Critical MOVEit vulnerability puts huge swaths of the Internet at severe risk

A critical vulnerability recently discovered in a widely used piece of software is putting huge swaths of the Internet at risk of devastating hacks, and attackers have already begun actively trying to exploit it in real-world attacks, researchers warn.

The software, known as MOVEit and sold by Progress Software, allows enterprises to transfer and manage files using various specifications, including SFTP, SCP, and HTTP protocols and in ways that comply with regulations mandated under PCI and HIPAA. At the time this post went live, Internet scans indicated it was installed inside almost 1,800 networks around the world, with the biggest number in the US. A separate scan performed Tuesday by security firm Censys found 2,700 such instances.

Causing mayhem with a null string

Last year, a critical MOVEit vulnerability led to the compromise of more than 2,300 organizations, including Shell, British Airways, the US Department of Energy, and Ontario’s government birth registry, BORN Ontario, the latter of which led to the compromise of information for 3.4 million people.