Awaken Likho is awake: new techniques of an APT group


In July 2021, a campaign was launched primarily targeting Russian government agencies and industrial enterprises. Shortly after the campaign started, Kaspersky began tracking it, and published three reports in August and September 2024 through their threat research subscription on the threat actor they named Awaken Likho (also named by other vendors as Core Werewolf).

While investigating the activity of this APT group, Kaspersky researchers discovered a new campaign that began in June 2024 and continued at least until August. Analysis of the campaign revealed that the attackers had significantly changed the software they used in their attacks. The attackers now prefer using the agent for the legitimate MeshCentral platform instead of the UltraVNC module, which they had previously used to gain remote access to systems. The group remains focused on targeting Russian government organizations and enterprises.

Read more…
Source: kaspersky


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • ValleyRAT masquerading as adware

    August 31, 2026

    Attackers typically try to pass off malware as legitimate applications or as potentially unwanted programs that users deliberately search for and download, such as cheats or cracks. They often rely on ad and affiliate networks to deliver their creations to victims’ devices. This post examines a less conventional case: a well-known backdoor distributed under the ...

  • TerminalFix campaign deploys a reverse tunnel through multistage intrusion

    August 28, 2026

    Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed a TerminalFix campaign, a variant of ClickFix, targeting organizations across multiple industries. The campaign uses compromised websites to display a fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA verification overlay that tricks users into copying and executing a malicious PowerShell command. While traditional ClickFix campaigns direct victims to the Windows Run dialog, TerminalFix campaigns apply ...

  • PaperCut NG/MF Critical Zero-Day Exploited in the Wild

    August 28, 2026

    On August 27, 2026, PaperCut Software published an urgent security advisory stating that it is investigating active exploitation of a vulnerability affecting PaperCut NG and PaperCut MF. PaperCut has confirmed customer incidents and is treating the issue as a security emergency. At the initial time of disclosure, the vulnerability had not been assigned a CVE identifier, and ...

  • Identity-as-a-Service: Uncovering Dark Web Marketplaces Trading Executive SSNs

    August 27, 2026

    Despite modern verification controls, identity theft remains one of the most pervasive threats to both individuals and enterprise organizations. U.S. Federal Trade Commission statistics show over 1 million identity theft reports annually, with related fraud and imposter scams accounting for billions in financial losses each year. While stolen credit cards enable rapid, short-term monetization, Social ...

  • An open letter for a global surge in cyber defense

    August 27, 2026

    We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defenses. In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable. The companies and public services our communities depend on—from hospitals to water treatment plants to the infrastructure that powers the internet—are at risk. Today’s AI advances ...

  • Millions of UK airport customer details accessed in major cyberattack

    August 27, 2026

    A cyber security breach targeting three major UK airports has led to the personal data of around 8.7 million customers being accessed, operator Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has confirmed. The group, which oversees Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport, assured the public that “at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised”, adding that no payment or banking details ...