Researchers at TrapX Security recently discovered three of the world's largest manufacturers with IoT devices running Windows 7 infected with malware in an alleged supply chain attack.
The company identified a cryptocurrency miner on numerous IoT devices, including automatic guided vehicles, a smart TV and a printer. All of these attacks are said to be a part of the same campaign.
The infections were spotted at three different manufacturers, who operate over 50 sites in North America, Latin America and the Middle East. Originally discovered in October 2029, the attackers targeted embedded systems running Windows 7, which reached its end of life last month. Despite this, it's estimated that hundreds of millions of PCs globally are still running Windows 7.
The malware used in this campaign is described as a self-spreading downloader that runs malicious scripts associated with a cryptocurrency miner called Lemon_Duck.
Several automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) were found at one manufacturing site still running Windows 7. These vehicles are used to transport materials or perform specific tasks in a manufacturing plant. Fortunately, the malware was removed from these machines before any severe damage could occur, but if communications had been disrupted or incorrect commands were generated by the malware, the vehicle could go off track and cause physical damage or harm.
An infection was also found on a smart TV that has a built-in PC running Windows 7. The device was connected to the network and shared production data to employees in charge of the production line. It was determined by TrapX that the attacker exploited a vulnerability within Windows 7, installed the malware, then deployed a crypto-miner several months later. This threat could have compromised the entire network, including other companies that may have assets within both the enterprise and manufacturing networks.
New research from Recorded Future was also released this week that shows that hackers are exploiting many of the same security vulnerabilities as last year, showing how this failure to apply security patches is leaving organizations exposed and vulnerable to a cyber attack.
Read this blog post here: Organizations Still Failing to Apply Patches - Top 10 Software Vulnerabilities
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