- 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 ...