Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - February 28–04

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - February 28–04 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • March 4, 2022

The Good

There is a lot going on in the world right now, but we also have some good things to look forward to. A group of MIT researchers took a big step toward securing sensitive data. They fabricated an IC chip that protects against power side-channel attacks and is tiny enough to fit inside a smartwatch, tablet, or smartphone. Meanwhile, MITRE launched the Engage framework to help defenders conduct cyber adversary engagement, deception, and denial activities.

  • A group of researchers at MIT built an integrated circuit chip that can defend against power side-channel attacks while using much less energy than a common security technique. The integrated circuit conducts machine learning on the edge so that less power is consumed without compromising security.
  • Facebook has blocked multiple accounts and phishing domains, associated with the Belarusian-linked hacking group Ghostwriter (aka UNC1151), designed to target Ukrainian officials and military personnel. Additionally, it confirmed a spear-phishing campaign by the group that tricked Ukrainian military personnel into sharing their personal information.
  • European police detained 17 cybercriminals from France and Spain that were involved in distributing counterfeit ID documents for migrant smugglers over the dark web.
  • MITRE launched the first official version of Engage, a framework for conducting cyber adversary engagement, deception, and denial activities. This framework will help CISOs, security analysts, and vendors to implement defense strategies by taking cues from adversary behavior observed in the real world.
  • Singapore is all set out to build a new digital intelligence center to fortify the nation’s defenses against cyber threats. Dubbed Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), the unit will work under the Singapore Armed Forces and tackle online attacks.

The Bad

Attacks against Ukrainian entities are getting worse. The week witnessed multiple attacks, notable among them is a massive attack wave against Ukrainian academic institutions and a DDoS attack using DanaBot against the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. In other news, two ransomware gangs—Karma and Conti—targeted the same healthcare provider in back-to-back attacks.

  • A phishing campaign compromised the email accounts of Ukrainian armed services to spread Lua-based SunSeed malware. The campaign appears to target European government personnel who are involved in managing the logistics of refugees from Ukraine. Lately, the campaign has been upgraded to target NATO entities and is tentatively linked with the Ghostwriter hacking group.
  • A large-scale phishing campaign, leveraging over 200 phishing sites, has tricked users into making fake investments for buying e-bikes or registering for dealerships. The fraudulent operation abuses Google Ads and SEO to draw in victims. The campaign has caused financial damages of up to $1,000,000 and a majority of the affected are Indians.
  • Satellite communication giant Viasat was hit by a cyberattack that caused an internet outage across Europe. The firm has notified law enforcement agencies and government partners who are currently investigating the incident. Reports suggest that the attack began on February 24 and is ongoing.
  • A dual ransomware attack affected a Canada-based healthcare organization in December 2021. The attack was launched by the Karma ransomware gang first and later by the Conti ransomware gang. The attackers had managed to intrude into the victim’s network by exploiting the ProxyShell vulnerability.
  • A spate of phishing emails is being used against Microsoft account users to pilfer their credentials. The attackers are capitalizing on the Ukrainian crisis to spread terror among the recipients. The email asks the victims to log into their accounts as an unusual sign-on activity from Russia has been detected. The subject line of the email includes ‘Report the user.’
  • More than 30 WordPress-hosted Ukrainian university websites were hacked in a targeted attack. The threat actors support Russia and are identified as the ‘Monday Group.’ In 24 hours, more than 100,000 attacks were launched on Ukrainian education institutions.
  • A threat actor launched a DDoS attack using DanaBot against the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s webmail server. The attack was launched to deliver a second-stage malware payload leveraging the download and executing the command.
  • Scammers are weaponizing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to target users in well-crafted phishing campaigns. The phishing emails include different subject lines to dupe victims into sharing their crypto wallet credentials or making payments in the form of cryptocurrency. In one of the campaigns, emails spoofing the login page of popular German Bitcoin marketplace bitcoin.de had targeted employees at European financial service providers. In another campaign, the email spoofed the Ukraine Red Cross Society to lure recipients into cryptocurrency donations to a private wallet.
  • Researchers have disclosed details of a now-patched security vulnerability in GitLab that could potentially allow attackers to recover user information. Tracked as CVE-2021-4191, the flaw affects several versions of GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition. The CVSS score of the flaw is 5.3. It has been patched with the release of versions 14.8.7, 14.7.4, and 14.6.5.
  • The New York State Office of the Attorney General warned victims of the August 2021 T-Mobile data breach after some of the stolen information ended up for sale on the dark web. This increases the risk of identity theft.
  • In a new update, Lapsus$ ransomware attackers have shared NVIDIA’s DLSS source code on their website. Additionally, the credentials of more than 71,000 employees have been leaked online. The data breach at the U.S. chipmaker occurred last month.
  • A hacker group, going by the moniker v0g3lsec, allegedly compromised a website connected to Russia’s Space Research Institute and posted the screenshot for the same.

New Threats

TeaBot is back in business and in the news. The operators came up with a newer version of it which is propagated via apps on Google Play Store, once again. Attacks against Ukrainian entities saw two new malware in disparate attacks - HermeticRansom and IsaacWiper. While we are on the topic of malware, Microsoft unveiled FoxBlade, another new malware that was used to perform DDoS attacks against Ukraine.

  • A new version of TeaBot is now targeting over 400 applications that include banks, crypto exchanges, and digital insurances. The attacks, driven via spam text messages, are being targeted against users in Russia, Hong Kong, and the U.S.

  • Researchers have demystified a newly found Golang ransomware dubbed HermeticRansom. Also known as PartyTicket, the ransomware encrypts specific files and appends them with .encryptedJB extension. It uses AES and RSA-OAEP algorithms to encrypt files and later drops an HTML ransom note on the victim’s desktop.

  • ESET researchers uncovered a third new data wiper malware, dubbed IssacWiper, that was used against hundreds of machines located in Ukraine. According to the researchers, the malware has been active since February 24 and includes both a wiper and a worm component to spread HermeticWiper in local networks.

  • Researchers detected a series of new TCP reflection/amplification attacks that leverage a new technique to knock websites offline. The amplification attack abuses vulnerable middleboxes, such as firewalls via TCP to magnify denial of service attacks. Middlebox devices from the likes of Cisco, Fortinet, SonicWall, and Palo Alto Networks are vulnerable to this new attack method.

  • A new stealthy backdoor named Daxin has been associated with a China-based hacking group. The malware is designed to give an attacker low-level root privileges on a compromised system. The malware was last used in November 2021 to target critical infrastructure in multiple countries.

  • Microsoft revealed that a new malware, dubbed FoxBlade, was used on several networks based in Eastern Europe. The malware was also used in destructive attacks against Ukraine right before the Russian invasion. It is capable of launching DDoS attacks on systems.

  • A new version of an info-stealing malware called Jester Stealer has been observed to be active since January. The new malware version, tracked as 1.7.1.0, is available for sale in underground cybercrime forums. Jester Stealer can pilfer data from web browsers, email clients, crypto wallets, and password managers.

  • Iran-linked UNC3313 threat actor group was found deploying two new custom backdoors, tracked as GRAMDOOR and STARWHALE. These backdoors were used in the attack against an unnamed government entity in the Middle East in November 2021.

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 14–18, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 07–11, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 30–July 04, 2025

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Jun 27, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 23–27, 2025

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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, June 02–06, 2025

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May 30, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 26–30, 2025

Under the hood of vulnerability management, NIST just added a sharper diagnostic tool. The new Likely Exploited Vulnerabilities metric offers deeper insight into which CVEs are likely being used in the wild, complementing EPSS with more contextual signals. Digital warfare is no longer a future threat, it's a current investment. The U.K. Ministry of Defence has unveiled a £1 billion Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks and support offensive cyber missions. With AI-driven systems like the Digital Targeting Web in development, the goal is seamless coordination across weapons platforms. A quiet but relentless campaign has been unfolding across multiple industries. The Chinese group Earth Lamia is targeting finance, government, logistics, and more by exploiting known web app vulnerabilities. APT41 hides malware commands where no one’s looking: your calendar. In a creative twist on C2 infrastructure, China-backed APT41 embedded encrypted instructions inside Google Calendar events. AyySSHush doesn’t make noise, it builds armies. More than 9,000 ASUS routers have been compromised by this botnet, which quietly slips in through a CVE-2023-39780 exploit. Fake CAPTCHA prompts are now doing more than testing if you're human—they're installing malware. EDDIESTEALER, a new Rust-based infostealer, spreads through deceptive CAPTCHA pages that trigger malicious PowerShell scripts. Threat actors are wrapping their tools in layers of obfuscation, and DOUBLELOADER is no exception. This new backdoor uses the ALCATRAZ obfuscator—once seen in the game-hacking scene—to disguise its presence. A new Go-based botnet called PumaBot is clawing its way through Linux IoT devices. It brute-forces SSH credentials, impersonates Redis files for stealth, and deploys rootkits to mine crypto and steal credentials.

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

Not every AI tool on Facebook is what it claims to be. Threat actors are luring users with fake content-generation apps, pushing Noodlophile malware to tens of thousands of victims. Disguised as AI-powered services, these tools trick users into executing malicious files that steal browser credentials, crypto wallet data, and other sensitive information through a layered infection chain. OtterCookie is getting smarter with every version. The North Korea-linked group WaterPlum is actively using the malware to breach financial institutions and crypto platforms worldwide. Since late 2024, new iterations have added capabilities like credential theft from browsers and file uploads - each version revealing signs of modular development and distinct authorship. A flaw in Linux’s nftables is turning dirty sets into dangerous ones. A critical double-free vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges by exploiting memory corruption. Kernel-level fixes are already rolling out to improve cleanup routines and patch the vulnerable destroy path.

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.