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Executive SummaryMallox (aka TargetCompany, FARGO and Tohnichi) is a ransomware strain that targets Microsoft (MS) Windows systems. It has been active since June 2021, and is notable for exploiting unsecured MS-SQL servers as a penetration vector to compromise victims’ networks.…
On a bi-weekly basis, FortiGuard Labs gathers data on ransomware variants of interest that have been gaining traction within our datasets and the OSINT community. The Ransomware Roundup report aims to provide readers with brief insights into the evolving ransomware landscape and the Fortinet solutions that protect against those variants.…
Lumen Black Lotus Labs® identified another multi-year campaign involving compromised routers across the globe. This is a complex operation that infects small-office/home-office (SOHO) routers, deploying a Linux-based Remote Access Trojan (RAT) we’ve dubbed “AVrecon.” Apart from a single reference to AVrecon in May 2021, the malware has been operating undetected for more than two years.…
AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) has recently discovered the Kimsuky threat group using Chrome Remote Desktop. The Kimsuky threat group uses not only their privately developed AppleSeed malware, but also remote control malware such as Meterpreter to gain control over infected systems. [1] Logs of the group using customized VNC or using remote control tools such as RDP Wrapper also continue to be detected.…
August 8, 2023 update: Microsoft released security updates to address CVE-2023-36884. Customers are advised to apply patches, which supersede the mitigations listed in this blog, as soon as possible.
Microsoft has identified a phishing campaign conducted by the threat actor tracked as Storm-0978 targeting defense and government entities in Europe and North America.…
In this entry, we discuss the findings of our investigation into a piece of a signed rootkit, whose main binary functions as a universal loader that enables attackers to directly load a second-stage unsigned kernel module.
In one of our recent threat hunting investigations, we came across an interesting new threat activity cluster that we initially thought was a false positive detection for a Microsoft signed file.…
AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) has confirmed the distribution of malware in the form of a batch file (*.bat). This malware is designed to download various scripts based on the anti-malware process, including AhnLab products, installed in the user’s environment. Based on the function names used by the malware and the downloaded URL parameters, it is suspected to have been distributed by the Kimsuky group.…
NetSupport RAT is being used by various threat actors. These are distributed through spam emails and phishing pages disguised as documents such as Invoices, shipment documents, and PO (purchase orders). Distribution via phishing pages has been covered on this Blog in the past. [1]
AhnLab Security Emergency response Center(ASEC) discovered NetSupport RAT being distributed via a spear phishing email that has recently been in circulation.…
We often think of malvertising as being malicious ads that push malware or scams, and quite rightly so these are probably the most common payloads. However, malvertising is also a great vehicle for phishing attacks which we usually see more often via spam emails.
Threat actors continue to abuse and impersonate brands, posing as verified advertisers whose only purpose is to smuggle rogue ads via popular search engines.…
As ransomware attacks continue to grow in number and sophistication, threat actors can quickly impact business operations if organizations are not well prepared. In a recent investigation by Microsoft Incident Response (previously known as Microsoft Detection and Response Team – DART) of an intrusion, we found that the threat actor progressed through the full attack chain, from initial access to impact, in less than five days, causing significant business disruption for the victim organization.…
ARCrypter ransomware, also known as ChileLocker, emerged in August 2022 and gained attention following an attack on an entity located in Chile. Subsequently, researchers revealed that this ransomware started targeting organizations worldwide. The Threat Actors (TA)s responsible for this group do not maintain a leak site for extorting their victims.…
We found that malicious actors used malvertising to distribute malware via cloned webpages of legitimate organizations. The distribution involved a webpage of the well-known application WinSCP, an open-source Windows application for file transfer. We were able to identify that this activity led to a BlackCat (aka ALPHV) infection, and actors also used SpyBoy, a terminator that tampers with protection provided by agents.…
How many times have we heard “It takes just one click”? Well, in this case it took approximately three. In May 2023, the ReliaQuest Threat Hunting Team responded to an incident involving credential access and exfiltration that was traced back to the JavaScript-based initial access malware “Gootloader.”…
On a bi-weekly basis, FortiGuard Labs gathers data on ransomware variants of interest that have been gaining traction within our datasets and the OSINT community. The Ransomware Roundup report aims to provide readers with brief insights into the evolving ransomware landscape and the Fortinet solutions that protect against those variants.…
RedEyes (also known as APT37, ScarCruft, and Reaper) is a state-sponsored APT group that mainly carries out attacks against individuals such as North Korean defectors, human rights activists, and university professors. Their task is known to be monitoring the lives of specific individuals. In May 2023, AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) discovered the RedEyes group distributing and using an Infostealer with wiretapping features that was previously unknown along with a backdoor developed using GoLang that exploits the Ably platform.* ABLY…
AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) has recently discovered the Mallox ransomware with the BAT file extension being distributed to poorly managed MS-SQL servers. Extensions of files distributed to poorly managed MS-SQL servers include not only EXE but also BAT, which is a fileless format. The files distributed with the BAT file extension that has been discovered so far are Remcos RAT and Mallox.…
By Securonix Threat Labs, Threat Research: D. Iuzvyk, T. Peck, O. Kolesnikov
June 21, 2023
TL;DRMULTI#STORM, an interesting attack campaign involving Python-based loader malware was recently seen being used to deliver Warzone RAT infections using phishing emails.
An interesting phishing campaign was recently analyzed by the Securonix Threat Research Team.…
We looked into the documented behavior of SeroXen malware and noted the inclusion of the latest iteration of the batch obfuscation engine BatCloak to generate a fully undetectable (FUD) .bat loader. This is the second part of a three-part series documenting the abuse of BatCloak’s evasion capabilities and interoperability with other malware.…
Since November 2022, the eSentire Threat Response Unit (TRU) has observed the resurgence of what we believe to be a malicious campaign targeting the manufacturing, commercial, and healthcare organizations. The campaign is similar to the one reported by Trend Micro researchers in December 2020. The campaign is believed to be conducted by native Russian speaking threat actor(s).…
How do you know when something is in hot demand in the underground economy?…