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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - April 22–26

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - April 22–26 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing April 26, 2024

The Good

In a critical development, the CISA announced its initiative to distribute a list of critical software products to federal agencies, aimed at strengthening the nation's cyber defenses. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has implemented new regulations in response to conservative pressures to protect the privacy of abortion providers and patients.

  • As part of efforts to enhance U.S. cyber defenses, the CISA announced to provide federal agencies with a list of critical software products by September 30. These EO-critical software products meet specific criteria and are crucial for managing system privileges and network protections. The initiative follows a Government Accountability Office report highlighting the need for agencies to address cybersecurity requirements, especially in procuring IoT devices.

  • The Biden administration introduced new privacy regulations aimed at protecting abortion providers and patients from conservative legal threats. The rules, issued by the HHS, prevent healthcare entities from sharing patient information with state officials investigating or prosecuting abortion-related cases. They safeguard individuals seeking abortions across state lines or facing state abortion bans due to circumstances like rape. Despite the controversy, officials stress the importance of privacy and patient rights.

The Bad

Amidst the persistent threat of job lure-based attacks, the Lazarus Group leveraged its time-tested tactic to infect users with the FudModule rootkit across Asia. In a different research, experts analyzed cloud-based pinyin keyboard apps from major vendors and found that mass surveillance data of billions of users could be at risk. Separately, a campaign dubbed CoralRaider was seen distributing infostealer malware globally, also targeting organizations in Japan and Syria.

  • A new malware campaign named ArcaneDoor, attributed to the sophisticated state-sponsored actor UAT4356, leveraged two zero-day bugs in Cisco networking gear to deploy custom malware and extract sensitive data. The campaign targeted Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense Software. The implants deployed, Line Runner and Line Dancer, allow for malicious actions such as configuration modification and network traffic exfiltration.

  • Sekoia researchers successfully inspected a C2 server for a variant of the PlugX malware, capturing over 2.5 million connections from unique IP addresses across 170 countries in six months. The sinkhole operation enabled analysis of traffic patterns, mapping of infections, and formulation of disinfection strategies. Although predominantly observed in 15 countries, the infections span globally, with notable concentrations in countries associated with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

  • Unpublished GitHub and GitLab comments become hotbeds for cybercriminals to deploy phishing links and leave them as it is. This security issue allowed anyone to upload malware, such as the Redline Stealer Trojan, to repositories without the owners' knowledge. Even if discovered, owners can't remove the uploaded files. The method involves leaving unpublished comments with malware files, ensuring the links remain active.

  • Lazarus was spotted employing fake job offers to distribute Kaolin RAT and FudModule rootkit in Asia under Operation Dream Job. The campaign delivers malware through social media and instant messaging platforms. Payload fetches shellcode from the C2 domain and initiates a multi-stage infection process. Kaolin RAT facilitates FudModule rootkit deployment, evading detection with file manipulation and C2 communication.

  • Security researcher Pierre Barre has identified 18 vulnerabilities in the Brocade SANnav storage area network management application. These flaws, including unauthenticated remote login issues, exposed the appliance and Fibre Channel switches to multiple cyber threats. Three of nine CVE-assigned bugs allowed attackers to intercept credentials and compromise the entire Fibre Channel infrastructure.

  • Experts at ASEC unearthed a malicious info-stealer developed with Electron, a framework for JavaScript-based applications such as Discord and Microsoft VSCode. The malware, distributed via Nullsoft Scriptable Install System installer format, exhibited two distinct cases of malicious behavior. In Case #1, the malware utilized node.js scripts packaged inside the Electron application to execute malicious actions. Case #2 involved the malware strain masquerading as a TeamViewer-related file, which uploaded collected user information to a file-sharing service.

  • The Godfather mobile banking trojan, discovered in 2022, now boasts over 1,000 samples targeting 237 banking apps across 57 countries, revealed a Zimperium report. Godfather’s developers have automated sample creation to evade detection. According to experts, mobile malware, including other families like Nexus and Saderat, are rapidly multiplying, with some families amassing over 100,000 unique samples.

  • Researchers uncovered sensitive security bugs in popular keyboard apps from tech giants Samsung, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi, among others. These could enable attackers to intercept and decipher users' keystrokes, potentially exposing sensitive personal and financial information. The vulnerabilities affect up to one billion users worldwide, highlighting significant concerns regarding data security.

  • WPScan issued an alert regarding a critical security vulnerability, CVE-2024-27956, in the WP-Automatic plugin for WordPress. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries, potentially leading to site takeovers. Exploitation involves circumventing the plugin's user authentication mechanism, enabling unauthorized access to database and creation of admin accounts. Some attackers have also been observed in the wild.

  • Eric Daigle, a student at the University of British Columbia, disclosed vulnerabilities in the popular location-tracking app iSharing, allowing access to users' precise location data and personal information. The bugs, affecting over 35 million users, enabled unauthorized access to location data and exposed users' names, profile photos, email addresses, and phone numbers. Daigle's findings prompted iSharing to address the issue, acknowledging the oversight.

  • Cisco Talos uncovered an ongoing attack campaign by threat actor CoralRaider, distributing Cryptbot, LummaC2, and Rhadamanthys malware since February 2024. The campaign deploys a new PowerShell command-line argument in LNK files to evade antivirus. Utilizing a Content Delivery Network cache domain as a server, the campaign impacts victims globally, including the U.S., Nigeria, and Japan, with targets in various sectors.

  • Avast uncovered the sophisticated GuptiMiner malware campaign, exploiting eScan antivirus update mechanisms to distribute backdoors and coinminers. The threat, possibly linked to North Korean APT group Kimsuky, employs advanced techniques including DNS requests to attacker-controlled servers, sideloading, and payload extraction from innocuous images. GuptiMiner targets large corporate networks with two distinct backdoor variants.

  • A zero-day flaw discovered in the CrushFTP file transfer server is being actively exploited in the wild. The flaw, which has no CVE assigned, can allow threat actors to escape the virtual file system present in the CrushFTP application and download system files. According to reports, there have been several exploitation attempts against CrushFTP instances owned by multiple U.S. entities to gather politically motivated intelligence.

  • A new vulnerability unearthed in the Windows systems can allow attackers to gain rootkit-like privileges without requiring administrative privileges. The flaw, dubbed MagicDot, exists in the DOS-to-NT path conversion process within the OS. It can be exploited by sending specially crafted files and processes and manipulating archive files.

Related Threat Briefings

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 17–21, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 10–14, 2025

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Mar 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 03–07, 2025

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Feb 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 17–21, 2025

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Feb 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 10–14, 2025

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Feb 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 03–07, 2025

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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.