- NukeSped Copies Fileless Code From Bundlore, Leaves It Unused
June 22, 2021
While investigating samples of NukeSped, a remote access trojan (RAT), Trend Micro came across several Bundlore adware samples using the same fileless routine that was spotted in NukeSped. The backdoor has been attributed to the cybercriminal group Lazarus, which has been active since at least 2014. There are multiple variants of NukeSped, which is designed ...
- ‘Oddball’ Malware Blocks Access to Pirated Software
June 18, 2021
The objective of most malware is some kind of gain — financial or otherwise — for the attackers who use it. However, researchers recently observed a unique malware with a single intent: Blocking the infected computers from visiting websites dedicated to software piracy. The malware (which SophosLabs principal researcher Andrew Brandt called “one of the strangest ...
- Bash Ransomware DarkRadiation Targets Red Hat- and Debian-based Linux Distributions
June 17, 2021
A recently discovered Bash ransomware piqued our interest in multiple ways. Upon investigating, we found that the attack chain is fully implemented as a bash script, but it also seems that the scripts are still under development. Most components of this attack mainly target Red Hat and CentOS Linux distributions; however, in some scripts Debian-based Linux ...
- Matanbuchus: Malware-as-a-Service with Demonic Intentions
June 16, 2021
Unit 42 researchers often spend time investigating what we call non-traditional sources. Non-traditional sources often include underground marketplaces and sites, spanning from forums on the Tor network to Telegram channels and other marketplaces. One such case that we investigated involves a threat actor called BelialDemon, who is a member of several underground forums and marketplaces. In ...
- Ferocious Kitten: 6 years of covert surveillance in Iran
June 16, 2021
Ferocious Kitten is an APT group that since at least 2015 has been targeting Persian-speaking individuals who appear to be based in Iran. Although it has been active for a long time, the group has mostly operated under the radar and has not been covered by security researchers to the best of our knowledge. It ...
- Paradise Ransomware source code released on a hacking forum
June 15, 2021
The complete source code for the Paradise Ransomware has been released on a hacking forum allowing any would-be cyber criminal to develop their own customized ransomware operation. Released on the hacking forum XSS, the link to the source code is only accessible to active users on the site who have previously replied to or reacted to ...
- Custom Malware Collects Billions of Stolen Data Points
June 9, 2021
Researchers have uncovered a 1.2-terabyte database of stolen data, lifted from 3.2 million Windows-based computers over the course of two years by an unknown, custom malware. The heisted info includes 6.6 million files and 26 million credentials, and 2 billion web login cookies – with 400 million of the latter still valid at the time ...
- Gootkit: the cautious Trojan
June 7, 2021
Gootkit is complex multi-stage banking malware that was discovered for the first time by Doctor Web in 2014. Initially it was distributed via spam and exploits kits such as Spelevo and RIG. In conjunction with spam campaigns, the adversaries later switched to compromised websites where the visitors are tricked into downloading the malware. Gootkit is capable ...
- Siloscape: First Known Malware Targeting Windows Containers to Compromise Cloud Environments
June 7, 2021
In March 2021, I uncovered the first known malware targeting Windows containers, a development that is not surprising given the massive surge in cloud adoption over the past few years. I named the malware Siloscape (sounds like silo escape) because its primary goal is to escape the container, and in Windows this is implemented mainly ...
- Novel ‘Victory’ Backdoor Spotted in Chinese APT Campaign
June 7, 2021
An ongoing surveillance operation has been uncovered that targets a Southeast Asian government, researchers said – using a previously unknown espionage malware. According to Check Point Research, the attack involves spear-phishing emails with malicious Word documents to gain initial access, along with the exploitation of older, known Microsoft Office security vulnerabilities. But most notable, researchers said, ...
- New SkinnyBoy malware used by Russian hackers to breach sensitive orgs
June 3, 2021
Security researchers have discovered a new piece of malware called SkinnyBoy that was used in spear-phishing campaigns attributed to Russian-speaking hacking group APT28. The threat actor, also known as Fancy Bear, Sednit, Sofacy, Strontium, or PwnStorm, used SkinnyBoy in attacks targeting military and government institutions earlier this year. SkinnyBoy is intended for an intermediary stage of the ...
- DarkSide on Linux: Virtual Machines Targeted
May 28, 2021
As we discussed in our previous blog, the DarkSide ransomware is targeting organizations in manufacturing, finance, and critical infrastructures in regions such as the United States, France, Belgium, and Canada. The DarkSide ransomware targets both Windows and Linux platforms. We also noticed that the Linux variant, in particular, targets ESXI servers. In this blog, we focus ...
- Russian gang behind SolarWinds hack returns with phishing attack disguised as mail from US aid agency
May 28, 2021
Nobelium, the Russia-aligned gang identified as the perpetrators of the supply chain attack on SolarWinds’ Orion software, has struck again, Microsoft vice president Tom Burt in a blogpost Thursday. Burt’s post says the attacks saw Nobelium gain access to accounts on the email marketing service “Constant Contact” operated by The United States Agency for International Development ...
- Evolution of JSWorm ransomware
May 25, 2021
Over the past few years, the ransomware threat landscape has been gradually changing. We have been witness to a paradigm shift. From the massive outbreaks of 2017, such as WannaCry, NotPetya, and Bad Rabbit, a lot of ransomware actors have moved to the covert but highly profitable tactic of “big-game hunting”. News of ransomware causing ...
- Apple Exec Calls Level of Mac Malware ‘Unacceptable’
May 20, 2021
Apple is using the growing threat of malware on its Mac platform as a defense in a lawsuit that could force the company to open up new channels of applications for its mobile iOS platform. In testimony in a California court Wednesday, Apple head of software engineering, Craig Federighi called the level of malware threat against ...
- BazarCall: Call Centers Help Spread BazarLoader Malware
May 19, 2021
BazarLoader (sometimes referred to as BazaLoader) is malware that provides backdoor access to an infected Windows host. After a client is infected, criminals use this backdoor access to send follow-up malware, scan the environment and exploit other vulnerable hosts on the network. The threat actor behind BazarLoader uses different methods to distribute this malware to potential ...
- Bizarro banking Trojan expands its attacks to Europe
May 17, 2021
Bizarro is yet another banking Trojan family originating from Brazil that is now found in other regions of the world. We have seen users being targeted in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. Attempts have now been made to steal credentials from customers of 70 banks from different European and South American countries. Following in the ...
- Ransomware world in 2021: who, how and why
May 12, 2021
As the world marks the second Anti-Ransomware Day, there’s no way to deny it: ransomware has become the buzzword in the security community. And not without good reason. The threat may have been around a long time, but it’s changed. Year after year, the attackers have grown bolder, methodologies have been refined and, of course, ...
- New ransomware: CISA warns over FiveHands file-encrypting malware variant
May 12, 2021
The US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned organizations to be cautious of a relatively new ransomware variant called FiveHands. FiveHands ransomware has been around since January 2021, but CISA said it was “aware of a recent, successful cyberattack against an organization” using this strain of file-encrypting malware. Read more… Source: ZDNet
- New Android malware targeting banks in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands
May 11, 2021
A new Android trojan has been identified by security researchers, who said on Monday that once it is successfully installed in the victim’s device, those behind it can obtain a live stream of the device screen and also interact with it via its Accessibility Services. The malware, dubbed “Teabot” by security researchers with Cleafy, has been ...
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