Blogs

Below are blogs that I've written on topics covering blockchain technologies and cybersecurity. I look into how these technological advancements will change our lives today and what it means for all of us in the future.

Interested in possibly working together? Feel free to reach out via my contact page and let's chat!

Devastatingly Effective Ad Fraud Campaign Targets 11 Million Devices with 1,700 Malicious Apps

Michael Paulyn

3 days ago
1 min

Devastatingly Effective Ad Fraud Campaign Targets 11 Million Devices with 1,700 Malicious Apps

Cybersecurity experts have recently discovered and shut down a massive ad fraud campaign targeting over 11 million devices using 1,700 malicious applications from 120 publishers. In a statement from the fraud prevention company known as HUMAN, they share that "VASTFLUX was a malvertising attack that injected malicious JavaScript code into digital ad creatives, allowing the fraudsters to stack numerous invisible video ad players behind one another and register ad views." This

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Bitzlato Founder Arrested for Assisting Cybercriminals to Launder $700 Million

Michael Paulyn

6 days ago
2 min

Bitzlato Founder Arrested for Assisting Cybercriminals to Launder $700 Million

On Wednesday, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Anatoly Legkodymov, who also goes by the alias Gandalf and Tolik. Legkodymov, the co-founder of Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange, is allegedly responsible for laundering over $700 million. Legkodymov, a 40-year-old Russian national, was arrested in Miami and was officially charged by a U.S. federal court with "conducting a money transmitting business that transported and transmitted

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Git Users Need to Update Software to Prevent Frequent Remote Code Execution Attacks from Occurring

Michael Paulyn

Jan 22
1 min

Git Users Need to Update Software to Prevent Frequent Remote Code Execution Attacks from Occurring

Those responsible for maintaining the Git source code version control system have recently shared essential updates for all users. This announcement aims to fix any potential vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could use for an attack to achieve remote code execution. The crucial flaws are recorded as the following CVE-2022-23521 and CVE-2022-41903, which is affecting the following versions of Git: v2.30.6, v2.31.5, v2.32.4, v2.33.5, v2.34.5, v2.35.5, v2.36.3, v2.37.4, v2.38.

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Here are the Top 4 SaaS Cybersecurity Threats for 2023

Michael Paulyn

Jan 19
2 min

Here are the Top 4 SaaS Cybersecurity Threats for 2023

It's only the first month of 2023, but cybercriminals from all over are hard at work. For any SaaS business, staying safe online and ensuring sensitive data doesn't fall into the wrong hands is never more crucial. Here are four key areas to remember as we move into a new calendar year. 1. Weak Points of Web Application At the heart of every SaaS business lies dozens of web applications used daily in and out to ensure business transactions run smoothly. The truth is that web

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Several API Vulnerabilities Uncovered, Putting Millions of Vehicles at Risk

Michael Paulyn

Jan 15
1 min

Several API Vulnerabilities Uncovered, Putting Millions of Vehicles at Risk

Millions of vehicles from sixteen of the industry's leading automotive manufacturers are at risk due to API vulnerabilities. These units are at risk of being hacked and tracked, and the owners' privacy is also potentially at risk due to several recently uncovered bugs. These specific security weak points in vehicle APIs in brands ranging from Acura, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Toy

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17-Year-Old Hacker Arrested By London Police for Allegedly Breaching Uber and GTA 6

Michael Paulyn

Jan 11
1 min

17-Year-Old Hacker Arrested By London Police for Allegedly Breaching Uber and GTA 6

The City of London police have shared they arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly hacking and breaching Uber and GTA 6. The agency states that "on the evening of Thursday, 22 September 2022, the City of London Police arrested a 17-year-old in Oxfordshire on suspicion of hacking, and he remains in police custody." This arrest was made in partnership with the UK National Crime Agency's cybercrime unit. Although the police agency didn’t release any additional details, there ar

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Experts find Potential Wiretapping Bugs in Google Smart Speakers

Michael Paulyn

Jan 8
1 min

Experts find Potential Wiretapping Bugs in Google Smart Speakers

Recently a cybersecurity researcher was awarded $107,500 for finding some critical security issues in Google smart speakers, preventing hackers from inputting wiretapping devices into the units. These findings uncovered what experts state would have "allowed an attacker within wireless proximity to install a 'backdoor' account on the device, enabling them to send commands to it remotely over the internet, access its microphone feed, and make arbitrary HTTP requests within the

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3 Major Hacktivist Groups Found to be Assisting Russian Efforts

Michael Paulyn

Jan 5
1 min

3 Major Hacktivist Groups Found to be Assisting Russian Efforts

According to experts within the cybersecurity realm, three supposed hacktivist groups are assisting and collaborating with Russian efforts. This revealing information now provides a glimpse into the extent of Russian cyber interest and the capabilities of these various government entities. Mandiant, the Google-owned and operated cybersecurity threat intelligence and incident response branch, shares that "moderators of the purported hacktivist Telegram channels 'XakNet Team,'

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Infamous North Korean Hacker Group, Focusing on Mac Users Interested in Crypto Jobs

Michael Paulyn

Jan 1
1 min

Infamous North Korean Hacker Group, Focusing on Mac Users Interested in Crypto Jobs

The infamous North Korean hacker group, Lazarus Group, is focused on using malware against unsuspecting mac users interested in applying for crypto jobs. This recent campaign by the state-sponsored unit works to use decoy job advertisements for positions with the cryptocurrency-exchange firm Crypto dot com. This "project' has been allegedly named Operation In(ter)caption, part of a much larger campaign dubbed Operation Dream Job. At the moment, the precise distribution vector

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Here’s Why Consistent Security Testing is a Necessity for Companies Today

Michael Paulyn

Dec 28, 2022
2 min

Here’s Why Consistent Security Testing is a Necessity for Companies Today

As more companies become more digitalized, top-notch cybersecurity is increasingly necessary in today’s business world. Some experts predict that the information security and risk management market will grow from $172.5 billion in 2022 to $267.3 billion in 2026. As these trends continue to grow, one of the most significant needs many firms will need to consider is hiring experts capable of testing a firm’s cybersecurity defenses, vulnerabilities, and weak points. Below are th

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The U.S. Gov Lists 2 More Chinese Telecom Firms as National Security Threats

Michael Paulyn

Dec 25, 2022
1 min

The U.S. Gov Lists 2 More Chinese Telecom Firms as National Security Threats

In recent news, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it was adding Pacific Network Corp plus its subsidiary company ComNet (USA) LLC and China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited to its list of firms deemed threats to national security. In its announcement, the federal agency explained that these “companies are subject to the Chinese government's exploitation, influence, and control, and could be forced to comply with requests” such as intercepting sens

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Ukrainian Police Arrest Cybercriminals for Illegally Selling Data of 30 Million Accounts

Michael Paulyn

Dec 22, 2022
1 min

Ukrainian Police Arrest Cybercriminals for Illegally Selling Data of 30 Million Accounts

The Ukrainian authorities have shared they've successfully neutralized a cybercriminal group stationed outside of Lviv, in the western part of the nation, conducting illegal activities on behalf of the Russian government. This specialized group of hackers worked to sell accounts and data of Ukrainian and EU citizens to the highest bidder on the dark web, netting a profit of $372 000. The Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) stated that "their 'wholesale clients' were pro-kremlin

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WhatsApp Has Some Pretty Critical Bugs, Allowing Hackers with Remote Access to Devices

Michael Paulyn

Dec 18, 2022
1 min

WhatsApp Has Some Pretty Critical Bugs, Allowing Hackers with Remote Access to Devices

The popular texting and communication app used by millions across the globe is seeing some well-needed cybersecurity revisions. These updates will work to fix and patch up too massive flaws for Android and iOS users that could leave many devices open to remote code execution. One of these weak points, CVE-2022-36934 (CVSS score: 9.8), is what’s known as a critical integer overflow vulnerability which can result in WhatsApp experiencing an execution of random code simply from

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Harnessing the Power of Quantum Builder from the Dark Web, Cybercriminals Deliver Agent Tesla

Michael Paulyn

Dec 14, 2022
1 min

Harnessing the Power of Quantum Builder from the Dark Web, Cybercriminals Deliver Agent Tesla

Experts have uncovered a malware builder, Quantum Builder, which cybercriminals use to deliver Agent Tesla remote access trojan (RAT). Researchers from Zscaler ThreatLabz share that "this campaign features enhancements and a shift toward LNK (Windows shortcut) files compared to similar attacks in the past." The Quantum Builder is sold on the dark web and goes for the low price of €189 per month. This unique tool is completely customizable and capable of creating malicious sho

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Using Proxies, Leaks, and Hacks, Hacktivists Work to Help Iranian Protestors

Michael Paulyn

Dec 11, 2022
1 min

Using Proxies, Leaks, and Hacks, Hacktivists Work to Help Iranian Protestors

Many hacktivist groups spanning the globe are working together to come to the aid of the Iranian people as they continue to protest against the current regime. Using tools such as Telegram, among many others, these groups work tirelessly to ensure those protesting can share their stories. Several cybersecurity companies have confirmed that these hacktivists have found tremendous success using open VPNs and sharing proxies to find loopholes to work around the government's cens

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Google Releases a Fresh Version of the Chrome Browser to Fix Yet Another Zero-Day Flaw

Michael Paulyn

Dec 8, 2022
1 min

Google Releases a Fresh Version of the Chrome Browser to Fix Yet Another Zero-Day Flaw

The global tech giant Google announced that its out-of-band security update was ready to be fixed and patch up a current vulnerability zero-day weak point in its Chrome web browser. The vulnerability with the highest security-rated flaw, CVE-2022-4262, uses a specific "confusion bug" type within the V8 JavaScript engine. These confusion bugs aim to weaponize cybercriminals' weak points and vulnerabilities to perform out-of-bounds memory access. This also includes attempting t

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Military Contractors the Latest Targets in a Series of Covert Cyberattacks Researchers Say

Michael Paulyn

Dec 4, 2022
1 min

Military Contractors the Latest Targets in a Series of Covert Cyberattacks Researchers Say

There's been a series of covert cyberattacks explicitly zeroing in on military and weapons contractor firms. Most notably, these ongoing attacks use '" spear-phishing" emails which work to commence what's known as a multi-stage infection process that deploys an unknown payload on these vulnerable devices. The attacks have been referred to as STEEP#MAVERICK by Securonix, which also works to breach the supplier that works with the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Researchers

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Using High-Tech Point-of-Sale (PoS) Malware, Brazilian Prilex Hackers are Resurfacing

Michael Paulyn

Dec 1, 2022
1 min

Using High-Tech Point-of-Sale (PoS) Malware, Brazilian Prilex Hackers are Resurfacing

Brazilian hackers operating under the alias “Prilex” recently resurfaced after a year-long break, armed with some of the most high-tech point-of-sale malware designed to steal money using fraudulent purchases. Researchers from the firm Kaspersky state that "the Prilex group has shown a high level of knowledge about credit and debit card transactions and how software used for payment processing works. This enables the attackers to keep updating their tools to find a way to cir

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Another 2 Exchange Zero-Day Flaws Confirmed by Microsoft In-The-Wild Exploitations

Michael Paulyn

Nov 27, 2022
1 min

Another 2 Exchange Zero-Day Flaws Confirmed by Microsoft In-The-Wild Exploitations

Recently, Microsoft has stated that they've been looking into two zero-day security vulnerabilities impacting Exchange Servers for versions from 2013, 2016, and 2019 following reports of several in-the-wild exploitations. Microsoft said in a released statement, "the first vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-41040, is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability, while the second, identified as CVE-2022-41082, allows remote code execution (RCE) when PowerShell is acces

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North Korean Hackers Weaponize Open-Source Software in the Latest Cyberattacks

Michael Paulyn

Nov 24, 2022
1 min

North Korean Hackers Weaponize Open-Source Software in the Latest Cyberattacks

In what experts call a "highly operational, destructive, and sophisticated nation-state activity group" with strong links to the Kim regime, North Korea has been working hard to weaponize open-source software since June 2022. Microsoft, LinkedIn, and other companies are sharing that they've found these recent threats connected to the North Korean cyber group known as Lazarus, which is working under the alias name Labyrinth Chollima. These attacks aren't limited to the west, w

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