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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) had an exposed environment file containing sensitive details. The Cybernews reported that this data was accessible for 15 months.
An environment file gives instructions to computer programs and is important for any system. Leaving these files open to anyone can expose critical data and give attackers many options to attack.
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The MIM’s environment file, which is now closed, contained information that attackers could use to move around within the ministry’s systems, possibly leading to activities like taking over accounts or launching ransomware attacks.
MIM is a government agency that oversees industry and mineral resource operations. It was created in 2019 to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy beyond oil and gas.
The team says the env. file was first indexed by IoT search engines in March 2022, so the data was exposed for at least 15 months. The file has been closed and is no longer accessible to the public.
“Cybercriminals may exploit the leaked credentials to gain initial access to government systems and launch ransomware attacks. They could try to encrypt critical government data, demanding a ransom for its release or threatening to leak sensitive information publicly,” cyber news researchers said.
We have reached out to the ministry for comment but did not receive one before publishing this article.
What MIM data was exposed?
The environment file exposed various types of sensitive information, such as database credentials, mail credentials, and encryption keys. For instance, researchers found exposed SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) credentials.
“With access to government SMTP credentials, attackers can impersonate government officials or employees to conduct social engineering attacks. They may attempt to deceive victims into disclosing additional sensitive information, perpetrating fraud, or gaining access to other systems or resources,” researchers said.
The closed env. file had the Laravel APP_Key, used for encryption, securing session data and cookies. If exposed, attackers could decrypt sensitive information, risking data confidentiality.
The team found login information for MySQL and Redis databases. MySQL is used for storing, managing, and retrieving data, while Redis is used for real-time analytics and messaging in applications.
The team said that the databases were only accessible on local networks. This means that if attackers had already gained access to the MIM’s systems, they could exploit the exposed credentials. For more click here.
