Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - May 08–12

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

Weekly Threat Briefing May 12, 2023

The Good

Taking down cybercrime operations requires diligent efforts and cooperation between national and international law enforcement agencies. Setting another such example, the FBI led an operation to dismantle the infrastructure behind the Snake malware used by Russian state actors. In a bid to improve cloud security, an open-source tool was launched this week to make a Kubernetes Bill of Materials (KBOM) standard accessible for security teams.

  • CyberArk has introduced a new decryptor called 'White Phoenix' that enables victims to partially restore files affected by ransomware strains utilizing intermittent encryption. The development of White Phoenix involves CyberArk's experimentation with partially encrypted PDF files, aiming to recover text and images from stream objects. Intermittent encryption is a tactic employed by various ransomware groups, involving the alternating encryption and non-encryption of data chunks.

  • Law enforcement in Spain has conducted a series of arrests, detaining numerous individuals believed to be part of a significant organized crime syndicate. These apprehensions come as a result of the gang's alleged involvement in phishing activities that helped them reportedly amass more than €700,000 ($767,000). Out of the 40 individuals apprehended, two were identified as hackers, while 15 were suspected members of the "Trinitarios" group.

  • Operation Medusa, spearheaded by the FBI, successfully dismantled the Snake malware infrastructure operated by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16. The primary objective of this operation was to gather sensitive information from high-profile targets, including government entities, research facilities, and journalists. Snake malware infections were detected across more than 50 countries, encompassing regions such as the United States, Europe, and Asia. In the United States, numerous organizations in the education, media, financial, and government sectors fell victim to this cyberattack.

  • The Kubernetes Security Operations Center (KSOC) has introduced the inaugural Kubernetes Bill of Materials (KBOM) standard, marking a significant milestone. This KBOM standard is accessible through an open-source command-line interface (CLI) tool, empowering cloud security teams to gain insights into the extent of third-party tools deployed in their environment. By doing so, teams can respond swiftly to emerging vulnerabilities, which have become increasingly prevalent in recent months.

The Bad

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the cyber landscape as cyber intruders continue to cause disruptions at numerous organizations. Some of the prominent victims this week include a U.S. food distributor, an iconic Canadian art gallery, and a SaaS provider for the education sector. Even more concerning, a new threat actor has surfaced with a track record of 350 BEC attack campaigns, carried out in a span of two years.

  • Constellation Software Inc., headquartered in Toronto, reported that a select number of its IT systems were affected by a ransomware attack orchestrated by the BlackCat group. The cybercriminals purport to have stolen over 1TB of data. This event could potentially have jeopardized the private information of individuals and data pertinent to its partners.

  • NextGen Healthcare, based in Atlanta, announced that its systems were breached by an unauthorized entity between March 29 and April 14, 2023. This breach resulted in the unauthorized access to patients' personal information, including names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. The company, however, affirmed that the intruders were unable to access any health or medical records and data belonging to individuals.

  • Following its decision not to comply with the ransom requests from the LockBit 3.0 group, lending company Fullerton India experienced a data breach involving 600 GB of information. It's expected that the cybercriminals may now resort to a triple extortion strategy. This could involve threatening Fullerton India's clients, business associates, and suppliers in an effort to coerce the company into negotiating with the ransomware perpetrators. The company officially acknowledged the data breach on April 24.

  • OT&P Healthcare, a Hong Kong-based healthcare group, reportedly suffered a cyberattack that seems to have affected the personal data and medical records of approximately 100,000 patients. Though the full extent of the data theft is yet to be determined by the authorities, it's known that individuals' identification cards and passport numbers were also housed on the servers that were breached. The healthcare group operates a total of eight clinics across Central, Repulse Bay, and Clear Water Bay.

  • Sysco, a prominent food distribution company, acknowledged a cyberattack that compromised its network earlier this year and exposed sensitive information belonging to both employees and customers. An investigation into this breach is currently underway, and initial findings indicate that the accessed data comprises employee names, Social Security numbers, and account numbers.

  • In a recent announcement, the Metropolitan Opera disclosed that a cyberattack in December of last year had a significant impact on the personal details of more than 45,000 customers. The compromised information encompassed names, financial account details, tax identification numbers, Social Security numbers, payment card information, and driver's license numbers. The breach occurred between September 20, 2022, and December 6, 2022, during which the attackers gained unauthorized access to the opera's systems.

  • The National Gallery of Canada disclosed that it experienced a ransomware attack, resulting in the temporary shutdown of its IT systems. As one of North America's largest art museums in terms of exhibition space, it assured the public that no customer data was compromised during the incident. Notably, no ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack at this time.

  • American cloud-based software provider for schools, colleges, and universities, Brightly Software, disclosed a breach incident involving unauthorized access to the database of its SchoolDude online platform. The threat actors are believed to have stolen customer account information, including names, email addresses, account passwords, phone numbers (where available), and school district names.

  • Following a thorough two-year investigation, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) uncovered evidence of a cyberattack perpetrated by North Korean hackers targeting Seoul National University Hospital. The breach occurred between May and June 2021, resulting in the exposure of data belonging to 831,000 individuals. The compromised information consists of confidential medical records as well as personal data belonging to visitors and employees of the hospital.

  • Over the past two years, an Israeli cybercriminal group has executed over 350 BEC campaigns, specifically targeting major MNCs worldwide, revealed Abnormal Security. This group distinguishes itself through the utilization of various techniques, such as email display name spoofing and the creation of multiple fictitious personas within email chains. Notably, their attempts to extort abnormally large sums of money from organizations also set them apart from other cybercriminals.

  • As a consequence of the recent ransomware attack on Micro-Star International (MSI), it is alleged that the Intel Boot Guard OEM private keys were compromised. This event has raised concerns since PCs equipped with Intel chips and Boot Guard protection rely on these keys to ensure the authenticity of the firmware. If individuals possess these private Boot Guard keys, they could potentially sign malicious software, bypassing the defenses on MSI systems.

  • ABB, a multinational company specializing in electrification and automation technology, fell victim to a significant cyberattack by the Black Basta ransomware group. This attack affected ABB's business operations, particularly its Windows Active Directory, impacting numerous devices. To contain the spread of the ransomware, ABB promptly terminated VPN connections with its customers.

New Threats

This week saw the discovery of multiple new malware threats. This included two ransomware groups, namely Akira and Cactus. While Akira targets enterprise networks to extract up to millions of dollars in ransomware, Cactus is noteworthy for its unique self-encryption features that enable it to avoid detection by security solutions. Meanwhile, the Papercut vulnerability saga continues to threaten vulnerable servers with the release of a brand new exploit and the discovery of two Iranian state-backed threat actors abusing the flaw.

  • Akira, a new ransomware group that first emerged in March, was exposed by MalwareHunterTeam for its global infiltration of corporate networks. The group targets corporate victims and demands ransom payments, often reaching millions of dollars. However, for those unwilling to pay for decryptors, the criminals propose reducing the ransom amount to prevent data leaks.
  • Another recently discovered ransomware operation known as Cactus garnered attention for its distinctive self-encryption capability, enabling it to evade detection. Cybersecurity experts from Kroll have determined that this malware variant has been active since at least March 2023. Cactus specifically targets vulnerabilities found in Fortinet VPN appliances and utilizes a customized version of the open-source PSnmap Tool.
  • Ruckus, a manufacturer of wired and wireless networking equipment, faced a targeted DDoS attack from a botnet threat named AndoryuBot. This particular botnet took advantage of a recently patched vulnerability in Ruckus access points (APs). Exploiting CVE-2023-25717, an RCE bug, threat actors were able to compromise the devices. Once infected, the botnet quickly spreads and establishes communication with its command-and-control (C2) server through the SOCKS protocol.
  • Red Stinger, a newly discovered advanced persistent threat (APT) actor, was found conducting targeted attacks in Eastern Europe since 2020. Military, transportation, and critical infrastructure entities were among their primary targets, along with organizations involved in the September East Ukraine referendums. The attackers utilized various techniques, including exfiltration of data like snapshots, USB drives, keystrokes, and microphone recordings.
  • FortiGuard Labs discovered a fresh iteration of the RapperBot botnet, which has been actively utilized in an attack campaign ongoing since January. In a notable evolution, the attackers behind this variant have extended their malicious operations from solely conducting DDoS attacks to now incorporating cryptojacking capabilities. The updated version incorporates an enhanced C2 communication protocol.
  • Government institutions in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan were targeted in a cyberattack campaign employing decoy documents posing as authentic diplomats. This attack leveraged a newly identified malware called DownEx, as identified by Bitdefender Labs. DownEx possesses the capability to move laterally across local and network drives and extract files of various formats.
  • In this month’s round of Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft rolled out fixes for around 38 vulnerabilities, including three zero-day flaws. Intel and AMD both have released advisories for more than 100 vulnerabilities found in their products. SAP announced the release of security notes that addresses 18 new security vulnerabilities. Siemens and Schneider Electric issued several new advisories to address over 30 vulnerabilities affecting their products.
  • Cybercriminals were observed distributing the Aurora info-stealer malware in a malvertising campaign by simulating a Windows update within the browser. Researchers discovered over a dozen domains involved, some pretending to be adult websites. The adversaries disguised the malware loader as a Chrome updater named 'Invalid Printer'.
  • The tale of the PaperCut vulnerability is still unfinished this week with security experts at VulCheck developing a new PoC exploit against the critical bug earmarked CVE-2023-27350. The PoC exploit is capable of evading all known detection rules. Meanwhile, a couple of Iranian state-sponsored groups, Mint Sandstorm and Mango Sandstorm, were observed targeting the recently patched flaw in PaperCut MF/NG print management solutions.
  • Experts at Cisco Talos discovered that a phishing-as-a-service (PaaS) platform named "Greatness" has been utilized by various cybercriminals in multiple phishing campaigns. Greatness, operational since mid-2022, stands out by incorporating advanced features commonly found in sophisticated PaaS offerings, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) bypass, IP filtering, and integration with Telegram bots.
  • A stealthier version of the Linux malware 'BPFDoor' has emerged, exhibiting enhanced encryption and reverse shell communication. Initially discovered by researchers approximately a year ago, BPFDoor has been active since at least 2017. Prior to 2022, the malware employed RC4 encryption, bind shell, and iptables for communication, with hardcoded commands and filenames. The newly analyzed variant, as observed by Deep Instinct, incorporates static library encryption, reverse shell communication, and all commands are transmitted by the C2 server.
  • The CISA and FBI issued a joint cybersecurity advisory highlighting the exploitation of a vulnerability in PaperCut MF/NG (CVE-2023-27350) by the Bl00dy Ransomware group. Additionally, attackers have been attempting to exploit vulnerable PaperCut servers in the U.S. education sector. The FBI observed malicious actors targeting this vulnerability from mid-April 2023 to the present.

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.