Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - October 30–03

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - October 30–03 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • November 3, 2023

The Good

To keep pace with the rapidly changing digital threat landscape, MITRE and FIRST have released new versions of the ATT&CK and CVSS frameworks to assess emerging threats and new vulnerabilities, respectively. While the new iteration of the ATT&CK framework (v14) incorporates more information on attackers’ tactics against mobile and ICS matrices, the new version of CVSS (v4.0) comes with additional security metrics to denote the severity of vulnerabilities.

  • The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) officially released a new version (v4.0) of CVSS, eight years after the release of CVSS v3.0 in June 2015. The latest version addresses some of the shortcomings in the previous version by providing additional metrics such as Safety (S), Automatable (A), Recovery (R), Value Density (V), Vulnerability Response Effort (RE), and Provider Urgency (U). It also debuts a new nomenclature to enumerate CVSS scores using a combination of Base (CVSS-B), Base + Threat (CVSS-BT), Base + Environmental (CVSS-BE), and Base + Threat + Environmental (CVSS-BTE) severity ratings.
  • MITRE has announced the release of version 14 of the ATT&CK framework, bringing improvements to ICS, and mobile matrices. The new version covers a total of 760 pieces of software, 143 activity clusters (groups), and 24 campaigns across enterprise, mobile, and ICS. The mobile category has been expanded to include various types of phishing (smishing, quishing, and vishing), with structured detection methods. Additionally, the version has been enhanced to include significant detection analytics by drawing relationships between detection, data sources, and mitigations.
  • The U.S. and a consortium of 49 countries plan to sign an agreement, as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative, to not pay ransomware to cybercriminals. This comes as the number of ransomware attacks grows worldwide, with attendee nations pledging to improve information sharing about crypto payment accounts used by the ransomware actors. Additionally, the U.S. DoT will circulate the list of blacklisted digital wallets used by threat actors.

The Bad

On the cyberattacks and data leaks front, a major ransomware attack on western Germany paralyzed its services, including payments, emails, and phones, of 70 local municipalities. A major data leak impacting the COVID-19 test details of nearly 815 million Indians was also reported after a threat actor was found selling the stolen data on the dark web. Besides these, a critical Citrix Bleed vulnerability was exploited in different campaigns targeting government, technical, and legal organizations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

  • According to crypto fraud researchers, hackers stole $4.4 million in cryptocurrency on October 25th using private keys and passphrases stored in stolen LastPass databases. Once the hackers gained access to the information, they loaded the wallets on their devices and drained funds. The amount was stolen from over 25 victims affected in a LastPass breach in 2022.

  • Mandiant researchers uncovered four active campaigns leveraging the Citrix Bleed vulnerability (CVE-2023-4966) to target government, technical, and legal organizations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. The flaw affects Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway appliances, allowing threat actors to access sensitive information on devices. All four campaigns extensively used csvde.exe, certutil.exe, local.exe, and nbtscan.exe, while two activity clusters were seen using Mimikatz.

  • The aerospace giant, Boeing, confirmed that its systems were compromised by the LockBit ransomware group. While an investigation is underway, the firm disclosed that it has begun notifying customers and suppliers about the incident. Meanwhile, the attackers had given the company until November 2 to pay the ransom or have their sensitive files released publicly.

  • A ransomware attack paralyzed 70 local municipalities in western Germany. As a result, most of the administration’s online services, including those of Wermelskirchen and Burscheid, remained unavailable and the administrations of Siegen canceled appointments with citizens.

  • An unprotected Elasticsearch instance belonging to World-in-HD (WiHD), a popular torrent tracker specializing in HD movies, exposed 97,327 accounts, including the email and passwords of users. The exposed data also included service information and hashed passwords for all the users. Threat actors can gain access to this data to perform illicit activities.

  • Data of almost 5,000 Okta employees was accessed in a third-party data breach that occurred on October 12. In a breach notification, the firm revealed that attackers stole a file containing names, Social Security numbers, and medical insurance details of current and former employees.

  • The COVID-19 test details of nearly 815 million people were dumped on the dark web and put up for sale by cybercriminals. The data sample, which amounted to over 90 GB, was in the possession of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It included names, phone numbers, and addresses of individuals.

  • The BlackCat ransomware gang added healthcare giant Henry Schein to its dark web leak site, claiming that it stole 35 TB of their data, including payroll data and shareholder information. The group asserted that they had re-encrypted the company's devices after a failed negotiation with the victim firm, who nearly completed system restoration. Additionally, they have threatened to release internal payroll and shareholder data on a daily basis.

  • The British Library and the Toronto Public Library suffered major IT outages due to cyberattacks. While the attack at the British Library impacted some of its online services and public Wi-Fi, the attack at the Toronto Public Library disrupted its website, account features, digital collections, and printing services.

New Threats

In the new threat landscape, threat actors took advantage of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in an attempt to deploy a new wiper called BiBi Linux Wiper against Israeli entities. In other prominent news, the Russia-based Turla group introduced a new version of the Kazuar backdoor that supports over 40 malicious commands to take control of victims’ systems and pilfer sensitive data. A two-year-long cryptojacking campaign, dubbed EleKtra-Leak, was also discovered, raising security concerns about IAM credentials stored in GitHub repositories.

  • North Korean hackers suspected to be associated with the Lazarus group were observed targeting blockchain engineers in an unnamed cryptocurrency exchange platform with a new macOS malware named KANDYKORN. The malware comes with a variety of capabilities to monitor victims’ systems, avoid detection, run additional malware, exfiltrate data, and terminate processes.
  • A pro-Hamas hacking group targeted Israeli entities with a new wiper named BiBi Linux Wiper. Written in C/C++, the malware is an x64 ELF executable and can potentially destroy an entire operating system when runs with root permissions. To expedite the infection process, this threat leverages multiple threads and employs a queue to synchronize their operations.
  • An Iranian espionage group, tracked as Scarred Manticore, was caught using a new malware framework named LionTail. The attackers were linked to OilRig and employed web shells, shellcodes, and legitimate tools to perform various operations. LionTail appears to be the evolution of FoxShell and allows attackers to customize the implants with enhanced stealth.
  • Cybersecurity analysts at ASEC recently discovered a cyberespionage campaign leveraging Hangul Word Processor (HWP) software to target National Defense and press sectors. The attackers weaponized the software to send documents related to national defense, education, and broadcasting.
  • The Russia-based Turla APT deployed a new version of the Kazuar backdoor that supports over 40 commands to perform a wide range of malicious activity. Some of these commands can enable attackers to pilfer credentials, manipulate files, and execute arbitrary commands. Written in .NET, the malware is used as a second-stage payload to evade detection.
  • A supply chain attack campaign, which has been active since August, is being used to deploy malware on developers’ machines. The malware is distributed via malicious packages published on the NuGet repository. Additionally, threat actors have been observed updating tactics, such as exploiting NuGet’s MSBuild integrations feature, to stay under the radar and trick developers into downloading malware onto their systems.
  • There has been a rise in the availability of malware ‘meal kits’ for less than $100 to fuel a surge in campaigns using RATs. The sneaky kit provides low-skill attackers the ability to sidestep detection and infect unsuspecting users’ systems with RATs. According to researchers, the toolkit was observed in two separate campaigns that deployed Vjw0rm and Parallax trojans.
  • Cybercriminals were found actively exploiting Google Search Ads to deploy Bonanza malware. By disguising malicious links as legitimate ads, attackers tricked users into clicking on them, ultimately leading to malware downloads or phishing attempts. People searching for PyCharm software, and wedding plans were primarily targeted in the attacks.
  • A new threat actor named Prolific Puma was discovered running an on-demand URL-shortening service for malware gangs as part of a novel Cybercrime-as-a-Service offering. The primary purpose of the service is to provide shortened URLs that get blacklisted by security firms instead of a customer's actual infrastructure. The service has been in operation since January 2020 and is primarily used in smishing attacks.
  • Threat actors have been found actively scanning GitHub repositories for leaked AWS IAM credentials in a campaign dubbed EleKtra-Leak. The campaign has been active since December 2020 and enables attackers to gain access to AWS infrastructure and perform crypto-mining operations. The payloads are delivered via a Google Drive URL to evade detection.
  • The Iranian nation-state actor known as MuddyWater was linked to a new spear-phishing campaign targeting two Israeli entities. As part of the attack, the attackers deployed a legitimate remote administration tool from N-able called Advanced Monitoring Agent. The content of the email lured the victims into downloading an archive hosted at a.storyblok[.]com.
  • Security firm Phylum has uncovered 48 malicious packages in the npm repository. These counterfeit packages, attributed to an npm user named hktalent, deploy a reverse shell on compromised systems post-installation. These packages triggered an installation hook in the package.json file, executing JavaScript code to establish a reverse shell connection to rsh.51pwn[.]com. This would provide attackers with unauthorized access to compromised systems, potentially leading to further exploitation and data breaches.

Related Threat Briefings

Jun 27, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 23–27, 2025

A Common Good Cyber Fund was launched to support non-profits delivering critical cybersecurity services for public benefit. The fund is backed by the U.K and Canada, with G7 leaders endorsing similar initiatives. A phishing email is all it takes to breach critical infrastructure. The OneClik APT campaign is targeting energy and oil sectors using Microsoft ClickOnce to deliver a .NET loader and Golang backdoor. A handful of outdated routers is all it takes to build a persistent espionage network. The LapDogs campaign is targeting SOHO devices with a custom backdoor called ShortLeash, giving attackers root access and control over compromised systems. A familiar package name could be hiding far more than useful code. North Korean actors behind the Contagious Interview campaign have published 35 malicious npm packages, including keyloggers and multi-stage malware. A fake Windows update might just be the start of something worse. The EvilConwi campaign is abusing ConnectWise ScreenConnect to deliver signed malware through tampered installers. Encrypted messaging apps aren’t immune to state-backed malware delivery. APT28 is targeting Ukrainian government entities via Signal, sharing macro-laced documents that deploy a backdoor named Covenant. Some WordPress plugins are doing a lot more than extending site functionality. Researchers uncovered a long-running malware campaign that uses rogue plugins to skim credit card data, steal credentials, and manage backend systems on infected sites.

Jun 20, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 16–20, 2025

As cybercriminals weave intricate webs in the digital underworld, global defenders are cutting through the chaos. Six nations toppled Archetyp Market, a darknet drug bazaar with €250 million ($288 million) in Monero deals, nabbing its admin and vendors while seizing €7.8 million ($9 million) in assets. The U.K unveiled a Cyber Growth Action Plan, injecting £16m ($21.2m) to fortify its £13.2bn ($17.5bn) cybersecurity industry after attacks bled retailers like M&S. Stateside, the U.S. reclaimed $225 million in crypto from investment scams, marking the Secret Service’s biggest digital heist bust yet. Cloud services are being quietly turned into covert attack channels. The Serpentine#Cloud campaign is abusing Cloudflare Tunnels and Python to deploy fileless malware via invoice-themed phishing lures. A popular WordPress plugin is exposing sites to full takeover. It affects the AI Engine plugin, impacting over 100,000 websites and opening the door to site-wide compromise. An official-looking email from the tax department may be anything but. Silver Fox APT is targeting Taiwanese users with phishing emails posing as the National Taxation Bureau, delivering malware like Winos 4.0, HoldingHands RAT, and Gh0stCringe. A new Android trojan is turning devices into data-harvesting tools under attackers’ full control. Attributed to the LARVA-398 group, AntiDot has infected thousands of devices through phishing and malicious ads. A fake job offer could now come bundled with custom-built spyware. PylangGhost is targeting crypto professionals in India. Delivered through spoofed job sites, the malware includes registry tampering, remote control, and data exfiltration modules aimed at compromising Windows systems. One compromised travel site is now a launchpad for infostealer infections. A new ClickFix variant, LightPerlGirl, is using fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA prompts and clipboard hijacking to deliver the Lumma infostealer.

Jun 13, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 09–13, 2025

A global sweep just knocked out thousands of malicious command centers. INTERPOL’s Operation Secure led to the dismantling of over 20,000 malicious IPs tied to 69 malware strains across 26 countries. NIST has published new guidance to help organizations put Zero Trust Architecture into action, offering 19 real-world implementations built with industry partners. CyberEye lowers the barrier for cybercrime with a plug-and-play toolkit. This .NET-based RAT uses Telegram for command and control while offering modules for keylogging, credential theft, and platform-specific data grabbing. The TokenBreak attack manipulates how text is tokenized in classification models to sneak past defenses. A Mirai variant is actively exploiting a command injection vulnerability in TBK DVR-4104 and DVR-4216 devices, to conscript them into a botnet for DDoS attacks. Unpatched IT tools are once again opening the door to ransomware attacks. CISA has warned about vulnerabilities in SimpleHelp RMM software being exploited by groups like Play and DragonForce in double-extortion campaigns. Fog ransomware operators are blurring the line between admin tools and attack chains. In a recent incident, they deployed a mix of open-source and legitimate software to gain persistence and exfiltrate data undetected. Over 20 phishing applications impersonating popular crypto wallets have been found stealing mnemonic phrases to drain users’ funds.

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 16, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 12–16, 2025

Not every AI tool on Facebook is what it claims to be. Threat actors are luring users with fake content-generation apps, pushing Noodlophile malware to tens of thousands of victims. Disguised as AI-powered services, these tools trick users into executing malicious files that steal browser credentials, crypto wallet data, and other sensitive information through a layered infection chain. OtterCookie is getting smarter with every version. The North Korea-linked group WaterPlum is actively using the malware to breach financial institutions and crypto platforms worldwide. Since late 2024, new iterations have added capabilities like credential theft from browsers and file uploads - each version revealing signs of modular development and distinct authorship. A flaw in Linux’s nftables is turning dirty sets into dangerous ones. A critical double-free vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges by exploiting memory corruption. Kernel-level fixes are already rolling out to improve cleanup routines and patch the vulnerable destroy path.

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 18, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 14–18, 2025

The U.S. is drawing a hard line on data outflows. The DOJ’s new Data Security Program aims to block foreign adversaries, specifically nations like China and Russia, from acquiring sensitive American data through commercial channels. SSL certificates are about to expire a lot faster. In a move to tighten digital trust, the CA/Browser Forum has approved a gradual reduction in certificate lifespans - from the current 398 days to just 47 by 2029. One email, three stages, and no files to catch. Agent Tesla is being deployed through spam campaigns that use archive attachments with embedded JavaScript. They look like browser helpers, but they act like spyware. A set of 57 Chrome extensions have been found snooping on users. XorDDoS is now compromising Docker servers and deploying new features tied to a “VIP” variant. Most of the recent activity is hitting U.S. infrastructure. UNC5174 is keeping a low profile, but its targets aren’t. Active since late 2024, the Chinese state-linked group has been compromising Linux systems using a malicious bash script that drops SNOWLIGHT malware and a fileless VShell RAT. A wine-tasting invite with a side of malware. APT29, the Russian state-aligned group, is targeting European diplomatic networks with phishing lures disguised as event announcements.

Apr 11, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 07–11, 2025

The U.K. government rolled out a Cyber Governance Code of Practice aimed at directors and board members, not just CISOs. Backed by the NCSC and other national bodies, the code includes practical actions, modular training, and a board-level toolkit. Startups building the future of cyber defense are getting serious backing. The British Business Bank has committed most of a £50 million fund to Osney Capital, which will invest in early-stage cybersecurity companies across the U.K. A torrent download might be doing more than delivering cracked software. A campaign has been distributing ViperSoftX to Korean users, likely run by Arabic-speaking threat actors. Invasive spyware campaigns are zeroing in on high-risk communities. MOONSHINE and BADBAZAAR are being deployed through trojanized mobile apps to surveil Uyghur, Tibetan, and Taiwanese individuals, as well as civil society groups. Search for QuickBooks during tax season, and you might land on a trap. Threat actors are placing deceptive Google Ads that link to phishing pages almost identical to the real QuickBooks login portal. It starts with a PDF search and ends with malware on your machine. A new campaign is using fake CAPTCHAs and Cloudflare Turnstile to lure users into downloading LegionLoader. Seed phrases aren’t supposed to come from strangers. The PoisonSeed campaign is targeting crypto holders and enterprise users by compromising bulk email services. Victims are lured with fake wallet setup instructions that embed attacker-controlled recovery phrases - giving threat actors full access once the wallets are used. A Chinese-linked threat group, ToddyCat, has been exploiting a security vulnerability in ESET's software to deliver a new malware, TCESB, in Asia.