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Executive SummaryUnit 42 researchers discovered a large-scale campaign we call ApateWeb that uses a network of over 130,000 domains to deliver scareware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) and other scam pages. Among these PUPs, we have identified several adware programs including a rogue browser and different browser extensions.…
Mandiant Managed Defense has been tracking UNC4990, an actor who heavily uses USB devices for initial infection. UNC4990 primarily targets users based in Italy and is likely motivated by financial gain. Our research shows this campaign has been ongoing since at least 2020.
Despite relying on the age-old tactic of weaponizing USB drives, UNC4990 continues to evolve their tools, tactics and procedures (TTPs).…
ESET has collaborated with the Federal Police of Brazil in an attempt to disrupt the Grandoreiro botnet. ESET contributed to the project by providing technical analysis, statistical information, and known command and control (C&C) server domain names and IP addresses. Due to a design flaw in Grandoreiro’s network protocol, ESET researchers were also able to get a glimpse into the victimology.…
Identifier: TRR240101.
On 2023-12-28, the Ukrainian government computer emergency and incident response team (CERT-UA) described a malicious espionage campaign that targeted government organizations in Ukraine. CERT-UA attributed the campaign to the APT28 threat-actor (aka Sofacy, Fancy Bear, etc.).
The malicious campaign leveraged spear-phishing to trick users into visiting a remote HTML page and opening a Windows shortcut, which in turn enabled the deployment of remote execution tools (MASEPIE, OCEANMAP), a credential stealer (STEELHOOK) as well as publicly available reconnaissance and credentials harvesting tool (Impacket).…
[Update] January 30, 2024: “Official Attributions of Star Blizzard”
Within the continuously changing cyber threat landscape, the strategies of Star Blizzard unfold with a calculated precision, resembling a strategic orchestration. Spear-phishing, in this context, mirrors a carefully planned and executed maneuver. This elusive group, exhibiting a level of sophistication comparable to seasoned experts, systematically identifies specific individuals and groups as their targeted audience.…
ESET researchers provide an analysis of an attack carried out by a previously undisclosed China-aligned threat actor we have named Blackwood, and that we believe has been operating since at least 2018. The attackers deliver a sophisticated implant, which we named NSPX30, through adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks hijacking update requests from legitimate software.…
The digital world is constantly under the threat of cyber attacks, and the emergence of new ransomware groups only intensifies this peril. One such group that has recently come into the spotlight is INC Ransom. This group has quickly gained notoriety for its sophisticated attacks and elusive nature.…
This post is also available in: 日本語 (Japanese)
Executive SummaryUnit 42 researchers have been tracking the BianLian ransomware group, which has been in the top 10 of the most active groups based on leak site data we’ve gathered. From that leak site data, we’ve primarily observed activity affecting the healthcare and manufacturing sectors and industries, and impacting organizations mainly in the United States (US) and Europe (EU).…
In this blog, we detail our investigation of the Kasseika ransomware and the indicators we found suggesting that the actors behind it have acquired access to the source code of the notorious BlackMatter ransomware.
Following an increase in bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOVD) attacks launched by ransomware groups in 2023, the Kasseika ransomware is among the latest groups to take part in the trend.…
Throughout Q2 and Q3 2023, Kroll has observed an increased use of the malicious “SYSTEMBC” tool to maintain access in a compromised network. SYSTEMBC was first observed in the wild in 2018 with its core functionality revolving around its ability to act as SOCKS5 proxy. This provides a useful capability for threat actors as a persistent access mechanism or for purposes of leaving behind a backdoor in case of discovery of their initial access method.…
Huntress SOC analysts recently alerted customers regarding two disparate endpoints identified as being minimally impacted by ransomware; that is, only a limited number of ransomware canary files were encrypted. In neither instance was there any indication of the threat actor conducting reconnaissance activities beyond the impacted endpoint, nor attempting to move laterally to other endpoints within the infrastructure. …
One hacker collective continues to confound federal law enforcement and cybersecurity experts — the Scattered Spider. Known by a multitude of aliases such as Muddled Libra, UNC3944, Starfraud, and Octo Tempest, this hacking group has not only infiltrated major corporate networks like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment but has done so with a bold audacity that leaves many wondering.…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to disseminate known indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with threat actors deploying Androxgh0st malware. Multiple, ongoing investigations and trusted third party reporting yielded the IOCs and TTPs, and provided information on Androxgh0st malware’s ability to establish a botnet that can further identify and compromise vulnerable networks.…
By Securonix Threat Labs, Threat Research: D. Iuzvyk, T. Peck, O. Kolesnikov
tldr: Threat actors favor RMM (remote monitoring and management) as it allows for convenient and stealthy command and control capabilities on compromised hosts. Today, let’s take a look at some of the popular options that the bad guys are using and discover how we can detect them.…
Unit 42 Threat Intelligence analysts have noticed an escalation in Medusa ransomware activities and a shift in tactics toward extortion, characterized by the introduction in early 2023 of their dedicated leak site called the Medusa Blog. Medusa threat actors use this site to disclose sensitive data from victims unwilling to comply with their ransom demands.…
This blog delves into the Phemedrone Stealer campaign’s exploitation of CVE-2023-36025, the Windows Defender SmartScreen Bypass vulnerability, for its defense evasion and investigates the malware’s payload.
During routine threat hunting, Trend Micro uncovered evidence pointing to an active exploitation of CVE-2023-36025 to infect users with a previously unknown strain of the malware, Phemedrone Stealer.…
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) is a cybercrime business model where operators maintain software, websites, infrastructure, and other features needed to conduct ransomware attacks. Affiliates of the RaaS program conduct the attacks and the profits are then shared between the affiliate and the operator.…