Threat actors
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School
Centennial College *
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Course
221
Subject
Information Systems
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by ProfessorSkunk2005
MD KOHINOOR ISLAM
300630823
Denmark Breach Analysis
Threat actors, maybe including nation-state actors like Russia's Sandworm operation, were able
to make use of several vulnerabilities in Zyxel firewalls to launch cyberattacks against crucial
Danish infrastructure in May 2023. 22 energy organizations were the focus of the attacks, which
prompted several of them to go to island mode and cut off their internet connections. The
attackers were able to take complete control of the Zyxel firewalls without the need for
authentication thanks to weaknesses in the firewalls. In certain instances, the attackers were able
to make use of zero-day vulnerabilities that weren't made public. The attacks were unprecedented
and severely damaged the targeted organizations, causing operational difficulties.
The analysis of what went wrong in this scenario can be summarized as follows:
The Zyxel firewalls were left open to exploitation because organizations neglected to
install the available security fixes. This resulted from intentional opt-outs owing to
expenses, misunderstandings over who is responsible for upgrades, and ignorance of the
existence of these devices in their networks.
Science
Zyxel devices weren't visible on public scanning services making it difficult for
organizations to detect potential vulnerabilities and for security experts.
Attackers were able to travel laterally within networks after breaching the perimeter due
to the attacks, which revealed basic weaknesses in the vital infrastructure, such as the
lack of network segmentation. The attackers were able to traverse the networks more
easily after they obtained initial access because of this lack of segmentation.
As a Network Security admin, the remediation and mitigation efforts would involve the
following steps:
Make sure software updates are applied and distributed to fix mistakes, sometimes
referred to as vulnerabilities or bugs.
Conducting regular vulnerability assessments involves the process of identifying,
quantifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities in a system.
Staff employees should receive regular security awareness training to keep them
informed about the newest cyber threats and the best ways to keep a secure network
environment.
MD KOHINOOR ISLAM
300630823
Architectural design using
References
Dark Reading:
Title: Danish Energy Attacks Portend Targeting of More Critical Infrastructure
URL: https://www.darkreading.com/ics-ot/danish-energy-attacks-portend-targeting-more-
critical-infrastructure
The Record:
Title: Danish Energy Companies Hacked via Firewall Bug
URL: https://therecord.media/danish-energy-companies-hacked-firewall-bug
The Hacker News:
Title: Russian Hackers Launch Largest-Ever Cyberattack on Danish Critical Infrastructure
URL: https://thehackernews.com/2023/11/russian-hackers-launch-largest-ever.html?m=1
MD KOHINOOR ISLAM
300630823
SecurityWeek:
Title: 22 Energy Firms Hacked in Largest Coordinated Attack on Denmark's Critical
Infrastructure
URL: https://www.securityweek.com/22-energy-firms-hacked-in-largest-coordinated-attack-on-
denmarks-critical-infrastructure/
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