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Cyware Weekly Cyber Threat Intelligence April 30 - May 4, 2018

Cyware Weekly Cyber Threat Intelligence June 11 - June 15, 2018 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing May 4, 2018

The Good

Another week, another wave of new threats and advances made towards preventing and tackling cyber threats. Companies are busy scrambling to get their data protection policies in compliance with GDPR. Meanwhile, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority will have 17 companies monitor and test its cyber defenses. A NATO team won the intense Locked Shields 2018 cyber defense exercise. Meanwhile, researchers unveiled solutions to protect autonomous vehicles, robots and drones against attacks.

  • The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority awarded a £40 million contract until March 2021 to 17 companies to monitor, test and suggest improvements for its cyber defenses. Marking the first time the FCA has turned to external firms to improve its cybersecurity practices, companies like Deloitte, Cisco, and PwC will attempt to infiltrate the FCS’s security control, identify vulnerabilities and suggest improvements.

  • A NATO team took home the top prize in the Locked Shields 2018 exercise, the largest and most complex international live-fire cyber defense exercise. The intense competition lets cyber defenders test the protection of complex IT networks against realistic, simulated challenges and cyberattacks.

  • Israel-based security firm Regulus Cyber has unveiled new end-to-end solutions to protect the communication and sensor systems of autonomous cars and trucks, robots and drones against attacks. Having raised $6.3m in funding, Regulus’ Pyramid products could help protect autonomous vehicles’ GPS systems against spoofing attacks and safeguard drones from hacking and mission interference.

  • Email inboxes are being flooded with messages from major companies like Apple, Twitter, Airbnb, LinkedIn and more regarding changes to their privacy policy. As firms scramble to comply with tough new European data protection regulations going into effect on May 25, the GDPR marks a significant shift towards greater data privacy, user control and transparency. Firms that fail to comply could risk fines of up to 4% of annual global sales.

The Bad

Phishing attacks were plentiful as scammers tried to impersonate multiple services like ProtonMail to trick victims into handing over their data. Australia’s Commonwealth Bank lost the financial histories of 12 million customers after losing several tape drives. A compromised version of software used to upload data to India’s Aadhaar is being sold for less than $30. Meanwhile, 4Chan hackers tried to change the voting results of NASA's student challenge.

  • Australia’s Commonwealth Bank, the nation’s largest bank, lost the personal financial histories of 12 million customers from 2004 to 2014 after its subcontractor, Fuji Xerox, lost several magnetic tape drives of financial statements in 2016. However, the bank chose not to reveal the breach to customers. The Office of the Australia Information Commissioner was notified of the breach at the time and is now making further inquiries into the breach.

  • Compromised copies of a software used to enroll Indian citizens into the country’s controversial biometric ID program named Aadhaar are reportedly being sold to anyone for up to $30. Authenticated private contractors typically use the program to upload the Indians’ personal and biometric data to the government-owned database. However, the compromised version could let anyone add or modify entries to the Aadhaar database with no checks, including the mandatory GPS check.

  • Americas Cardroom, one of the world’s oldest online poker websites, was hit with a series of DDoS attacks. The company was forced to pause all running tournaments and take its website offline for days, leading many irked players to voice their fury on social media.

  • Meanwhile, phishing attacks were abound as multiple companies warned users to be on the lookout for scams impersonating their platforms and requesting personal data. ProtonMail warned users that it noticed an “unusually high” number of phishing attempts targeting its users in recent days. Irish Netflix users were also cautioned against a “convincing” scam warning them about an expiring Netflix subscription to dupe victims into divulging their bank details.

  • Britain’s TSB warned customers of phishing emails and texts attempting to steal their banking details - the latest blow to the company after up to 1.9 million customers have been left unable to access their accounts for two weeks in a major IT crisis.

  • 4Chan hackers attempted to change the voting results of Nasa’s Optimus Prime Spinoff Promotion and Research Challenge to prevent a group of three African-American girls from winning. Nasa confirmed the cyberattack and was forced to end its public voting to protect the integrity of the final results.

New Threats

Multiple new strains of malware reared their heads this week including the cryptomining worm MassMiner, the Drupal-focused Kitty malware and Blackheart ransomware that piggybacks the legitimate AnyDesk tool. Russian attackers have been impersonating LoJack software to hack computers.

  • AlienVault researchers identified the MassMiner malware that targets web servers and uses multiple well-known exploits to infiltrate vulnerable systems and drop a Monero miner. MassMiner leverages NSA’s EternalBlue hacking tool, an exploit for the Apache Struts flaw seen in the Equifax breach, an exploit for Oracle’s WebLogic Java application server and the SQLck tool for brute-force attacks against Microsoft SQL Servers in its attacks.
  • Over a month since the Drupalgeddon 2.0 exploit was uncovered, Imperva researchers discovered a new version of the Kitty malware targeting the Drupal content management system to mine cryptocurrency. Multiple types of malware, including Kitty, use this flaw as an entry point to gain a foothold in Drupal setups. Besides compromising the server and installing the XMRig Monero miner, Kitty can also spread to the machines of future users who visit infected domains to mine cryptocurrency.
  • Trend Micro discovered the new Blackheart ransomware that comes bundled with the legitimate AnyDesk tool to evade detection. Once the ransomware is downloaded, AnyDesk begins running in the background while Blackheart begins the encryption process. Demanding $50 in bitcoins, Blackheart infects victims via malicious sites and functions like any other common ransomware.
  • Russia-linked cyberespionage group Fancy Bear is believed to impersonating the popular anti-theft software LoJack to infiltrate enterprise networks. Arbor Networks’ said the APT group is likely behind malicious command and control (C2) domains found in five legitimate Lojack agents. While the legitimate actions of the software were unchanged, the C2 server addresses were subtly swapped with those of the attackers and were undetected by most AV software.

Related Threat Briefings

Feb 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 10–14, 2025

Cyber defenders are sharpening their tools, and EARLYCROW is the latest weapon against stealthy APT operations. This method detects C2 activity over HTTP(S) using a novel traffic analysis format called PAIRFLOW. India is taking digital banking security up a notch. The RBI is launching a dedicated domain to curb financial fraud and enhance trust in online banking. Starting April 2025, financial institutions will register under this domain. China’s RedMike hackers are dialing into telecom networks - literally. Between December 2024 and January 2025, they targeted over 1,000 unpatched Cisco devices. Their primary focus? Global telecoms and university networks in Argentina, Bangladesh, and the U.S. Russia’s Sandworm hackers are using pirated software as bait. Their latest attack on Ukrainian Windows users disguises malware inside trojanized KMS activators and fake Windows updates. Love is in the air, but so are phishing scams. In late January, cybercriminals launched a Valentine’s-themed phishing campaign, offering fake gift baskets in exchange for stolen credentials. Cybercriminals are upping their game with Astaroth, a phishing kit that doesn’t just steal credentials but also hijacks entire sessions. By using a reverse proxy, Astaroth intercepts logins and 2FA tokens in real time, allowing attackers to bypass security measures undetected. South America’s foreign ministry was caught in the crosshairs of an advanced cyber-espionage campaign. In November 2024, attackers linked to REF7707 deployed the PATHLOADER and FINALDRAFT malware to infiltrate diplomatic networks. A new malware named Ratatouille is stirring up trouble by bypassing UAC and using I2P for anonymous communications. Spreading through phishing emails and fake CAPTCHA pages, it tricks victims into running an embedded PowerShell script.

Feb 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 03–07, 2025

PyPI is taking a "dead but not gone" approach to abandoned software with Project Archival, a new system that flags inactive projects while keeping them accessible. Developers will see warnings about outdated dependencies, helping them make smarter security choices and avoid relying on unmaintained code. The U.K is bringing earthquake-style metrics to cybersecurity with its new Cyber Monitoring Centre, designed to track digital disasters as precisely as natural ones. Inspired by the Richter scale, the CMC will quantify cyber incidents based on financial impact and affected users, offering clearer insights for national security planning. Kimsuky is back with another phishing trick, this time using fake Office and PDF files to sneak forceCopy malware onto victims' systems. Its latest campaign delivers PEBBLEDASH and RDP Wrapper by disguising malware as harmless shortcuts, ultimately hijacking browser credentials and sensitive data. Hackers have found a new way to skim credit card data - by hiding malware inside Google Tag Manager scripts. CISA is flagging major security holes in Microsoft Outlook and Sophos XG Firewall, urging agencies to patch them before February 27. One flaw allows remote code execution in Outlook, while another exposes firewall users to serious risks. Bitcoin scammers are switching tactics, swapping static images for video attachments in MMS to make their schemes more convincing. A recent case involved a tiny .3gp video luring victims into WhatsApp groups where scammers apply pressure to extract money or personal data. XE Group has shifted from credit card skimming to zero-day exploitation, now targeting manufacturing and distribution companies. A new version of ValleyRAT is making the rounds, using stealthy techniques to infiltrate systems. Morphisec found the malware being spread through fake Chrome downloads from a fraudulent Chinese telecom site.

Jan 10, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, January 06–10, 2025

The U.K is fortifying its digital defenses with the launch of Cyber Local, a £1.9 million initiative to bridge cyber skills gaps and secure the digital economy. Spanning 30 projects across England and Northern Ireland, the scheme emphasizes local business resilience, neurodiverse talent, and cybersecurity careers for youth. Across the Atlantic, the White House introduced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a consumer-friendly cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices. Overseen by the FCC, the initiative tests products like baby monitors and security systems for compliance with rigorous cybersecurity standards, ensuring Americans can make safer choices for their connected homes. China-linked threat actor RedDelta has ramped up its cyber-espionage activities across Asia, targeting nations such as Mongolia, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Vietnam with a modified PlugX backdoor. Cybercriminals have weaponized trust by deploying a fake PoC exploit tied to a patched Microsoft Windows LDAP vulnerability. CrowdStrike reported a phishing operation impersonating the company, using fake job offers to lure victims into downloading a fraudulent CRM application. Once installed, the malware deploys a Monero cryptocurrency miner. A new Mirai-based botnet, dubbed Gayfemboy, has emerged as a formidable threat, leveraging zero-day exploits in industrial routers and smart home devices. With 15,000 active bot nodes daily across China, the U.S., and Russia, the botnet executes high-intensity DDoS attacks exceeding 100 Gbps. In the Middle East, fraudsters are posing as government officials in a social engineering scheme targeting disgruntled customers. Cybercriminals have weaponized WordPress with a malicious plugin named PhishWP to create realistic fake payment pages mimicking services like Stripe. The plugin not only captures payment details in real time but also sends fake confirmation emails to delay detection.

Dec 20, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 16–20, 2024

In a digital age where borders are blurred, governments are sharpening their strategies to outpace cyber adversaries. The draft update to the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP) introduces a comprehensive framework for managing nationwide cyberattacks that impact critical infrastructure and the economy. Meanwhile, the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill, recently approved by the Senate, emphasizes strengthening cybersecurity measures both at home and abroad. A deceptive health app on the Amazon Appstore turned out to be a Trojan horse for spyware. Masquerading as BMI CalculationVsn, the app recorded device screens, intercepted SMS messages, and scanned for installed apps to steal sensitive data. Malicious extensions targeting developers and cryptocurrency projects have infiltrated the VSCode marketplace and NPM. Disguised as productivity tools, these extensions employed downloader functionality to deliver obfuscated PowerShell payloads. The BADBOX botnet has resurfaced, compromising over 192,000 Android devices, including high-end smartphones and smart TVs, directly from the supply chain. Industrial control systems are facing heightened risks as malware like Ramnit and Chaya_003 targets engineering workstations from Mitsubishi and Siemens. Both malware families exploit legitimate services, complicating detection and mitigation efforts in ICS environments. The Chinese hacking group Winnti has been leveraging a PHP backdoor called Glutton, targeting organizations in China and the U.S. This modular ELF-based malware facilitates tailored attacks across industries and even embeds itself into software packages to compromise other cybercriminals. A tax-themed phishing campaign, dubbed FLUX#CONSOLE, is deploying backdoor payloads to compromise systems in Pakistan. Threat actors employ phishing emails with double-extension files masquerading as PDFs.

Dec 13, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 09–13, 2024

Cybercrime’s web of deception unraveled in South Korea as authorities dismantled a fraud network responsible for extorting $6.3 million through fake online trading platforms. Dubbed Operation Midas, the effort led to the arrest of 32 individuals and the seizure of 20 servers. In a significant move to combat surveillance abuses, the U.S. defense policy bill for 2025 introduced measures to shield military and diplomatic personnel from commercial spyware threats. The legislation calls for stringent cybersecurity standards, a review of spyware incidents, and regular reporting to Congress. The subtle art of deception found a new stage with a Microsoft Teams call, as attackers used social engineering to manipulate victims into granting remote access. By convincing users to install AnyDesk, they gained control of systems, executing commands to download the DarkGate malware. Russian APT Secret Blizzard has resurfaced and used the Amadey bot to infiltrate Ukrainian military devices and deploy their Tavdig backdoor. In a phishing spree dubbed "Aggressive Inventory Zombies (AIZ)," scammers impersonated brands like Etsy, Amazon, and Binance to target retail and crypto audiences. Surveillance has reached unsettling new depths with the discovery of BoneSpy and PlainGnome, two spyware families linked to the Russian group Gamaredon. Designed for extensive espionage, these Android malware tools track GPS, capture audio, and harvest data. A new Android banking trojan has already caused havoc among Indian users, masquerading as utility and banking apps to steal sensitive financial information. With 419 devices compromised, the malware intercepts SMS messages, exfiltrates personal data via Supabase, and even tricks victims into entering details under the pretense of bill payment. Iranian threat actors have set their sights on critical infrastructure, deploying IOCONTROL malware to infiltrate IoT and OT/SCADA systems in Israel and the U.S.

Dec 6, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 02–06, 2024

NIST sharpened the tools for organizations to measure their cybersecurity readiness, addressing both technical and leadership challenges. The two-volume guidance blends data-driven assessments with managerial insights, emphasizing the critical role of leadership in applying findings. The Manson Market, a notorious hub for phishing networks, fell in a sweeping Europol-led takedown. With over 50 servers seized and 200TB of stolen data recovered, the operation spanned multiple countries, including Germany and Austria. Russian APT group BlueAlpha leveraged Cloudflare Tunnels to cloak its GammaDrop malware campaign from prying eyes. The group deployed HTML smuggling and DNS fast-fluxing to bypass detection, targeting Ukrainian organizations with precision. Earth Minotaur intensified its surveillance operations against Tibetan and Uyghur communities through the MOONSHINE exploit kit. The kit, now updated with newer exploits, enables the installation of the DarkNimbus backdoor on Android and Windows devices. Cloudflare Pages became an unwitting ally in the sharp rise of phishing campaigns, with a staggering 198% increase in abuse cases. Cybercriminals exploited the platform's infrastructure to host malicious pages, fueling a surge from 460 incidents in 2023 to over 1,370 by October 2024. DroidBot has quietly infiltrated over 77 cryptocurrency exchanges and banking apps, building a web of theft across Europe. Active since June 2024, this Android malware operates as a MaaS platform, enabling affiliates to tailor attacks. Rockstar 2FA, a phishing platform targeting Microsoft 365 users, has set the stage for large-scale credential theft. With over 5,000 phishing domains launched, the platform is marketed on Telegram. The Gafgyt malware is shifting gears, targeting exposed Docker Remote API servers through legitimate Docker images, creating botnets capable of launching DDoS attacks.