Get the latest technology tips, news, and special offers sent directly to your inbox. What is Identity Theft and How Did It Become Such a Big Problem? And the more youre aware ofthese, the more likely youll be able to keep an eye out for them in thefuture. What is a Watering Hole Attack and How Do You Prevent It? Mohit is a legal and public policy researcher whose work focuses largely on technology regulation. Phishing has become a persistent threat because it's easy for attackers . Practice computer security. They wait for an opportunity to infect these websites with malware to make their target vulnerable. There have a been several large-scale cyber attacks highlighted in the news recently. A watering hole attack is when cyber criminals attack individuals, cohorts, or organizations on a website they frequent, using skills like hacking and social engineering. Another advanced example of watering hole attacks was an exploit of Microsofts Visual Basic Script (VBScript) programming language to spread unique malware in February 2019. The initial download URL and IP resolution were different than the previous samples, but the C2 domain and resolution matched. The attacks have been adopted by criminals, APT groups, and nation-states alike, and we see the amounts . In some cases, watering hole attackers may also exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in the website to insert malware. This watering hole definition takes its name from animal predators that lurk by watering holes waiting for an opportunity to attack prey when their guard is down. A Chinese attack group infected Forbes.com back in November in a watering hole attack targeting visitors working in the financial services and defense industries, according to two security companies. This file is the same Poison Ivy RAT described in Table 2. For a watering hole definition,its a cyberattack thats grounded in a bit of a betting game: Cybercriminalsdiscern what websites their victims frequent and attack, often by way ofinfecting the site with malware. In contrast to many other APT campaigns, which tend to rely heavily on spear phishing to gain victims, th3bug is known for compromising legitimate websites their intended visitors are likely to frequent. But more often than not, these advanced attack vectors from sophisticated cyber criminals will require more dynamic security solutions that can detect, monitor, and block malicious activity and prevent users from accessing suspicious websites. It exploited a zero-day vulnerability to install a backdoor, known as DazzleSpy, in iOS and macOS devices. Predators camp out near such watering holes to make their hunt easier. Watering Hole Attacks | TheCyberPatch Espionage Hackers Target 'Watering Hole' Sites What is a Watering Hole Attack? | Macs at Work, Inc. What Is Watering Hole Attack? How To Prevent Watering Hole Attack? Give the rest of the article a read. But threat intelligence . The Fortinet FortiGatenext-generation firewalls(NGFWs) filter and monitor network traffic to protect businesses from external and internal threats. The goal is to infect a victim's computer and gain access . Advanced threat protection tools include behavioral analysis solutions, which give organizations a better chance of detecting zero-day exploits before attackers can target users. The steps involved in the strategy are listed below: The first step in opportunistic watering hole attacks is identifying the website or service most frequently used by the intended victim. A user who has the misfortune of visiting any of these compromised sites will then have their device automatically loaded with malware. Employees who do not adhere to security guidelines are often easy targets of such attacks and can compromise the entire security chain. They include crucial features like Internet Protocol (IP) mapping, packet filtering, IP security (IPsec), and secure sockets layer virtual private network (SSL VPN) support. Not all watering hole attacks involve this step. https://www.arrayasolutions.com/contact-us/, How to Leverage Microsofts Low-Code Tools You Probably Already Have, 5 Ways to Save in 5 Minutes: Licensing Rationalization, How to Build a Proactive Security Practicein 5 Steps, Microsoft Ignite 2022 Round-Up: Heres What You Missed, Cloud Computing Too Complex? Explore key features and capabilities, and experience user interfaces. Spear phishing: A definition plus differences between phishing and spear phishing, Internet tracking: How and why were followed online, 115 cybersecurity statistics and trends you need to know in 2021, What is social engineering? At VPNOverview, he writes about cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies and sports events. A new watering hole attack has been discovered targeting macOS users and visitors of a pro-democracy radio station website in Hong Kong and infecting them with the . Follow these tips for watering hole attack prevention to keep you and your information safe and secure. Likewise, watering hole attackers lurk on niche websites waiting for a chance to infect websites, and in turn, infect their victims withmalware. A watering hole attack isnt new, but this type of cyber event is a growing concern. How watering hole attacks work The term "watering hole" colloquially refers to a [] In a watering hole attack, cyber criminals lurk on legitimate websites and wait for an opportunity to target victims. 2022 Palo Alto Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. They can gain access to the victims information, infiltrate other devices on the network or include the victims device in their botnet. These targeted attacks rely on identifying behavior trends across the target group and then exploiting them to achieve their purpose. The targets usually include large organizations. If it belonged to an employee in a telecom company, another malware was downloaded that allowed hackers to take over the computer. In a watering hole attack, cybercriminals observe the watering holes of a specific demographic and infect their targets' most visited websites with malware. ba509a1d752f3165dc2821e0b1c6543c15988fd7abd4e56c6155de09d1640ce9, 9d149baceaaff2a67161fec9b8978abc22f0a73a1c8ce87edf6e2fb673ac7374, www.aanon.com .tw/flash/diff.exewww.npec.com .tw/flash/diff.exeuyghurweb .net/player/gmuweb.exe, ccfe61a28f35161c19340541dfd839075e31cd3b661f0936a4c667d805a65136, 7f39e5b9d46386dd8142ef40ae526343274bdd5f27e38c07b457d290a277e807, e3d02e5f69d3c2092657d64c39aa0aea2a16ce804a47f3b5cf44774cde3166fe, 140.112.158 .132/phpmyadmin/test/AppletLow.jar, An East Asian office for a major US based computer manufacturer, An international wholesale and retail telecom provider, Another international wholesale and retail telecom provider, A major visual computing company headquartered in the US, A state-owned East Asian financial services company. Hence, organizations and individuals must understand how watering hole attacks work and how they can be prevented. Quite a few banks have been targeted in the so-called watering hole attacks. 2021 NortonLifeLock Inc. All rights reserved. Therefore, watering hole attacks are typically used to attack sites, organizations, groups, and enterprises. The term watering hole attack is drawn from nature. How watering hole attacks work The term "watering hole" colloquially refers to a social gathering place [] These are often popular websites frequented by people who work in specific industries or have political sympathies to which the actors want to gain access. All Rights Reserved. As discussed above, the website is one that a group of users frequent. Although these may be as well known as ransomware, Forbes listed watering hole attacks in their top security threats of 2022. According to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, watering hole attacks often trick victims into downloading a remote access Trojan, which, in turn, gives them access to the compromised device. These are used to distribute malware onto the target's devices, just like phishing activities are conducted. Watering-Hole Attacks Transmit DazzleSpy Backdoor to macOS So, here is how a watering hole attack works: Step 1: The hackers profile the users they are targeting based on their industry, job title, organization, etc. Were wary of unfamiliar emails and texts to avoid phishing attacks, and we keep our software up to date to prevent malware. There have a been several large-scale cyber attacks highlighted in the news recently. Our objective is to fully understand your business and provide customized solutions and servicetailored to your needs. . A watering hole attack differs fromphishingandspear-phishingattacks, which typically attempt to steal data or install malware onto users devices but are often equally targeted, effective, and challenging to prevent. Watering Hole Attack: "Don't Drink the Water" - Cybersel Additionally, keep an antivirus scanner, such as Norton 360, installed and updated on your devices at all times. Now that you know what a watering hole attack is, it's important to know how to avoid one. Name * Email . Yes, many water hole attacks are a form of social engineering. Check out the section below where weve answered some of the most common questions about watering hole attacks. AVAST wrote a blog related to the activity we describe here and tied a file with the same name, but the sample we found doesnt match any other details of the file they documented. Followus to stayup to dateon our industry insights and unique IT learning opportunities. Download from a wide range of educational material and documents. You can significantly reduce the risk of an attack by regularly updating all of your software and browsers. Watering Hole Attack - Bating Attack Protection | Proofpoint US Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says latest attacks 'one of the most massive shellings' of war so far : A ripe crew of wrong'uns hole up in a bar to.. A watering hole attack is a technique hackers used to compromise a specific group of end-users by infecting existing websites or creating a new one that would attract them. What Is a Watering Hole Attack? | WIRED Similarly, for cybercriminals, thiscan be one of the most effective ways to reach a large swath of victims. The threat, whichTrend Microresearchers discovered, downloaded a "gist" snippet from GitHub, modified the code to create an exploit, and used a multistage infection scheme that included a backdoor unknown to antivirus products. What is a watering hole attack + how to prevent one - Norton Cyber criminals use thisattack vectorto steal personal information, banking details, and intellectual property, as well as gain unauthorized access to sensitive corporate systems. A crocodile will lurk below the surface of a watering hole where they know their prey will gather to drink and then attack when their prey is least expecting it. Want to know more about how watering hole attacks work and how they can be detected? The latest trend is watering hole attacks, where hackers target specific websites to deliver malware or steal sensitive information. 1. The next day we collected several copies of the same malware intended for the same industry. 0. Politically motivated 'watering hole' attacks are on the rise Microsoft and the Window logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. The attacks require meticulous execution in all four of the following phases: 1. Steps to defend your business from watering hole attacks There's no denying that watering-hole attacks are making an impact, but the idea that it is replacing spear phishing is erroneous. A watering hole attack broadly involves the following steps: Get a detailed explanation of how watering hole attacks work here. The end goal is often infectingvictims devices with harmful malwareand gaining unauthorized access to personal or organizationaldatabases. Watering hole attacks can be difficult to identify until theyve infected a solid number of targets. Water holing has been used to breach the cyber defenses of some of the worlds largest companies. Android, Google Chrome, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google, LLC. However, its always better to take preventive steps that avoid such an attack in the first place. Watering hole attacks have become more common in recent years and pose a serious threat to organizations everywhere. The attacks from January against Polish institutions where a booby-trapped site of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority was used were just the beginning of a series of unfortunate events. Victimsvisit the infected site and their devices are compromised, oftentimes bymalware being downloaded on their devices. The best way to deal with water holing is by preventing one from happening in the first place. These targeted attacks often rely on social engineering techniques, such as sending emails impersonating trusted brands or organizations. Protect yourself from watering hole attacks by doing the following: Update your software. This can be used to target and surveil a certain community by installing a surveillance implant on their device, including phones. Thecybercriminal gains unauthorized access to sensitive information or, The cybercriminal carries out fraudulentacts such as. 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