Notepad++ Breach Incident Score: Analysis & Impact (NOT1765821620)

In this Rankiteo incident briefing, we review the Notepad++ breach identified under incident ID NOT1765821620.

The analysis begins with a detailed overview of Notepad++'s information like the linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/notepad-plus-plus, the number of followers: 1628, the industry type: Software Development and the number of employees: 8 employees

After the initial compromise, the video explains how Rankiteo's incident engine converts technical details into a normalized incident score. The incident score before the incident was 748 and after the incident was 743 with a difference of -5 which is could be a good indicator of the severity and impact of the incident.

In the next step of the video, we will analyze in more details the incident and the impact it had on Notepad++ and their customers.

Notepad++ recently reported "Notepad++ Update Process Vulnerability", a noteworthy cybersecurity incident.

Notepad++ patched a significant vulnerability in its update process that allowed attackers to hijack update traffic due to insufficient file authentication within the Notepad++ updater.

The disruption is felt across the environment, affecting Notepad++ software updater.

In response, moved swiftly to contain the threat with measures like Enhanced file authentication measures in the updater utility, and began remediation that includes Released a patched version of Notepad++ with improved update mechanism, while recovery efforts such as Users advised to upgrade to the latest version immediately continue.

The case underscores how Resolved, teams are taking away lessons such as Importance of robust file authentication in software updaters to prevent unauthorized modifications and potential data breaches, and recommending next steps like Regularly update applications to the latest versions, Verify the authenticity of software updates before installation and Use secured networks, especially when downloading updates, with advisories going out to stakeholders covering Users advised to upgrade to the latest version of Notepad++ immediately.

Finally, we try to match the incident with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to see if there is any correlation between the incident and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of techniques and sub-techniques that are used to describe the tactics and procedures of cyber adversaries. It is a powerful tool for understanding the threat landscape and for developing effective defense strategies.

Rankiteo's analysis has identified several MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques associated with this incident, each with varying levels of confidence based on available evidence. Under the Initial Access tactic, the analysis identified Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Supply Chain (T1195.002) with high confidence (90%), with evidence including insufficient file authentication in the Notepad++ updater, and hijack the update process to deliver malicious update files. Under the Defense Evasion tactic, the analysis identified Subvert Trust Controls: Code Signing (T1553.006) with moderate to high confidence (80%), with evidence including insufficient file authentication in the updater mechanism, and tricking the software into accepting malicious update files. Under the Exfiltration tactic, the analysis identified Exfiltration Over C2 Channel (T1041) with moderate to high confidence (70%), with evidence including potential unauthorized access and data theft, and data exfiltration such as Potential. These correlations help security teams understand the attack chain and develop appropriate defensive measures based on the observed tactics and techniques.