Cookie Settings

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide essential functionality and improve your experience. Some features, such as demo scheduling and chat support, require marketing cookies to function. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to all cookies. Alternatively, you can customize your preferences, but note that declining marketing cookies will limit certain website features.

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 22–26

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

Weekly Threat Briefing Aug 26, 2022

The Good

The security of autonomous vehicles and accessories is all set to be revamped as plans to streamline the security standards are in progress. The standards will be applicable to manufacturers of drones, airplanes, boats, and cars. A new healthcare cybersecurity bill is also in the introductory process. If approved, the bill would require the CISA and the HHS to work together to enhance the security of healthcare assets.

  • A trade group representing producers of unmanned drones, airplanes, boats, cars, and other vehicles has teamed up with a cybersecurity company to develop security standards for the autonomous vehicles market. These include applying effective encryption and authentication tools around remote operations and connectivity, looking at third- and fourth-party suppliers in the supply chain, and evaluating the security of products.

  • A new cybersecurity bill to protect the healthcare sector against data breaches and cyberattacks is going through the introductory process. If approved, the bill would require the CISA and the HHS to work together to enhance the security of healthcare assets.

  • The New York Department of Financial Services will soon publish the new Part 500 Cybersecurity Rules that include new requirements and proposals. The new requirements include conducting systematic scans or reviews of system information, conducting risk assessments at least once every three years, and implementing endpoint detection and response solutions to monitor anomalous activities.

The Bad

The FBI has sounded an alarm about the rising trend of using residential proxies in credential-stuffing attacks. The agency cites that the attackers are hiding their malicious IP addresses behind the proxy addresses that are not present in blocklists. Deepfake phishing attacks are also becoming a common phenomenon and the latest victim of this attack was the CCO of Binance.

  • U.S. healthcare provider Novant Health has notified that over 1 million individuals were impacted in a data breach incident after their sensitive information was mistakenly collected by the Meta Pixel ad tracking script. The exposed information included email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, emergency contact information, and physician details of users.

  • A set of hackers used deepfake videos to impersonate Binance’s Chief Communications Officer in a series of video calls to perform a listing scam operation. They managed to fool some representatives of cryptocurrency projects and made them believe that they were being considered for losing on Binance.

  • A massive phishing campaign codenamed 0ktapus leveraged compromised Okta identity credentials and two-factor authentication to gain initial access to victims’ computers. Over 130 organizations, including Twilio, MailChimp, and Klaviyo, located in the U.S. and Canada are affected by the campaign.

  • Ransomware actors were found abusing a vulnerable anti-cheat driver for the popular role-playing game Genshin Impact to kill antivirus processes and services. Researchers discovered the latest attack in the last week of July.

  • The Dominican Republic’s Instituto Agrario Dominicana suffered a Quantum ransomware attack that encrypted multiple services and workstations throughout the government agency. The attack occurred on August 18.

  • The RansomEXX ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack against Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). The attack had temporarily impacted the operations for manufacturing Ski-Doo snowmobiles, Sea-Doo jet skis, ATVs, motorcycles, watercrafts, and Rotax engines.

  • In a newly found BEC campaign, hackers used Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) attack and an evilginx2 phishing tool to hack corporate executives’ Microsoft 365 accounts, even those protected by MFA. By accessing these accounts, threat actors could monitor communications and respond to emails to divert funds to their bank accounts.

  • There is a rising trend of cybercriminals using residential proxies to conduct large-scale credential stuffing attacks, according to a new alert from the FBI. This enables the attackers to stay under the radar during the infection process.

  • PyPI warned Python project managers about a phishing campaign that stole credentials from developers and injected malicious code into legitimate packages. This is the first known phishing attack against PyPI.

  • Accelya—a technology firm providing services to Delta, British Airways, JetBlue, United, Virgin Atlantic, and American Airlines—confirmed that it was targeted by the BlackCat ransomware group. The group has reportedly stolen emails, and worker contracts from the firm, a part of which was also published on the data leak site.

  • Food delivery giant DoorDash confirmed a data breach that exposed the personal information of its customers. The breach is linked to the attack on the third-party vendor Twilio.

New Threats

Evolving trends in Iranian threat actor activity have been observed this week. While the infamous Charming Kitten APT was found using a new data extraction tool to steal information from Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft accounts. MuddyWater exploited the well-known Log4j vulnerabilities in SysAid applications to target organizations in Israel. In another major update, hackers are turning to the Sliver toolkit as an alternative for Cobalt Strike beacon to launch a variety of attacks including ransomware operations.

  • Researchers showcased two new attack techniques that can allow attackers to leak data from air-gapped network devices. One of them is named ETHERLED and can be launched against PCs, printers, network cameras, embedded controllers, and servers. The other is called GAIROSCOPE and uses ultrasonic tones and smartphone gyroscopes to plant malware on air-gapped computers.
  • A new RAT called Escanor is being advertised on the dark web and Telegram by attackers who go by the same name. The malware is delivered via weaponized Microsoft Office documents. The malware can target Android phones and computers.
  • A new malware dubbed MagicWeb is being used by Cozy Bear, aka APT29, to hide its presence on the networks of government and critical organizations across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. The malware is an evolution of FoggyWeb.
  • Hackers are adopting the Sliver toolkit as an alternative for Cobalt Strike to launch a variety of attacks, including ransomware operations. One group that adopted Sliver is tracked as DEV-0237.
  • The Iran-backed Charming Kitten threat actor group has added a new tool, named Hyperscrape, to steal user data from Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft Outlook accounts. The tool is written in .NET for Windows PCs and is designed to run on the attacker's machine.
  • Another Iranian threat actor group named MERCURY is exploiting Log4j vulnerabilities in SysAid applications to target organizations located in Israel. Other tactics used by attackers are phishing emails, file-sharing services, and remote access applications.
  • A dodgy Chrome extension ‘Internet Download Manager’ installed by more than 200,000 users was found to be adware in disguise. Once installed, it exhibited unwanted behavior such as opening links to spammy sites, changing the default search engine browser, and showing pop-ups about patches and unwanted programs.
  • Multiple ongoing infostealer distribution campaigns are targeting internet users who seek to download copies of pirated software. The campaign uses SEO poisoning to push malicious shareware through sites promoting fake software along with cracks and product activation key generators.
  • A malicious campaign distributing AgentTesla infostealer is also making rounds since mid-August. Phishing emails sent from spoofed email addresses are being sent to organizations across South America and Europe.
  • A new data extortion group named Donut Leaks is linked to recent cyberattacks on various organizations including DEFSA, Sheppard Robson, and Sando. The hacker group is likely a pen tester or an affiliate for Hive, Ragnar, and possibly other ransomware groups.
  • The North Korean nation-state group Kimsuky has been linked to a new set of espionage activities directed against political and diplomatic entities in South Korea. The infection chains lead to the deployment of Windows malware designed to pilfer file lists, user keystrokes, and login credentials stored on web browsers.
  • A new ransomware written in the Go language has been targeting healthcare and education enterprises in Asia and Africa. Dubbed Agenda, the ransomware can be customized and shares similarities with the BlackBast, BlackMatter, and REvil ransomware.
  • In another instance, a new cross-platform ransomware called Monster has been discovered this week. The ransomware is written in Delphi, comes with a UI, and supports multiple OS platforms.

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.