- Exploring Compiled V8 Javascript Usage In Malware
July 8, 2024
In recent months, CPR has been investigating the usage of compiled V8 JavaScript by malware authors. Compiled V8 JavaScript is a lesser-known feature in V8, Google’s JavaScript engine, that enables the compilation of JavaScript into low-level bytecode. This technique assists attackers in evading static detections and hiding their original source code, rendering it almost impossible to ...
- Mekotio Banking Trojan Threatens Financial Systems in Latin America
July 4, 2024
The Mekotio banking trojan is a sophisticated piece of malware that has been active since at least 2015, primarily targeting Latin American countries with the goal of stealing sensitive information — particularly banking credentials — from its targets. Originating in the Latin American region, it has been particularly prolific in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Peru. ...
- The Hidden Danger of PDF Files with Embedded QR Codes
July 3, 2024
The SonicWall Capture Labs threat research team has been observing PDF files with QR codes being abused by malware authors to deceive users for a long time. QR codes are increasingly popular due to their versatility and ease of use. Beyond payments and feedback, QR codes have a wide range of applications across various industries such ...
- SentinelLabs uncovers new CapraRAT spyware targeting Android users
July 1, 2024
A new report released today by SentinelLabs, warns of a resurgence of CapraRAT spyware targeting mobile gamers and weapons enthusiasts through malicious Android applications. CapraRAT is an Android remote-access trojan virus used by a Pakistan-linked threat actor called Transparent Tribe, also known as APT36, which first emerged around 2018. The malware has primarily been used for ...
- Supply Chain Compromise Leads to Trojanized Installers for Notezilla, RecentX, Copywhiz
June 27, 2024
On Tuesday, June 18th, 2024, Rapid7 initiated an investigation into suspicious activity in a customer environment. Their investigation identified that the suspicious behavior was emanating from the installation of Notezilla, a program that allows for the creation of sticky notes on a Windows desktop. Installers for Notezilla, along with tools called RecentX and Copywhiz, are distributed ...
- MerkSpy: Exploiting CVE-2021-40444 to Infiltrate Systems
June 27, 2024
Spyware is malicious software engineered to covertly monitor and gather information from a user’s computer without their awareness or consent. It can record activities like keystrokes, browsing behavior, and personal information, often transmitting this data to a third party for espionage or theft. FortiGuard Labs recently detected an attack exploiting the CVE-2021-40444 vulnerability in Microsoft Office. ...
- New Orcinius Trojan Uses VBA Stomping to Mask Infection
June 27, 2024
This week, the SonicWall Capture Labs threat research team investigated a sample of Orcinius malware. This is a multi-stage trojan that is using Dropbox and Google Docs to download second-stage payloads and stay updated. It contains an obfuscated VBA macro that hooks into Windows to monitor running windows and keystrokes and creates persistence using registry keys. Read ...
- XZ backdoor: Hook analysis
June 24, 2024
In their first article on the XZ backdoor, Kaspersky researchers analyzed its code from initial infection to the function hooking it performs. As they mentioned then, its initial goal was to successfully hook one of the functions related to RSA key manipulation. In this article, the research team will focus on the backdoor’s behaviour inside OpenSSH, ...
- ExCobalt: GoRed, the hidden-tunnel technique
June 19, 2024
While responding to an incident at one of their clients, the PT ESC CSIRT team discovered a previously unknown backdoor written in Go, which they attributed to a cybercrime gang dubbed ExCobalt. ExCobalt focuses on cyberespionage and includes several members active since at least 2016 and presumably once part of the notorious Cobalt gang. Cobalt attacked ...
- LevelBlue Labs Discovers Highly Evasive, New Loader Targeting Chinese Organizations
June 19, 2024
LevelBlue Labs recently discovered a new highly evasive loader that is being delivered to specific targets through phishing attachments. A loader is a type of malware used to load second-stage payload malware onto a victim’s system. Due to the lack of previous samples observed in the wild, LevelBlue Labs has named this malware “SquidLoader,” given its ...

