- Batavia spyware steals data from Russian organizations
July 7, 2025
Since early March 2025, our systems have recorded an increase in detections of similar files with names like договор-2025-5.vbe, приложение.vbe, and dogovor.vbe (translation: contract, attachment) among employees at various Russian organizations. The targeted attack begins with bait emails containing malicious links, sent under the pretext of signing a contract. The campaign began in July 2024 and ...
- NordDragonScan: Quiet Data-Harvester on Windows
July 7, 2025
FortiGuard Labs recently uncovered an active delivery site that hosts a weaponized HTA script and silently drops the infostealer “NordDragonScan” into victims’ environments. Once installed, NordDragonScan examines the host and copies documents, harvests entire Chrome and Firefox profiles, and takes screenshots. The package is then sent over TLS to its command-and-control server, “kpuszkiev.com,” which also serves ...
- macOS NimDoor, DPRK Threat Actors Target Web3 and Crypto Platforms with Nim-Based Malware
July 2, 2025
In April 2025, Huntabil.IT observed a targeted attack on a Web3 startup, attributing the incident to a DPRK threat actor group. Several reports on social media at the time described similar incidents at other Web3 and Crypto organizations. Analysis revealed an attack chain consisting of an eclectic mix of scripts and binaries written in AppleScript, C++ ...
- Windows Shortcut (LNK) Malware Strategies
July 2, 2025
Attackers are increasingly exploiting Windows shortcut (LNK) files for malware delivery. Palo Alto Unit 42 telemetry revealed 21,098 malicious LNK samples in 2023, which surged to 68,392 in 2024. In this article, Unit 42 researchers present an in-depth investigation of LNK malware, based on analysis of 30,000 recent samples. Windows shortcut files use the .lnk file ...
- SparkKitty, SparkCat’s little brother: A new Trojan spy found in the App Store and Google Play
June 23, 2025
In January 2025, Kaspersky researchers uncovered the SparkCat spyware campaign, which was aimed at gaining access to victims’ crypto wallets. The threat actor distributed apps containing a malicious SDK/framework. This component would wait for a user to open a specific screen (typically a support chat), then request access to the device’s gallery. It would then use ...
- Resurgence of the Prometei Botnet
June 20, 2025
In March 2025, Unit 42 researchers identified a wave of Prometei attacks. Prometei refers to both the botnet and the malware family used to operate it. This malware family, which includes both Linux and Windows variants, allows attackers to remotely control compromised systems for cryptocurrency mining (particularly Monero) and credential theft. This article focuses on the ...
- Scammers hijack websites of popular brands to insert fake phone number
June 18, 2025
Cybercriminals frequently use fake search engine listings to take advantage of our trust in popular brands, and then scam us. It often starts, as with so many attacks, with a sponsored search result on Google. In the latest example of this type of scam, we found tech support scammers hijacking the results of people looking for ...
- Exploring a New KimJongRAT Stealer Variant and Its PowerShell Implementation
June 17, 2025
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of two new variants of the KimJongRAT stealer. Palo Alto Unit 42 combine new research findings with existing knowledge to provide a comprehensive resource for understanding and combating these new KimJongRAT variants. The KimJongRAT stealer was first described in 2013 by the Malware.lu CERT. Palo Alto researchers documented another variant ...
- VMDetector-Based Loader Abuses Steganography to Deliver Infostealers
June 16, 2025
Recently, the SonicWall Capture Labs threat research team has identified various malware strains being distributed through a custom VMDetector Loader. This loader is typically delivered to the victim’s system via image files embedded with steganography. The primary payloads observed include popular malware families such as Remcos, VIPKeyLogger, AveMariaRAT, DCRAT, FormBook, and others. Attackers send an email ...
- Anubis: A Closer Look at an Emerging Ransomware with Built-in Wiper
June 13, 2025
A new ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group has emerged and has been making a name for itself in 2025. Anubis is a recently identified group that sets itself apart by partnering encryption with more destructive capabilities—wiping directories which severely impact chances of file recovery. Given its brief history and use of a multi-layered extortion model, Anubis has all ...