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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - September 20–24

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - September 20–24 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing Sep 24, 2021

The Good

Before you take that sip of coffee, rejoice as 106 cybercriminals associated with the Italian Mafia were busted by European law enforcement agencies. The U.S. government has taken yet another step to make the lives of ransomware gangs difficult by imposing sanctions on a complicit Russian crypto exchange. No further pitstop, as we take you through the rest of the updates from the cybersecurity world this week.

  • A joint operation by the Europol, Italian and Spanish law enforcement culminated in the arrests of 106 members of the Italian cybercrime nexus for their involvement in multi-million-dollar cybercrime and money laundering activities.

  • The Australian state of Victoria's government initiated a new five-year-old cyber strategy that plans on allocating 50 million AUD to reinforce the state’s cyber resilience. The strategy would primarily emphasize the safe delivery of government services and designing a vibrant cyber economy and safe cyberspace.

  • The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Suex cryptocurrency exchange for facilitating ransom transactions to at least eight ransomware variants and helping them evade sanctions.

  • The Brazilian government issued a data protection guide that aims to raise awareness among the public. The guide delineates the rights of data holders and provides recommendations on how they can protect their information.

The Bad

A vast amount of ransomware attacks have been witnessed against the healthcare, education, and government sectors in recent times. However, it is time to shift our focus on the food and agriculture sector as ransomware actors hit NEW Cooperative and Crystal Valley Cooperative. Also, let’s bring back some of the focus on cybersecurity of the healthcare sector as two distinct ransomware actors attacked two medical facilities in LA and Missouri, while Simon Eye underwent a seven-day-long data breach.

  • WizCase uncovered an unprotected database exposing over one terabyte of data in 5.5 million files pertaining to hundreds of thousands of employees of a Colombian firm, Coninsa Ramon. EventBuilder, an event management firm, exposed roughly a million records—affecting the PII of at least 100,000 event registrants—via an unprotected Azure Blob storage.

  • REvil ransomware has designed a backdoor that enables it to hijack victim chats and in turn, swindle affiliates of their ransom cuts.

  • Delta Medical Center in Missouri and Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles suffered ransomware attacks by Hive and Vice Society ransomware gangs, respectively. The groups stole confidential patient data.

  • A critical flaw was reported in Microsoft’s Autodiscover protocol, a feature to configure Exchange clients such as Outlook, which jeopardizes user credentials.

  • Post security audit, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry underlined that two Chinese models—Huawei P40 5G and Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G—breach user privacy and have secret censorship capabilities.

  • NEW Cooperative was hit by a $5.9 million ransom demand after the BlackMatter group claimed to have stolen a terabyte of data. This incident was soon followed by Crystal Valley Cooperative, one of the largest U.S. agriculture businesses, being hit by a potential ransomware attack. The FBI has issued warning against burgeoning threats against the food and agriculture sectors.

  • Cross-chain protocol pNetwork suffered a loss of more than $12 million worth of crypto assets as attackers abused a codebase vulnerability.

  • The U.S. optometry provider Simon Eye reportedly experienced a seven-day-long data breach encompassing sensitive records of more than 144,000 individuals.

  • A popular hacker forum was found selling a database allegedly containing 3.8 billion Clubhouse and Facebook user records. While the entire database has a price tag of $100,000, the owner would split it into parts.

  • The DOJ unveiled that AT&T suffered a loss of more than $200 million after a Pakistani fraudster managed to illegally unlock nearly two million phones.

New Threats

The cyberespionage world got a new entrant—FamousSparrow—that is hanging like an albatross around the neck of cybersecurity professionals. The group is targeting hotels and governments. A new crypto scam is making the rounds, pretending to be Elon Musk Mutual Aid Fund. In other news, a massive phishing-as-a-service operation was uncovered by Microsoft.

  • FamousSparrow, a new entrant to the cyberespionage space, is reportedly spying on users across multiple sectors, including government, engineering, legal, and hospitality.
  • Microsoft laid bare a massive Phishing-as-a-Service operation called BulletProofLink that offers built-in hosting and email-sending services, and more, at a relatively low cost.
  • A new TangleBot smishing campaign was discovered targeting Android users in the U.S. and Canada with lures related to COVID-19 regulations and vaccine information.
  • Six new versions of the Jupyter infostealer have been disclosed, which use digitally signed certificates to avoid detection.
  • Drinik banking trojan was spotted in a new attack campaign that targeted more than 27 public and private banks across India. It collects full names, email addresses, call logs, message logs, and financial details of users.
  • A new fileless attack campaign dubbed Water Basilisk used a new variant of HCrypt crypter to distribute numerous RATs to target systems.
  • The newly discovered TinyTurla backdoor is being used in attacks against the U.S., Germany, and Afghanistan. The campaign uses DLL side loading technique to evade detection.
  • A low-effort cryptocurrency giveaway scam called Elon Musk Mutual Aid Fund or Elon Musk Club was found making its way into victims’ inboxes.

Related Threat Briefings

Feb 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 03–07, 2025

PyPI is taking a "dead but not gone" approach to abandoned software with Project Archival, a new system that flags inactive projects while keeping them accessible. Developers will see warnings about outdated dependencies, helping them make smarter security choices and avoid relying on unmaintained code. The U.K is bringing earthquake-style metrics to cybersecurity with its new Cyber Monitoring Centre, designed to track digital disasters as precisely as natural ones. Inspired by the Richter scale, the CMC will quantify cyber incidents based on financial impact and affected users, offering clearer insights for national security planning. Kimsuky is back with another phishing trick, this time using fake Office and PDF files to sneak forceCopy malware onto victims' systems. Its latest campaign delivers PEBBLEDASH and RDP Wrapper by disguising malware as harmless shortcuts, ultimately hijacking browser credentials and sensitive data. Hackers have found a new way to skim credit card data - by hiding malware inside Google Tag Manager scripts. CISA is flagging major security holes in Microsoft Outlook and Sophos XG Firewall, urging agencies to patch them before February 27. One flaw allows remote code execution in Outlook, while another exposes firewall users to serious risks. Bitcoin scammers are switching tactics, swapping static images for video attachments in MMS to make their schemes more convincing. A recent case involved a tiny .3gp video luring victims into WhatsApp groups where scammers apply pressure to extract money or personal data. XE Group has shifted from credit card skimming to zero-day exploitation, now targeting manufacturing and distribution companies. A new version of ValleyRAT is making the rounds, using stealthy techniques to infiltrate systems. Morphisec found the malware being spread through fake Chrome downloads from a fraudulent Chinese telecom site.

Jan 10, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, January 06–10, 2025

The U.K is fortifying its digital defenses with the launch of Cyber Local, a £1.9 million initiative to bridge cyber skills gaps and secure the digital economy. Spanning 30 projects across England and Northern Ireland, the scheme emphasizes local business resilience, neurodiverse talent, and cybersecurity careers for youth. Across the Atlantic, the White House introduced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a consumer-friendly cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices. Overseen by the FCC, the initiative tests products like baby monitors and security systems for compliance with rigorous cybersecurity standards, ensuring Americans can make safer choices for their connected homes. China-linked threat actor RedDelta has ramped up its cyber-espionage activities across Asia, targeting nations such as Mongolia, Taiwan, Myanmar, and Vietnam with a modified PlugX backdoor. Cybercriminals have weaponized trust by deploying a fake PoC exploit tied to a patched Microsoft Windows LDAP vulnerability. CrowdStrike reported a phishing operation impersonating the company, using fake job offers to lure victims into downloading a fraudulent CRM application. Once installed, the malware deploys a Monero cryptocurrency miner. A new Mirai-based botnet, dubbed Gayfemboy, has emerged as a formidable threat, leveraging zero-day exploits in industrial routers and smart home devices. With 15,000 active bot nodes daily across China, the U.S., and Russia, the botnet executes high-intensity DDoS attacks exceeding 100 Gbps. In the Middle East, fraudsters are posing as government officials in a social engineering scheme targeting disgruntled customers. Cybercriminals have weaponized WordPress with a malicious plugin named PhishWP to create realistic fake payment pages mimicking services like Stripe. The plugin not only captures payment details in real time but also sends fake confirmation emails to delay detection.

Dec 20, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 16–20, 2024

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

Dec 13, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 09–13, 2024

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

Dec 6, 2024

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, December 02–06, 2024

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