Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 23–27

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 23–27 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • August 27, 2021

The Good

Why are ransomware gangs shutting down operations? We aren’t complaining; we’d just like to know why. Anyway, another gang, known as Ragnarok, closed shops and released its master decryptor. Yay! In other news, the U.S. and the U.K are taking positive steps into strengthening their cybersecurity stance.

  • The FBI released its first-ever public advisory elaborating the behavior of a ransomware affiliate named OnePercent Group, known for its well-structured extortion technique.
  • The Ragnarok ransomware gang shut down its operations and released a master key for its victims.
  • The U.K is planning on changing data protection and privacy laws, which are anticipated to promote economic growth and innovation. The data adequacy partnership will enable Britain to trade with countries such as the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Singapore.
  • Post a cybersecurity meeting at the White House, several tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon pledged to invest billions to enhance the nation’s cyber resilience.
  • A U.S. national living in Turkey admitted to being the primary culprit behind the massive T-Mobile hack that affected at least 50 million customers.

The Bad

The week was rife with attacks on healthcare providers, including Eskenazi Health and Atlanta Allergy & Asthma. Talking about cyberattacks, new reports emerged claiming a possible breach at the U.S. State Department this month. Now, imagine your secretive software program allowed unauthorized access to sensitive data because of a glitch. Grim! This is exactly what happened with the Palantir software used by the FBI.

  • Indiana-based Eskenazi Health disclosed that a ransomware attack pilfered patient data and leaked the stolen information. In the aftermath, its EHR experienced a downtime.
  • Eye & Retina Surgeons suffered a ransomware attack that impacted clinical data, including clinical notes and eye scans of about 73,500 patients.
  • A glitch in Palantir—a secretive software program used by the FBI—enabled some employees to gain unauthorized access to confidential data. This went on for more than a year.
  • A data breach at Chico State University exposed the personal information of 130 students who requested religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination.
  • Users of OpenSea, a peer-to-peer marketplace for NFTs, were targeted in an ongoing Discord phishing attack to steal cryptocurrency funds and NFTs.
  • The Belgian Police singled out eight Android apps hosting Joker malware. The virus is capable of subscribing the user to payment services without users’ authorization.
  • Atlanta Allergy & Asthma informed nearly 9,800 patients of a data breach that blurted out their PHI such as SSNs, financial details, and treatment-related information.
  • Cybercriminals swindled nearly $2.3 million from the employees of the Town of Peterborough, New Hampshire, using spoofed email accounts and forged documents, the Town administrator announced in a press release.
  • Thousands of web apps laid bare 38 million sensitive records from a number of COVID-19 contact tracing platforms, vaccination sign-ups, job portals, and employee databases.
  • The U.S. State Department suspected a breach after an unauthorized actor infiltrated its network. It claimed no significant disruption in its daily operations.

New Threats

Discord has become a pretty popular space for cybercriminals because of its varied functionalities. A new malware has recently made Discord its home and used it to deploy multiple malware on targeted systems. This section would be incomplete without the mention of at least one scam. Hurricane-related scams are the latest entrant in the huge wave of scams victimizing people. On a different tangent, South Asian countries are being targeted by a new cyberespionage campaign that has been active for more than a year.

  • Financially motivated FIN8 group attempted to compromise the networks of a U.S. financial organization using a new malware - Sardonic.
  • A PowerShell script used by the Pysa ransomware shows that the gang is seeking out files containing the financial and personal information of victims. The script includes a list of 123 keywords that helps the threat actors perform manual sweeps of data.
  • A U.S.-based computer retail firm was targeted by the new SideWalk backdoor in a recent campaign by a Chinese APT. The backdoor shares multiple similarities with CROSSWALK, another backdoor used by the group.
  • A new malware VIPSpace leverages the Discord platform to deploy up to 25 different malware and cripple targeted systems.
  • A new espionage campaign, active since July 2020, is targeting public and private companies in South Asian countries. The campaign uses shellcode loaders and the ScrambleCross backdoor.
  • A phishing campaign is deploying a new variant of Konni RAT to target users in Russia.
  • Several new variants of the PRISM backdoor have managed to fly under the radar for over 3.5 years. One of the variants found is identified as WaterDrop.
  • The CISA is warning users about hurricane-related scams that trick victims into handing over their funds and personal details.
  • Mirai-based botnet operators were found exploiting a new security flaw in the Realtek SDK, impacting hundreds of thousands of devices.

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 23–27, 2025

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Jun 20, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 16–20, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 09–13, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 26–30, 2025

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May 23, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 19–23, 2025

Operation Endgame just dealt a major blow to the ransomware supply chain. Europol led the charge in dismantling malware infrastructure tied to multiple malware families, seizing 300 servers and more. Japan has officially gone on the cyber offense. The new Active Cyberdefense Law allows preemptive strikes against foreign cyber threats. It enables traffic analysis and takedowns of hostile servers. Think twice before clicking on that Ledger update. A new macOS malware campaign is deploying fake versions of the Ledger Live app to steal cryptocurrency seed phrases. A Turkish phishing lure leads straight to SnakeKeylogger. Fake AI tools are the new phishing lures and they’re convincing. Cybercriminals cloned Kling AI’s brand through Facebook ads and spoofed websites to trick users into downloading malware. The DBatLoader (aka ModiLoader) malware is making the rounds again - this time disguised as a Turkish bank email. The copyright threat in your inbox might be bait. A phishing campaign sweeping across central and eastern Europe is using fake legal complaints to deliver the Rhadamanthys Stealer. Two years of silence, 6,200 downloads later - the malware is finally found. A malicious campaign targeting JavaScript developers slipped past detection by disguising harmful npm packages as plugins for frameworks like React, Vue.js, Vite, and Quill Editor. Researchers uncovered a stealthy new backdoor paired with a Monero coinminer, using the PyBitmessage library for encrypted peer-to-peer communications.

May 16, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 12–16, 2025

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May 9, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 05–09, 2025

Another blow to DDoS-for-hire networks. Europol has shut down six services used to launch global cyberattacks, arresting suspects in Poland and seizing domains in the U.S. The UN has launched a new framework to help policymakers make sense of cyber intrusions. Called UNIDIR Intrusion Path, it complements models like MITRE ATT&CK but simplifies the technical details. It breaks down attacker activity into three layers, making it easier to evaluate threats in a policy context. Old routers are becoming cybercrime goldmines. The FBI has warned that end-of-life routers are being hijacked with malware like TheMoon and sold on proxy networks such as 5Socks and Anyproxy. These compromised devices are used for crypto theft, cybercrime-as-a-service, and even espionage. Crypto users on Discord are the latest targets of a phishing campaign tied to Inferno Drainer. Attackers were found impersonating the Collab.Land bot to trick users into signing malicious transactions. The Play ransomware group has joined the list of actors exploiting CVE-2025-29824. This Windows zero-day in the CLFS driver enables privilege escalation via a race condition during file operations. Linked to the Balloonfly group, the attacks targeted a U.S. organization and included deployment of the Grixba infostealer. COLDRIVER’s latest malware, LOSTKEYS, is now in play. The Russian state-backed group is deploying this tool to steal files and system data from advisors, journalists, NGOs, and individuals linked to Ukraine. Agenda’s playbook just got upgraded. The ransomware group has added two new tools: SmokeLoader and a stealthy .NET-based loader called NETXLOADER. The latter leverages techniques like JIT hooking and AES decryption to deploy ransomware. Corporate HR teams are the latest target in a spear-phishing spree by Venom Spider. Disguised as job applications, these emails deliver More_eggs backdoor, now upgraded with advanced features.

May 2, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 28–May 02, 2025

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. 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. 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.

Apr 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 21–25, 2025

AI security finally has a global playbook. ETSI has released TS 104 223, a first-of-its-kind technical specification outlining how to secure AI systems across their entire lifecycle - from design to decommissioning. MITRE’s latest update is catching up with the cloud. ATT&CK v17 expands the framework to include ESXi and adds more than 140 defensive analytics. Platform-specific data collection advice, improved mitigation mapping, and deeper coverage of mobile threats like SIM swaps round out the upgrade. An APT group with deep roots in Southeast Asia is quietly siphoning data through everyday cloud platforms. Earth Kurma has been active since late 2020, targeting government and telecom entities across the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Signal and WhatsApp are the new frontline for cloud compromise. Russian actors are running OAuth phishing campaigns against Microsoft 365 users tied to Ukraine and human rights work. A forged email that passes every security check - that’s the new phishing trick. Attackers are using DKIM replay tactics to forward legitimate Google security alerts to unsuspecting victims. It starts with a fake sales order and ends with FormBook silently stealing your data. A recent phishing campaign has been abusing a long-patched Microsoft flaw to deliver a fileless variant of the malware. Docker containers aren’t always what they seem. A new threat named TenoBot is targeting systems running outdated Teneo Web3 node software, deploying malicious containers to hijack environments. A stealthy new RAT is slipping through Ivanti Connect Secure devices in Japan. Dubbed DslogdRAT, the malware exploits a zero-day flaw to execute commands via web shell and quietly exfiltrate data using encoded C2 traffic.