Security news weekly round-up - 19th March 2021
Tags: security
Published: 2021-03-19 16:17:23

---
title: Security news weekly round-up - 19th March 2021
published: true
description: Curated links about computer security from around the web
tags: security
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/0jupjut8w3h9mjwm8m57.jpg
series: Security news weekly round-up
---

> <b>One thing led to another, we did not publish any weekly round-up last week. My sincere apologies</b>.

## __Introduction__

This week it's all about _bugs_ and _malware_.

<hr>

## __[15-year-old Linux kernel bugs let attackers gain root privileges](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/15-year-old-linux-kernel-bugs-let-attackers-gain-root-privileges/)__

You can introduce a bug into your application without knowing, and it might take you (or someone else) years to figure out.

Excerpt from the article:

> Attackers can abuse the bugs to bypass exploit-blocking security features such as Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization (KASLR), Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP), Supervisor Mode Access Prevention (SMAP), and Kernel Page-Table Isolation (KPTI). 

> The three vulnerabilities can lead to local elevation of privileges, information leaks, and denials of service.

## __[Twitter images can be abused to hide ZIP, MP3 files — here's how](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/twitter-images-can-be-abused-to-hide-zip-mp3-files-heres-how/)__

Humans are crafty, and as always we have the tendency to use a service for other reasons that it was meant for.

Excerpt from the article:

> Although the art of hiding non-image data in images (steganography) isn't novel, the fact that the images can be hosted on a popular website like Twitter and are not sanitized opens up a possibility for their abuse by malicious actors.

## __[Flaws in Two Popular WordPress Plugins Affect Over 7 Million Websites](https://thehackernews.com/2021/03/flaws-in-two-popular-wordpress-plugins.html)__

WordPress is a popular open-source CMS which has resulted in the number of websites affected by this bug.

Excerpt from the article:

> The flaws were uncovered in Elementor, a website builder plugin used on more than seven million sites, and WP Super Cache, a tool used to serve cached pages of a WordPress site.

> According to Wordfence, which discovered the security weaknesses in Elementor, the bug concerns a set of stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities (CVSS score: 6.4), which occurs when a malicious script is injected directly into a vulnerable web application.

## __[New CopperStealer malware steals Google, Apple, Facebook accounts](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-copperstealer-malware-steals-google-apple-facebook-accounts/)__

Malware stealing account credentials is nothing new, but this malware is new.

Excerpt from the article:

> The malware, dubbed CopperStealer by Proofpoint researchers, is an actively developed password and cookie stealer with a downloader feature that enables its operators to deliver additional malicious payloads to infected devices.

> The threat actors behind this malware have used compromised accounts to run malicious ads and deliver additional malware in subsequent malvertising campaigns.

## __[“Expert” hackers used 11 0-days to infect Windows, iOS, and Android users](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/03/expert-hackers-used-11-zerodays-to-infect-windows-ios-and-android-users/)__

If you think you are smart, trust me, there is someone out there smarter than you.

Excerpt from the article:

> Using novel exploitation and obfuscation techniques, a mastery of a wide range of vulnerability types, and a complex delivery infrastructure, the group exploited four zero-days in February 2020.

> he hackers’ ability to chain together multiple exploits that compromised fully patched Windows and Android devices led members of Google’s Project Zero and Threat Analysis Group to call the group “highly sophisticated.”

## __[New Zoom Screen-Sharing Bug Lets Other Users Access Restricted Apps](https://thehackernews.com/2021/03/new-zoom-screen-sharing-bug-lets-other.html)__

Zoom was the breakout application of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ever since it has been in the news for all sort of reasons mostly privacy related. It's 2021, and it's in the news again for a bug in its application.

Excerpt from the article:

> Tracked as CVE-2021-28133, the unpatched security vulnerability makes it possible to reveal contents of applications that are not shared, but only briefly, thereby making it harder to exploit it in the wild.

## __[Hackers Infecting Apple App Developers With Trojanized Xcode Projects](https://thehackernews.com/2021/03/hackers-infecting-apple-app-developers.html)__

Apple is a company whose main selling point is privacy therefore, you should not be surprised that its developers are targeted with malware.

Excerpt from the article:

> Dubbed "XcodeSpy," the trojanized Xcode project is a tainted version of a legitimate, open-source project available on GitHub called TabBarInteraction that's used by developers to animate iOS tab bars based on user interaction.

> "XcodeSpy is a malicious Xcode project that installs a custom variant of the EggShell backdoor on the developer's macOS computer along with a persistence mechanism," SentinelOne researchers said.

## __Credits__

Cover photo by [Debby Hudson on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/@hudsoncrafted).

<hr>

That's it for this week, I'll see you next Friday.