State-sponsored hacking group targets Port of Houston using Zoho zero
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-40539 | Unauthenticated RCE via REST API auth bypass in Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus CVE-2021-40539 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) authentication bypass in the REST API of Zoho ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus, caused by use of an incorrectly resolved name or reference (CWE-706). An unauthenticated, network-adjacent or internet-reachable attacker sends specially crafted requests to the product's REST API, bypassing authentication, and can chain the bypass to full remote code execution with no privileges or user interaction required. Successful exploitation yields complete compromise of the self-service portal server (high impact to confidentiality, integrity and availability); public reporting and vendor notes document attackers dropping malicious code and web shells onto vulnerable servers. Any organization running ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus build 6113 or earlier is affected, which typically means enterprise Microsoft Active Directory environments running this widely deployed self-service password/SSO portal. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA KEV on 2021-11-03 with known ransomware use, EPSS puts the 30-day exploitation probability at 99% (100th percentile), Microsoft warned that Chinese threat actors were actively exploiting it, a public proof-of-concept is available, and it ranked among CISA's most routinely exploited vulnerabilities. Do: Immediately upgrade ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus to a fixed build newer than 6113 per the vendor's update instructions, as required by CISA. Because exploitation predates patching and the flaw has been used to drop malicious code, check ADSelfService Plus servers for web shells, unexpected scheduled tasks, and unexplained accounts/processes, and hunt for indicators from the published analyses. Where possible, restrict internet exposure of the ADSelfService Plus REST API while patching, prioritized for externally reachable instances. | 9.8 | 99% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| largetens of thousands of enterprise server installations (unknown precise count) |
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A suspected state-sponsored hacking group has attempted to breach the network of the Port of Houston, one of the largest port authorities in the US, using a zero-day vulnerability in a Zoho user authentication appliance, CISA officials said in a Senate hearing today. Port officials said they successfully defended the attack, and "no operational data or systems were impacted as a result" of the attempted intrusion. The investigation into the attack resulted in CISA, the FBI, and the Coast Guard sending a joint advisory on September 16 warning US organizations about attacks carried out by a nation-state hacking group using the Zoho zero-day. According to Matt Dahl, Principal Intelligence Analyst at security firm CrowdStrike, the zero-day had been used in attacks since late August. ManageEngine Exploit (CVE-2021-40539) * Limited use in targeted intrusion activity (Possibly a single actor, but unclear at this point) 2/ Zoho patched the vulnerability (CVE-2021-40539) on September 8, when CISA also issued a first warning of the ongoing attacks. CISA officials said they have not yet attributed the attack against the Port of Houston to a specific hacking group or foreign government. "[A]ttribution can always be complicated in terms of being able to dispositively say who that threat actor is," CISA Director Jen Easterly told senators today in a meeting of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. "Certainly, the most sophisticated threat actors go to great lengths, as we saw with SolarWinds, to be able to cover their tracks and obfuscate their presence so that they can live for long times in networks and be able to extract data. "But we are working very closely with our interagency partners and the intelligence community to better understand this threat actor so that we can ensure that we are not only able to protect systems, but ultimately to be able to hold these actors accountable," the CISA Director added, who categorized the attackers as a "nation-state actor" in an answer to a subsequent question. Port of Houston officials did not return a request for comment seeking additional details about the attack.
* Actor(s) appeared to have a clear objective with ability to get in and get out quickly
* No known POC so exploit appears to be close-holdThe attack has not yet been attributed to a specific foreign government
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Catalin Cimpanu
is a cybersecurity reporter who previously worked at ZDNet and Bleeping Computer, where he became a well-known name in the industry for his constant scoops on new vulnerabilities, cyberattacks, and law enforcement actions against hackers.
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