- Enhancing Botnet Detection with AI using LLMs and Similarity Search
January 8, 2025
As botnets continue to evolve, so do the techniques required to detect them. While Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption is widely adopted for secure communications, botnets leverage TLS to obscure command-and-control (C2) traffic. These malicious actors often have identifiable characteristics embedded within their TLS certificates, opening a potential pathway for advanced detection techniques. In first-of-its-kind research, ...
- EAGERBEE, with updated and novel components, targets the Middle East
January 6, 2025
In recent investigation into the EAGERBEE backdoor, kaspersky researchers found that it was being deployed at ISPs and governmental entities in the Middle East. The researchers analysis uncovered new components used in these attacks, including a novel service injector designed to inject the backdoor into a running service. Additionally, Kaspersky team discovered previously undocumented components (plugins) ...
- Analyzing Malicious Intent in Python Code – A Case Study
December 23, 2024
Fortinet’s AI-driven OSS malware detection system recently identified two malicious packages: Zebo-0.1.0 on November 16, 2024, and Cometlogger-0.1 on November 24, 2024. Malicious software often masquerades as legitimate code, hiding its harmful features behind complex logic and obfuscation. In this analysis, Fortinet researchers examine the Python scripts behind these two packages, outline their malicious behaviors, and provide ...
- Cloud Atlas seen using a new tool in its attacks
December 23, 2024
Known since 2014, Cloud Atlas targets Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We’re shedding light on a previously undocumented toolset, which the group used heavily in 2024. Victims get infected via phishing emails containing a malicious document that exploits a vulnerability in the formula editor (CVE-2018-0802) to download and execute malware code. When opened, the document downloads a ...
- BellaCPP: Discovering a new BellaCiao variant written in C++
December 20, 2024
BellaCiao is a .NET-based malware family that adds a unique twist to an intrusion, combining the stealthy persistence of a webshell with the power to establish covert tunnels. It surfaced for the first time in late April 2023 and has since been publicly attributed to the APT actor Charming Kitten. One important aspect of the BellaCiao samples ...
- Lazarus group evolves its infection chain with old and new malware
December 19, 2024
Over the past few years, the Lazarus group has been distributing its malicious software by exploiting fake job opportunities targeting employees in various industries, including defense, aerospace, cryptocurrency, and other global sectors. This attack campaign is called the DeathNote campaign and is also referred to as “Operation DreamJob”. Kaspersky researchers have previously published the history of ...
- Download a banking Trojan to track your parcel
December 17, 2024
In late October 2024, a new scheme for distributing a certain Android banking Trojan called “Mamont” was uncovered. The victim would receive an instant message from an unknown sender asking to identify a person in a photo. The attackers would then send what appeared to be the photo itself but was actually a malware installer. Shortly ...
- 2024 Threat Landscape Statistics: Ransomware Activity, Vulnerability Exploits, and Attack Trends
December 16, 2024
In this blog, the global experts across our Rapid7 Labs and Managed Services teams share real-time vulnerability insights and threat intelligence so that our customers can anticipate and prevent breaches, pinpoint critical threats, and confidently take command of their attack surface. The Rapid7 Labs team has rounded up statistics and trends that caught their eye throughout ...
- Modular Java Backdoor Dropped in Cleo Exploitation Campaign
December 11, 2024
While investigating incidents related to Cleo software exploitation, Rapid7 Labs and MDR observed a novel, multi-stage attack that deploys an encoded Java Archive (JAR) payload. Our investigation revealed that the JAR file was part of a modular, Java-based Remote Access Trojan (RAT) system. This RAT facilitated system reconnaissance, file exfiltration, command execution, and encrypted communication with ...
- Fake video conferencing apps are targeting Web3 workers to steal their data
December 9, 2024
Researchers are warning of a new “fake job” hacking campaign that targets primarily people working in the Web3 (blockchain) industry. Experts at Cado Security Labs revealed the campaign started in September 2024, aiming to trick people into downloading infostealing malware to their devices, both for Windows and macOS. In some examples observed by the researchers, the ...