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 24 - 28, 2020

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, August 24 - 28, 2020 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Aug 28, 2020

The Good

With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, addressing them with robust cyber technologies is the need of the hour. Realizing the pressing priority, researchers have come up with two new Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to ward off cyberattacks on medical devices and supercomputers. Moreover, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) proposed five strategic initiatives to secure 5G networks from unwanted threats.

  • The Australian state of New South Wales announced an investment of AU$60 million (~USD 44 million) to improve the state’s cybersecurity capabilities. The funding, which spans over the next three years, will be used to protect existing systems, deploy new technologies, and increase the cyber workforce.

  • The DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlined five strategic initiatives to secure the country’s U.S 5G networks against cyber threats. This will include the development of 5G policy and standards capable of stopping malicious actors from influencing the design of new systems.

  • MITRE released a new Shield framework to help organizations actively detect and counter intruders on their networks. The framework includes different tactics to detect, disrupt, and contain attacks from intruders.

  • Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev developed a new AI technique to protect medical devices from malicious operating instructions in a cyberattack as well as other human and system errors. The technology will help analyze the instructions sent from PC to connected devices, detecting the presence of any anomalous code.

  • In yet another research, computer scientists designed a new AI system to identify and prevent malicious codes from hijacking supercomputers to mine cryptocurrencies.

The Bad

In addition to the developments and discoveries, , the cyber ecosystem witnessed some terrible cyberattacks this week. The notorious Lazarus threat actor group was found responsible for an ongoing cryptocurrency mining campaign that has been active since 2018. The campaign is carried out through LinkedIn. Meanwhile, the REvil ransomware gang claimed attacks on Valley Health Systems and stole information related to its clients, employees, and patients.

  • New Zealand’s stock exchange resumed trading after facing disruptions due to DDoS attacks for four consecutive days. There is no clarity on who was behind the attacks.

  • REvil ransomware gang claimed to have stolen sensitive data after an attack on Valley Health Systems. The compromised data includes information related to its clients, employees, and patients.

  • The operations of Australian IT vendor, Data#3, were temporarily disrupted due to a cyber incident. The company contacted 28 of its impacted customers to inform them about the mishappening.

  • College of the Desert became the victim of an attack that brought down email and web services. However, there was no evidence of compromise of any personally identifiable information. In a different incident, a malware attack resulted in the shutdown of virtual classes held by Rialto Unified School District. The malware was specifically designed to disrupt, damage, and gain unauthorized access to the computer systems.

  • In an advisory, Autodesk warned users about hackers using a PhysPluginMfx MAXScript exploit that can corrupt 3ds Max settings, run malicious code, and propagate to other MAX files on a Windows system. These malicious codes are capable of collecting passwords from web browsers such as Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer.

  • The recently discovered DarkSide ransomware claimed its first attacks on a North American land developer, Brookfield Residential. The operators stole more than 200GB data from the firm and posted a portion of it to extort the victim.

  • An ongoing cyberespionage campaign linked with the Lazarus threat actor group was found to be active since 2018. The campaign, which is carried out through Linkedin, has targeted businesses in at least 14 countries including the U.K. and U.S.

New Threats

Talking about new threats, a group of threat actors were observed modifying their evasion techniques to bypass email security tools. Attackers were spotted using HTML/CSS and Unicode tricks to fool users into believing a spoofed email is legitimate. Additionally, new details about two threat actor groups—BeagleBoyz and UltraRank—were revealed. While BeagleBoyz attacked financial institutions, UltraRank stole credit card details from hundreds of e-commerce sites.

  • A pool of 5000 malicious apps involved in giveaway scams infected around 65,000 devices with a novel ad fraud botnet. Among the free gifts used as lures were boots, sneakers, event tickets, coupons, and expensive dental treatments.
  • The owners and administrators of e-commerce sites were warned of attacks exploiting vulnerabilities in Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin. They were urged to update the plugin with the latest updates to prevent falling victim to attacks.
  • Low-grade Chinese Android phones manufactured by Transsion were found to be infected by Triada malware, which was also responsible for the download of a second malware called XHelper.
  • A Monero-mining campaign that was executed using fake Malwarebytes installation files was uncovered by researchers. These files contained a backdoor that loaded XMRig malware onto victims’ machines.
  • Threat actors were spotted using HTML/CSS and Unicode tricks to bypass email security tools. With these tricks, even a malicious email looks legitimate to naked eyes.
  • A malicious functionality found within the iOS version of the MintegralAdSDK was used to conduct an ad fraud campaign through hundreds of iOS apps. The SDK was distributed through Mintegral’s GitHub Repository, Cocoapods Package Manager for iOS, and Gradle/Maven for Android.
  • Operators of the Grandoreiro banking trojan targeted Spanish users in an email campaign by impersonating the country’s tax agency, Agencia Tributaria. The email included a link to a ZIP archive that claimed to contain a digital tax receipt.
  • An unpatched weakness in Google Drive could be exploited to distribute weaponized files disguised as legitimate documents or images. This could enable threat actors to perform spearphishing attacks with a high success rate.
  • A newly discovered UltraRank digital skimming group has so far compromised hundreds of sites with a purpose to steal credit card information. The group injected JavaScript sniffer code into the checkout pages of the targeted sites. A newly discovered TA2719 APT group was also found using different lures to target users in Europe and the U.S.
  • In a joint advisory, the FBI, U.S. Cyber Command, and CISA warned about a prolific North Korean hacking group known as ‘BeagleBoyz’ resuming its malicious operation of targeting financial institutions. According to the agencies, the group had attempted to steal $2 billion since at least 2015 and is in the process of targeting banks and other financial services in almost 40 countries.
  • Conti ransomware operators joined the bandwagon of ransomware gangs involved in launching their own leaking sites. Reportedly, Conti is operated by the group behind the Ryuk ransomware.
  • A team of academics from Switzerland discovered a security bug that could be abused to bypass PIN codes for VISA contactless payments. This can enable criminals to make fraudulent purchases in the name of the owner.
  • A new info-stealing malware, named Anubis, is now being actively distributed in the wild. The malware draws its code from Loki malware designed to steal system information, credentials, credit card details, and cryptocurrency wallets.
  • SunCrypt ransomware joined the cartel created by the Maze ransomware gang. The cartel, which already includes LockBit and RagnarLocker, has started to share their information and techniques with each other.

Related Threat Briefings

Feb 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 10–14, 2025

Cyber defenders are sharpening their tools, and EARLYCROW is the latest weapon against stealthy APT operations. This method detects C2 activity over HTTP(S) using a novel traffic analysis format called PAIRFLOW. India is taking digital banking security up a notch. The RBI is launching a dedicated domain to curb financial fraud and enhance trust in online banking. Starting April 2025, financial institutions will register under this domain. China’s RedMike hackers are dialing into telecom networks - literally. Between December 2024 and January 2025, they targeted over 1,000 unpatched Cisco devices. Their primary focus? Global telecoms and university networks in Argentina, Bangladesh, and the U.S. Russia’s Sandworm hackers are using pirated software as bait. Their latest attack on Ukrainian Windows users disguises malware inside trojanized KMS activators and fake Windows updates. Love is in the air, but so are phishing scams. In late January, cybercriminals launched a Valentine’s-themed phishing campaign, offering fake gift baskets in exchange for stolen credentials. Cybercriminals are upping their game with Astaroth, a phishing kit that doesn’t just steal credentials but also hijacks entire sessions. By using a reverse proxy, Astaroth intercepts logins and 2FA tokens in real time, allowing attackers to bypass security measures undetected. South America’s foreign ministry was caught in the crosshairs of an advanced cyber-espionage campaign. In November 2024, attackers linked to REF7707 deployed the PATHLOADER and FINALDRAFT malware to infiltrate diplomatic networks. A new malware named Ratatouille is stirring up trouble by bypassing UAC and using I2P for anonymous communications. Spreading through phishing emails and fake CAPTCHA pages, it tricks victims into running an embedded PowerShell script.

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.