Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 28–May 02, 2025
The Good
The FBI just dropped a massive breadcrumb trail. Details of 42,000 phishing domains tied to the LabHost platform have been released to help defenders investigate potential breaches. The service enabled the theft of 500,000 credit cards and over a million credentials. The takedown of JokerOTP has exposed just how far phishing has evolved. The tool was used in more than 28,000 attacks across 13 countries, tricking victims into handing over 2FA codes by mimicking trusted brands. The operation cost victims £7.5 million and has now led to serious criminal charges, thanks to a joint effort involving Europol and Dutch authorities.
FBI has published details of 42,000 phishing domains linked to the LabHost phishing-as-a-service operation, which was used by around 10,000 cybercriminals and resulted in significant fraud losses. The domains are released to aid network defenders in building cyber resilience and investigating past breaches. LabHost facilitated the theft of data on 500,000 credit cards and over one million passwords. Organizations are urged to investigate any unusual network activity related to these domains and take preventive measures.
Authorities dismantled JokerOTP, a phishing tool used in over 28,000 attacks across 13 countries, leading to £7.5 million in losses. The tool deceived victims into revealing 2FA codes by impersonating trusted organizations like banks and cryptocurrency exchanges. The investigation involved collaboration with law enforcement agencies, including the Dutch National Police and Europol. Serious charges against the suspects include fraud, money laundering, and unauthorized access to computer material, highlighting the extensive scale of this cybercrime network and ongoing efforts to combat it.
The British government plans to ban SIM farms, a move aimed at reducing mobile phone-enabled fraud, which accounts for over 40% of reported crime in England and Wales. The ban will come into force six months after the Crime and Policing Bill receives Royal Assent, imposing fines for running or supplying SIM farms. This is a European first and is supported by the telecom industry, which has blocked over one billion suspected scam messages since 2023. The ban is seen as a crucial step in combating fraud, which has significantly increased, with two-thirds of British adults receiving suspicious messages.
The Bad
Malware’s now hitching a ride on Go modules. Socket has uncovered three malicious packages hiding disk-wiping payloads, designed to cause irreversible data loss, especially on Linux systems. These modules take advantage of Go’s decentralized ecosystem. In the shadows of the cybersecurity landscape, MintsLoader emerges as a formidable adversary, orchestrating a multi-faceted infection strategy that deploys the notorious GhostWeaver RAT. Some PyPI packages are doing more than importing functions. Researchers uncovered seven malicious Python packages under the “Coffin” naming scheme, using Gmail’s SMTP service as a stealthy C2 channel.
Socket has identified three malicious Go modules containing obfuscated disk-wiping malware, posing a threat of complete data loss. These modules exploit the decentralized nature of the Go ecosystem, where developers often encounter namespace confusion, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate and malicious packages. The modules use sophisticated obfuscation techniques and dynamic payload execution to fetch destructive shell scripts, primarily targeting Linux systems.
Sonatype uncovered a malicious npm package named crypto-encrypt-ts impersonating the CryptoJS library. It aims to steal cryptocurrency using Better Stack for data collection. It targets wallets with balances over 1000 and uses cron jobs for persistence. The package has been downloaded over 1,928 times. It pretends to be a TypeScript version of CryptoJS but secretly accesses wallets and sends data to attackers. The code includes Turkish language comments, suggesting a possible origin from Turkey.
MintsLoader is a malware loader used to deploy GhostWeaver, a PowerShell-based RAT. It operates through a multi-stage infection chain utilizing obfuscated JavaScript and PowerShell scripts, with evasion techniques and a DGA for C2 communications. Since early 2023, MintsLoader has been distributing various payloads like StealC and a modified BOINC client via phishing emails targeting sectors such as industrial, legal, and energy. The ClickFix social engineering tactic is used to trick users into executing malicious code. GhostWeaver maintains communication with its C2 server, using TLS encryption for secure interactions.
Seven malicious Python packages uploaded to PyPI have been discovered using Gmail's SMTP service as a covert C2 channel. These packages, under the "Coffin" naming convention, enable attackers to exfiltrate data, execute commands, and establish persistent tunnels that bypass traditional security controls. These packages used hardcoded Gmail credentials to establish outbound tunnels and send activation signals to attacker-controlled email addresses. The malware initiates outbound SMTP connections to Gmail using port 465, making detection difficult.
The Hive0117 group is conducting a phishing campaign targeting Russian firms across various sectors using a modified version of the DarkWatchman malware. This campaign involved mass emails with the subject "Documents from 04/29/2025," which contained password-protected archives. Once opened, these archives triggered an infection chain, installing DarkWatchman, capable of evading standard antivirus detection.
Wordfence spotted WP-antymalwary-bot.php, a malware disguised as a WordPress plugin. The malware uses a backdoor function for admin login and registers a REST API route without permission checks. It enables unauthorized access, remote code execution, and script injection. The malware hides from the dashboard and can reinfect sites via a modified `wp-cron.php` file. It communicates with a C2 server, sending site URLs for tracking. It injects malicious JavaScript ads using obfuscated methods and evolves rapidly with enhanced mechanisms.
New Threats
Ransomware groups aren’t always the ones breaking the door open. Researchers have uncovered ToyMaker, an initial access broker selling network entry to ransomware groups. Using a custom malware strain called LAGTOY, ToyMaker establishes reverse shells and executes commands on compromised systems. New vulnerabilities in Apple’s AirPlay protocol, collectively dubbed AirBorne, expose billions of devices to remote code execution without user interaction. Sharp and TX stealers are back, donning a new cloak - named Hannibal Stealer. It is going after credentials from browsers, crypto wallets, FTP clients, and VPN apps. It even captures Discord tokens and Steam sessions.
Researchers discovered two new malware families, TerraStealerV2 and TerraLogger, linked to the threat actor Golden Chickens. TerraStealerV2 targets browser credentials and cryptocurrency wallets but lacks the ability to bypass Chrome's Application Bound Encryption, suggesting it's outdated or in development. TerraLogger is a standalone keylogger module without data exfiltration capabilities, indicating it may be a modular component of Golden Chickens' MaaS ecosystem. Both malware families are under active development.
Oligo Security identified critical vulnerabilities in Apple's AirPlay Protocol, termed "AirBorne," enabling zero-click RCE and other attacks. Key vulnerabilities include CVE-2025-24252 (use-after-free) and CVE-2025-24132 (buffer overflow), allowing attackers to exploit devices without user interaction. These vulnerabilities affect billions of devices, including Macs and third-party products using the AirPlay SDK. Apple has released patches, and users are urged to update their devices and adjust AirPlay settings to mitigate risks.
Cofense spotted an email phishing campaign spoofing TAP Air Portugal, exploiting the recent power outage in Spain and Portugal. The emails claim eligibility for refunds under EU regulations. They link to a phishing page designed to steal personal and credit card information. The emails mimic official communication about compensation for delayed flights but instead request sensitive data. Notably, there is no redirect after submission, indicating the attackers aim to collect data directly. The campaign utilizes compromised WordPress sites for its operations.
Hannibal Stealer is a sophisticated rebranded malware variant of the Sharp and TX stealers, targeting sensitive data from Chromium- and Gecko-based browsers, cryptocurrency wallets, and FTP clients. It employs geofencing to evade detection and compromises VPN credentials, Steam sessions, and Discord tokens. Advertised on dark web forums with a subscription model, it features a Django-based control panel for managing stolen data. The malware's source code shows minimal innovation, with changes mainly in log delivery mechanisms.
Unit 42 has identified Gremlin Stealer, a new info-stealer written in C# and advertised on Telegram since March. It targets sensitive data, including browser cookies, credit card information, cryptocurrency wallets, and credentials from FTP and VPN services. The malware bypasses Chrome's cookie protection and uploads stolen data to a server at 207.244.199[.]46. Gremlin Stealer is actively developed and capable of exfiltrating data from various applications, including Telegram and Discord.
The new Molatori phishing campaign has been targeting users with emails that appear to come from the U.S. Social Security Administration, claiming that their Social Security Statement is ready for download. The emails contain attachments disguised as legitimate files, such as "ReceiptApril2025Pdfc.exe." Once victims download and install the ScreenConnect client, cybercriminals gain remote access to their computers, enabling them to exfiltrate sensitive data, including banking information and personal identification numbers. The campaign leverages compromised WordPress sites to appear credible.
Researchers identified ToyMaker, an initial access broker selling access to ransomware groups like CACTUS, using custom malware called LAGTOY. This malware enables the creation of reverse shells and command execution on infected systems. ToyMaker exploits known vulnerabilities to gain initial access, followed by credential harvesting and deploying LAGTOY. CACTUS then uses these stolen credentials for infiltration, indicating that ToyMaker is financially motivated rather than espionage-driven.
Earth Kasha, an APT group believed to be part of APT10, has launched a new spear-phishing campaign targeting Taiwan and Japan in March. The campaign aims to deliver a new version of the ANEL backdoor for espionage, potentially leading to information theft and compromising sensitive data. The campaign uses a malicious Excel file, ROAMINGMOUSE, to drop ANEL components, and employs SharpHide for persistence. The second-stage backdoor, NOOPDOOR, utilizes DNS over HTTPS for secure IP resolution.