October 16, 2024 at 10:34AM
The FBI, CISA, NSA, and other agencies warn of Iranian cyber actors exploiting brute force techniques to breach critical infrastructure sectors. These actors aim to obtain credentials for malicious activities. The advisory outlines their tactics and offers mitigation strategies, emphasizing strong passwords and multifactor authentication for enhanced cybersecurity.
### Meeting Summary
**Context**: Joint Cybersecurity Advisory from multiple agencies (FBI, CISA, NSA, CSE, AFP, ASD’s ACSC) addressing threats from Iranian cyber actors.
#### Key Points:
1. **Threat Landscape**:
– Iranian cyber actors are actively targeting critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare, government, IT, engineering, and energy.
– Their tactics include brute force attacks (password spraying) and multifactor authentication (MFA) bypass techniques (MFA ‘push bombing’).
2. **Tactics Employed**:
– Gained persistent access to networks through modified MFA registrations.
– Conducted reconnaissance to obtain additional credentials and network information.
– Information obtained may be sold on cybercriminal marketplaces.
3. **Recommended Mitigations**:
– Strong password policies and mandatory MFA registration.
– Regular IT helpdesk password management audits.
– Review and disable access for departing personnel promptly.
– Implement phishing-resistant MFA.
– Provide basic cybersecurity training for employees.
4. **Detection Strategies**:
– Monitor authentication logs for patterns indicating brute force attacks.
– Look for unusual login behavior (e.g., “impossible logins,” unusual geographic locations).
– Investigate MFA registrations from unexpected devices or locations.
5. **Resources for Further Action**:
– Downloadable PDF and lists of Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) are available.
– Organizations are encouraged to report suspicious activities to CISA or local FBI field offices.
### Conclusion
Organizations in critical infrastructure sectors must adopt enhanced security measures and remain vigilant against Iranian cyber actors. Continuous training, strong password policies, and effective monitoring of user behavior are vital to mitigating these threats.