Social Items

Microsoft's CBL-Mariner is an internal Linux distribution used for Azure first-party services and edge appliances, developed by the Linux Systems Group at Microsoft.

While the Linux Systems Group at Microsoft has developed a number of other products, with some meant for customers and partners and others strictly for internal use, such as its work building an optimized Linux kernel for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). And recently, Microsoft has made CBL-Mariner available on GitHub.

Microsoft initially released CBL-Mariner commit on GitHub four months ago, even though CBL-Mariner remains a public release, it's meant strictly for Microsoft's own use and available under an MIT License.

CBL-Mariner serves as base Linux for Microsoft’s Azure container host



The term "CBL" stands for "Common Base Linux" which meaning underlies Microsoft's use of CBL-Mariner as the base Linux for containers in the Azure Stack HCI implementation of its Kubernetes Service.



It is a lightweight Linux distribution which serves as part of Microsoft's evolving 5G/edge networking services in its Azure for Operators unit, even as Red Hat's CoreOS was formerly used as the preferred host for Linux containers, but recently, has been deprecated, thereby necessitating an alternative service.

Also, Microsoft provides the Flatcar Linux CoreOS-fork for Azure customers as part of a partnership with the developers, Kinvolk, but with its own distribution for own services, CBL-Mariner will ensure that it can update and manage its host and container instances on its own schedule.

Some other projects by Microsoft’s Linux Systems Group



The Linux Systems Group handles much of the Microsoft’s Linux works, which includes the Azure-tuned kernel that is available as patches for many common Linux distributions, helping to optimize them for use with Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor, and a set of other tools to deliver policy-based enforcement of system integrity.

Also, its work building an optimized Linux kernel for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which was pushed out through Windows 10 update, is very significant. And some of the other works include the secure Linux for Azure Sphere, the SONiC networking distribution designed for use with the Open Compute Project hardware and many public clouds and online services.

And lastly, CBL-Mariner release as part of the Azure infrastructure, used for Microsoft's edge network services and as part of its cloud infrastructure will ensure a low-overhead, and tightly focused distribution.

CBL-Mariner: Base Linux for Containers in Azure Stack HCI implementation

MX Linux team has released the new third point version in its MX Linux 19 “Patito Feo” series, MX Linux 19.3, as a Debian and antiX Linux distros spinoff, with several bug fixes and updates to the latest applications for all editions, including: Xfce or KDE Plasma.

While the previous version, MX Linux 19.2 brought support for 64-bit KDE edition with Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) enabled, MX Linux 19.3 KDE includes the updated KDE Plasma desktop 5.15 and Linux kernel 5.8.

Albeit, the standard 32-bit and 64-bit editions of MX Linux 19.3 had its Debian kernel updated to version 4.19, which means that the kernel will auto-update by default along with the Debian package sources.

What's New MX Linux 19.3 Release?



MX Linux 19.3 brings the latest updates from upstream Debian Buster 10.6 and the core MX repository and software packages.



The MX-apps and MX PackageInstaller has the kernel entries updated, with MX Installer issue with autoinstall and ESP flat setting on UEFI setups fixed, and MX Snapshot has now received miscellaneous enhancements such as a reset network connection function. Other major changes in MX Linux 19.3 include:

  • GIMP 2.10.12
  • MESA 18.3.6 (20.1.8 for AHS)
  • Debian kernel 4.19 (5.8 for AHS)
  • LibreOffice 6.1.5
  • Thunderbird 68.12.0


Additionally, the antiX live system has been improved, such as the live system will no longer set alt+shift by default for the switching of keyboard.

How to Upgrade to MX Linux 19.3



If you need a fresh installation of MX Linux 19.3 from scratch, you can get the ISO images of all editions from here and the torrent files are available here.

And for those already using the previous MX Linux 19.2, they can easily upgrade to MX-19.3 by manually updating their packages using the MX Updater tool, but if you are using older versions, you can follow the official migration guide.

MX Linux 19.3 Release: A Debian and antiX Linux distros Spinoff

BlackBerry Research and Intelligence team have discovered a cyber-espionage campaign that's targeted at financial firms, dubbed CostaRicto, which appears to be operated by a group of APT “hackers-for-hire” mercenaries.

The hackers-for-hire operation was discovered using a strain of previously undocumented malware that targets South Asian financial institutions and entertainment companies globally; albeit mercenary groups that offers APT-style cyberattacks are becoming more and more popular.

The tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) employed by these APT “hackers-for-hire” mercenaries often mimics highly sophisticated state-sponsored campaigns, though the profiles of their victims are far too more diverse to be aligned to a single bad actor’s interests.

The Modus Operandi of APT Hackers For Hire



The APT Hackers For Hire modus operandi is quite straight-forward, with the initial foothold in the target's environment through stolen credentials, the hackers set up an SSH tunnel to download a backdoor and payload loader dubbed CostaBricks which implements a C++ virtual machine mechanism that decode and inject bytecode payload into the victim's device memory.



And the command-and-control (C2) servers are managed via DNS tunneling, with the backdoor delivered by the CostaBricks loaders as a C++ compiled executable called SombRAT, named after a Mexican hacker, known as Sombra and an infiltrator from Overwatch, the popular multiplayer game.

The biggest concentration of targets appear to be in South Asia, mostly: Singapore, India, Bangladesh and China, which suggests that the threat actor themselves could be based in these regions, but working for a more wider range of commissions from diverse clients around the world.

Albeit, the identities of the bad actors behind the operation remains unknown, but one of the IP addresses on which the backdoor domains were registered has been linked to an earlier phishing campaign attributed to Russia-backed APT28 hacking group, hinting at a possible link that the phishing campaigns could have been outsourced on behalf of the actual mercenaries.

About The BlackBerry Research and Intelligence Unit



The BlackBerry Research and Intelligence unit examines emerging and persistent threats, in order to provide intelligence analysis for the benefit of organizations they serve.

And this isn't the first hackers-for-hire operation uncovered by the BlackBerry Research and Intelligence team, the first was a series of campaigns by a group called Bahamut that exploited zero-day flaws, malicious and disinformation operations to target victims in the Middle East and South Asia.

CostaRicto Campaign: APT 'Hackers For Hire' Operation targets financial firms

OAuth 2.0 swept the web in 2012, as the authentication upgrade that allow users to securely log in to websites and many sign-on systems, ranging from AWS’s Cognito to Okta, implemented OAuth.

While OAuth enables you to “authenticate with Google” and other providers with a completely different website or application, but OAuth was designed around browsers, and assumes that the originator making the request can handle an HTTP redirect.

The browser focus is rather a stumbling block for apps or the “Internet of Things”, coupled with the fact that OAuth requires that you post form parameters instead of JSON. Hence, there is a new proposal to replace OAuth with GNAP, though the specification is still in its early stages, its features goes further than even OAuth 2.1.

How GNAP addresses some limitations of OAuth with new features



GNAP is intended to further the idea that security is a really exciting field, and it addresses some limitations of OAuth and spices it with some new features.



Instead of relying on HTTP parameters, GNAP allows you to use JSON, and application endpoints are quite discoverable. You don't have to support redirects or use any of the various hacks around it. And GNAP proposes to support new security features as follows:

  • Multi-Access Tokens: Allows clients to authenticate to several resources at once, as both user and administrator.
  • Asynchronous & Application URL Launch: Are different authentication paths that allow authentication without a redirect. GNAP enables applications to also authenticate to third-party resources with no direct access.
  • Request Continuations: Allow clients to negotiate stuff like redirects or other details during the authentication process and a client is also allowed to negotiate for additional privileges or access tokens.


Additionally, there is the Sender Constraint Tokens which are add-ons to OAuth 2 for functionality called DPOP and MTLS, as GNAP build this directly into the protocol. For instance, if a token was dropped (or intercepted), it would not matter because the bearer would not have the password.

How to get Started with Using GNAP



If you want to start using GNAP right away, or you're interested in collaborating with other users, you can fork one of the prototypes from the existing proposal on GitHub.

Albeit, the authors aim to release GNAP in 2022, which is still a long way off. But, the GNAP working group is actively looking for collaborators, which you can join via the mail list and offer your expertise.

OAuth Replacement: GNAP addresses some limitations of OAuth with new features

Endless OS is a Linux-based operating system with a simplified and streamlined experience running its own customized desktop environment forked from GNOME 3.

While the Endless team has announced a new stable version, Endless OS 3.9.0 with tons of improvements, new features, and core component updates. Endless OS uniqueness stems from the use of a read-only root file system managed by OSTree with application bundles overlaid on top, instead of using a traditional Linux package management system.

And based on its users feedback, Endless OS 3.9.0 has the concept of Hack mode removed from its first class learning environment.

What's New in Endless OS 3.9.0 Release?



Endless OS 3.9.0 features Linux kernel 5.8, bringing with it support for latest hardware, GPU drivers, file system, and improved security.



And coupled with the latest GNOME 3.38 desktop environment, users can now apply parental control to all the installed applications and also use drag-and-drop icons on desktops. Now, once you switch Hack mode on, Endless OS will transform your computer into a fun learning environment to explore all learning fields such as Operating System, Art, Maker, Web, and Games.

Additional new changes in Endless OS 3.9.0 includes: NVIDIA driver 450.66 with support for the new NVIDIA graphics cards, along with the updated low-level userspace components such as Xorg 1.20.8, Systemd 246, Dracut 050, and Mesa 20.1.1.

How to Upgrade to Endless OS 3.9.0



Endless OS 3.9.0 is now available for download with the images for Desktop, Virtual Machine, and Raspberry Pi 4 downloadable from the official website.

Kindly note that the hacking affordances by default are available without a specific mode, and you can still enjoy the Sidetrack quests or use the Hacking Toolbox on the flip side of the app to solve riddles.

Endless OS 3.9.0 Release: Hack Mode removed from the learning environment

Ghimob is a full-fledged spyware which is tied to the Brazil-based threat group Guildma, allowing the hackers to access infected Android devices remotely, to complete fraudulent transactions using the victim's smartphone.

According to Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), Ghimob is among a "Tetrade" of four banking Trojans that targets financial institutions in Latin America, including Brazil, and Europe, with that the criminals behind the operation haven expanded their tactics to infect new mobile devices with spyware.

Also, the Android banking Trojan targets financial apps from fintech companies, exchanges, banks, and cryptocurrencies in Paraguay, Portugal, Peru, Germany, Angola, and Mozambique.

How Ghimob Banking Trojan targets fintech apps



As Ghimob shares the same infrastructure used by Guildma, its modus operandi of using phishing emails as a mechanism to distribute the malware is also evidence, which lures unsuspecting users into clicking on malicious URLs that then downloads the Ghimob APK installer on their Android devices.



And once the Trojan gets installed on the device, it functions in a similar way to other mobile RATs that masks its presence by hiding from the app drawer and by abusing Android's accessibility features, it gain persistence, disabling manual uninstall and allowing the banking Trojan to manipulate screen content, capture keystrokes, and thereby providing full remote access to the hackers.

Ghimob is fully able to record screen lock pattern and to later replay it to unlock the device. It targets as many as 153 mobile apps, with 112 of them belonging to financial institutions based in Brazil, cryptocurrency and banking apps accounting for the rest.

How to Mitigate against Ghimob Banking Trojan



It is recommended that Android users should always scrutinize the permissions granted to apps installed on their device.

And if perhaps you notice any unusual notifications and screen activites on your Android device, or suspect any malware-infected apps, quickly uninstall the app from your device, and also make sure the operating system and apps are up to date.

Ghimob Banking Trojan targeting fintech apps on Android devices

Tianfu Cup Competition is the biggest hacking contest in China, which in its third rendition took place in Chengdu, China, with about 15 participating hacker teams.

The hackathon is China's version of Pwn2Own, and showed off hacking attempts against a number of popular platforms, including Windows 10, Linux and popular browsers such as Chrome and Safari, with the hackers partaking in the Tianfu Cup 2020 successfully hacked several such popular software programs.

In fact, there are multiple software from Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Samsung that were successfully pwned with previously unknown exploits in Tianfu Cup 2020.

Major Exploits recorded at Tianfu Cup 2020 Competition



The Tianfu Cup 2020 recorded many hard targets in this year’s contest, which out of the programs, the following were confirmed as successfully hacked:



  • Windows 10 2004
  • Ubuntu 20/CentOS 8
  • Windows 10 2004
  • iOS 14 (iPhone 11 Pro)
  • QEMU emulator & virtualizer
  • Adobe PDF Reader
  • Google Chrome browser
  • Apple Safari browser
  • Mozilla Firefox browser
  • Samsung Galaxy S20


Additionally, the hacking competition showed off successful hacking attempts against: TP-Link WDR-7660, VMWare ESXi, Docker-CE and ASUS Router AX86U, among others.

The winning team, Qihoo 360's Enterprise Security and Government (ESG) Vulnerability Research Institute, took home a total of $744,500, which is around two-thirds of the total prize pool for its exploits. And the runner-up, Ant-financial Light-year Security Lab and third-place runner-up, Pang pocketed $258,000 and $99,500 respectively.

The two-day hacking event, had the overriding idea of using various web browsers to navigate a remote URL or use a flaw in the software to control the browser or any of the underlying operating systems.

China’s Hackathon ended with Windows 10, iOS, and Chrome browser pwned

DahliaOS is a Zircon Kernel-based operating system, forked from Google's Fuchsia OS that also serves as a Linux variant, by combining the best of GNU/Linux and Fuchsia OS.

While Zircon as the core platform that powers the Fuchsia OS, is composed of a microkernel as well as a small set of userspace services, drivers, and libraries necessary for the system to load userspace processes and boot, among other processes. Fuchsia OS also supports Flutter apps and it's written in C, C++, Go, Dart, Python, and Rust programming languages.

Albeit, DahliaOS is still in its alpha stages of development, and can’t be used as a daily driver as the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features don’t yet work.

Is DahliaOS another New Contender In The Linux Distro Market?



DahliaOS uses Pangolin-Desktop which feels rather like those of Phoenix OS and Remix OS, and it offers data Recovery as built-in capability, allowing users to download and boot from the image if anything goes wrong with the system to help you get back up and running.



It also has a marketplace for third-party apps, like Flutter apps and can run applications from other operating systems using its container application. And the OS is lighweight, requiring only a 160 MB image file, and it uses only 199 MB of RAM when idle, which is quite impressive.

But the Zircon variant of DahliaOS requires a minimum of 512MB RAM and dual-core 64-bit processor with Intel HD Graphics to run.

How to get Started with DahliaOS



If you wish to give it a spin right away, you can try out DahliaOS in your browser by visiting https://web.dahliaos.io/#/.

And you can download DahliaOS by heading over to this link and download the “dahliaOS-201004-efi.zip” file, which can be flashed on a USB drive using Rufus and boot directly into the OS using the boot options menu.

For additional information about the supported hardware, kindly see the DahliaOS documentation on Github.

Zircon Kernel-based dahliaOS promises a Secure and Modern operating system

After the release of Ubuntu 20.10 “Groovy Gorilla”, the Ubuntu dev team has started the development of the next version, Ubuntu 21.04.

While Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian, which is released in three editions, namely: Server, Desktop, and Core, with all editions capable of running on PC, or via a virtual machine.

Now, the traditional Ubuntu versions codename scheme normally takes the form “Adjective Animal” and this time for Ubuntu 21.04, it is “HH” series succeeding the “GG” series with “Groovy Gorilla” codename. And the codename for Ubuntu 21.04 has been revealed as “Hirsute Hippo“ - a rather humungous name at that.

Albeit, Ubuntu 21.04 is the third version to receive a codename with the letter “H”, with the earlier version, Ubuntu 5.04 which was released in 2005 codenamed “Hoary Hedgehog”, and followed by Ubuntu 8.04 LTS “Hardy Heron” in 2008.

Updates & Release schedule for Ubuntu 21.04



The development cycle for Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo, continues for up to 26 weeks, and starts with the addition of Python 3.9 as a supported Python3 version.



Also, Ubuntu 21.04 will feature the next version of GNOME desktop environment, which is GNOME 40 and will be arriving a month before launch in March 2021.

And the Beta version of Hirsute Hippo will arrive on April 1, 2021, which after reaching the final freeze milestone on April 15, will hit the final stable version on April 22, 2021. Find the major changes planned for this cycle below, or check out the official Ubuntu 21.04 release schedule.

Ubuntu 21.04 Release Schedule


After the Feature Freeze, all members of the release team are expected to participate in Feature Freeze Exception reviews in their particular area of expertise. And the Final Beta 2, is when all members of the release team are expected to participate in the Bug fixes reviews in their particular area of expertise.

Upcoming Features, Codename and Release Date for Ubuntu 21.04

The next TV trend that has stuck around is 4K, with the first 4K TVs hitting the market around mid 2012.

While HD TV was awesome, the enhanced resolution is what actually paved the way for bigger screens, with DVD players and endless crystal-clear contents made possible. But, Spectrum TV and online streaming providers have only started ramping up their programming and content to 4K within the past few years.

Besides the obvious lack of 4K content on many streaming services, the limitations associated with the Internet made 4K streaming a little punky. For instance, all stream-able 4K content are compressed to reduce file size, with some Blu-Ray discs able to transfer 4K content at 80 Mbps, and streaming platforms such as Netflix compressing content to the point that it can only seamlessly transfer at about 25 Mbps.

Nothing actually bogs down the Internet user's online experience like a lagging download and data-transfer speed, which makes slow and interrupted connections definitely not compatible with the growing digital needs of the modern world.

How to Start Watching 4K Video Content At Home



Since slow and interrupted connections are simply not compatible with the demands of the modern digital world, just imagine watching all the new blockbuster movies over a poor internet connection, how awful it will be.



Spectrum Internet plans offer the much-needed solutions to the problem of lack of 4K content and slow internet connection, by ensuring that your connection is not only smooth, but that the speed is also fast. All Spectrum Internet deals come equipped with over 60 Mbps of data-transfer speeds, which could even reach a whopping 100 Mbps of download speed at times. Such high speed means that performing online tasks becomes as smooth as a ‘walk in the park’.

It employs state-of-the-art transmission technology, and secure browsing with FREE $60 Value Security Suite Included, ensuring robust security for your online presence at every level. You can also subscribe to the basic Spectrum internet deals and still get the best protection.

Spectrum aims to bolster security to every user with a powerful software defense system from the server-end, and an around the clock antivirus, anti-hacking and anti-spamming protection that are available for all the connected devices.

Conclusion



As Spectrum Internet plans do not suffer from sudden network disconnects, with the Spectrum Internet prices also affordable, you can remain assured of a consistently high-speed internet service at a cheap rate.

And Spectrum Internet services offer subscriptions in most of the territories of the country. You can call Spectrum Customer Support to get help in making your choice for standalone or a bundle deal. Spectrum plans come in various packages and standalone deals to facilitate all your needs.

What You Need to Know about Watching 4K Video Content At Home

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)