Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - November 08–12

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

Weekly Threat Briefing November 12, 2021

The Good

The biggest news of the week comes in the form of law enforcement busting REvil. Five individuals were arrested on different charges related to REvil and millions of dollars of ransom payments were seized. In another such bold move, the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on the Chatex cryptocurrency exchange for aiding and abetting ransom payments.

  • Zero Networks open-sourced a ransomware kill switch software to offer better control over Microsoft’s Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol, which hinders the use of lateral movement hacker tools and blocks almost all ransomware. While this RPC Firewall may not be able to prevent all attacks, it can block lateral movement tools and stop network takeover.
  • Police in Romania and South Korea have arrested five individuals linked with REvil ransomware. In addition to that, more than $6 million of ransom payments were seized. The arrests were built on an international investigation, dubbed GoldDust, which contained law enforcement agencies from 17 countries.
  • The Chatex cryptocurrency exchange was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for assisting multiple ransomware gangs in soliciting and procuring illicit transactions. On examining Chatex’s transactions, almost half of them were linked to illegal activities.
  • The Spanish police arrested 45 people, reportedly, associated with an online fraud group that operated 20 different fraudulent websites to defraud at least 200 people for $1.73 million. The threat actors offered various consumer electronic products at low prices on the fraudulent web portals. The investigation had started in July 2019.
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs issued a new cybersecurity strategy to better safeguard the personal information of U.S. veterans and prevent the exploitation of critical data. The strategy also includes ways to protect information assets and systems, implement innovative policies to fortify the organization’s cybersecurity posture, and use risk management frameworks.

The Bad

No matter how much joy these developments have brought us this week, it is time to face the music. In a new wave of assaults, Cl0p ransomware has started making headlines by abusing an RCE flaw in a software made by SolarWinds. Ransomware gangs have become extremely sophisticated and relentless. After attacking thousands of systems of MediaMarkt, the Hive ransomware gang has demanded a whopping $240 million in ransom. This week, another DeFi platform fell victim to a crypto theft incident. The firm lost around $55 million worth of assets.

  • Robinhood suffered a data breach on November 3 after attackers gained unauthorized access to a limited amount of personal information of around 7 million customers. The compromised data included Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and debit card numbers. However, there has been no financial loss to any customers.
  • The Cl0p ransomware gang has begun exploiting a SolarWinds Serv-U vulnerability to breach corporate networks. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2021-35211 and is associated with remote code execution. It affects only customers who have enabled the SSH feature.
  • The TeamTNT group continues to target Docker servers exposing Docker REST APIs for cryptomining purposes, under the campaign that was set off in October. Compromised Docker Hub registry accounts, such as alpineos, belonging to the attackers were used to host malicious images.
  • A Hive ransomware attack hobbled 3,100 servers of MediaMarkt firm and knocked its IT infrastructure offline in Germany and the Netherlands. The attackers encrypted servers and workstations and demanded $240 million in ransom. Online sales are functional, however, cash registers at affected stores are unable to accept credit cards or print receipts.
  • BlackBerry discovered that actors behind MountLocker, Phobos, and the StrongPity APT are dependent on a common initial access broker, dubbed Zebra2104, for their malware campaigns. The broker has aided the gangs enter the networks of several companies in Turkey and Australia.
  • In a series of attacks, Lyceum APT targeted ISPs and telecommunication operators in Israel, Tunisia, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia, as well as a ministry of foreign affairs in Africa. The threat actor launched multiple politically motivated attacks between July and October, with an active focus on cyberespionage. The initial attack vectors were credential stuffing and brute-force attacks.
  • A hacker stole an estimated $55 million worth of cryptocurrency assets from a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, bZx, by sending a phishing email to one of its employees. The email contained a malicious macro in a Word document and ran a script on the employee’s computer that compromised his mnemonic wallet phrase. The attacker stole two private keys used by bZx for its integration with Polygon and Binance Smart Chain (BSC) blockchains.
  • In a supply chain attack targeting open-source software repositories, two popular NPM packages—with cumulative weekly downloads of nearly 22 million—were compromised with malicious code. The two libraries “coa,” a parser for command-line options and “rc,” a configuration loader were tampered with by an unidentified threat actor to add an identical password-stealing malware. Both packages were compromised at the same time, as stated by researchers.
  • A hacker-for-hire group called Void Balaur has been stealing emails and confidential information for more than five years. The stolen data is sold by the threat actors for both financial and espionage goals. So far, the gang has targeted more than 3,500 organizations across all continents. The affected organizations are from the telecom, retail, financial, and healthcare sectors.
  • Google TAG spotted significant watering hole attacks that targeted users visiting Hong Kong websites for a media outlet and prominent pro-democracy labor and political group. Conducted in August, the attacks were carried out by leveraging an XNU privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2021-30869) in macOS Catalina. While the researchers could not get the complete exploit chain, they found that a framework based on the Ironsquirrel browser exploit delivery chain.

New Threats

Is SquirrelWaffle going to be the new Emotet? Researchers say so, as akin to Emotet, SquirrelWaffle is being used to launch huge malspam campaigns. One of those campaigns was found deploying Qakbot. With courage running in their evil veins, hackers spoofed Proofpoint to lure targets into giving up their Office 365 and Gmail credentials. In other news, BazarBackdoor was revealed targeting Windows 10 in a new phishing campaign.

  • SquirrelWaffle malware dropper has reappeared in a new malspam campaign that delivers Qakbot. SquirrelWaffle also infects targets via a malspam campaign and enables threat actors to gain an initial foothold onto victims’ network environments. Subsequently, this can result in further compromises or more malware deployment, depending on the way attackers want to monetize the attacks.
  • New spyware called PhoneSpy has surfaced to infiltrate Android phones. Experts found 23 malicious apps disguised as legitimate ones to give attackers complete control over the targeted devices. The campaign has already claimed more than 1,000 victims in South Korea and gained access to the entire communications, services, and data on the victims’ devices.
  • Unit 42 observed an attack campaign in which APT groups gained initial access to targeted organizations by exploiting a patched vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-40539, in ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus, a self-service password management and single sign-on solution. The malicious actors were observed deploying Godzilla webshell, NGLite Trojan, and KdcSponge Stealer, compromising at least nine entities across the defense, technology, healthcare, education, and energy industries in the attack campaign.
  • Hackers impersonated the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint and used mortgage payments as a lure to trick unsuspecting users into revealing their Office 365 and Gmail credentials. The bad actors used social engineering, account takeover, brand impersonation, and duplicate existing workflows.
  • MasterFred is a newly discovered Android trojan that makes use of false login overlays to Netflix, Instagram, Twitter, and bank users. The ultimate goal of the trojan is to steal credit card information. The malware is currently being used against Android users in Poland and Turkey. What makes MasterFred unique is that one of the malicious apps also bundles HTML overlays that exhibit the fake login forms and exfiltrate victims’ login details.
  • BotenaGo is a newly found botnet that has more than 30 different exploits to target routers and IoT devices. It is written in Golang and is believed to be used by Mirai operators. The botnet is still under development. It builds a backdoor, waits for the target, and attacks it via port 19412.
  • A new zero-day vulnerability disclosed in Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect VPN can be abused to execute arbitrary code on affected devices. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2021-3064 and has a CVSS score of 9.8. It affects versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.17. The security bug stems from a buffer overflow that occurs while parsing user-supplied input.
  • A new phishing campaign is disseminating the BazarBackdoor malware by abusing a feature in Windows 10 app. The malware can pilfer system data and has previously been associated with TrickBot. The spam emails were short and personalized, with proper social engineering elements. The spam attempted to lure targets via a fake complaint.

Related Threat Briefings

Jun 6, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 02–06, 2025

Authorities have taken down a major hub for stolen financial data. The DOJ seized approximately 145 domains associated with the BidenCash marketplace, which had evolved from a small credit card shop in 2022 into a massive hub for stolen payment data. In a move to reinforce Europe’s cyber defenses, Microsoft is stepping in with strategic support. The newly launched European Security Program offers EU governments free access to AI-driven threat intelligence, vulnerability alerts, and guidance to counter attacks from state-sponsored actors. Not all GitHub projects are built with good intentions. Researchers uncovered a widespread campaign involving more than 130 repositories booby-trapped with malware disguised as game cheats, hacking tools, and utilities. A free software download could end up costing your entire crypto wallet. ViperSoftX is back in circulation, targeting crypto users with malicious PowerShell scripts bundled into cracked apps, keygens, and torrent packages. Some attackers mine crypto, JINX-0132 mines misconfigurations. This threat actor is running a stealthy cryptojacking campaign against DevOps platforms, exploiting exposed defaults and overlooked RCE flaws. Destruction masquerading as maintenance tools is hitting Ukraine’s infrastructure. Researchers attributed a new wiper malware called PathWiper to a Russia-linked APT group, targeting critical systems by leveraging legitimate administrative frameworks. A few swapped letters could be all it takes to get owned. A new supply chain attack targets Python and npm developers through typo-squatting and name confusion. A new Android banking trojan, named Crocodilus, has emerged in the threat landscape. It masquerades as legitimate apps like Google Chrome and uses overlay attacks to steal credentials from financial apps.

May 30, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 26–30, 2025

Under the hood of vulnerability management, NIST just added a sharper diagnostic tool. The new Likely Exploited Vulnerabilities metric offers deeper insight into which CVEs are likely being used in the wild, complementing EPSS with more contextual signals. Digital warfare is no longer a future threat, it's a current investment. The U.K. Ministry of Defence has unveiled a £1 billion Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks and support offensive cyber missions. With AI-driven systems like the Digital Targeting Web in development, the goal is seamless coordination across weapons platforms. A quiet but relentless campaign has been unfolding across multiple industries. The Chinese group Earth Lamia is targeting finance, government, logistics, and more by exploiting known web app vulnerabilities. APT41 hides malware commands where no one’s looking: your calendar. In a creative twist on C2 infrastructure, China-backed APT41 embedded encrypted instructions inside Google Calendar events. AyySSHush doesn’t make noise, it builds armies. More than 9,000 ASUS routers have been compromised by this botnet, which quietly slips in through a CVE-2023-39780 exploit. Fake CAPTCHA prompts are now doing more than testing if you're human—they're installing malware. EDDIESTEALER, a new Rust-based infostealer, spreads through deceptive CAPTCHA pages that trigger malicious PowerShell scripts. Threat actors are wrapping their tools in layers of obfuscation, and DOUBLELOADER is no exception. This new backdoor uses the ALCATRAZ obfuscator—once seen in the game-hacking scene—to disguise its presence. A new Go-based botnet called PumaBot is clawing its way through Linux IoT devices. It brute-forces SSH credentials, impersonates Redis files for stealth, and deploys rootkits to mine crypto and steal credentials.

May 23, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 19–23, 2025

Operation Endgame just dealt a major blow to the ransomware supply chain. Europol led the charge in dismantling malware infrastructure tied to multiple malware families, seizing 300 servers and more. Japan has officially gone on the cyber offense. The new Active Cyberdefense Law allows preemptive strikes against foreign cyber threats. It enables traffic analysis and takedowns of hostile servers. Think twice before clicking on that Ledger update. A new macOS malware campaign is deploying fake versions of the Ledger Live app to steal cryptocurrency seed phrases. A Turkish phishing lure leads straight to SnakeKeylogger. Fake AI tools are the new phishing lures and they’re convincing. Cybercriminals cloned Kling AI’s brand through Facebook ads and spoofed websites to trick users into downloading malware. The DBatLoader (aka ModiLoader) malware is making the rounds again - this time disguised as a Turkish bank email. The copyright threat in your inbox might be bait. A phishing campaign sweeping across central and eastern Europe is using fake legal complaints to deliver the Rhadamanthys Stealer. Two years of silence, 6,200 downloads later - the malware is finally found. A malicious campaign targeting JavaScript developers slipped past detection by disguising harmful npm packages as plugins for frameworks like React, Vue.js, Vite, and Quill Editor. Researchers uncovered a stealthy new backdoor paired with a Monero coinminer, using the PyBitmessage library for encrypted peer-to-peer communications.

May 9, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 05–09, 2025

Another blow to DDoS-for-hire networks. Europol has shut down six services used to launch global cyberattacks, arresting suspects in Poland and seizing domains in the U.S. The UN has launched a new framework to help policymakers make sense of cyber intrusions. Called UNIDIR Intrusion Path, it complements models like MITRE ATT&CK but simplifies the technical details. It breaks down attacker activity into three layers, making it easier to evaluate threats in a policy context. Old routers are becoming cybercrime goldmines. The FBI has warned that end-of-life routers are being hijacked with malware like TheMoon and sold on proxy networks such as 5Socks and Anyproxy. These compromised devices are used for crypto theft, cybercrime-as-a-service, and even espionage. Crypto users on Discord are the latest targets of a phishing campaign tied to Inferno Drainer. Attackers were found impersonating the Collab.Land bot to trick users into signing malicious transactions. The Play ransomware group has joined the list of actors exploiting CVE-2025-29824. This Windows zero-day in the CLFS driver enables privilege escalation via a race condition during file operations. Linked to the Balloonfly group, the attacks targeted a U.S. organization and included deployment of the Grixba infostealer. COLDRIVER’s latest malware, LOSTKEYS, is now in play. The Russian state-backed group is deploying this tool to steal files and system data from advisors, journalists, NGOs, and individuals linked to Ukraine. Agenda’s playbook just got upgraded. The ransomware group has added two new tools: SmokeLoader and a stealthy .NET-based loader called NETXLOADER. The latter leverages techniques like JIT hooking and AES decryption to deploy ransomware. Corporate HR teams are the latest target in a spear-phishing spree by Venom Spider. Disguised as job applications, these emails deliver More_eggs backdoor, now upgraded with advanced features.

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 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.