Nigerians Warned To Beef Up Phone Security Against Iranian Hackers

Nigerian phone users were today warned to boost their devices’ security in the wake of cyberespionage threats by Iranian hackers, according to the telecoms regulator.

The Nigerian Communications Commission’s threat alert come just a few days after the telecoms regulator warned telcos and ISPs to beef up their cybersecurity against Lyceum, an Iranian hacking group that goes by other names like Hexane, Siamesekitten and Spirlin.

Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs at NCC says in a statement made available to Technology Times today that the telecoms regulator is issuing the second alert about the Iranian hacking group “in keeping with its commitment to continuously keep stakeholders in the country’s telecoms sector informed, educated and protected.”

Technology Times file photo shows people in Ikeja Computer Village a major market for phones and other consumer technology products and services.

The Nigerian ngCERT advisory says “the hacking group is known to be focused on infiltrating the networks of telecoms companies and ISPs.

ngCERT

According to him, Lyceum “has been reported to be targeting telecoms, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Africa with upgraded malware in a recent politically motivated attacks oriented in cyberespionage.”

NCC: How Telecoms Consumers Can Stave Off Iranian Hackers.

To stave off potential attacks, NCC, which says it obtained the latest cyberattack advisory from the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) that rated the probability and damage level of the new malware as high has asked telecoms consumers and general public to take the seven under-listed steps:

1. Ensure the consistent use of firewalls (software, hardware, and cloud firewalls).

2. Enable a Web Application Firewall to help detect and prevent attacks coming from web applications by inspecting HTTP traffic.

3. Install Up-to-date antivirus programs to help detect and prevent a wide range of malware, trojans, and viruses, which APT hackers will use to exploit your system.

4. Implement the use of Intrusion Prevention Systems that monitor your network.

5. Create a secure sandboxing environment that allows you to open and run untrusted programs or codes without risking harm to your operating system.

6. Ensure the use of a virtual private network (VPN) to prevent an easy opportunity for APT hackers to gain initial access to your company’s network.

7. Enable spam and malware protection for your email applications, and educate your employees on how to identify potentially malicious emails.

Adinde says that “to guard against this kind of threats, the NCC wishes to re-echo ngCERT reports that multiple layers of security in addition to constant network monitoring is required by telecoms companies and ISPs alike to stave off potential attacks.”

The Nigerian ngCERT advisory says “the hacking group is known to be focused on infiltrating the networks of telecoms companies and ISPs. Between July and October, 2021, Lyceum was implicated in attacks against ISPs and telecoms organisations in Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia.

“The advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been linked to campaigns that hit Middle Eastern oil and gas companies in the past. Now, the group appears to have expanded its focus to the technology sector. In addition, the APT is responsible for a campaign against an unnamed African government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

By the attackers' mode of operation, NCC explains, Lyceum's initial onslaught vectors include credential stuffing and brute-force attacks. “So, once a victim’s system is compromised, the attackers conduct surveillance on specific targets. In that mode, Lyceum will attempt to deploy two different kinds of malware: Shark and Milan (known together as James).”

According to the regulator, “both malware are backdoors. Shark, a 32-bit executable written in C# and .NET, generates a configuration file for domain name system (DNS) tunneling or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) C2 communications; whereas Milan - a 32-bit Remote Access Trojan (RAT) retrieves data.”

Both are able to communicate with the group’s command-and-control (C2) servers, according to the Nigerian telecoms regulator. “The APT maintains a C2 server network that connects to the group's backdoors, consisting of over 20 domains, including six that were previously not associated with the threat actors.”

The NCC Public Affairs Director further says that “individual accounts at companies of interest are usually targeted, and then once these accounts are breached, they are used as a springboard to launch spear-phishing attacks against high-profile executives in an organization.”

According to Adinde, “the report suggests that not only do these attackers seek out data on subscribers and connected third-party companies, but once compromised, threat actors or their sponsors can also use these industries to surveil individuals of interest.”

The NCC, Adinde says, “as the operator of the telecom sector's cyber threat response centre (CSIRT), hereby reiterates its commitment active surveillance and monitoring of cyber activities in the sector and will always keep stakeholders in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector updated on potential threats within the cyber space. This is to ensure that the networks that deliver essential services are safe and that telecom consumers are protected from being victims of cyber attacks.”