Kaspersky Warns Intruders are Targeting Linux Workstations and Servers

Researchers at Kaspersky "have warned that sophisticated hackers and crooks are increasingly targeting Linux-based devicesusing tools specifically designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the platform," reports TechRepublic:While Windows tends to be more frequently targeted in mass malware attacks, this is not always the case when it comes to advanced persistent threats (APTs), in which an intruderoften a nation-state or state-sponsored groupestablishes a long-term presence on a network. According to Kaspersky, these attackers are increasingly diversifying their arsenals to contain Linux tools, giving them a broader reach over the systems they can target. Many organisations choose Linux for strategically important servers and systems, and with a "significant trend" towards using Linux as a desktop environment by big business as well as government bodies, attackers are in turn developing more malware for the platform... According to Kaspersky, over a dozen APT actors have been observed to use Linux malware or some Linux-based modules. Most recently, this has included the LightSpy and WellMess malware campaigns, both of which targeted both Windows and Linux devices. The LightSpy malware was also found to be capable of targeting iOS and Mac devices. While targeted attacks on Linux-based systems are still uncommon, a suite of webshells, backdoors, rootkits and custom-made exploits are readily available to those that seek to use them. Kaspersky also suggested that the small number of recorded attacks was not representative of the danger they posed, pointing out that the compromise of a single Linux server "often leads to significant consequences", as the malware travelled through the network to endpoints running Windows or macOS, "thus providing wider access for attackers which might go unnoticed".Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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