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clean up blog styling and add bybit content

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Anton Livaja 2025-03-20 21:00:24 -07:00
parent 1d043466cc
commit 3f5242abfe
Signed by: anton
GPG Key ID: 44A86CFF1FDF0E85
4 changed files with 96 additions and 48 deletions
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43
_layouts/post.html
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@ -1,27 +1,26 @@
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="{{ page.lang | default: site.lang | default: en }}">
{%- include head.html -%}
<body>
{%- include header.html -%}
<div class="container blog">
<main>
<article class="post">
<h1>{{ page.title }}</h1>
{%- include head.html -%}
<div class="entry">
{{ content }}
</div>
<body>
<div class="container">
<p>
{% for author in page.authors %}
— {{ author.name }}{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}
{% endfor %}
</p>
</article>
</main>
{%- include footer.html -%}
</div>
</body>
</html>
{%- include header.html -%}
<article class="post">
<h1>{{ page.title }}</h1>
<div class="entry">
{{ content }}
</div>
<div class="date">
Written on {{ page.date | date: "%B %e, %Y" }}
</div>
</article>
{%- include footer.html -%}
</div>
</body>
</html>

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_posts/2025-03-20-bitby-report.md
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@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
# ByBit Incident Report
---
layout: post
title: bybit incident report and mitigating controls
date: 2025-03-20
cover_image: "/assets/images/whale_shark.jpg"
authors:
- name: Anton Livaja
---
The ByBit incident is an example of a nation state actor using a series of sophisticated attacks to compromise high value targets. When the value at stake is such that it justifys spending funds on buying 0-days, in some cases multiples, and combining them into elaborate exploit chains, attacking multiple different layers of the tech stack, highly targetted social engineering, compromise of individuals, planting of moles or even phsyical attacks, the threat model which needs to be assume to adequately address risks needs to be extreme.
@ -6,7 +13,7 @@ The ByBit incident is an example of a nation state actor using a series of sophi
The assumptions we make about nation state actors at Distrust:
* All screens are visible to the adversary
* All keyboards are logging to the adversary
* Any firmware/boot-loaders not verified on every boot are compromised
* Any firmware/boot-loaders not verified on every boot are compromised
* Any host OS with network access is compromised
* Any guest OS used for any purpose other than prod access is compromised
* At least one member of the Production Team is always compromised
@ -14,25 +21,27 @@ The assumptions we make about nation state actors at Distrust:
* Physical attacks are viable and likely
* Side-channel attacks are viable and likely
The suggested mitigating controls following in this report consist of tools which we developed to address exactly this type of threat model and are at varying levels of maturity. The good news is the reference designs and concepts are available to you today, but some of the tooling needs more work - so if you care about these issues and want to help us complete the work on the missing pieces, please talk to us.
The suggested mitigating controls following in this report consist of tools which we developed to address exactly this type of threat model and are at varying levels of maturity. The good news is the reference designs and concepts are available to you today, but some of the tooling needs more work - so if you care about these issues and want to help us complete the work on the missing pieces, please talk to us.
### The Method
This report highlight the major single points of failure, which rely on a single individual and/or computer, thus creating an opportunity for compromise. Blockchains benefit from security of the network via strong cryptography and decentralization. More "traditional" parts of the infrastructure historically have not had the ability to distribute trust, but with some clever tactics we can achieve a decentralization of trust which helps us ensure that no single individual or computer can compromise a system.
---
## Root Cause Analysis and Mitigating Controls
### Developer Workstation Compromise
### I. Developer Workstation Compromise
> Earliest known malicious activity was identified, when a developer’s Mac OS workstation was compromised, likely through social engineering. ([Sygnia report](https://www.sygnia.co/blog/sygnia-investigation-bybit-hack/))
#### Primary Mitigation
Day-to-day work machines should not be used for production access / managing tokens for production access. This is an operational security shortcoming, as any interaction with production systems, whether via an API token, or web interface should be done via a dedicated computer or highly isolated environment (hardware-based virtualization like QubesOS/Xen preferred) with minimal dependencies only used for carrying out production tasks. Any interactions outside of production related tasks create opportunities for the system to be compromised - downloading and opening files, downloading and running software libraries (such as Docker which was the source of malware in this case), visiting websites (yes, the browser sandbox can be broken) etc.
#### Advanced Mitigation
Another way to mitigate this risk is to use a hardened server, such as a secure enclave, which is immutable, and can remotely attest to the code it's running. Setting up that server to only deploy code that's signed by x trusted PGP (or other signing algorithms) can achieve a state where no single individual has the ability to modify the infrastructure.
Another way to mitigate this risk is to use a hardened server, such as a secure enclave, which is immutable, and can remotely attest to the code it's running. Setting up that server to only deploy code that's signed by x trusted PGP (or other signing algorithms) can achieve a state where no single individual has the ability to modify the infrastructure.
- Use [EnclaveOS](https://git.distrust.co/public/enclaveos) - a minimal and immutable operating system for running security critical software with high accountability on secure enclaves. EnclaveOS can also be extended to support multi-party management of secrets such that no person can control them alone. This can be used to set up secure enclave which acts as the deployment system. EnclaveOS is a reference implementation, but we are happy to help invest energy into making this tool easier to use for everyone.
- Use [Bootproof](https://git.distrust.co/bootproof) alongside EnclaveOS to prove which software booted on a given system by leveraging platform hardware or firmware remote attestation technologies. This tool is designed but not yet in development. Currently EnclaveOS can be used with Nitro VMs on AWS with some work to achieve remote attestation - and several Distrust clients are using this setup in production today. Our team would be happy to invest energy to develop this tooling if anyone is willing to help fund it. It would unlock use of general hardware like TPMs and other remote attestation technologies to allow deploying remote attestation setups to different cloud platforms for more security via diversity.
@ -43,11 +52,11 @@ Another way to mitigate this risk is to use a hardened server, such as a secure
* The use of tools like MDM on systems for production access is not recommended, as they create a single point of failure. Most MDM solutions mean that a third party has complete access to the fleet of computers it's "protecting", and even if self hosted creates a large single point of failure which is challenging to mitigate to a resonable degree. Instead, the approach should rely on making the surface area for attack so minimal that introducing anything else introduces more risk than benefit. For illustrative pruposes, imagine a hardware-based virtual machine which only has a minimal operating system, the CLI tool for the preferred cloud platform, and a network interface which has a firewall configuration permitting only connections to a specific production asset. If this sytem is only used for accessing that specific asset, the introduction of anything additional, including an MDM or anti-malware/anti-virus software, actually increases the surface area for attack. Of course, this is a stepping stone to improve controls around accessing production systems until better mitigating controls can be put in place, making it impossible to directly interact with and change production systems as an individual.
* Additional resiliency can be achieved by deploying a system for deployment across multiple accouts with different ownership or even different cloud platforms. This is out of scope of this report which focuses on mitigating controls where most companies should start their journey to improve their supply chain security.
* Additional resiliency can be achieved by deploying a system for deployment across multiple accouts with different ownership or even different cloud platforms. This is out of scope of this report which focuses on mitigating controls where most companies should start their journey to improve their supply chain security.
* It is also worth noting that it appears a Docker container with network connectivity was used to compromise a developer's machine initially. This points to an often overlooked issue, which is that Docker is not a secure containerization technology, as it makes it fairly trivial to move files across the container boundary, as part of its design. This is useful for some usecases but not for strict isolation - which should instead rely on hardware-based virtualization.
* It is also worth noting that it appears a Docker container with network connectivity was used to compromise a developer's machine initially. This points to an often overlooked issue, which is that Docker is not a secure containerization technology, as it makes it fairly trivial to move files across the container boundary, as part of its design. This is useful for some usecases but not for strict isolation - which should instead rely on hardware-based virtualization.
### JavaScript Code Tampering
### II. JavaScript Code Tampering
> Preliminary incident reports by both Sygnia and Verichains were shared by Bybit’s CEO, Ben Zhou in his X post. Both reports highlighted the same attack vector – the modification of JavaScript resources directly on the S3 bucket serving the domain app.safe[.]global. ([Sygnia repors](https://www.sygnia.co/blog/sygnia-investigation-bybit-hack/))
@ -60,28 +69,28 @@ Ensure that the bucket / server serving the website can not be modified by a sin
* [This video](https://antonlivaja.com/videos/2024-incyber-stagex-talk.mp4) (4:30-6:30) explains how reproducibility helps protect the integrity of software. For those new to reproduction and determinism, it's advised to watch the whole video.
* This attack vector actually extends to all underlying software used in the build environment, such as the different libraries, as well as the compiler. To maximally mitigate this risk, a bootstrapped compiler should be used, and all software including the compiler itself should be built deterministically to close off tampering attack vectors across the whole foundation of software used in build environments. This allows one to reproduce the identical bit-for-bit binary in diverse environments (different OS, different chipset, different cloud platform, different access etc.), and ensure that the is still exactly the same - proving there has been no tampering.
* Use [StageX](https://codeberg.org/stagex/stagex) to reproduce your software and close off compiler and environment risks. StageX is a minimalism and security first repository of reproducible and multi-signed OCI images of common open source software toolchains full-source bootstrapped from Stage 0 all the way up. It's currently actively being used by [Talos Linux](https://github.com/siderolabs/talos/releases/tag/v1.10.0-alpha.2), [Mysten Labs (SUI)](https://github.com/MystenLabs/sui/tree/jnaulty/stagex-update) and [Turnkey](https://whitepaper.turnkey.com/foundations) to name a few of the widely known projects.
* Use [ReprOS](https://codeberg.org/stagex/repros) to help with reproduction. It's a bare-bones immutable OS designed for securely reproducing and signing software. Each build is executed in a one-time use environment, eliminating persistent risks. It is in currently in beta testing. This project is currently in beta.
#### Additional Notes
All third party code should be manually reviewed. Currently most companies rely on SAST tools. This is not enough, as SAST tools are unable to detect novel exploits. The cost of using open source code, at a minimum, should be to review every line of code manually. If companies are so stringent about having developers review their first party code, why do companies choose to not apply the same principles to third party code? It is burdensome, but necessary for high risk targets. If you're unfamiliar a good example of what's possible with supply chain attacks is the [xz backdoor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor).
All third party code should be manually reviewed. Currently most companies rely on SAST tools. This is not enough, as SAST tools are unable to detect novel exploits. The cost of using open source code, at a minimum, should be to review every line of code manually. If companies are so stringent about having developers review their first party code, why do companies choose to not apply the same principles to third party code? It is burdensome, but necessary for high risk targets. If you're unfamiliar a good example of what's possible with supply chain attacks is the [xz backdoor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor).
- Distrust's answer to this is [SigRev](https://git.distrust.co/public/sigrev), which helps harness the power of nerds to create a repository of signed reports for reviews of open source software. The idea is that companies can come together to fund review of common open source software, to save money, and simultaneously help secure Open Source software. SIgRev has been designed, but is not yet in development and is seeking funding.
### Compromise of WebUI
### III. Compromise of WebUI
> Bybit initiated a transaction from the targeted cold wallet using Safe{Wallet}’s web interface. The transaction was manipulated, and the attackers siphoned the funds from the cold wallets. ([Sygnia report](https://www.sygnia.co/blog/sygnia-investigation-bybit-hack/))
#### Primary Mitigation
#### Primary Mitigation
Initializing transactions from a WebUI leaves a lot of surface area for the attack as browsers are known for being difficult to protect. This is due to the nature of what a browser is - a window into the open internet. Additionally, the v8 engine which is the backbone of most browsers is an immensly complex and difficult surface area to defend, resulting in frequent 0-day vulnerabilities, as well as supply chain issues.
* Do not sign transactions involving large sums in a browser.
* Do not sign transactions involving large sums in a browser.
* Use offline trusted environments for signing, to protect key material, and mitigate the risk of a compromised UI displaying incorrect information. In the case of the ByBit hack in particular, preventing the JS tampering would have mitigated this risk, but other supply chain attack vectors which can achieve the same outcome remain (extensions, v8 engine 0-day exploits etc.). By using a minimal set of CLI tools to sign transactions offline, the WebUI compromise would have been avoided.
* Use [AirgapOS](https://git.distrust.co/public/airgap), which is an immutable, diskless OS used for offline secret management and operations. It is a swiss-army knife which essentially turns a laptop into a hardware wallet. Some modifications for the laptop are required such as removing radio cards from the laptop. Inside of it are [keyfork](https://git.distrust.co/public/keyfork) and [Icepick](https://git.distrust.co/public/icepick) which are tools for generating and managing entropy which can be derived for different cryptographic algorithms, as well as for cryptographic signing operations. Keyfork and Icepick are both extremely minimal and written in rust and currently support Solana, Pyth, Cosmos, Kyve and Seda as we received funding to implement those, but can be extended to support other chains - we are currently working on Bitcoin, but would be happy to add support for Ethereum as well - again this is not a political decision, we just had individual sponsor implementing support for those blockchains first. These three tools are all being used in production today by multiple clients, and have been audited by several security firms whose reports can be found in the respective repositories.
* Use [AirgapOS](https://git.distrust.co/public/airgap), which is an immutable, diskless OS used for offline secret management and operations. It is a swiss-army knife which essentially turns a laptop into a hardware wallet. Some modifications for the laptop are required such as removing radio cards from the laptop. Inside of it are [keyfork](https://git.distrust.co/public/keyfork) and [Icepick](https://git.distrust.co/public/icepick) which are tools for generating and managing entropy which can be derived for different cryptographic algorithms, as well as for cryptographic signing operations. Keyfork and Icepick are both extremely minimal and written in rust and currently support Solana, Pyth, Cosmos, Kyve and Seda as we received funding to implement those, but can be extended to support other chains - we are currently working on Bitcoin, but would be happy to add support for Ethereum as well - again this is not a political decision, we just had individual sponsor implementing support for those blockchains first. These three tools are all being used in production today by multiple clients, and have been audited by several security firms whose reports can be found in the respective repositories.
## Extras
## Extras
We have noticed that many companies still neglect basic security hygiene practices that apply to everyone and could meaningfully improve the security of systems with relatively little effort.

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_sass/base.scss
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@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ a {
a:hover {
text-decoration: none;
color: var(--background-color);
background-color: var(--base-color);
background: var(--base-color);
transition: background-color 0.3s ease-in-out, color 0.3s ease-in-out;
}
@ -1494,6 +1494,13 @@ pre {
/**
* Blog
*/
.post {
margin: 100px 0px;
max-width: 700px;
margin: auto;
}
.post img {
max-width: 100%;
}
@ -1506,6 +1513,38 @@ pre {
max-width: 100%;
}
.entry {
font-size: 1.2rem;
}
.date h4 {
font-size: 1rem !important;
}
.blog h1 {
font-size: 2.2rem !important;
}
.blog h2 {
font-size: 1.8rem !important;
}
.blog h3 {
font-size: 1.6rem !important;
}
.blog h4 {
font-size: 1.4rem !important;
}
.blog h5 {
font-size: 1.2rem !important;
}
.blog hr {
margin: 80px 0px;
}
/** end blog */
*,

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blog.md
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---
<div class="posts">
{% for post in site.posts %}
<article class="post">
<h1><a href="{{ post.url }}" title="{{ post.title }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h1>
<a href="{{ post.url | relative_url }}" title="{{ post.title }}">
<article class="post">
<h4>{{ post.title }}</h4>
<div class="entry">
{{ post.excerpt }}
</div>
<h4>Written on {{ post.date | date: "%B %e, %Y" }}</h4>
<a href="{{ post.url }}" class="read-more">Read More</a>
</article>
<p>{{ post.excerpt | strip_html | truncatewords: 35 }}</p>
<p>{{ post.date | date: "%Y %b %e " }}</p>
</article>
</a>
{% endfor %}
</div>