Mid-Week Intel: Check Point Zero Day, WordPress Patch and a Fake Twilio Package
It's Wednesday, which means Mid-Week Intel: a plain English roundup of what the DarkWatch team has picked up, and what it actually means for you.
The dark web numbers
Overnight, DarkWatch logged 34,511 captures, 13,346 tracked entities, 1,889 alerts and 14 active targets. Three fresh captures came in, including an active dark web leak site and a group calling itself DragonForce. These are criminal marketplaces and extortion blogs, and the people in the frame are businesses and organisations, not families at the kitchen table. If a company you use emails you about a breach, don't panic. Change that password and turn on two step verification.
Check Point warns of a management server zero day
Check Point has warned about a zero day in its management server software, rated critical and exploited in targeted attacks. This is the central console companies use to manage their security systems, so it's one for IT departments rather than home users. A fix has been released, and the guidance is to apply it straight away. If you know someone who works in IT, a nudge this morning is a genuinely useful thing to do.
WordPress patches a critical flaw
WordPress has patched a critical flaw that could allow code execution on some servers. WordPress powers a huge number of small business and charity websites across the UK. If you run a WordPress site, update it today, or ask your web person to. And if you shop on small sites, remember that a hacked website isn't only the owner's problem. Use a card or a payment service rather than typing your debit card details into a site you don't know well.
A malicious npm package pretending to be a Twilio probe
A malicious package has been found on npm, pretending to be a Twilio bug bounty probe, and it can steal credentials. npm is where developers share code, so this is aimed at people who build software. But the pattern is familiar: something arrives out of the blue offering money, a reward, or a chance to be a hero. Slow right down.
Your one action this week
Pick the account that would hurt most if it was taken over, your email or your bank, and check that two step verification is switched on. While you're there, change the password if it's been reused anywhere else. That single habit blocks more scams than anything else we talk about.
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