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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 12 - 16, 2021

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 12 - 16, 2021 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Apr 16, 2021

The Good

Imagine a refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day, while you kick off your shoes and relax. Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a refreshing piece of news too? We have just the right thing for you! The FBI obtained a warrant to copy and delete web shells from hundreds of Hafnium victims. In another major news, the U.S. formally ascribed the SolarWinds attacks to a Russian intelligence agency.

  • The FBI used backdoors, which Halfnium hackers exploited to enter Exchange Servers globally, to remotely delete web shells from hundreds of impacted servers.

  • The Internet of Secure Things Alliance (ioXt) launched a new security certification for VPNs and mobile apps. The compliance program consists of a set of security-related requirements against which apps can be certified.

  • The SolarWinds attack was officially attributed to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service - SVR. The NSA, FBI, and CISA issued a joint advisory warning of SVR’s activities against various organizations.

The Bad

Social media has never really been a safe place to be in. Although this week didn’t bring anything exceptional except for the common maladies, something really concerning is phishing attacks launched against job seekers. Threats looming over cryptocurrency platforms are not going anywhere, as proven by an attack on Celsius Network. Last but not the least, the Joker malware is back and making Huawei users cry.

  • Babuk ransomware operators reportedly posted 500GB worth of Houston Rockets’ internal business data—contracts, NDA, and financial data—on its dark web forum.

  • Employment-oriented service users in the U.S., the Middle East, and Canada are being targeted with customized phishing emails that attempt to hijack their LinkedIn accounts or promote fake LinkedIn email leads.

  • Two Tasmanian casinos were forced to shut down following a ransomware attack. The attack affected hotel booking systems, as well as the slot machines.

  • Celsius Network, a cryptocurrency rewards platform, underwent a security breach, which, in turn, led to a phishing attack on its customers. This breach resulted in the loss of partial customer list of the company.

  • More than 100,000 web pages hosted by Google sites are being used to trick netizens into opening booby-trapped business documents containing RAT, with common business lures.

  • Attackers are launching campaigns in which IceID was switched with QakBot trojan to deliver malicious payloads. The campaign relied on updated XLM macros to distribute the trojan.

  • ParkMobile suffered a breach and the account information of 21 million customers was for sale on a Russian-speaking crime forum for $125,000.

  • ShinyHunters leaked sensitive information of about 2.5 million Upstox users. the exposed information includes names, dates of birth, email addresses, bank account information, and about 56 million KYC documents stolen from the company’s server.

  • APKPure, one of the largest app stores, fell victim to a supply chain attack. Threat actors managed to launch the attack by compromising client version 3.17.18 to deliver malware dubbed Triada.

  • More than 500,000 Huawei users were infected with the Joker malware distributed via 10 apps in AppGallery.

New Threats

Lazarus is back at it again. At what you ask? Cryptocurrency stealing. There’s a twist though - it is using a unique tactic. You’ll read about it real soon. The BRATA malware family made its way into the Google Play Store, deploying a backdoor via several apps. Also, IoT devices are at high risk from a set of nine newly disclosed flaws. Go on, read along.

  • Lazarus APT was found stealing cryptocurrency with a never-before-seen tool - modified JS sniffers. Named Lazarus BTC Changer, this crypto skimmer switches the destination payment address to the threat actor’s BTC address.
  • A new malicious package—web-browserify—targeting NodeJS developers was spotted on the npm registry. The package once executed, uses another legitimate npm component, systeminformation, to collect information from the infected systems.
  • The new Saint Bot malware was leveraged to drop information stealers and other malware downloaders in targeted campaigns against Georgian government institutions.
  • Several new variants of the Android malware family BRATA were found posing as app security scanners on Google Play Store to propagate a backdoor capable of collecting sensitive information.
  • NAME:WRECK, a set of nine newly disclosed DNS vulnerabilities, put more than 100 million consumers, enterprises, and industrial IoT devices at risk. These vulnerabilities affect four well-known TCP/IP stacks, IPnet, FreeBSD, Nucleus NET, and NetX.
  • A new report revealed that the Facebook data leak incident affected users in Egypt the most. The private details of around 45 million Egyptians have been leaked following the incident.
  • An exploit and details for an unpatched vulnerability affecting Chrome, Edge, and other web browsers were made public. The flaw resides in the v8 JavaScript engine used by Chromium and can be exploited for arbitrary code execution in the browser process.
  • Cracked copies of Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop are being used to steal browser session cookies and Monero cryptocurrency wallets from users who install the pirated software. The cracked software are distributed via BitTorrent.

Related Threat Briefings

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.