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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 09–13

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 09–13 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Aug 13, 2021

The Good

Is the enemy of my enemy my friend? Probably not. But, it’s always fun to see threat actors pitting against each other. One such unhappy affiliate from the Conti gang released sensitive information as the former was unhappy about their payment. Talking about hackers, a tool has been developed that can restrict hackers from abusing Cobalt Strike beacons for malware command and control.

  • Europol detained 23 suspects accused of defrauding companies of more than $1.2 million in multiple BEC scams across 20 countries. Meanwhile, German authorities nabbed four cybercriminals for swindling millions of euros from novice investors through fake websites.

  • The U.S. Senate set aside more than $1.9 billion in cybersecurity funds for state and local governments to strengthen their cybersecurity posture and help organizations defend themselves.

  • The CobaltSpam tool developed by Mario Henkel can flood Cobalt Strike servers with fake beacons to debauch the internal databases of compromised systems. This would prevent attackers from differentiating real and fake infections.

  • An unhappy affiliate linked to the Conti ransomware gang leaked confidential information—screenshots of IP addresses, instructions and training material for new recruits, and how-to guides—on an underground forum.

  • Researchers presented a scheme—Pretty Good Phone Privacy—that can hide users’ locations from carriers with just a software upgrade.

The Bad

Given the choice between getting free vaccines and paying for a fake vaccine card, which one would you choose? ?Apparently, a lot of people are going for the latter, resulting in a rise in sales of such cards at underground marketplaces. In other news, a Chinese cyberespionage actor is posing as an Iranian threat actor and launching attacks against Israel. Crytek warned its customers of a ransomware attack by Egregor last year. Data was leaked. Yikes!

  • Waste Management Resources disclosed unauthorized access into its network that exposed healthcare information—social security numbers, dates of birth, and bank account numbers—of current and former employees and their dependents.

  • A ransomware attack on St. Joseph’s/Candler laid bare the protected healthcare information for both staff and patients. Victims have been informed.

  • Game developer and publisher Crytek alerted its customers about an Egregor ransomware attack that occurred in October 2020. Criminals leaked the stolen personal data of customers on its leak site.

  • DeFi protocol and network Poly Network lost more than $600 million in a massive cryptocurrency heist. Hackers reportedly reversed more than $4,772,000 worth of assets in less than 24 hours. However, a majority of the funds have been returned to the firm.

  • A Chinese cyberespionage group, dubbed UNC215, impersonated Iranian threat actors to target Israeli organizations in a campaign that began in January 2019.

  • The Joplin City government paid $320,000 in ransom to a ransomware group that briefly impacted the city’s COVID-19 dashboard, online utility payments, and court functions.

  • Security researchers reported a fake version of the Briansclub[.]com carding shop that was using a similar domain to lure users. The fake website was siphoning off the funds deposited by cybercriminal users of the infamous carding shop.

  • Flashpoint experts suggest AlphaBay, which used to be the largest darknet marketplace and community, could be returning after four years of hiatus.

  • The sale of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards has ramped up on the dark web, with most of the sales from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, France, and Italy.

New Threats

This week left researchers questioning the characteristics of a new malware. This newly developed malware calls itself a ransomware but has the features of a wiper. Dubbed Chaos, it may be released in the wild soon. A new smishing scam is causing quite the chaos as it is very persuasive and impersonates an international parcel delivery firm. In another boat, a malvertising campaign was found using a rebranded version of the Cinobi trojan to target Japan.

  • SentinelOne warned against a new AdLoad malware variant that bypasses Apple's YARA signature-based XProtect built-in antivirus tech to infect macOS. The malware variant is connected with an ongoing attack campaign active since November 2020.
  • An under-construction malware Chaos is available for testing - as per the advertisements on dark web forums. While it claims to be a ransomware, Chaos is actually a wiper.
  • A new smishing scam is mimicking the international delivery company DPD. The scam is convincing and attempts to entice victims into giving away their payment information and other personal details.
  • AllWorld Cards, a new criminal carding marketplace, is being promoted by a threat actor who published a million credit cards stolen between 2018 and 2019. As per a ransom sampling of 98 cards, 27% of them were still active.
  • IISpy, a previously undocumented backdoor, is capable of evading detection, disrupting the server’s logging in, and conducting long-term cyberespionage.
  • A new strain of the eCh0raix ransomware is targeting Synology NAS and QNAP NAS devices. Findings until June suggest that the gang has earned quite a decent amount of ransom from Small Office and Home Office (SOHO) users.
  • The Iran-linked ITG18 threat actor deployed an Android backdoor to pilfer confidential information from at least 20 Iranian reformists. The campaign was active between August 2020 and May 2021 and used LittleLooter, a previously undocumented malware.
  • A new malvertising campaign by the Water Kappa group attempts to steal the banking credentials of Japanese targets using a rebranded version of Cinobi banking trojan.
  • FlyTrap, a new Android trojan packaged under fraudulent apps, reportedly compromised Facebook accounts of more than 10,000 users in at least 144 countries since March 2021.
  • Virtual meetings, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype, can fall prey to an exotic attack named Glowworm. This enables threat actors to eavesdrop on confidential conversations by measuring the LED power light changes in an audio output device and converting them to audio reproductions.

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.