Earth Koshchei Coopts Red Team Tools in Complex RDP Attacks


Red teaming provides essential tools and testing methodologies for organizations to strengthen their security defenses. Cybercriminals and advanced persistent threat (APT) actors pay close attention to new methods and tools red teams develop, and they may repurpose them with a malicious intent.

In October 2024, an APT group that Trend Micro tracks as Earth Koshchei (also known as APT29 and Midnight Blizzard), likely used a rogue remote desktop protocol (RDP) attack methodology against numerous targets. This methodology was described earlier in 2022 by Black Hills Information Security in detail. The attack technique is called “rogue RDP”, which involves an RDP relay, a rogue RDP server, and a malicious RDP configuration file. A victim of this technique would give partial control of their machine to the attacker, potentially leading to data leakage and malware installation.

Read more…
Source: Trend Micro


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • iPhone flaw could read your saved passwords out loud – update now

    October 7, 2024

    Apple has issued security updates for iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1 which includes a fix for a bug that could allow a user’s saved passwords to be read aloud by its VoiceOver feature. VoiceOver allows users to use their iPhone or iPad even if they can’t see the screen. It gives audible descriptions of what’s on ...

  • UK’s Sellafield nuclear waste processing plant fined £333K for infosec blunders

    October 4, 2024

    The outfit that runs Britain’s Sellafield nuclear waste processing and decommissioning site has been fined £332,500 ($440,000) by the nation’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) for its shoddy cybersecurity practices between 2019 and 2023. Sellafield, located in Cumbria, England, manages more radioactive waste than any other nuclear site in the world, and decommissioning work happening at ...

  • Zimbabwe faces alarming rise in cyber attacks amid bank hacking

    October 3, 2024

    Zimbabwe has witnessed a significant surge in cyber attacks in recent months, with local entities, including banks, falling victim to hacking, the country’s Minister of Information Communication Technology, Tatenda Mavetera has revealed. Mavetera said the threat is also a local phenomenon, citing recent bank hacks in the country. Mavetera stated that cybercrime is not just a ...

  • CISA flags major Ivanti security flaw – patch now

    October 3, 2024

    The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a known Ivanti bug to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, signalling that it’s being actively abused in the wild. The bug that was just added is an SQL Injection vulnerability, found this spring in the Core server of Ivanti Endpoint Manager (EPM) 2022 SU5 and ...

  • Threat Awareness – Shifting Phishing Techniques & Tips for Staying Safe

    October 3, 2024

    Phishing remains a significant and ever-evolving cybersecurity threat, with recent data showing a 28% rise in attacks between Q1 and Q2 of 2024. This trend highlights how persistent and evolving phishing tactics continue to be, impacting a staggering 94% of cybersecurity decision-makers in 2023. Attackers are increasingly using compromised internal accounts, shifting the platforms they ...

  • Russian Authorities Arrest 96 in Major Money Laundering Operation

    October 3, 2024

    In a coordinated effort against cybercrime-related money laundering, Russian authorities have made nearly 100 arrests in connection with an extensive criminal operation involving cryptocurrency exchanges and illegal financial activities. The arrests were part of a nationwide crackdown tied to the UAPS payment system and the Cryptex cryptocurrency exchanges, both of which have been linked to cybercriminals ...