Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - February 20–24

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - May 20–24 - Featured Image

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.

Related Threat Briefings

Aug 22, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, August 18–22, 2025

As cyber threats evolve, global takedown efforts are stepping up to safeguard digital ecosystems. INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti arrested 1,209 cybercriminals across 18 African nations, recovering $97.4 million and dismantling over 11,000 malicious infrastructures. In another coordinated operation, U.S. authorities seized the Rapper Bot DDoS botnet, which had been active since 2021 and targeted 18,000 victims across 80 countries. The Python Package Index (PyPI) introduced defenses against domain resurrection attacks to prevent account hijacking and supply chain attacks. Berserk Bear hackers are wielding a seven-year-old Cisco flaw to infiltrate global critical infrastructure. Exploiting CVE-2018-0171, these FSB-linked attackers trigger device reloads and use custom SNMP tools. MuddyWater APT is targeting CFOs with spear-phishing, using Firebase-hosted phishing pages and custom CAPTCHAs. With a diplomat’s charm, malicious emails are smuggling XenoRAT into South Korea’s embassies via GitHub traps. Since March, this spearphishing spree has targeted European missions. Masquerading as an Australian electronics store, Cookie Spider’s malvertising campaign unleashed the AMOS malware on over 300 targets. Fraudsters posing as celebrity podcast reps are reeling in business owners with a bait. This podcast imposter scam lures victims into tech-check calls that grant remote access. A zero-day flaw has Apple racing to patch millions of devices with emergency iOS and iPadOS updates.

Aug 15, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, August 11–15, 2025

Ransomware gangs are taking heavy hits on multiple fronts. In Operation Checkmate, U.S. authorities seized $1.1 million in ransom-linked cryptocurrency and shut down four servers and nine domains tied to the BlackSuit group. At the same time, researchers dealt a critical blow to DarkBit ransomware, linked to Iran’s MuddyWater APT, by exploiting flaws in its AES-128-CBC key generation to crack the encryption.

Aug 8, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, August 04–08, 2025

In the wake of recent cyberattacks, the US federal judiciary is locking down sensitive court documents with a fortified approach to cybersecurity. Courts nationwide are enforcing stricter access controls, monitored handling procedures, and a mandatory IT security “scorecard” for annual self-assessments to pinpoint vulnerabilities. DARPA is raising the stakes at DEF CON, pitting seven AI-powered cyber reasoning systems against each other to secure the open-source software underpinning critical infrastructure. These autonomous tools, designed to detect and patch vulnerabilities in code vital to water systems and financial institutions, analyzed 7.8 million lines in preliminary rounds, catching 59% of synthetic flaws and uncovering real ones. Akira ransomware is striking with surgical precision, exploiting a suspected zero-day flaw in SonicWall SSL VPN devices, even those fully patched. Since mid-July 2025, attackers have used Virtual Private Server logins to bypass MFA, hitting multiple targets in rapid succession. A stealthy Python-based PXA Stealer is sweeping across 62 countries, pilfering sensitive data from unsuspecting victims. This infostealer campaign has exfiltrated hundreds of thousands of passwords and more. Phishing emails disguised as court summons are delivering a malicious payload to Ukrainian government and defense sectors, courtesy of UAC-0099. A cunning Android RAT, PlayPraetor, is sweeping through six countries, already compromising over 11,000 devices with its deceptive tactics. It masquerades as legitimate apps via fake Google Play Store pages and Meta Ads. ClickTok is luring TikTok Shop users into a trap with a crafty blend of phishing and malware. This global campaign deploys over 10,000 fake TikTok websites and 5,000 malicious apps, impersonating TikTok’s e-commerce platforms to steal cryptocurrency wallet credentials. Ghost Calls, a new evasion tactic, is turning Zoom and Microsoft Teams into covert channels for malicious activity, slipping past traditional defenses with ease.

Aug 1, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 28–August 01, 2025

Picture this: a tool so fast it dissects malware at lightning speed, giving your team the edge in a digital arms race. Meet Thorium, the CISA’s latest open-source gem. This platform automates cyberattack investigations, processing over 1,700 jobs per second and ingesting 10 million files per hour per permission group. Meanwhile, as AI reshapes the battlefield, OWASP is arming professionals with fresh guidance to secure agentic AI applications driven by LLMs. It’s a playbook for locking down user authentication with OAuth 2.0, encrypting sensitive data, and bolstering supply chain security. Cybercriminals are donning digital disguises, impersonating trusted enterprises with fake Microsoft OAuth applications to steal credentials and bypass multi-factor authentication. Hackers exploited a critical SAP NetWeaver flaw to deploy the Auto-Color Linux malware. This malware, equipped with a rootkit and adaptive evasion tactics, adjusts its behavior based on user privileges. Operation CargoTalon, tied to threat cluster UNG0901, targeted organizations with EAGLET malware hidden in fake invoice files, quietly siphoning off sensitive data to a C2 server. A newly discovered cyberattack technique, dubbed Man in the Prompt, is turning browser extensions into unwitting accomplices in data theft from generative AI tools. DoubleTrouble is targeting users through Discord-hosted APKs, disguising itself as a legitimate app to slip past defenses. A stealthy Android banking trojan, RedHook, is targeting Vietnamese users through phishing sites mimicking trusted agencies. Spread via a malicious APK on an exposed AWS S3 bucket, it exploits accessibility services to steal credentials and banking details, with over 500 infections tied to Chinese-speaking actors.

Jul 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 21–25, 2025

The BlackSuit ransomware crew just lost its home turf. As part of Operation Checkmate, international law enforcement has seized the group’s dark web extortion and negotiation sites. New York is taking aim at cyber threats to its water systems. A newly proposed set of regulations outlines mandatory IT and OT cybersecurity measures for water and wastewater infrastructure, aligning with federal guidelines and introducing funding to support modernization across the state. Not every scam needs sophistication, sometimes all it takes is a lonely heart and a convincing profile picture. SarangTrap, a massive mobile spyware campaign, is luring victims on Android and iOS through fake dating apps. Storm-2603 is slipping through SharePoint’s cracks and locking the doors behind it. The suspected China-based threat group is exploiting two SharePoint vulnerabilities to deploy Warlock ransomware. A trusted source turned treacherous. Hackers launched a supply chain attack on Arch Linux by slipping malware into three AUR packages. These packages silently deployed a RAT that gave attackers persistent control over infected machines. A browser tweak here, a fake mod there, and suddenly your crypto wallet spills its secrets. In a new campaign, the Scavenger trojan exploits DLL Search Order Hijacking to infiltrate password managers and wallets. A new RaaS group called Chaos is conducting high-impact ransomware campaigns through a number of tactics, using remote management tools for long-term access. Mimo is getting stealthier and greedier. The financially motivated group has moved from targeting Craft CMS to Magento, exploiting PHP-FPM vulnerabilities to deploy malware via fileless techniques.

Jul 18, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 14–18, 2025

A keyboard army just lost its command center. Europol’s Operation Eastwood has crippled the pro-Russian hacktivist group NoName057(16). The international effort, involving law enforcement from 12 nations, led to two arrests and the takedown of over 100 servers linked to the group’s “DDoSia” project. Britain wants bug-hunters on its side. The NCSC has launched the Vulnerability Research Initiative, a new program inviting external researchers to help uncover security flaws in widely used hardware and software. Cisco Talos uncovered a MaaS campaign targeting Ukraine, where attackers used Amadey malware and GitHub repositories to stage payloads. The setup mimics tactics from a SmokeLoader phishing operation. Over 600 malicious domains are distributing fake Telegram APKs to unsuspecting users. Most are hosted in China and exploit the Janus vulnerability in Android. Users who trusted GravityForms’ official site got more than they expected. A supply chain attack injected backdoors into plugin files distributed via the official site and Composer. The H2Miner botnet has resurfaced with updated scripts that mine Monero, kill rival malware, and deploy multiple malware. Bundled with it is Lcrypt0rx, a likely AI-generated ransomware that exhibits sloppy logic, malformed syntax, and weak encryption using XOR. A new Konfety variant uses the same package name as a legitimate app but hides the real payload in a lookalike version distributed through third-party stores. One sandbox escape makes five. Google patched a high-severity Chrome flaw that lets attackers break out of the browser’s sandbox using crafted HTML and unvalidated GPU commands.

Jul 11, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 07–11, 2025

You don’t need to visit shady corners of the internet to get infected, GitHub will do. A malware campaign is disguising Lumma Stealer as tools like Free VPN for PC, using polished project pages, Base64 payloads, and trusted Windows processes to slip past defenses. The Anatsa banking trojan slipped back into Google Play, targeting North American users with fake maintenance screens while logging keystrokes and automating fraudulent transactions. Crypto users are being lured in by fake AI and gaming firms offering too-good-to-be-true deals.

Jul 4, 2025

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

It looked like a crypto investment until €460 million vanished. Operation BORRELLI dismantled a global fraud ring that scammed over 5,000 victims, with arrests in Madrid and the Canary Islands. A fake workforce was quietly funding a real regime. The DoJ disrupted a North Korean scheme where remote IT workers used stolen identities to get jobs at over 100 U.S. companies. The operation funneled $5 million to the DPRK, exposed military tech, and led to raids across 16 states. Sometimes, the app that looks harmless is just the decoy. Recent investigations uncovered massive Android fraud schemes, including IconAds and Kaleidoscope, which used icon hiding, fake apps, and third-party distribution to flood ad networks with billions of fake requests. Two different names - same tactics, same tools, same playbook. Researchers have found striking overlaps between TA829 and the lesser-known UNK_GreenSec, both of which use phishing lures and REM Proxy services through compromised MikroTik routers. It starts with what looks like an official message from the Colombian government. Behind it is a phishing campaign delivering DCRAT, a modular remote access tool designed for theft and system control. Botnet operators are now turning broken routers into system wreckers. RondoDox is a new Linux-based botnet exploiting CVE-2024-3721 and CVE-2024-12856 to gain remote access to TBK DVRs and Four-Faith routers. That Zoom update request on Telegram? It could be a trap. North Korean actors are deploying NimDoor malware to infiltrate Web3 and crypto platforms using social engineering via Telegram. Google has patched CVE-2025-6554, a critical zero-day in Chrome’s V8 engine that was exploited in the wild to execute arbitrary code.

Jun 27, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 23–27, 2025

A Common Good Cyber Fund was launched to support non-profits delivering critical cybersecurity services for public benefit. The fund is backed by the U.K and Canada, with G7 leaders endorsing similar initiatives. A phishing email is all it takes to breach critical infrastructure. The OneClik APT campaign is targeting energy and oil sectors using Microsoft ClickOnce to deliver a .NET loader and Golang backdoor. A handful of outdated routers is all it takes to build a persistent espionage network. The LapDogs campaign is targeting SOHO devices with a custom backdoor called ShortLeash, giving attackers root access and control over compromised systems. A familiar package name could be hiding far more than useful code. North Korean actors behind the Contagious Interview campaign have published 35 malicious npm packages, including keyloggers and multi-stage malware. A fake Windows update might just be the start of something worse. The EvilConwi campaign is abusing ConnectWise ScreenConnect to deliver signed malware through tampered installers. Encrypted messaging apps aren’t immune to state-backed malware delivery. APT28 is targeting Ukrainian government entities via Signal, sharing macro-laced documents that deploy a backdoor named Covenant. Some WordPress plugins are doing a lot more than extending site functionality. Researchers uncovered a long-running malware campaign that uses rogue plugins to skim credit card data, steal credentials, and manage backend systems on infected sites.

Jun 20, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 16–20, 2025

As cybercriminals weave intricate webs in the digital underworld, global defenders are cutting through the chaos. Six nations toppled Archetyp Market, a darknet drug bazaar with €250 million ($288 million) in Monero deals, nabbing its admin and vendors while seizing €7.8 million ($9 million) in assets. The U.K unveiled a Cyber Growth Action Plan, injecting £16m ($21.2m) to fortify its £13.2bn ($17.5bn) cybersecurity industry after attacks bled retailers like M&S. Stateside, the U.S. reclaimed $225 million in crypto from investment scams, marking the Secret Service’s biggest digital heist bust yet. Cloud services are being quietly turned into covert attack channels. The Serpentine#Cloud campaign is abusing Cloudflare Tunnels and Python to deploy fileless malware via invoice-themed phishing lures. A popular WordPress plugin is exposing sites to full takeover. It affects the AI Engine plugin, impacting over 100,000 websites and opening the door to site-wide compromise. An official-looking email from the tax department may be anything but. Silver Fox APT is targeting Taiwanese users with phishing emails posing as the National Taxation Bureau, delivering malware like Winos 4.0, HoldingHands RAT, and Gh0stCringe. A new Android trojan is turning devices into data-harvesting tools under attackers’ full control. Attributed to the LARVA-398 group, AntiDot has infected thousands of devices through phishing and malicious ads. A fake job offer could now come bundled with custom-built spyware. PylangGhost is targeting crypto professionals in India. Delivered through spoofed job sites, the malware includes registry tampering, remote control, and data exfiltration modules aimed at compromising Windows systems. One compromised travel site is now a launchpad for infostealer infections. A new ClickFix variant, LightPerlGirl, is using fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA prompts and clipboard hijacking to deliver the Lumma infostealer.

Jun 13, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 09–13, 2025

A global sweep just knocked out thousands of malicious command centers. INTERPOL’s Operation Secure led to the dismantling of over 20,000 malicious IPs tied to 69 malware strains across 26 countries. NIST has published new guidance to help organizations put Zero Trust Architecture into action, offering 19 real-world implementations built with industry partners. CyberEye lowers the barrier for cybercrime with a plug-and-play toolkit. This .NET-based RAT uses Telegram for command and control while offering modules for keylogging, credential theft, and platform-specific data grabbing. The TokenBreak attack manipulates how text is tokenized in classification models to sneak past defenses. A Mirai variant is actively exploiting a command injection vulnerability in TBK DVR-4104 and DVR-4216 devices, to conscript them into a botnet for DDoS attacks. Unpatched IT tools are once again opening the door to ransomware attacks. CISA has warned about vulnerabilities in SimpleHelp RMM software being exploited by groups like Play and DragonForce in double-extortion campaigns. Fog ransomware operators are blurring the line between admin tools and attack chains. In a recent incident, they deployed a mix of open-source and legitimate software to gain persistence and exfiltrate data undetected. Over 20 phishing applications impersonating popular crypto wallets have been found stealing mnemonic phrases to drain users’ funds.

Jun 6, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 02–06, 2025

Authorities have taken down a major hub for stolen financial data. The DOJ seized approximately 145 domains associated with the BidenCash marketplace, which had evolved from a small credit card shop in 2022 into a massive hub for stolen payment data. In a move to reinforce Europe’s cyber defenses, Microsoft is stepping in with strategic support. The newly launched European Security Program offers EU governments free access to AI-driven threat intelligence, vulnerability alerts, and guidance to counter attacks from state-sponsored actors. Not all GitHub projects are built with good intentions. Researchers uncovered a widespread campaign involving more than 130 repositories booby-trapped with malware disguised as game cheats, hacking tools, and utilities. A free software download could end up costing your entire crypto wallet. ViperSoftX is back in circulation, targeting crypto users with malicious PowerShell scripts bundled into cracked apps, keygens, and torrent packages. Some attackers mine crypto, JINX-0132 mines misconfigurations. This threat actor is running a stealthy cryptojacking campaign against DevOps platforms, exploiting exposed defaults and overlooked RCE flaws. Destruction masquerading as maintenance tools is hitting Ukraine’s infrastructure. Researchers attributed a new wiper malware called PathWiper to a Russia-linked APT group, targeting critical systems by leveraging legitimate administrative frameworks. A few swapped letters could be all it takes to get owned. A new supply chain attack targets Python and npm developers through typo-squatting and name confusion. A new Android banking trojan, named Crocodilus, has emerged in the threat landscape. It masquerades as legitimate apps like Google Chrome and uses overlay attacks to steal credentials from financial apps.