The Qwiet Blog

On August 22, 2023, security researchers at Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team identified a previously unknown advanced persistent threat (APT) group using Cobra DocGuard to deliver a backdoor to victim devices via the Korplug/PlugX malware. Carderbee used a known issue with Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Developer Program (MWHDP) to deploy the attack, one that Microsoft responded to […]

Node Package Manager (NPM) is the default package manager for JavaScript that makes it easier for developers to install, update, and manage web project dependencies. In July 2023, GitHub released a security alert about a social engineering campaign targeting personal accounts. On August 15, 2023, The Hacker News reported that North Korean threat actors appeared […]

Every day, another zero-day, previously unknown vulnerability seems to hit the news cycle. As a developer, staying up-to-date with the newest vulnerability is challenging, but they’re only the tip of the vulnerability iceberg. As soon as researchers publish their zero-day vulnerability, the issue transforms into a known vulnerability. Now, security teams and attackers race against […]

Remote code execution (RCE) has been a part of many cybersecurity news headlines throughout the past few years. When attackers exploit an RCE vulnerability, they can gain complete control over the target machines or systems, almost like an invisible hand puppeteering the technologies.  As a developer, you should know how to identify and remediate a […]

I’m sure we’re all familiar with the idea made popular by Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers that it takes 10,000 hours to truly master something.  Based on the paper “The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance“, the research data indicates that people who are experts in a field got to that level […]

For a lot of programmers, Python is their “love language.” Easy to learn and use, Python is perfect for building cutting-edge machine learning and cloud computing projects. Unfortunately, knowing that programmers love Python, malicious actors have started targeting the Python Package Index (PyPI) as part of supply chain attacks.  As researchers identify more malicious Python […]

According to the 1980’s cartoon G.I. Joe, “knowing is half the battle.” Unfortunately, threat actors often have more information than their targets, which is why they’re so successful. For developers and AppSec teams, having information about threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) helps even the digital battlefield.  Threat intelligence feeds provide data about malicious […]

The National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan plays a vital role in safeguarding the digital infrastructure of the nation. This comprehensive plan, outlined by the White House, is comprised of three pillars and sets forth a roadmap to enhance cybersecurity measures across various sectors.  Pillar Three of the implementation plan focuses on the need for developers […]

Software engineers’ ideal state includes being able to work with minimal disruption. This “flow state” is when they are most productive and have the best chance of delivering the products and features they are tasked with producing within the required timeline. Whenever something adversely impacts their flow state productivity, mental health, and overall effectiveness may […]