Microsoft Exchange targeted by new Proxyshell attacks

Bitdefenderthe global leader in cybersecurity, today releases research into a new wave of attacks ProxyNotShell/OWASSRF using known vulnerabilities and exploit chains to target on-premises applications Microsoft Exchange.

Microsoft Exchange, what are the dangers companies face

At the end of November 2022, Bitdefender Labs experts began to notice an increase in attacks using ProxyNotShell/OWASSRF exploit chains to target implementations di Microsoft Exchange on premise.

Type attacks SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery) against Microsoft Exchange servers are among the most popular among cybercriminals. This is a type of attack that allows a cybercriminal to send a processed request from one vulnerable server to another server, on behalf of the vulnerable server. This allows the cybercriminal to gain access to otherwise not directly accessible resources or information and to perform actions on behalf of the vulnerable server. The potential impact is equivalent to the complete takeover of a Microsoft Exchange server.

Bitdefender urges businesses to stay alert because the attacks continue to grow and evolve. The best protection against these types of attacks is an architecture with advanced defense measures including patch management (not just for Windows, but for all applications and services exposed to the Internet), IP/URL reputation assessment , protecting against fileless attacks, and using prevention, detection, and response tools.

Regarding the geographical impact, the targets of the attacks were mostly located in the United States but incidents were also recorded in Poland, Austria, Kuwait and Turkey.

Bitfender, what is it

Bitdefender is a leading cybersecurity company offering the best threat prevention, detection and response solutions worldwide. Responsible for protecting millions of consumer, corporate and government environments, Bitdefender is one of the industry’s most trusted experts at eliminating threats, protecting privacy, digital identity and data, and driving cyber resiliency.

Thanks to significant investments in research and development, Bitdefender Labs detects hundreds of new threats every minute and validates billions of threat queries every day. The company has released breakthrough innovations in antimalware, IoT security, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence and its technology is licensed by more than 150 of the world’s best-known technology brands. Founded in 2001, Bitdefender has customers in over 170 countries and offices worldwide.