Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - March 27–31

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - April 08–12 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • March 31, 2023

The Good

To beat a hacker, you have to think like one! This is why the NCA, along with several international law enforcement agencies, have come up with an idea to crack down on wannabe cybercriminals. The agency has set up multiple fake cybercrime markets as part of the Operation PowerOFF project to gather information on cybercriminals. Yet another new FDA cybersecurity guideline has been issued for organizations in the healthcare sector and it is about enhancing the security of internet-connected devices.

  • The U.K’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has created multiple fake DDoS-for-hire service websites as a part of Operation PowerOFF to track down naive and low-skilled cybercriminals. Several international law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the Dutch Police Corps, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, and Poland’s National Police Cybercrime Bureau are also involved in this ongoing operation.

  • The FDA has published new guidelines to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of internet-connected products in the healthcare sector. According to the guidelines, the applicants seeking approval for new medical devices must submit a plan to monitor, identify, and address cybersecurity issues found in devices. Further, the applicants must outline a process to update the devices with the latest security patches.

  • A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced a bill to boost the physical and digital security of federal data centers against a range of potential threats, including cyber threats. One of the requirements includes setting standards for the amount of time a data center needs to be available per year despite suffering physical intrusions and other natural disasters.

The Bad

The cyber community also witnessed pernicious threats, all of which led to the exposure of sensitive data. While Toyota Italy had inadvertently left access to its marketing tools exposed for more than a year due to a flaw in its website, NCB Management Services revealed that the personal information of over 500,000 users was stolen after threat actors gained unauthorized access to its systems. In the latest update on the infamous GoAnywhere hacking incident, Procter & Gamble and the U.K. Pension Protection Fund admitted to falling victim to the attack pulled off by the Cl0p ransomware gang.

  • The Winter Vivern APT group has been found exploiting a Zimbra flaw to gain access to emails and steal sensitive information of NATO officials, government agencies, military personnel, and diplomats involved in the Russia-Ukraine war. The attack is launched via phishing emails from a compromised address.

  • Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble confirmed that it was one of the many companies affected by a breach due to the Fortra GoAnywhere bug. As a result, the hackers stole the information of some employees. Separately, the U.K Pension Protection Fund also confirmed falling victim to the incident.

  • Enterprise communications software maker 3CX confirmed that it was a victim of a supply chain attack that affected multiple versions of its desktop app for Windows and macOS. The affected versions include 18.12.407 and 18.12.416 for Windows and 18.11.1213, 18.12.402, 18.12.407, and 18.12.416 for macOS. Evidence reveals that the attack occurred due to either a compromise of 3CX’s software build pipeline that distributes the app packages for Windows and macOS or the poisoning of an upstream dependency.

  • Researchers discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Azure platform, which enabled users to alter Bing search results and access other private information from Office 365 applications like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. The flaw existed in Azure Active Directory (AAD) identity and access management service.

  • Latitude Financial, Australia, updated that a cyberattack earlier this month resulted in the theft of over 14 million customer records. While the investigation is underway, the firm further added that 6.1 million records dating back to 2005 were also stolen.

  • Researchers discovered that a series of cyberespionage attacks launched by subgroups of Earth Preta APT affected over 200 organizations. Among the targets included educational institutions and financial services organizations, the maritime industry, the energy production industry, and ore and material refineries.

  • Around 500,000 individuals were impacted by a data breach at debt buyer NCB Management Services. The incident occurred after attackers gained unauthorized access to NCB’s systems and stole information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers of users.

  • Toyota Italy accidentally leaked access to its marketing tools — Salesforce and Mapbox API — for more than one-and-a-half years. Threat actors could have abused these tools to gain access to the phone numbers and email addresses of clients and used them to launch phishing attacks.

  • The LockBit RaaS group leaked the data stolen from the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Northeast Florida. The published data included warrants and information on employees. The officials confirmed the attack and said it recovered from the incident about two weeks ago.

New Threats

Moving on to new threats, researchers warned of a new swiss-army-knife toolset for cybercriminals that can be used to harvest private information from 18 cloud services. Named AlienFox, the toolset is being sold on a private Telegram channel. New variants of the IcedID trojan have also been spotted in multiple phishing campaigns since February. It is touted that one of them, tracked as Lite, is being used alongside Emotet. DBatLoader also made a comeback, targeting various businesses in European countries with Remcos and Formbook trojans.

  • Researchers have sounded alarms on ransomware attacks against IBM’s file transfer software. The attacks are launched by two never-before-seen ransomware groups, tracked as Buhti and IceFire. The flaw, designated CVE-2022-47986, has a CVSS score of 9.8 and can allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on target systems by sending a specially crafted API call.
  • Version 4.3 of the Xloader information stealer malware is active in the wild since January. The malware comes with several layers of obfuscation and encryption methods to evade detection.
  • Moobot, a variant of Mirai, was discovered in a new threat campaign targeting Cacti and Realtek vulnerabilities. The campaign was active between January and March and was also used to distribute ShellBot. The targeted flaws include CVE-2021-35394 in Realtek Jungle SDK and CVE-2022-46169 in the Cacti fault management monitoring tool.
  • A fast-evolving toolkit named AlienFox is being used to harvest API keys and other secrets from compromised cloud services such as AWS SES and Microsoft Office 365. Additionally, the attackers are relying on misconfigurations associated with popular web frameworks including Laravel, Drupal, Magento, Opencart, Prestashop, and WordPress. So far, there are four versions of the toolset.
  • Emotet was spotted in a new phishing campaign that targeted U.S taxpayers. The campaign impersonated the IRS and asked recipients to click on a malicious document disguised as a W-9 tax form. However, the document installed the malware onto the victim’s device.
  • Kaspersky identified unique clipboard-injector malware attacks that have been active since September 2022. These attacks are designed to steal cryptocurrency from users. As much as $400,000 in cryptocurrency has been stolen by attackers that are using trojanized Tor installation to hide the malware.
  • A DBatLoader malware campaign was found actively targeting various businesses in European countries with Remcos and Formbook trojans. The malware was distributed through WordPress sites that had authorized SSL certificates, a common tactic used by threat actors to bypass security checks.
  • Proofpoint reported two new variants of the IcedID trojan that are used by different threat actors. One of these variants is tracked as Lite and is believed to be used by Emotet operators to expand their activities. The other variant is dubbed Forked and delivers the bot with minimal functionality.
  • A Chinese state-sponsored threat group has been linked to a new malware dubbed Mélofée, targeting Linux servers. There are two versions of the malware and the newest of these versions is designed to drop a kernel-mode rootkit that’s based on an open-source project referred to as Reptile.

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 12–16, 2025

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May 9, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 05–09, 2025

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May 2, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 28–May 02, 2025

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Apr 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 21–25, 2025

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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!