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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 09–13

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 09–13 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Jan 13, 2023

The Good

The healthcare sector has always been at risk of third-party attacks owing to a huge trove of PHI that is ripe for misuse by threat actors. With an aim to protect this information, a group of over 20 healthcare organizations has come together to form the Health3PT Council which aims at introducing new standards and automated workflows. In another development, New York has ramped up its cybersecurity investment with an additional top-up of $35 million for this year’s state cybersecurity budget.

  • More than 20 healthcare leaders have joined hands to form the Health 3rd Party Trust (Health3PT) Initiative and Council which aims at introducing new standards, automated workflows, and assurance models to tackle and manage third-party cyber risks. This new initiative will help safeguard sensitive health information stored on different third-party systems and devices.
  • The New York governor has approved an additional $35 million in funding to the state’s $61.9 million cybersecurity budget for 2023. This comes following the rise in cyberattacks across different sectors and the additional fund will be used to protect critical infrastructure across the energy, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.
  • Europol and Eurojust took action against a fake crypto scam that involved a number of different criminal actors operating through call centers. The fraudsters lured victims into investing large amounts of money into fake cryptocurrency schemes. At least $2.2 million was stolen from victims, primarily from Germany, in the scam.

The Bad

Meanwhile, ransomware groups are as usual having a field day, targeting multiple organizations and stealing their confidential data. While the LockBit ransomware was claimed to be behind the recent attack against the U.K’s Royal Mail, the Hive ransomware group leaked 550 GB of data stolen from Consulate Health Care. An ongoing spear-phishing attack from Dark Pink APT has also been found aiming at government and military organizations in Asia-Pacific.

  • The Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Canada began an investigation into a cybersecurity incident that knocked out its website and mobile app. The firm said its shops were open to customers as they were unaffected.

  • Access to the websites of the Danish Central Bank and seven private banks in the country were briefly disrupted following a DDoS attack. Attackers redirected unwanted traffic to the targeted servers in a bid to knock them offline. Among the banks affected were Jyske Bank and Sydbank.

  • A new Facebook-themed phishing attack was reported by researchers. Attackers leveraged Facebook copyright infringement notices, and other related artifacts to steal credentials from users. The attack started with a basic email from Facebook stating that the recipient’s account has been suspended.

  • A zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2022-42475) in FortiOS SSL-VPN that Fortinet addressed last month was exploited by threat actors to target government organizations. The end goal was to deploy a generic Linux implant to compromise Fortinet’s IPS software and establish connections with a remote server to download additional malware.

  • A cyberattack on Royal Mail has been linked to the LockBit ransomware operation. Reports suggest that the ransomware encrypted devices used for international shipping and caused ransom notes to be printed on printers used for custom dockets.

  • The Hive ransomware group leaked 550 GB of data, including employee and customer PII, stolen from Consulate Health Care. The leaked samples include stolen contracts, agreement documents, and the company’s private info. This also included email addresses, phone numbers, credit card details, Social Security numbers, and medical records of employees.

  • The Dark Pink APT group is currently using spear-phishing emails to launch attacks against government and military organizations in Asia-Pacific. The group has been linked to seven successful attacks between June and December 2022.

  • Social marketplace Trustanduse left data of around 439,000 users including businesses exposed for at least six months. The unsecured data included sensitive information such as usernames, full names, Facebook IDs, phone numbers, and passwords hashed with the BCrypt algorithm.

  • Bay Bridge Administrators started notifying around 250,000 individuals of a September 2022 data breach. The compromised information includes names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, ID and driver’s license numbers, and medical and health insurance information.

  • The Serbian Ministry of the Interior suffered a DDoS attack over the weekend, crippling the IT infrastructure. The government took the required security measures to thwart the attack and protect the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

New Threats

Several notorious malware resurfaced in different attack campaigns reported this week. While Vidar infostealer was found being distributed via over 1300 domains impersonating known official sites, the GootKit loader was discovered leveraging SEO poisoning to target the Australian healthcare industry. A cybercrime group tracked as Scattered Spider was also observed exploiting an old flaw as part of a BYOVD attack.

  • A new IceID malware attack enabled threat actors to compromise the Active Directory domain of an unknown target in less than 24 hours. Throughout the attack, the attackers followed a series of commands to execute Cobalt Strike on the compromised host.
  • A cybercrime group tracked as Scattered Spider was observed exploiting an old vulnerability (CVE-2015-2291) in an Intel Ethernet diagnostics driver to target telecom and BPO firms. The attack was launched using phishing and social engineering techniques to obtain victims’ credentials and OTPs.
  • For the past two weeks, hackers have been exploiting a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in SugarCRM to infect users with malware that gives full control over the targeted server. The exploit code for the vulnerability is available online since December.
  • New research reveals that the Raspberry Robin worm’s attack infrastructure can be repurposed by other threat actors to deploy their own implants. The malware notably employs infected USB drives as a propagation mechanism and leverages breached QNAP NAS devices as first-level C2 servers.
  • A new round of supply chain attacks deploying the PoweRAT malware on victims’ systems was observed. The attacks leveraged several PyPI packages—EasyTimeStamp, Discorder, Discord-dev, Style.py, and PythonStyles—to drop the malware that is capable of stealing browser cookies, passwords, Discord tokens, and Telegram data.
  • Vidar malware has been spotted in an ongoing campaign that leverages 1,300 different domains impersonating official sites of AnyDesk, MSI Afterburner, 7-ZIP, Blender, Dashlane, Slack, VLC, and OBS. Many popular cryptocurrency trading apps are also being mimicked as part of the campaign.
  • Gootkit loader aka Gootloader resurfaced in a new spate of attacks that targeted the Australian healthcare industry. The malware operators leveraged SEO poisoning attacks for initial access. To push the infection to the next phase, the loader abused legitimate applications like VLC Media Player.
  • Researchers discovered a new variant of a prototype pollution flaw that can allow attackers to perform pollution-like attacks on Python programs. Called class pollution, the flaw has been observed in the wild and can be triggered by manipulating the attribute values in Python classes. The exploitation of the flaw can lead to remote code execution and overwriting of secret keys.
  • The Kinsing cryptojacking operation was discovered leveraging weakly configured PostgreSQL containers and vulnerable images to gain initial access to Kubernetes environments. A majority of the targeted images were vulnerable to remote code execution attacks.
  • StrongPity APT was associated with a new campaign that used trojanized versions of the Shagle website to drop malware. These enabled the attackers to record phone calls, track device locations, and collect SMS messages and contact lists.
  • CISA updated its KEV catalog with two new vulnerabilities that are currently being actively exploited. Collectively called the OWASSRF vulnerability (CVE-2023-21674 and CVE-2022-41080), it was used to breach and deploy ransomware on the infrastructure of cloud hosting giant Rackspace last year.
  • Operators of the newly found StrRAT and Ratty RAT are running a new campaign using polyglot files to bypass detection from security tools. Among these files are various combinations of MSI/JAR and CAB/JAR files.
  • A new malware dropper named NeedleDropper appears to have been used in the wild since October 2022. The malware is being sold on underground hacking forums via a classic MaaS offering.

Related Threat Briefings

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.