November 17, 2024 at 07:42PM
A teenager, Alan Filion, pleaded guilty to making over 375 fake threats, known as “swatting.” Facing up to 20 years in prison, he conducted these calls targeting institutions and individuals to extort money. Meanwhile, cybersecurity updates reveal ongoing vulnerabilities in Metabase and D-Link devices, alongside rising online scams tracked by Google.
### Meeting Takeaways
1. **Teenager Pleads Guilty to Swatting**:
– Alan Filion, now 18, has pleaded guilty to four counts of making interstate threats, with a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
– Filion conducted over 375 fake emergency calls, known as “swatting,” targeting various institutions and individuals, primarily between 2022 and 2024.
2. **Active Exploits in Cybersecurity**:
– **Metabase Vulnerability**: Previously identified vulnerability (CVE-2021-41277) remains unpatched in versions prior to 0.40.5 and 1.40.5 and is under active exploitation.
– **Palo Alto Networks Expedition Vulnerabilities**:
– CVE-2024-9463: CVSS 9.9 – unauthenticated users can run arbitrary OS commands as root.
– CVE-2024-9465: CVSS 9.2 – an SQL injection vulnerability allowing unauthorized database access.
3. **UN Cybercrime Treaty Concerns**:
– HackerOne advocates for better protections for cybersecurity researchers in the UN Convention Against Cybercrime, expressing concerns about the lack of legal safeguards, which could leave researchers exposed.
4. **Halliburton Cyber Incident Cost**:
– An August cyberattack on Halliburton results in $35 million in costs, acknowledged in their earnings report without extensive details. Data theft occurred, but the company suggests minimal long-term impact.
5. **D-Link NAS Devices Vulnerability**:
– D-Link confirmed serious command injection vulnerability (CVE-2024-10914) in several end-of-life NAS devices, which they will not patch. Attacks exploiting this vulnerability are currently underway.
6. **Growing Online Scams Identified by Google**:
– Google identifies the top five scams, including:
– Deepfake impersonation of public figures.
– Crypto investment schemes.
– App and landing page cloning.
– Landing page cloaking.
– Current event-based scam campaigns.
– Users are advised to remain vigilant against these threats.
### Action Items
– Review cybersecurity policies in light of the vulnerabilities discussed.
– Consider sending out communications to users regarding the identified online scams and preventive measures.
– Monitor ongoing developments related to the UN cybercrime treaty for implications on security research practices.