Cookie Settings

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide essential functionality and improve your experience. Some features, such as demo scheduling and chat support, require marketing cookies to function. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to all cookies. Alternatively, you can customize your preferences, but note that declining marketing cookies will limit certain website features.

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 30-April 03, 2020

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 30-April 03, 2020 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Apr 3, 2020

The Good

With hundreds of organizations heavily relying on video teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to perform their business operations during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has become important to protect these tools from any kind of cyberattacks. Keeping this in mind, the FBI has issued a list of security measures against VTC hijacking and Zoom-bombing attacks for users and administrators. The guidelines aim to improve the cybersecurity of VTC software. In other developments, the Ministry of Defense in Japan has decided to build an AI-based system to detect malicious emails and other unwanted intrusions.

  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released guidelines on defending against video teleconferencing (VTC) hijacking and Zoom-bombing attacks. The recommendations are proposed for those individuals and organizations that are increasingly dependent on VTC platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

  • Japan’s Ministry of Defense has planned to invest a sum of $237 million in cybersecurity this year. A portion of this amount will be diverted towards an artificial intelligence-based system that can counter cyberattacks.

  • Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Azion, Cloudflare, Facebook and Netflix have joined the Internet Society-backed Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) initiative that was launched six years ago. The program aims to advance the security and resiliency of the Internet’s routing infrastructure.

The Bad

Talking about data breaches, Marriott International revealed that the personal information of about 5.2 million guests was impacted due to unauthorized access to its employees’ login credentials. In a different incident, SOS Online Backup had leaked over 135 million records due to an unprotected database.

  • Voter information of more than 4.9 million Georgians was affected after cybercriminals had put it on sale on a hacking forum. The information included full names, home addresses, dates of birth, ID numbers, and mobile numbers of individuals.

  • Marriott International disclosed a data breach that impacted the personal information of about 5.2 million hotel guests. The breach had occurred after hackers gained unauthorized access to the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property.

  • SOS Online Backup had inadvertently leaked over 135 million records last year due to a misconfigured database. The exposed information included full names, email addresses, phone numbers, internal company details, and account usernames of clients.

  • The popular video-conferencing app, Zoom, came under fire for leaking personal information of at least a thousand users due to an issue in its settings. The bug resulted in the leak of users’ email addresses and photos.

  • A spear-phishing attack on GoDaddy.com gave phishers the ability to view and modify key customer records. The incident had affected the domain settings for a half-dozen of its customers, including the transaction brokering site, escrow.com.

  • A trove of 42 million records from a third-party app of Telegram was leaked through an Elasticsearch cluster targeted by a group called ‘Hunting system’. The exposed data included usernames, phone numbers, account IDs, hashes, and secret user keys.

  • A new skimmer dubbed ‘MakeFrame’ compromised 19 different e-commerce websites to steal customers’ payment data. The attacks were attributed to Magecart Group 7.

  • A hacker had managed to break into over 15000 Elasticsearch servers and defaced them as they were not protected with passwords.

New threats

The week saw a tremendous increase in cyberattacks related to COVID-19 disease. Two of these attacks were executed using phishing emails and distributed malware like the new BlueTea Action trojan, LokiBot trojan, Zeus Sphinx trojan, and Remcos RAT. The widely used Zoom came under the scanner after researchers detected two zero-day flaws in the macOS version of the app. Additionally, security experts discovered several trojanized versions of the video conferencing app that were distributed via third-party stores.

  • Researchers detected several COVID-19-themed attacks to infect users across the globe. One of these campaigns stole Microsoft login credentials, while another campaign distributed LokiBot trojan. A third campaign was also found distributing a new ‘BlueTea Action’ trojan.
  • Several trojanized Zoom video conferencing apps available on different third-party stores were found infecting users’ devices with adware and trojan payloads. The primary purpose of these apps was to generate revenue for developers and steal information from users.
  • Researchers identified an active Vollgar botnet campaign that targeted Microsoft SQL database servers for nearly two years. The campaign used brute-force attacks against MSSQL servers to gain admin access and later installed Monero cryptocurrency mining scripts.
  • A complex cyberespionage that distributed a wide variety of malware such as XMRig, AZORult, a variant of Remcos RAT, and DarkVNC backdoor trojan, was uncovered by security experts. The infection chain began with a ZIP file that contained an ISO disk image file.
  • All versions of Windows 10 are affected by over 25 potential vulnerabilities, out of which some can lead to elevation of privileges. The bugs impact the user interface win32 kernel component of Windows.
  • DarkHotel APT group exploited two vulnerabilities in Firefox and Internet Explorer to launch attacks in Japan and China. The flaws were tracked as CVE-2019-17026 (in Firefox) and CVE-2020-0674 (in Internet Explorer).
  • A watering hole attack campaign, active since May 2019, was found targeting people in a few Asian countries. The attackers’ toolset included Sojson obfuscation, NSIS installer, open-source code, Go language, and Google Drive-based C2 channels.
  • Threat actors used Microsoft Excel spreadsheet’s VelvetSweatshop default password bug to deliver LimeRAT trojan. Once the trojan was launched on a victim’s system, it allowed the attackers to deliver ransomware, cryptominer, a keylogger and create a bot client.
  • Vulnerabilities affecting Rank Math and Contact Form 7 Datepicker WordPress plugins could allow attackers to take over WordPress sites. These flaws have been patched with new versions of the plugins.
  • Threat actors exploited two zero-day remote code execution vulnerabilities affecting some DrayTek router models to perform a series of attacks. These vulnerabilities existed in the /www/cgi-bin/mainfunction.cgi, and the corresponding Web Server program in /usr/sbin/lighttpd.
  • Iranian government-backed hackers attempted to break into the personal email accounts of staff at the WHO during the coronavirus outbreak. The attack was conducted using malicious messages designed to mimic Google web services.

Related Threat Briefings

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.

Dec 20, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 16–20, 2024

In a digital age where borders are blurred, governments are sharpening their strategies to outpace cyber adversaries. The draft update to the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP) introduces a comprehensive framework for managing nationwide cyberattacks that impact critical infrastructure and the economy. Meanwhile, the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill, recently approved by the Senate, emphasizes strengthening cybersecurity measures both at home and abroad. A deceptive health app on the Amazon Appstore turned out to be a Trojan horse for spyware. Masquerading as BMI CalculationVsn, the app recorded device screens, intercepted SMS messages, and scanned for installed apps to steal sensitive data. Malicious extensions targeting developers and cryptocurrency projects have infiltrated the VSCode marketplace and NPM. Disguised as productivity tools, these extensions employed downloader functionality to deliver obfuscated PowerShell payloads. The BADBOX botnet has resurfaced, compromising over 192,000 Android devices, including high-end smartphones and smart TVs, directly from the supply chain. Industrial control systems are facing heightened risks as malware like Ramnit and Chaya_003 targets engineering workstations from Mitsubishi and Siemens. Both malware families exploit legitimate services, complicating detection and mitigation efforts in ICS environments. The Chinese hacking group Winnti has been leveraging a PHP backdoor called Glutton, targeting organizations in China and the U.S. This modular ELF-based malware facilitates tailored attacks across industries and even embeds itself into software packages to compromise other cybercriminals. A tax-themed phishing campaign, dubbed FLUX#CONSOLE, is deploying backdoor payloads to compromise systems in Pakistan. Threat actors employ phishing emails with double-extension files masquerading as PDFs.

Dec 13, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 09–13, 2024

Cybercrime’s web of deception unraveled in South Korea as authorities dismantled a fraud network responsible for extorting $6.3 million through fake online trading platforms. Dubbed Operation Midas, the effort led to the arrest of 32 individuals and the seizure of 20 servers. In a significant move to combat surveillance abuses, the U.S. defense policy bill for 2025 introduced measures to shield military and diplomatic personnel from commercial spyware threats. The legislation calls for stringent cybersecurity standards, a review of spyware incidents, and regular reporting to Congress. The subtle art of deception found a new stage with a Microsoft Teams call, as attackers used social engineering to manipulate victims into granting remote access. By convincing users to install AnyDesk, they gained control of systems, executing commands to download the DarkGate malware. Russian APT Secret Blizzard has resurfaced and used the Amadey bot to infiltrate Ukrainian military devices and deploy their Tavdig backdoor. In a phishing spree dubbed "Aggressive Inventory Zombies (AIZ)," scammers impersonated brands like Etsy, Amazon, and Binance to target retail and crypto audiences. Surveillance has reached unsettling new depths with the discovery of BoneSpy and PlainGnome, two spyware families linked to the Russian group Gamaredon. Designed for extensive espionage, these Android malware tools track GPS, capture audio, and harvest data. A new Android banking trojan has already caused havoc among Indian users, masquerading as utility and banking apps to steal sensitive financial information. With 419 devices compromised, the malware intercepts SMS messages, exfiltrates personal data via Supabase, and even tricks victims into entering details under the pretense of bill payment. Iranian threat actors have set their sights on critical infrastructure, deploying IOCONTROL malware to infiltrate IoT and OT/SCADA systems in Israel and the U.S.

Dec 6, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 02–06, 2024

NIST sharpened the tools for organizations to measure their cybersecurity readiness, addressing both technical and leadership challenges. The two-volume guidance blends data-driven assessments with managerial insights, emphasizing the critical role of leadership in applying findings. The Manson Market, a notorious hub for phishing networks, fell in a sweeping Europol-led takedown. With over 50 servers seized and 200TB of stolen data recovered, the operation spanned multiple countries, including Germany and Austria. Russian APT group BlueAlpha leveraged Cloudflare Tunnels to cloak its GammaDrop malware campaign from prying eyes. The group deployed HTML smuggling and DNS fast-fluxing to bypass detection, targeting Ukrainian organizations with precision. Earth Minotaur intensified its surveillance operations against Tibetan and Uyghur communities through the MOONSHINE exploit kit. The kit, now updated with newer exploits, enables the installation of the DarkNimbus backdoor on Android and Windows devices. Cloudflare Pages became an unwitting ally in the sharp rise of phishing campaigns, with a staggering 198% increase in abuse cases. Cybercriminals exploited the platform's infrastructure to host malicious pages, fueling a surge from 460 incidents in 2023 to over 1,370 by October 2024. DroidBot has quietly infiltrated over 77 cryptocurrency exchanges and banking apps, building a web of theft across Europe. Active since June 2024, this Android malware operates as a MaaS platform, enabling affiliates to tailor attacks. Rockstar 2FA, a phishing platform targeting Microsoft 365 users, has set the stage for large-scale credential theft. With over 5,000 phishing domains launched, the platform is marketed on Telegram. The Gafgyt malware is shifting gears, targeting exposed Docker Remote API servers through legitimate Docker images, creating botnets capable of launching DDoS attacks.