOps. It is unclear if the June intrusions are connected to the Cisco hack.

Impact

• Sensitive Data Theft
• Information Exposure
• Reputational Damage

Remediation

• Regularly change passwords for all accounts and use strong, unique passwords for sensitive accounts.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts to add an extra layer of security to login processes.
• Consider the use of phishing-resistant authenticators to further enhance security. These types of authenticators are designed to resist phishing attempts and provide additional protection against social engineering attacks.
• Regularly monitor network activity for any unusual behavior, as this may indicate that a cyberattack is underway.
• Organizations need to stay vigilant and follow best practices for cybersecurity to protect their systems and data from potential threats. This includes regularly updating software and implementing strong access controls and monitoring tools.
• Develop a comprehensive incident response plan to respond effectively in case of a security breach or data leakage.
• Maintain regular backups of critical data and systems to ensure data recovery in case of a security incident.
• Adhere to security best practices, including the principle of least privilege, and ensure that users and applications have only the necessary permissions.
• Establish a robust patch management process to ensure that security patches are evaluated, tested, and applied promptly.
• Conduct security audits and assessments to evaluate the overall security posture of your systems and networks.
• Implement network segmentation to contain and isolate potential threats to limit their impact on critical systems.
• Never trust or open links and attachments received from unknown sources/senders.