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Asymmetry of cross kinetic coefficients in the cell model of a charged membrane

Theoretical study was performed earlier for the cell model of a charged porous membrane based on Onsager’s approach and the result was calculation of all electrokinetic coefficients. Experimental dependences of electroosmotic permeability, conductivity, and diffusion permeability of some perfluorinated membranes on electrolyte concentration were simultaneously and quantitatively described using exact analytical formulae based on the same set of physicochemical and geometrical parameters. It is shown here that for the developed cell model of the ion–exchange membrane, the Onsager principle of reciprocity is violated—the coupled cross kinetic coefficients are not equal.

New Windows RAT Evades Detection for Weeks Using Corrupted DOS and PE Headers

Cybersecurity researchers have taken the wraps off an unusual cyber attack that leveraged malware with corrupted DOS and PE headers, according to new findings from Fortinet.

The DOS (Disk Operating System) and PE (Portable Executable) headers are essential parts of a Windows PE file, providing information about the executable.

While the DOS header makes the executable file backward compatible with MS-DOS and allows it to be recognized as a valid executable by the operating system, the PE header contains the metadata and information necessary for Windows to load and execute the program.

Cybercriminals exploit AI hype to spread ransomware, malware

Threat actors linked to lesser-known ransomware and malware projects now use AI tools as lures to infect unsuspecting victims with malicious payloads.

This development follows a trend that has been growing since last year, starting with advanced threat actors using deepfake content generators to infect victims with malware.

These lures have become widely adopted by info-stealer malware operators and ransomware operations attempting to breach corporate networks.

Threat actors abuse Google Apps Script in evasive phishing attacks

Threat actors are abusing the ‘Google Apps Script’ development platform to host phishing pages that appear legitimate and steal login credentials.

This new trend was spotted by security researchers at Cofense, who warn that the fraudulent login window is “carefully designed to look like a legitimate login screen.”

“The attack uses an email masquerading as an invoice, containing a link to a webpage that uses Google Apps Script, a development platform integrated across Google’s suite of products,” Cofense explains.

Apple Safari exposes users to fullscreen browser-in-the-middle attacks

A weakness in Apple’s Safari web browser allows threat actors to leverage the fullscreen browser-in-the-middle (BitM) technique to steal account credentials from unsuspecting users.

By abusing the Fullscreen API, which instructs any content on a webpage to enter the browser’s fullscreen viewing mode, hackers can exploit the shortcoming to make guardrails less visible on Chromium-based browsers and trick victims into typing sensitive data in an attacker-controlled window.

SquareX researchers observed an increase use of this type of malicious activity and say that such attacks are particularly dangerous for Safari users, as Apple’s browser fails to properly alert users when a browser window enters fullscreen mode.

US sanctions firm linked to cyber scams behind $200 million in losses

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Funnull Technology, a Philippines-based company that supports hundreds of thousands of malicious websites behind cyber scams linked to over $200 million in losses for Americans.

Funnull facilitated virtual currency investment scams (also known as romance baiting and pig butchering) by buying IP addresses in bulk from various cloud service providers. The company sold these IP addresses and hosting services to cybercriminals, enabling them to host malicious websites.

Criminals behind pig butchering scams contact victims through dating sites, social media, and messaging apps, building trust and luring victims into fake investment schemes. However, instead of investing, the fraudsters divert it to accounts they control, stealing their money.