Proofpoint has observed an increase in a technique leveraging unique social engineering that directs users to copy and paste malicious PowerShell scripts to infect their computers with malware.
Threat actors including initial access broker TA571 and at least one fake update activity set are using this method to deliver malware including DarkGate, Matanbuchus, NetSupport, and various information stealers. Whether the initial campaign begins via malspam or delivered via web browser injects, the technique is similar. Users are shown a popup textbox that suggests an error occurred when trying to open the document or webpage, and instructions are provided to copy and paste a malicious script into the PowerShell terminal, or the Windows Run dialog box to eventually run the script via PowerShell.
Read more…
Source: Proofpoint
Related:
- Ghana to set up national cyber security council
March 30, 2017
Ghana is to establish a national cyber security council to tackle the increasing rate of cyber crime in the country. The initiative is part of the government’s effort to build a comprehensive cyber security governance arrangement involving all key public and private sector stakeholders. The National Cyber Security Council will be an independent advisory body made ...
- New Clues Surface on Shamoon 2’s Destructive Behavior
March 27, 2017
Researchers on Monday reported progress in piecing together some of the missing pieces of the Shamoon 2 puzzle that have been eluding them when it comes to lateral network movement and execution of the Disttrack malware component used in past campaigns. Shamoon 2 uses a combination of legitimate tools, such as the open source utility PAExec, and ...
- Indian Startup Develops a Next-Gen Cybersecurity Solution on the Blockchain
March 26, 2017
A new innovative prototype startup powered by blockchain technology for cybersecurity has recently launched in India aimed at curbing the global phenomenon of cybercrime. Mumbai-based Block Armour was thought up by Narayan Neelakantan, former CISO and Head of IT Risk and Compliance with India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Floyd DCosta, who has a background in ...
- Apple Pressured to Pay Ransom by Hackers Threatening to Remotely Wipe iPhones
March 22, 2017
Apple is currently under pressure to pay a ransom to a group of hackers who are threatening to remotely wipe iPhones. It seems the hackers are identifying themselves as “Turkish Crime Family.” Taking into account just how big Apple is and how deep its pockets go, the hackers only demanded $75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum, another ...
- New Spam Campaign via Necurs Botnet Tries to Manipulate the Stock Market
March 21, 2017
The Necurs botnet is known as the largest spam botnet in the world, particularly for distributing Locky ransomware and Dridex. Now, it looks like Necurs is taking on a new role as someone tries to manipulate the stock market. The discovery was made by Cisco’s threat intelligence organization Talos, which notes that after being offline for ...
- Cyber Firm at Center of Russian Hacking Charges Misread Data
March 21, 2017
An influential British think tank and Ukraine’s military are disputing a report that the U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has used to buttress its claims of Russian hacking in the presidential election. The CrowdStrike report, released in December, asserted that Russians hacked into a Ukrainian artillery app, resulting in heavy losses of howitzers in Ukraine’s war with ...