Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - June 19–23

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - October 02–06 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • June 23, 2023

The Good

As more water utility companies are turning to automated control systems and sensors, it has become very important to protect these organizations from sophisticated cyberattacks to ensure a continuous supply of drinking water and wastewater treatment. Taking some constructive steps in this line, the NIST is in the process of launching its first-ever cybersecurity framework for water and wastewater systems (WWS). Furthermore, an additional amount of $7.5 million per year has been proposed under the new Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act of 2023 to increase cybersecurity funding for rural water systems.

  • The U.K NCSC has updated cybersecurity guidance for the legal sector to help law firms, lawyers, and legal practices to understand and mitigate the latest cyber threats. The guidance is compiled with the help of NCSC’s in-house cybersecurity experts, the Law Society, the Bar Council, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the National Crime Agency.
  • The NIST is in the process of launching its first-ever cybersecurity framework to address cybersecurity challenges in water and wastewater systems (WWS). The four areas of focus include asset management, data integrity, remote access, and network segmentation. The agency has sought input from technology vendors, water sector members, and other key stakeholders on a practical reference guide. Furthermore, an additional amount of $7.5 million per year has been proposed under the new Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act of 2023 to increase cybersecurity funding for rural water systems.
  • The DOJ announced a new National Security Cyber Section to increase its ability to disrupt and prosecute cyber nation-state threat actors and state-sponsored cybercriminals. The new section will also bolster intra-governmental collaboration between the Criminal Division’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and the FBI’s Cyber Division.

The Bad

The MOVEit ransomware attack remained the talk of the cybersecurity landscape as more and more victim names came forth. These include the largest public pension fund firm in the U.S., the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the University of Missouri, and a Colorado state agency. In a separate incident, a triple extortion attack was also reported, wherein attackers are contacting the impacted individuals to put pressure on the U.K’s University of Manchester to pay a ransom.

  • Car mount and mobile accessory maker iOttie disclosed a data breach that affected the credit cards and personal information of online shoppers. Threat actors compromised the company’s site with malicious scripts and maintained persistence for almost two months, between April and June.
  • Chinese APT groups exploited a 17-year-old Microsoft Office vulnerability in May to target foreign government officials who attended the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. The exploit code was sent via a phishing email that pretended to be from Indonesia’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Economic Affairs. The email contained a rich text file to lure the officials.
  • The BlackCat ransomware group claimed to possess the personal information and pictures of patients, allegedly stolen from a Beverly Hills plastic surgery clinic. The group, further, mentioned that it would start to release the information if its ransom demand is not fulfilled.
  • UPS Canada warned its customers of potential phishing attacks stemming from an earlier data breach that may have affected their personal details. The notification revealed that some of its customers had received fraudulent text messages demanding payment for a package to be delivered.
  • The UK’s University of Manchester is under a triple extortion attack after an unauthorized party accessed some of its systems. The attackers are putting pressure on the university to pay a ransom by contacting the impacted students.
  • Recorded Future’s Insikt Group in partnership with CERT-UA uncovered a new spear-phishing campaign targeting high-profile entities in Ukraine. Tracked as BlueDelta, the campaign appears to be operational since November 2021. The campaign leverages news themes related to Ukraine to convince recipients into opening phishing emails.
  • The fresh produce giant Dole said that the data of almost 3,900 U.S. workers was compromised in the February ransomware attack. The attack had briefly forced the company to shut down its North American operations. The information accessed by hackers includes the names, addresses, passport numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and driver’s license numbers of employees.
  • The personal data of at least 2.5 million Genworth Financial policyholders and 769,000 retired California workers and beneficiaries associated with PBI Research Services was stolen by the Cl0p group in the infamous MOVEit ransomware hack. Among the other victims that came forth were the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the University of Missouri, and a Colorado state agency.
  • Hawai'i Community College is dealing with a ransomware attack that knocked off its network. The ransomware group named N0_Esc4pe claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened to leak 65 GB of data stolen from the college.
  • A database containing 255,756 records, worth 93.93 GB, was left publicly available. Researchers claimed that the unprotected database belonged to RateForce and contained scans and images of various documents, including vehicle registrations, driver’s licenses, insurance cards, vehicle titles, and state Medicaid health coverage cards.

New Threats

The discovery of a variety of new info-stealers also raised concerns for security researchers. One of these tracked as Mystic Stealer is capable of targeting 40 web browsers, 70 browser extensions, and 21 cryptocurrency applications. The others are named FadeStealer and RDStealer and can allow threat actors to harvest device and user information.

  • Microsoft shared details about a cryptojacking campaign that has been targeting internet-exposed Linux systems and IoT devices. These devices were compromised via brute-force attacks that enabled attackers to deploy backdoors into the devices. The backdoor further allowed attackers to install Reptile and Diamorphine open-source LKM rootkits to hide malicious activity on the hacked systems.

  • China-linked APT15 hacking group (aka Flea) was found using a new Graphican backdoor in a long-running campaign that targeted foreign affairs ministers in the Americas. The backdoor shares similarities with Ketrican, another backdoor used by APT15 in previous attacks. Attackers leveraged a critical flaw in the Microsoft Windows Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC) that was patched in 2020, to gain initial access.

  • A multi-stage phishing campaign, dubbed MULTI#STORM, involving Python-based loader malware was observed delivering Warzone and Quasar RATs onto the victims’ systems. Some of the victims were located in the U.S. and India. The functionalities of the loader malware were similar to DBatLoader.

  • Millions of GitHub repositories, including those of Google and Lyft, are susceptible to RepoJacking attacks. The attack can enable threat actors to rename the original repositories with their repositories, which may include malware.

  • A Linux version of Trigona ransomware that shares similarities with its Windows counterpart was released. The highest number of ransomware attacks were detected in Israel, Turkey, Brazil, and Italy, with targeted organizations in the technology and healthcare industries.

  • A new strain of JavaScript dropper, tracked as PindOS, was observed delivering next-stage payloads like Bumblebee and IcedID. The dropper, containing comments in Russian, employs a unique user-agent string that has reference to current and past anti-American sentiment in Russia.

  • The North Korean state-sponsored hacking group APT37, aka ScarCruft, reemerged with a new malware dubbed FadeStealer. The malware contains a wiretapping feature that allows the threat actor to eavesdrop on victims’ microphones. The malware was distributed along with a Golang-based backdoor that exploited the Ably platform.

  • A cyberespionage operation deploying RDStealer on systems in East Asia was observed by Bitdefender Labs. The malware was used to steal data from drives through RDP connections. The operation initially relied on commonly available malware such as AsyncRAT and hacking tools like Cobalt Strike. However, in late 2021 or early 2022, the threat actors switched to custom-made malware to avoid detection.

  • Cyfirma and Zscaler published two simultaneous reports on a new info-stealer, named Mystic Stealer. The malware targets a wide range of applications and platforms, including 40 web browsers, 70 browser extensions, 21 cryptocurrency applications, nine MFA and password management applications, 55 cryptocurrency browser extensions, as well as Steam and Telegram credentials.

  • ASEC researchers uncovered a new campaign distributing the Tsunami botnet on inadequately managed Linux SSH servers. The botnet was distributed alongside other malware such as ShellBot, XMRig miner, and Log Cleaner to carry out DDoS and cryptomining attacks.

Related Threat Briefings

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.

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.

Apr 18, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 14–18, 2025

The U.S. is drawing a hard line on data outflows. The DOJ’s new Data Security Program aims to block foreign adversaries, specifically nations like China and Russia, from acquiring sensitive American data through commercial channels. SSL certificates are about to expire a lot faster. In a move to tighten digital trust, the CA/Browser Forum has approved a gradual reduction in certificate lifespans - from the current 398 days to just 47 by 2029. One email, three stages, and no files to catch. Agent Tesla is being deployed through spam campaigns that use archive attachments with embedded JavaScript. They look like browser helpers, but they act like spyware. A set of 57 Chrome extensions have been found snooping on users. XorDDoS is now compromising Docker servers and deploying new features tied to a “VIP” variant. Most of the recent activity is hitting U.S. infrastructure. UNC5174 is keeping a low profile, but its targets aren’t. Active since late 2024, the Chinese state-linked group has been compromising Linux systems using a malicious bash script that drops SNOWLIGHT malware and a fileless VShell RAT. A wine-tasting invite with a side of malware. APT29, the Russian state-aligned group, is targeting European diplomatic networks with phishing lures disguised as event announcements.

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.

Apr 4, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 31–April 04, 2025

The EU is putting serious weight behind its digital ambitions. A €1.3 billion investment will fund cybersecurity and AI initiatives across the bloc from 2025 to 2027. Projects include the rollout of the EU Digital Identity Wallet, AI development hubs, and efforts to harden critical infrastructure. Canada’s privacy watchdog is giving organizations a way to think before they panic. A new online tool helps assess the risk of significant harm after a data breach, guiding users through questions about the sensitivity of exposed data and its potential misuse.

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 28, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 24–28, 2025

Stay ahead of cyber threats with the latest on the Vo1d botnet infecting Android TVs, GitVenom malware on GitHub, Redox Stealer, LCRYX ransomware, and a critical WordPress XSS vulnerability. Plus, insights on Lotus Blossom cyber espionage, PolarEdge malware targeting routers, Chrome extension hijacks, and PayPal phishing scams. Get the full security briefing now!

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.