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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, October 14 - October 18, 2019

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, October 14 - October 18, 2019 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Oct 18, 2019

The Good

Another week has almost come to an end, and it was quite an eventful one in cyberspace. Let’s begin our weekly roundup with the positive cybersecurity advancements. The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has released a cybersecurity playbook on medical device security and risk management processes. The Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) has published guidance focusing on supply chain cybersecurity risk management. Meanwhile, Microsoft and NIST are working on a new guide to make enterprise patch management easier.

  • The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has published a cybersecurity playbook for radiologists and health delivery organizations. It is designed to deal with medical device security and risk management processes. The guide also outlines the role of manufacturers and health delivery organizations in securing medical devices.

  • The Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) has released guidance on supply chain cybersecurity risk management. The primary audience of the guidance are non-IT professionals and enterprise leaders who are responsible for supply chain relationships in healthcare organizations. It provides tools and recommends policies regarding the security of products and services in small and medium-sized organizations.

  • Microsoft and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are working together to develop a new guide that makes enterprise patch management easier. The project will focus on building common enterprise patch management reference architectures and processes. The results are expected to be shared in the NIST Special Publication 1800 practice guide after the relevant vendors validate the implementation instructions in the NCCoE lab.

  • The Australian government has introduced new telco regulations to prevent phone scams. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will release an action plan for this in November 2019. ACMA has been given time till the end of April 2020 to ensure all telcos comply with the new regulations.

The Bad

With a number of databases exposing data and an underground store getting hacked, this week saw several security compromises. BriansClub, a large underground store for hacked online credit card data was compromised, resulting in 26 million card records getting stolen again. Click2Mail, an email service provider, fell victim to a data breach possibly impacting 200,000 users. In other news, over 500 million UC Browser Android users were exposed to man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks because of an unauthorized Android Package Kit (APK) download.

  • One of the largest underground stores for stolen online credit card data, BriansClub, was hacked. The trove contained more than 26 million credit and debit records that have been stolen from retailers in the past 4 years. This data could allow hackers to create fake cards to illegally purchase goods from stores.

  • Email service provider Click2Mail suffered a data breach potentially affecting 200,000 users. The compromised information may include names, email addresses, phone numbers, account mailing addresses, and organization names. Hackers used the stolen information to send spam email to Click2Mail customers.

  • More than 500 million UC Browser Android users have been exposed to man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks because of an Android Package Kit (APK) download. This download was from a third-party server over unprotected channels. This violates Google’s policy that requires apps distributed via Google Play to modify, replace, or update only through Google Play’s mechanism.

  • Unsecured AWS servers belonging to two online recruitment firms, Authentic Jobs and Sonic Jobs, have exposed over 250,000 CVs. Authentic Jobs leaked 221,130 CVs while Sonic Jobs leaked at least 29,202 CVs. The potentially compromised information includes names, phone numbers, job histories, and addresses.

  • A public data tool belonging to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health exposed medical data of thousands of patients who were diagnosed with hepatitis. The exposed records included names, Social Security Numbers, addresses, and intimate health information. The data was taken down immediately after the department was notified.

  • Pitney Bowes was hit by a malware attack that encrypted data on its systems and disrupted access to its services. The attack impacted the firm’s mailing system products and online accounting reports. The company has so far found no evidence of any impact on customer data or accounts.

  • One of France’s biggest TV channels, M6 Group, suffered a ransomware attack that reportedly impacted its phone lines and email servers. The company’s radio and TV channels did not experience any downtime and remained operational as usual. The infection was contained with the assistance of the company’s cybersecurity professionals.

  • Hackers launched a cyberattack against Alphabroder, the largest supplier of promotional apparel in North America. The attack involved the Sodinokibi ransomware that encrypted the company’s data disrupting services. The company said that no customer data or account information was compromised.

  • An unsecured Whirlpool database exposed 28 million records containing information from IoT home devices. The exposed data includes customer emails, model names, and numbers, smart application ID numbers, and scanned appliance attributes, among others. This Mongo database was pulled offline a day after Whirlpool was notified about it.

  • Security researchers have discovered a data leak that exposed 2 terabytes of data hosted on an Elastic Server. This leak potentially impacted the personal and account details of 3.5 million users of the Pouringpounds and Cashkaro cashback sites, both belonging to Pouring Pounds Ltd. The exposed information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, login credentials, bank details, IP addresses, and emails from Pouringpounds to its users.

  • Almost 768 websites, including a few with sensitive configurations, were found to be exposed via Laravel’s debug mode. It is said that many developers failed to disable the debug mode in Laravel, an open-source PHP framework to develop web applications. This error has exposed backend website details including credentials, database locations, and secret keys.

New Threats

Security experts brought various malware strains, vulnerabilities, and exploits to the spotlight this week. A security bypass flaw was discovered impacting Sudo, a popular Linux command. Researchers discovered a new malvertising campaign distributing Nemty 1.6 ransomware, the new variant of the infamous Nemty malware, via RIG exploit kit. Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense and HackerOne announced that US Cyber Command’s ‘Hack the Proxy’ bug bounty program discovered more than 30 vulnerabilities.

  • Researchers have discovered a security bypass flaw in Sudo, a widely used Linux command. This flaw can potentially allow an attacker to execute random commands as root on the targeted Linux system without requiring passwords. Linux users who use sudo versions prior to 1.8.28 are impacted by this flaw.
  • The RIG exploit kit has been found to be distributing a new variant of the Nemty ransomware. A malvertising campaign is targeting enterprise users using Internet Explorer and Flash Player redirects to the RIG exploit kit. The malicious script then attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities to install various malware including the Nemty 1.6 ransomware.
  • The US Department of Defense (DoD) and HackerOne announced that the US Cyber Command’s ‘Hack the Proxy’ bug bounty program uncovered more than 30 vulnerabilities. This is the Department of Defense’s eighth bug bounty program, sponsored by the US Cyber Command. Of the vulnerabilities discovered across the Department of Defense proxies, virtual private networks, and virtual desktops, 9 were high severity vulnerabilities and 1 was a critical vulnerability.
  • The recently discovered Simjacker vulnerability is said to be impacting hundreds of SIM cards issued by around 61 mobile operators in 29 countries. Researchers said that all Android, iOS, and IoT devices that work on the SIM card technology are vulnerable to the Simjacker attack. It is believed that the SS7 threat actor group that works with the government to monitor individuals’ activity is behind the attack.
  • A new Mac malware dubbed Tarmac (or OSX/Tarmac) was discovered to be distributed via malvertising campaigns. The campaign pushes fake Adobe Flash Player updates that deliver the OSX/Shlayer malware, which launches the OSX/Tarmac malware. Tarmac collects data from the infected machines, passes them to its command-and-control server, and awaits further instructions.
  • Researchers discovered a new RAT called Black Remote Controller PRO that is promoted and sold by a Swedish threat actor. The threat actor is advertising that the RAT is fully runtime undetected and offers the capability of monitoring, accessing, and manipulating every activity and data in the machine. It is promoted on various underground forums and claimed to be used for legitimate purposes.
  • The Cutlet Maker malware has been reported to be used in a series of jackpotting attacks in Germany. These attacks, between February and November 2017, resulted in around $1.5 million being stolen from ATMs. The malware is designed to make infected ATMs eject all the money available inside them.
  • Security researchers observed that attackers had set up a website for a bogus crypto firm called JMT Trading that linked to a GitHub page to apparently download a trading app. However, the download files contained malware that allowed attackers to execute commands remotely and gain control over Mac systems. The malware seems to be related to the program used in a scheme last year, which was attributed to the Lazarus group.
  • A new attack campaign that hides malicious payloads in WAV files has been detected. Some of the infected WAV files were observed to play music without any glitches, while others generated white noise. The campaign used three loaders and delivered two payloads indicating a high level of innovation.
  • Researchers have discovered a new cryptojacking worm dubbed Graboid. This is said to be the first cryptojacking worm that is spread using containers in the Docker Engine. After gaining an initial foothold through unsecured Docker hosts, the attackers were found to deploy Graboid to mine for Monero.
  • The Winnti Group was reported to have added a new backdoor dubbed PortReuse to its malware arsenal. This backdoor does not use a command-and-control server but waits for a connection that sends a magic packet. The group has also updated the ShadowPad malware with changes including randomization of module identifiers.
  • Researchers tracked the Silent Librarian threat group’s activities and found that it employs Freenom domains to host phishing landing pages. It was also observed that the campaigns used URL shorteners and abused legitimate services. This threat group primarily targets educational institutions in North America and Europe.

Related Threat Briefings

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.

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.