New Password Reset attack targets Apple device users

Apple iPhone Users Targeted As Increased Password Reset Scams Skyrocket In 2024

New password reset attack targets Apple device users

Scammers are taking advantage of Apple’s password reset tool in a new ‘MFA bombing’ attack.

woman using phone in the dark — d3sign/Getty Images

Apple device owners are facing a new phishing hack that uses “multi-factor authentication (MFA) bombing” to steal their data.

Several Apple users in have reported a hacking attempt that appears to take advantage of Apple’s password reset feature, KrebsOnSecurity reported, citing people who have been targeted. The scammers have used Apple’s password reset tool to spam their targets with dozens, if not hundreds, of notifications, asking the user to reset their Apple ID password.

Pressing the “Allow” option gets the scammers one step closer to resetting the user’s credentials because that device could then be used to create a new Apple ID password.

Unfortunately, tapping “Don’t Allow” on all the notifications doesn’t solve the problem.

After those targeted by the scam chose to not allow their passwords to be reset, they received phone calls from the scammers claiming they were from Apple’s support team, according to the report. Their goal was to send a password reset code to the user’s device and have the user tell them the code. Armed with that information, the scammers could simply reset the Apple ID password and get full access to the user’s account.

Since Krebs’ sources didn’t press “Allow” on the notification, it’s unclear what the scammers would have done in that scenario. Presumably, the scammers would still likely need to call the target, again acting as Apple support, and fool them into resetting the password on their device and sharing it with the hacker.

Phishing attacks have been used for decades to target unsuspecting victims. But in recent years, scammers have increasingly turned to phishing as a desirable way to steal passwords, delete data, and ultimately steal money from their victims.

In 2022, mobile phishing attacks were up a whopping 61% year-over-year in just a six-month period, according to security provider SlashNext. The company said mobile users faced 255 million phishing attacks during that period.

It’s unclear how many Apple users have been impacted by this MFA bombing attack. However, Krebs’ sources reported that they received notifications on their iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macs, suggesting the attack isn’t just limited to one type of Apple device. What’s worse, there’s no simple way to stop it.

One of Krebs’ sources said they called Apple for help with the attack and the company said they should create a recovery key, a 28-character code that they would need to input to change their Apple ID password.

However, after creating a recovery code, Krebs reported that it was still possible to trigger the notifications the users saw when targeted by the spammers. It appears Apple’s password reset feature may be to blame and until the company changes how that works, hackers could conceivably continue to exploit the flaw and target users.

For now, if you’re an Apple user, your only option is to stay in the know and remain vigilant. If you receive a slew of password reset requests that you didn’t initiate, be sure to always choose the “Don’t Allow” option on the notifications.

Don’t be tempted to choose “Allow” simply because the notifications aren’t allowing you to use other apps or services on your device — a core component in the fraudsters’ plan. Even if you don’t choose “Allow,” be prepared for a call and be sure not to answer it.

Additionally, Apple has made it clear that the company does not call any of its users directly. So, if you receive a number from 1-800-275-2273 (Apple’s actual support line that the scammers are spoofing to make their calls seem legitimate), don’t pick up and definitely don’t provide any information to the caller.

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Top 10 Cybersecurity Trends (Updated for 2023)

Table of Contents

1) Rise of Automotive Hacking

2) Potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3) Mobile is the New Target

4) Cloud is Also Potentially Vulnerable

5) Data Breaches: Prime Target

6) IoT with 5G Network: The New Era of Technology and Risks

7) Automation and Integration

8) Targeted Ransomware

9) State-Sponsored Cyber Warfare

10) Insider Threats

2023: The Digital Transformation realized for businesses, organizations and even governments are relying on computerized and progressively increased digital systems to manage their day-to-day activities making Cybersecurity a primary goal and priority for all Executives and Organizations of all sizes.

The 2020 pandemic year exacerbated this fact – with up to 75% of billions of people globally transitioning from their physical office (which had the IT resources and personnel) to their “home office”. Essentially turning the entire “working from home industry” and all of the IT and HR requirements that it needs due to safeguarding data from various online attacks or any unauthorized access as the new “norm” of virtual/remote work.

Going Forward: Continuous change in technologies including the popular Dual Authorization Password apps primarily through utilizing the smart phone also implies a parallel shift and priority in Cybersecurity trends across the board in every organization as news of data breach, ransomware, malware, compromised devices/browsers and hacks unfortunately become the norms. This is simply based on adapting to the progressing volume (millions before the 2020 Pandemic worked from home, today it is billions) of remote workers. Here are the top Cybersecurity trends for 2023:

1) Rise of Automotive Hacking

Modern vehicles nowadays come packed with automated software creating seamless connectivity for drivers in cruise control, engine timing, door lock, airbags and advanced systems for driver assistance. These vehicles use Bluetooth and WiFi technologies to communicate that also opens them to several vulnerabilities or threats from hackers. Gaining control of the vehicle or using microphones for eavesdropping is expected to rise in 2023 with more use of automated vehicles. Self-driving or autonomous vehicles use an even further complex mechanism that requires strict cybersecurity measures.

2) Potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

With AI being introduced in all market segments, this technology with a combination of machine learning has brought tremendous changes in cybersecurity. AI has been paramount in building automated security systems, natural language processing, face detection, and automatic threat detection and the ChatGPT OpenAI capabilities that are literally transforming industries of anything relating to “the written word” including Copy Writing, Marketing, Advertising, Education, and many, many others are all being automated with AI. Although, it is also being used to develop smart malware and attacks to bypass the latest security protocols in controlling data. AI enabled threat detection systems can predict new attacks and notify admins for any data breach instantly.

3) Mobile is the New Target

Cybersecurity trends provide a considerable increase (50 percent) for mobile banking malware or attacks in 2020, making our handheld devices a potential prospect for hackers. All of our photos, financial transactions, emails, and messages possess more threats to individuals. Smartphones are logically one of the biggest targets for anyone with the skills and agenda primarily based on two facts:

Smartphones are used by more people globally today than PC’s (personal computers)
The security and vulnerabilities of smartphones are far less on average than PC’s
Social Media like Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok as well as other installed Apps of all types on smartphones/PC’s/devices are being targeted more and more each day by malicious individuals and “ransomware gangs” globally.

4) The “Cloud” i.e. Internet is Also Potentially Vulnerable

With more and more organizations now established on clouds, security measures need to be continuously monitored and updated to safeguard the data from leaks. Although cloud applications such as Google or Microsoft are well equipped with security from their end still, it’s the user end that acts as a significant source for erroneous errors, malicious software, and phishing attacks more than ever before today. Malicious actors across the globe are adapting faster than end users can act, especially in today’s ever so popular Social Media world.

5) Data Breaches: Prime target

Data will continue to be a leading concern for organizations around the world. Whether it be for an individual or organization, safeguarding digital data is the primary goal now. Any minor flaw or bug in your system browser or software is a potential vulnerability for hackers to access personal information. New strict measures General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced from May 25th, 2018 onwards, offering data protection and privacy for individuals in the European Union(EU). Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was applied after January 1st, 2020, for safeguarding consumer rights in the California area.

6) IoT with 5G Network: The New Era of Technology and Risks

With the advent and growth of 5G networks, a new era of inter-connectivity will become a reality with the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Internet of Things (IoT) is essentially an interconnected global network where all devices are connected to each other as well as the “internet” 24×7. This communication between multiple devices also opens them to vulnerabilities from outside influence, attacks or an unknown software bug. Even the world’s most used browser supported by Google, Chrome was found to have serious bugs. 5G architecture is comparatively new in the industry and requires a lot of research to find loopholes to make the system secure from external attack.

Every step of the 5G network might bring a plethora of network attacks that we might not be aware of. Here manufacturers need to be very strict in building sophisticated 5G hardware and software to control data breaches.

7) Automation and Integration

With the size of data multiplying every day, it is eminent that automation is integrated to give more sophisticated control over the information. Modern hectic work demand also pressurizes professionals and engineers to deliver quick and proficient solutions, making automation more valuable than ever. Security measurements are incorporated during the agile process to build more secure software in every aspect. Large and complex web applications are further hard to safeguard making automation as well as cyber security to be a key concept of the software development process.

8) Targeted Ransomware

Another important cybersecurity trend that we can’t seem to ignore is targeted ransomware. Especially in the developed nations’ industries rely heavily on specific software to run their daily activities. These ransomware targets are more focused today in 2023 including examples like the Wanna Cry attack on the National Health Service hospitals in England corrupted more than 70,000 medical devices. Though generally, ransomware asks to threaten to publish the victim’s data unless a ransom is paid still it can affect the large organization or in case of nations too.

9) State-Sponsored Cyber Warfare

There won’t be any stoppage between the western and eastern powers in attempts to find superiority. The tension between the US and Iran or Chinese hackers often creates worldwide news though the attacks are few; they have a significant impact on an event such as elections. And with more than 70 elections bound to be held this year, criminal activities during this time will surge. Expect high-profile data breaches, key infrastructure like airlines grounding planes due to internal software compromises, etc. as top cybersecurity trends for 2023.

10) Insider Threats

Human error is still one of the primary reasons for data breaches and cyber security issues and service tickets, up to 75% of all reported in fact according to the most recent 2022 statistics. Any employee having a grudge or just a bad day at their employer or intentional loophole can bring down a whole organization with millions of stolen data. One example of this in 2022 was an official Report by Verizon that a documented data breach gives strategic insights on cybersecurity trends that 45 percent of total attacks were directly or indirectly made by the employees. Creating a culture of more awareness within premises to safeguard data in every way possible is truly the primary goal today in 2023 as well as the future.

Does your iPhone or iPad have Pegasus spyware? Find out for FREE right now!

Does your iPhone or iPad have Pegasus spyware? Find out for FREE right now (only a 5 minute read)

If you are like me, you’re curious about whether your iPhone or iPad is infected by Pegasus spyware. Here’s how to check for peace of mind.

cybersecurity-2544 — **You will need to connect your iPhone to your computer to check for Pegasus spyware.**

Every time there’s a report about an iPhone or iPad exploit being actively distributed and used, it’s unnerving. In July, 2021 it was revealed that security researchers discovered evidence of Pegasus spyware being used on the phones of journalists, politicians and activists without their knowledge or, just as importantly, without their consent.

The spyware can be remotely installed on a target’s iPhone or iPad without the owner taking any action, granting the person or organization who installed it full access to the device and all the data it holds. That includes text messages, emails and even recording phone calls. Pegasus was originally designed and is marketed by its creator, the NSO Group, to monitor criminals and terrorists.

To be clear, the odds of your iPhone or iPad being infected by the Pegasus Spyware are low, and various reports claim that the most recent update, iOS 14.7.1, fixed the exploit Pegasus was using, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Apple. That said, if you want peace of mind — just in case — by knowing that your device is free of anyone spying on you, here’s what you need to do.

Download and install iMazing’s app on your Mac or PC

iMazing recently updated its Mac and PC app to include Amnesty International’s Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) which was built to detect signs of Pegasus on a device and isn’t charging users to access the feature.

Download iMazing for your respective computer from the company’s website. Don’t worry about buying the app, we can run the full spyware test using the free trial.

After it’s downloaded, install iMazing and then open it. When prompted, select free trial.

how-to-run-imazing-spyware-tool — **The longest part is waiting for the app to make a back up of your iPhone or iPad.**

How to run the Pegasus Spyware test on your iPhone or iPad

With iMazing installed and running, connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using the appropriate cable. You may have to enter your Lock Screen code on your device to approve the connection before proceeding (something to keep in mind if your iPhone or iPad isn’t showing up in iMazing).

Next, scroll down through the action options on the right-hand side of iMazing until you locate Detect Spyware; click on it.

A new window will open, guiding you through the process. The tool works by creating a local backup of your device (so you’ll need to make sure you have enough storage space for the backup), and then analyzing that backup. It’s an automated task, so you don’t have to stick around to monitor it once you click start.

iMazing suggests leaving all of the default settings in place as you click through each screen. There are configuration options built into the tool for advanced users, but for most of us (including myself), the default configuration settings will get the job done.

After going through the basic configuration, you’ll need to accept a license for the tool and then click the Start Analysis button.

Once the process starts, make sure you leave your iPhone or iPad connected until it’s finished. I ran the test on my iPhone 12 Pro and it took around 30 minutes to create the backup and another 5 minutes for it to be analyzed. After the backup was created, I did have to enter my account password to allow iMazing to begin analyzing the file. Because of that, I recommend starting the tool and checking on it after a while. My neighbor has a iPhone 12 (not a Pro model) and the same process took her 45 minutes and another 13 minutes respectively to give you a comparison of iPhone devices.

Once iMazing begins analyzing your device’s backup, it’ll show you its progress by displaying each individual app it’s checking, starting with iMessage. The app is using a database of known “malicious email addresses, links, process names and file names”

When iMazing finishes, you’ll see an alert with the results. In my case, my iPhone 12 Pro did not show any signs of infection and had 0 warnings.

The alert also includes two buttons to either open or reveal the report. I looked through my report and it contained a bunch of random links that meant nothing to me.

At the end of the scan, the results are displayed in an easy to read alert.

What to do if the iMazing app says your device has signs of an infection

First of all, don’t panic. It could be a false positive. iMazing asks that you send the report (click reveal report to go directly to the file) to its customer support team who will then do further analysis.

The company does suggest, however, that if you or a family member are active in a “politically sensitive context” and have a positive report to immediately remove your SIM card and turn your iPhone off.

Again, the odds of getting a true positive report are very low, but at least you’ll have some peace of mind. For more peace of mind and a free 30-minute security diagnosis by Certified Mac/Apple Technicians, contact GeeksByTheHour.com right now.