Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - August 26–30

The Good

In response to the rising tide of cyber threats, organizations and governments are stepping up their efforts to protect critical infrastructure and personal data. NASA's Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility expanded its mission to include cybersecurity services, integrating cyber risk management into its traditional software analysis roles. On another front, California legislators have taken a significant step toward data privacy with a new bill requiring internet browsers and mobile operating systems to include a simple, one-click opt-out option for consumers.

• The NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility expanded its focus to include cybersecurity services and education, in response to the growing concern of cybersecurity threats to NASA missions. The facility has integrated cybersecurity expertise into its traditional role of examining software for glitches and failures, aiming to identify and manage cyber risks that could impact mission diversity. Efforts also include educational outreach and workforce development, such as internships and community outreach, to groom a cybersecurity-savvy next generation of workers.
• California legislators passed a bill requiring internet browsers and mobile operating systems to allow consumers to easily opt out of sharing their private data with websites for targeted advertising. The new law introduces an opt-out preference signal tool, enabling users to opt out with a single button on their browser, automatically sending requests to visited websites. The Senate passed the landmark legislation, pending final approval after amendments.
• The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has outlined strategies to secure the cybersecurity landscape of the Philippines through the National CyberSecurity Plan 2023-2028. The plan aims to establish a trusted and secure cyberspace for all Filipinos. The DICT outlined three key outcomes: enhancing cyberspace protection, boosting cybersecurity workforce capabilities, and strengthening the cybersecurity policy framework.

The Bad

Pioneer Kitten, an Iranian state-backed group, breached U.S. organizations, partnering with ransomware actors to strike sectors such as finance, defense, and healthcare. Meanwhile, Securonix has uncovered SLOW#TEMPEST, a stealthy campaign that targeted Chinese-speaking users with Cobalt Strike payloads. Adding to the complexity, Proofpoint identified the Voldemort campaign, where cybercriminals posed as tax authorities to infiltrate over 70 organizations worldwide.

• The CISA, the FBI, and the DC3 identified an Iranian hacking group, Pioneer Kitten, as being responsible for breaching organizations in the U.S. and other countries. This group, connected to the government of Iran, has been enabling ransomware attacks and collaborating with affiliate actors to extort victims. Some of the ransomware affiliates include NoEscape, BlackCat, and RansomHouse. They have targeted various sectors including education, finance, healthcare, and defense.

• Securonix discovered a sophisticated campaign, named SLOW#TEMPEST, targeting Chinese-speaking users with Cobalt Strike payloads delivered through phishing emails. The attackers were able to evade detection for over two weeks by using malicious ZIP files, DLL hijacking, and Cobalt Strike implants. They established persistence, escalated privileges, moved laterally, and engaged in extensive post-exploitation activities, including network reconnaissance, credential harvesting, and running various tools. The attackers also demonstrated operational security failures, providing insights into their infrastructure.

• Proofpoint researchers discovered an unusual malware campaign called Voldemort, indicating a likely goal of conducting espionage. The campaign impersonated tax authorities from various countries, targeting over 70 organizations globally. The attack chain used Google Sheets for command and control and employed the use of unusual functionality, showing interest in intelligence gathering rather than financial gain. The backdoor malware used in the campaign can steal information and deliver additional payloads. The campaign employed a mix of techniques aligned with both cybercrime and espionage activity, making attribution complex.

• The Pidgin messaging app removed the ScreenShareOTR plugin from its official third-party plugin list after discovering that it was used to install keyloggers, information stealers, and malware. The plugin, promoted as a secure screen-sharing tool, was found to be infecting users with the DarkGate malware. Additionally, the plugin installer was signed with a valid digital certificate, adding to the deception. The same server hosting the malicious plugin also hosted other harmful plugins, indicating a broader-scale campaign.

• GuidePoint researchers identified a highly sophisticated threat actor targeting over 130 U.S. organizations with skilled social engineering and intrusion capabilities. The attackers use social engineering methods, including phone calls and SMS, to trick users into divulging credentials and one-time passcodes. The threat actor has registered domain names resembling VPN technologies used by the targeted organizations and set up custom VPN login pages to harvest user credentials, including MFA tokens.

• The Razr ransomware is utilizing the PythonAnywhere cloud platform to distribute and encrypt files using the AES-256 algorithm. ANY.RUN's analysis uncovered the ransomware's behavior, communication with a C2 server, and ransom demands sent via Tor. The ransomware begins by generating a unique machine ID, encryption key, and IV, which are then sent to the C2 server.

New Threats

A new attack vector has been leveraging the Atlassian Confluence vulnerability CVE-2023-22527, deploying a fileless backdoor known as Godzilla. Meanwhile, APT33 has been using the Tickler malware to infiltrate U.S. and UAE networks, focusing on critical sectors. In East Asia, researchers uncovered a South Korean cyber-espionage campaign by APT-C-60, where attackers used a custom backdoor, SpyGlace, and exploited vulnerabilities in WPS Office.

• Trend Micro revealed a new attack vector targeting the Atlassian Confluence vulnerability CVE-2023-22527, using an in-memory fileless backdoor known as the Godzilla webshell. This backdoor, developed in Chinese, employs AES encryption to avoid detection and enables remote code execution on compromised servers. The attackers exploit the vulnerability by executing malicious JavaScript code and dynamically loading and defining classes in memory.
• The APT33 Iranian hacking group, aka Peach Sandstorm and Refined Kitten, used the new Tickler malware to backdoor the networks of organizations in the U.S. and UAE. The attackers particularly targeted the government, defense, satellite, and oil and gas sectors. They leveraged Microsoft Azure infrastructure for C2, using compromised user accounts in the education sector to host their infrastructure. Microsoft observed consistent password spray attacks across sectors and warned of extensive breaches in defense, satellite, and pharmaceutical sectors since February 2023.
• ESET uncovered a new cyber-espionage campaign by a South Korean APT group, APT-C-60, targeting victims in East Asia using a custom backdoor called SpyGlace and exploiting an RCE vulnerability in WPS Office for Windows. The campaign involved luring victims to click on a legitimate-looking WPS Office spreadsheet, which contained a hidden hyperlink triggering the exploit. The attackers used a zero-day bug (CVE-2024-7262) that was silently patched by Kingsoft, but ESET found a subsequent vulnerability (CVE-2024-7263) that could still enable similar attacks.
• A phishing campaign has been targeting users downloading VPN applications for Windows, Linux, and macOS. The threat actors created a phishing site impersonating a legitimate VPN service called WarpVPN and distributed distinct stealer binaries for each operating system. They used a Telegram channel with over 54,000 subscribers to distribute Cheana Stealer. The campaign involves detailed installation instructions for each platform, with the stealer targeting sensitive data such as cryptocurrency-related browser extensions, crypto wallets, and stored browser passwords.
• Attackers have been exploiting a critical vulnerability in the AVTECH AVM1203 surveillance camera to spread the Mirai botnet. The five-year-old vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-7029, allows attackers to remotely execute commands. Mirai turns infected IoT devices into a botnet for launching large-scale DDoS attacks. The malware also targets other vulnerabilities such as Huawei device exploits. The AVM1203 camera is no longer supported, so users are advised to replace it and ensure that all IoT devices are not accessible using default credentials.
• Google patched its tenth zero-day vulnerability of 2024, addressing a high-severity bug in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that could be exploited for remote attacks. This vulnerability, CVE-2024-7965, allowed remote attackers to exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Google has released updates to fix this and another zero-day vulnerability, CVE-2024-7971, in Chrome version 128.0.6613.84/.85.