Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 23–27

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 23–27 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing January 27, 2023

The Good

This week, the FBI scored a big win against ransomware threats. The U.S. federal authority, along with other international partners, has successfully dismantled the network of Hive, one of the world’s top ransomware gangs. This comes months after the FBI had silently infiltrated the ransomware’s control panel and decrypted the network of some 1,300 victims. In another major development, the Australian government has commenced operations on the International Counter Ransomware Task Force, with members of governments from 37 countries.

  • Australia formally commenced the International Counter Ransomware Task Force operation to combat the scourge of ransomware. A part of the U.S.-led Counter Ransomware Initiative, the Task Force comprises members of governments from 37 countries such as Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, and New Zealand.
  • The FBI busted the network of the prolific Hive ransomware gang that raked in over $100 million in cryptocurrency payments. The crackdown is claimed to be a big win as the agency took down one of the world’s top five ransomware networks. While an investigation is ongoing, the takedown has stopped more than 300 entities from paying $130 million in ransom demands and helping around 1,000 prior victims to recover their encrypted files.
  • The CISA released a report and toolkit to bolster the cyber defense of K-12 schools and districts. The report is mandated by the K-12 cybersecurity Act and includes three recommendations to help educational institutions build, operate, and maintain resilient cybersecurity programs.

The Bad

A new update on the cryptocurrency heist at Harmony’s Horizon bridge surfaced this week, as the FBI connected the attack with the Lazarus threat actor group. GoTo, the parent company of LastPass, also shared new details from its ongoing investigation of a security incident that occurred in November 2022. Meanwhile, LockBit and BlackCat ransomware gangs added multiple victims to their respective data leak websites.

  • This week, the FBI associated the Lazarus threat actor group with the cryptocurrency heist at Harmony’s Horizon bridge reported on June 24, 2022. It was observed that the gang used TraderTraitor malware that was sent via emails or private messages, to compromise employee systems.

  • GoTo, the parent company of LastPass, updated that intruders stole encrypted backups from its cloud storage in the data breach that occurred last year. The backup contained user information for GoTo products such as Central, Pro, join.me, Hamachi, and Remotely Anywhere.

  • FortiGuard researchers reported a phishing campaign that targeted Chinese-speaking users with fake QR codes. The fake QR codes spread via Word document attachments were used to steal credentials for various online services by redirecting users to phishing sites.

  • Threat actors were found auctioning the source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics (TFT), and Packman anti-cheat software, allegedly stolen in a recent hack at Riot Games. Reports revealed that the attackers gained access to the company’s network by performing a social engineering attack over SMS.

  • Wisconsin-based BayCare Clinic revealed that the PHI of 134,000 patients was inadvertently disclosed to unauthorized third parties as a result of the use of pixels by its partner, Advocate Aurora Health. Previously Advocate Aurora Health had disclosed that the personal and protected health information of up to three million patients was disclosed to third parties such as Google and Meta.

  • In a joint advisory, the CISA warned that attackers are increasingly using legitimate RMM software for malicious purposes. In one such incident, the attackers had used the EINSTEIN intrusion detection system to gain unauthorized access to networks of multiple Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies.

  • Zacks Investment Research (Zacks) suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of 820,000 customers. The incident occurred between November 2021 and August 2022. Upon discovery, the firm took immediate action to implement additional security measures to protect its network.

  • The LockBit ransomware group added Circleville Municipal Court to its list of victims as it claimed to have stolen 500 GB of data. Meanwhile, the Ohio town is investigating the matter to understand the extent of the attack.

  • The BlackCat ransomware group added Solar Industries India to its list of victims. The group claims to have stolen 2TB of data, including secret military data related to weapons production. Other stolen data includes personal information about the company’s employees, blueprints, and engineering documentation of weapons.

  • The websites of German airports, public administration bodies, and financial sector organizations were hit by DDoS attacks, preventing systems from functioning normally. The Russia-based Killnet hacker group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

  • Proofpoint researchers linked the North Korea-linked TA444 APT group with a credential harvesting campaign targeting a number of industry verticals. The group relied on two initial access techniques, an LNK-oriented delivery chain, and a chain using weaponized documents with remote templates.

  • A threat actor has put up the data of more than 2.6 million Duolingo users on sale for $1,500 on an underground forum. The hacker exploited its API to scrape user data. However, the company has denied any breach of its systems.

  • Some of the source code of Yandex was leaked on a cybercrime forum as a torrent download by a former employee. The magnet link shared contained the source code for most major Yandex services such as Search, Maps, Taxi, Mail, Market, Travel, Cloud, Pay, and others.

New Threats

Emotet was sighted for the first time in 2023, with new evasion tactics to fly under the radar. Two latest module additions include an SMB spreader and a credit card stealer. The threat landscape also witnessed the emergence of several new malware such as Titan Stealer, PY#RATION, and Mimic ransomware. While Titan Stealer and PY#RATION are designed to harvest sensitive information, Mimic ransomware abuses the API of a legitimate Windows search tool to encrypt files.

  • Researchers at SentinelLabs tracked a new attack campaign by a Chinese hacking group, dubbed DragonSpark, that deployed SparkRAT malware on victims’ systems. The attack was targeted against organizations in East Asia and used compromised infrastructures located in China and Taiwan to launch the Golang malware.

  • Uptycs published a report on the new Titan Stealer malware, currently advertised on a Russian-speaking Telegram channel. The malware is sold for $900 or rented for $150/month and can steal data from browsers, FTP clients, and crypto wallets.

  • A new malware, dubbed PY#RATION, was unearthed in a fresh attack campaign to gain control over compromised systems. Written in Python, the malware comes with the ability to harvest sensitive information. Furthermore, it can be used to deploy other malicious payloads malware, such as a Python-based info-stealer designed to siphon data from web browsers and cryptocurrency wallets.

  • A new ransomware, dubbed Mimic, has been found abusing the APIs of the ‘Everything’ search tool for Windows to encrypt files. The malware is equipped with multiple capabilities such as deleting shadow copies and terminating multiple applications and services.

  • Emotet returned with a new evasion tactic to fly under the radar. Two latest module additions include an SMB spreader and a credit card stealer. While the SMB spreader facilitates lateral movement using a list of hard-coded usernames and passwords, the credit card stealer targets the Chrome web browser.

  • In a new security alert, IBM’s X-Force team said that it detected a new attack with the Kronos banking trojan targeting Mexican financial institutions. The malware is installed through a malicious chrome extension called Seguridad.

  • The ASEC analysis team discovered a new attack that targeted systems vulnerable to Sunlogin vulnerability to deploy Sliver backdoor and BYOVD malware that disabled security products and installed a reverse shell. In 2022, the flaw was exploited to distribute Gh0st RAT, XMRig coin miner, and Powercat.

Related Threat Briefings

Apr 11, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 07–11, 2025

The U.K. government rolled out a Cyber Governance Code of Practice aimed at directors and board members, not just CISOs. Backed by the NCSC and other national bodies, the code includes practical actions, modular training, and a board-level toolkit. Startups building the future of cyber defense are getting serious backing. The British Business Bank has committed most of a £50 million fund to Osney Capital, which will invest in early-stage cybersecurity companies across the U.K. A torrent download might be doing more than delivering cracked software. A campaign has been distributing ViperSoftX to Korean users, likely run by Arabic-speaking threat actors. Invasive spyware campaigns are zeroing in on high-risk communities. MOONSHINE and BADBAZAAR are being deployed through trojanized mobile apps to surveil Uyghur, Tibetan, and Taiwanese individuals, as well as civil society groups. Search for QuickBooks during tax season, and you might land on a trap. Threat actors are placing deceptive Google Ads that link to phishing pages almost identical to the real QuickBooks login portal. It starts with a PDF search and ends with malware on your machine. A new campaign is using fake CAPTCHAs and Cloudflare Turnstile to lure users into downloading LegionLoader. Seed phrases aren’t supposed to come from strangers. The PoisonSeed campaign is targeting crypto holders and enterprise users by compromising bulk email services. Victims are lured with fake wallet setup instructions that embed attacker-controlled recovery phrases - giving threat actors full access once the wallets are used. A Chinese-linked threat group, ToddyCat, has been exploiting a security vulnerability in ESET's software to deliver a new malware, TCESB, in Asia.

Mar 28, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 24–28, 2025

The U.K’s NCSC is putting domain abuse in its crosshairs. New guidance targets registrars with a push to curb malicious domain registrations and hijacks. The recommendations focus on tightening security at registration, offering enhanced protections to customers, and more. Europe is getting serious about the quantum future. ETSI has rolled out a new quantum-safe encryption standard featuring Covercrypt, a novel key encapsulation scheme with built-in access controls. By tying decryption permissions to user attributes, Covercrypt delivers speed and post-quantum security. Medusa isn’t just encrypting files, it’s dismantling defenses first. The RaaS has been leveraging a malicious driver called ABYSSWORKER in BYOVD attacks to disable endpoint protections. FamousSparrow has returned with new tools and a familiar agenda. The Chinese APT group was behind a July 2024 attack targeting a U.S. trade group and a Mexican research institute, deploying a web shell on an IIS server to drop SparrowDoor and ShadowPad. A supply chain attack snuck through npm by modifying what developers thought they could trust. Threat actors used two packages to inject malware into the widely used ethers library. Lucid isn’t just phishing - it’s engineering trust through your inbox. This advanced PhaaS platform weaponizes the built-in features of iMessage and RCS to create hyper-realistic scams. Known for years of corporate espionage, RedCurl has shifted gears with a new ransomware called QWCrypt. The malware was found in a North American network, targeting hypervisors for maximum disruption. PlayBoy Locker is offering ransomware with a user manual and tech support. The newly investigated RaaS platform operates on an affiliate model and comes packed with features. Targeting Windows, NAS, and ESXi systems, it moves laterally using LDAP scans and abuses Restart Manager DLLs to shut down active processes before encryption.

Mar 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 17–21, 2025

The race to outpace quantum threats is officially on. The NCSC has issued guidance to help organizations transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2035, with a focus on NIST-approved algorithms and planned support for critical sectors. A nationwide fraud crackdown ends with hundreds behind bars. Operation Henhouse led to 422 arrests and the seizure of millions in assets, as U.K. police target the country’s most widespread and costly crime - fraud. A threat actor briefly exposed their entire playbook. Researchers found a public server hosting tools tied to a campaign targeting South Korea, including a Rust-compiled payload delivering Cobalt Strike Cat and a list of over 1,000 potential targets. Phishing messages on Signal are leading to full system compromise. CERT-UA warns of DarkCrystal RAT attacks targeting Ukraine’s defense sector, using fake contacts and malicious files to trick victims into executing spyware. Ransomware slipped into VSCode under the radar. Two malicious extensions were discovered on the VSCode Marketplace, bypassing checks to deliver test-stage ransomware demanding ShibaCoin for decryption. Fake ads are being weaponized to steal Google credentials. A campaign targeting Semrush users is redirecting victims to spoofed login pages, where attackers harvest Google account logins through a fake “Log in with Google” prompt. A fake browser update could cost you more than a few clicks. A new ClearFake campaign is using fake reCAPTCHA and Turnstile pages to deliver malware like Lumma and Vidar Stealer, with payloads fetched through Binance’s Smart Chain. Hackers are quietly poisoning AI-generated code. A new supply chain attack targets AI editors like Copilot and Cursor, exploiting rules files to inject malicious prompts that trick the tools into writing compromised code.

Mar 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 10–14, 2025

A Russian hosting provider is feeling the heat from global sanctions. Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. have sanctioned Zservers, a bulletproof hosting provider linked to ransomware and fraud, freezing its assets and restricting operations. Switzerland is tightening its grip on cyber incident reporting. Starting April 1, critical infrastructure operatorsmust report cyberattacks to the NCSC within 24 hours, reinforcing national cybersecurity defenses. Cybercriminals are upgrading their toolkit for long-term access. Ragnar Loader is being leveraged by ransomware groups like FIN7, FIN8, and Ragnar Locker, evolving into a stealthier and more modular malware for persistent system compromise. Chinese hackers are slipping past defenses in Juniper routers. The UNC3886 threat group is backdooring older Juniper MX routers, bypassing security protections and embedding custom TinyShell malware to maintain access. North Korean hackers are adding ransomware to their arsenal. Moonstone Sleet (Storm-1789) is deploying Qilin ransomware, using fake companies and trojanized tools to infiltrate targets through LinkedIn and freelance platforms. A botnet is turning home routers into attack platforms. The Ballista botnet is exploiting an unpatched TP-Link Archer router flaw (CVE-2023-1389) to spread stealthily, using Tor domains and remote command execution to launch DDoS attacks worldwide. Copy, paste, and lose your crypto. MassJacker hijacks clipboard transactions, swapping wallet addresses with attacker-controlled ones, stealing funds from victims who unknowingly send money to the wrong destination. A fake CAPTCHA is all it takes to get root access. The OBSCURE#BAT campaign is using social engineering tactics to install the r77 rootkit, bypassing defenses and targeting English-speaking users with stealthy, persistent malware.

Mar 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 03–07, 2025

The code caves of GitHub just got a cleanup crew courtesy of Microsoft. A sprawling malvertising campaign that snagged nearly a million devices worldwide has been knocked down a peg. Cheap Android gadgets are getting a breather from a relentless digital pest. The BadBox 2.0 botnet, a souped-up sequel backed by multiple threat crews, saw 24 shady apps booted from Google Play and half a million infected devices cut off from their puppet masters, thanks to some crafty sinkholing and Google’s cleanup sweep. A sneaky gatecrasher has turned WordPress into a redirect rollercoaster. A malicious JavaScript injection lurking in a theme file has snagged at least 31 sites, pulling visitors through a two-step detour to shady third-party domains. Japan’s digital defenses are under siege from a shadowy crew with a taste for chaos. Since January, unknown threat actors have been prying open organizations in tech, telecom, entertainment, and more, exploiting CVE-2024-4577 in PHP-CGI on Windows. Crooks posing as the Electronic Frontier Foundation are targeting Albion Online players with phishing emails and fake PDFs, claiming account trouble. It’s a ruse to drop Stealc malware and Pyramid C2. A fresh face in the cybercrime underworld is juggling a bag of nasty surprises. EncryptHub is hitting users of QQ Talk, WeChat, Google Meet, and more with trojanized apps and slick multi-stage attacks. The Eleven11bot botnet, loosely tied to Iran, has taken over 86,000 IoT devices to slam telecoms and gaming servers with relentless DDoS barrages. Social media’s sunny side has a dark shadow creeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Since September 2024, Desert Dexter has been slinging a tweaked AsyncRAT via legit file-sharing sites and Telegram. For detailed Cyber Threat Intel, click ‘Read More’.

Feb 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 17–21, 2025

Google is stepping up its defenses against the quantum threat. The company is rolling out quantum-resistant digital signatures in Cloud KMS, following NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standards. Supply chain attacks just got harder to pull off. Apiiro has released two open-source tools to detect malicious code in software projects. With high detection rates across PyPI and npm packages, these tools add a crucial layer of security for developers. China’s Salt Typhoon is making itself at home in global telecom networks. The group has been caught using JumbledPath, a custom-built spying tool, to infiltrate ISPs in the U.S., Italy, South Africa, and Thailand. ShadowPad malware is once again causing havoc in Europe. Trend Micro flagged 21 targeted companies across 15 countries, with manufacturing firms bearing the brunt. A RAT is hiding in plain sight. SectopRAT has been spotted disguised as a fake Google Docs Chrome extension. It steals browser data, targets VPNs and cryptocurrency wallets, and injects malicious scripts into web pages. Darcula Suite is taking PhaaS to the next level. The upcoming update, currently in beta, will let users generate their own phishing kits by cloning real websites and customizing attack elements. A new payment card skimming campaign is turning Stripe’s old API into a weapon. Hackers are injecting malicious scripts into checkout pages, validating stolen card details through Stripe before exfiltration. LummaC2 is spreading through cracked software downloads again. ASEC found it disguised as a pirated Total Commander installer, hiding behind Google Collab Drive and Reddit links.

Feb 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 10–14, 2025

Cyber defenders are sharpening their tools, and EARLYCROW is the latest weapon against stealthy APT operations. This method detects C2 activity over HTTP(S) using a novel traffic analysis format called PAIRFLOW. India is taking digital banking security up a notch. The RBI is launching a dedicated domain to curb financial fraud and enhance trust in online banking. Starting April 2025, financial institutions will register under this domain. China’s RedMike hackers are dialing into telecom networks - literally. Between December 2024 and January 2025, they targeted over 1,000 unpatched Cisco devices. Their primary focus? Global telecoms and university networks in Argentina, Bangladesh, and the U.S. Russia’s Sandworm hackers are using pirated software as bait. Their latest attack on Ukrainian Windows users disguises malware inside trojanized KMS activators and fake Windows updates. Love is in the air, but so are phishing scams. In late January, cybercriminals launched a Valentine’s-themed phishing campaign, offering fake gift baskets in exchange for stolen credentials. Cybercriminals are upping their game with Astaroth, a phishing kit that doesn’t just steal credentials but also hijacks entire sessions. By using a reverse proxy, Astaroth intercepts logins and 2FA tokens in real time, allowing attackers to bypass security measures undetected. South America’s foreign ministry was caught in the crosshairs of an advanced cyber-espionage campaign. In November 2024, attackers linked to REF7707 deployed the PATHLOADER and FINALDRAFT malware to infiltrate diplomatic networks. A new malware named Ratatouille is stirring up trouble by bypassing UAC and using I2P for anonymous communications. Spreading through phishing emails and fake CAPTCHA pages, it tricks victims into running an embedded PowerShell script.

Feb 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 03–07, 2025

PyPI is taking a "dead but not gone" approach to abandoned software with Project Archival, a new system that flags inactive projects while keeping them accessible. Developers will see warnings about outdated dependencies, helping them make smarter security choices and avoid relying on unmaintained code. The U.K is bringing earthquake-style metrics to cybersecurity with its new Cyber Monitoring Centre, designed to track digital disasters as precisely as natural ones. Inspired by the Richter scale, the CMC will quantify cyber incidents based on financial impact and affected users, offering clearer insights for national security planning. Kimsuky is back with another phishing trick, this time using fake Office and PDF files to sneak forceCopy malware onto victims' systems. Its latest campaign delivers PEBBLEDASH and RDP Wrapper by disguising malware as harmless shortcuts, ultimately hijacking browser credentials and sensitive data. Hackers have found a new way to skim credit card data - by hiding malware inside Google Tag Manager scripts. CISA is flagging major security holes in Microsoft Outlook and Sophos XG Firewall, urging agencies to patch them before February 27. One flaw allows remote code execution in Outlook, while another exposes firewall users to serious risks. Bitcoin scammers are switching tactics, swapping static images for video attachments in MMS to make their schemes more convincing. A recent case involved a tiny .3gp video luring victims into WhatsApp groups where scammers apply pressure to extract money or personal data. XE Group has shifted from credit card skimming to zero-day exploitation, now targeting manufacturing and distribution companies. A new version of ValleyRAT is making the rounds, using stealthy techniques to infiltrate systems. Morphisec found the malware being spread through fake Chrome downloads from a fraudulent Chinese telecom site.

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.