Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - February 20–24

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Weekly Threat Briefing • February 24, 2023

The Good

Building robust and resilient cybersecurity amidst growing sophisticated cyber threats calls for pragmatic investments in the right areas. Keeping this in mind, the U.K. government has announced a fund of around $22 million to foster new research and development in Northern Ireland’s cybersecurity industry. Meanwhile, Google is exploring new ways to improve security across the Android ecosystem. This in-depth defense strategy will be applicable at the firmware level to reduce the impact of cyberattacks on Android devices.

  • The U.K. government has announced it will invest a sum of around $22 million in Northern Ireland’s cybersecurity industry. A portion of the amount will be used to create a new Cyber-AI Hub at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) in Belfast. The new Cyber-AI Hub will support the research and development of AI-enabled cybersecurity projects.
  • The NSA has issued fresh guidelines to help remote workers secure their home networks from cyber threats. It includes a long list of recommendations such as keeping the software up to date, backing up the data regularly, and limiting the user-account privileges on the computer. The guide also urges users to replace routers as soon as or before they reach their end-of-life date.
  • Google is exploring new protection mechanisms to improve the security of Android at the firmware level. The plan is to strengthen Android’s Application Processor by enabling compiler-based mitigations. Additionally, the focus is on providing additional security to mitigate Control Flow Integrity (CFI), Kernel Control Flow Integrity (KCFI), ShadowCallStack, and Stack Canaries to improve the performance of Android devices.

The Bad

The cybersecurity of GoDaddy is in chaos as attackers ran amok across its infrastructure for three-long years, only to be discovered recently. The relentless menace by the LockBit ransomware continues as threat actors added a water utility firm in Portugal to its leak site. The gang has further threatened to leak the stolen data if the firm fails to meet its ransom demand. The security concerns associated with open-source software are also in the limelight as researchers uncovered a series of phishing attacks involving over 15,000 malicious npm packages.

  • Web hosting giant GoDaddy disclosed that it was a victim of a multi-year security breach that started in May 2020. The same attackers stole the source code for Managed WordPress (MWP) in November 2021 and, later in December 2022, infected the cPanel hosting server with malware.

  • The LockBit ransomware group took credit for an attack on the water utility at Águas e Energia do Porto, Portugal. The attack occurred on February 8; however, the security team was able to limit the extent of the damage. Meanwhile, the gang added the company to its leak site on February 18, and has threatened to publish the stolen data if the ransom demand is not fulfilled by March 7.

  • Researchers came across multiple phishing attempts launched via malicious npm packages. Over 15,000 spam packages were dropped with tempting descriptions that promised free resources, game cheats, and likes on social media platforms. These packages were generated automatically using a Python script and hence closely resembled one another.

  • A ransomware attack forced agricultural and food production giant Dole to shut down its food packaging and distribution operations across North America, The incident took place earlier this month, and even after two weeks, the company’s operations are still down across the U.S.

  • Telus, one of the biggest telecommunications companies in Canada, became aware of a security breach after a threat actor uploaded private source code and employee data to the dark web for sale. The company has begun investigating the matter and has so far not found evidence of corporate or retail customer data being stolen.

  • Android voice chat app, OyeTalk, had inadvertently leaked unencrypted data through its unprotected Google Firebase instance. The leaked data includes usernames and cellphone IMEI numbers. It is believed that malicious actors could have deleted the dataset, resulting in a permanent loss of users’ private messages.

  • Lehigh Valley Health Network revealed that it suffered an attack by the BlackCat ransomware group. The unauthorized activity was detected on February 6 and involved a computer system used for patient images for radiation oncology treatment. The investigation to understand the full scope of the attack is underway.

  • Australia-based retail firm, The Good Guys, confirmed that its customer data was compromised in a third-party breach at My Rewards. The affected data included names, email addresses, and phone numbers of customers.

  • Unknown hackers stole internal data from the gaming giant Activision and published them on dark web forums. According to the firm, the hackers stole information such as full names, email addresses, phone numbers, salaries, work addresses, and home addresses of employees.

New Threats

The growing traction of the recently launched ChatGPT chatbot is also accompanied by its popularity among cybercriminals as an attack vector. In one such incident, the hackers were found using fake ChatGPT apps to push a variety of malware such as RedLine stealer and Lumma stealer. In another news, a particular ransomware operator has updated its malware with a unique extortion tactic that puts pressure on the victim organization’s insurance company to pay up. A new threat group, named Hydrochasma, is also on the radar of researchers as it actively targets medical labs and shipping companies in Asia.

  • A new version of Hardbit ransomware has been found asking for details on cyber insurance policies from victims as part of the negotiation process. This is a unique trick adopted by the operators so that their ransom demands are covered by the victim’s insurance company, without the involvement of intermediaries.
  • Malwarebytes Labs detected a Magecart skimmer that not only acquires the victim's email, address, phone number, and credit card details but also records their IP address and browser user agent. The skimmer code uses iframes that are loaded when the checkout page is accessed.
  • A new threat group called Clasiopa has been found using a distinct custom backdoor malware named Atharvan. The infection vector used by the group is unknown, although there is some evidence that the attackers gain access through brute force attacks on public-facing servers.
  • Multiple threat actors have been found exploiting a now-patched critical security vulnerability in Zoho ManageEngine products since January 20. Tracked as CVE-2022-47966, the remote code execution flaw can allow a complete takeover of the susceptible systems by unauthenticated attackers.
  • Researchers discovered multiple phishing pages related to OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot that pushed a variety of malware onto the victims’ systems. These websites were either disguised in the form of a legitimate tool such as ChatGPT Windows desktop client or promoted via Facebook. The malware distributed includes RedLine stealer and Lumma stealer.
  • A new malware dubbed S1deloaded Stealer has been found leveraging the DLL sideloading tactic in an ongoing attack campaign to evade detection. The campaign targets YouTube and Facebook users, infecting their computers and hijacking their social media accounts to mine cryptocurrency. So far, more than 600 devices have been targeted in the campaign.
  • Researchers discovered a new XMRig coin miner attack campaign that used trojanized versions of legitimate apps for Apple macOS, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pros, and Photoshop, to evade detection. The malware also made use of the Invisible Internet Project (i2p) to download malicious components and send mined currency to the attackers’ wallets.
  • A previously unseen threat group, dubbed Hydrochasma, was found targeting medical labs and shipping companies in Asia. The activity has been ongoing since October 2022 and primarily relies on phishing emails. The tools deployed by the threat actors indicate a desire to achieve persistent and stealthy access to victim machines.

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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

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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.