MOONSHINE Exploit Kit and DarkNimbus Backdoor Enabling Earth Minotaur’s Multi-Platform Attacks


Trend Micro researchers have been continuously monitoring the MOONSHINE exploit kit’s activity since 2019. During our research, they discovered a MOONSHINE exploit kit server with improper operational security: Its server exposed MOONSHINE’s toolkits and operation logs, which revealed the information of possible victims and the attack tactics of a threat actor we have named Earth Minotaur.

MOONSHINE was first discovered as part of malicious activities against the Tibetan community, and is believed to also be associated with previous malicious activities against Uyghurs. It’s designed to implant a backdoor by exploiting the vulnerabilities of instant messaging apps on Android mobile devices.

Read more…
Source: Trend Micro


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Increase in Lumma Stealer Activity Coincides with Use of Adaptive Browser Fingerprinting Tactics

    November 13, 2025

    In the wake of a targeted doxxing campaign last month that exposed the alleged core members of Lumma Stealer (which Trend Micro tracks as Water Kurita), the underground infostealer landscape experienced a significant upheaval. As detailed in Trend Research’s previous report, this exposure led to a marked decline in Lumma Stealer’s activity, with many of its ...

  • #StopRansomware: Akira Ransomware

    November 13, 2025

    The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and partner organisations are releasing this joint advisory to disseminate known Akira ransomware IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI investigations and trusted third-party reporting as recently as November 2025. Akira ransomware threat actors are associated with other groups known as Storm-1567, Howling Scorpius, Punk Spider, and Gold Sahara, ...

  • 1 million victims, 17,500 fake sites: Google takes on toll-fee scammers

    November 13, 2025

    A Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platform based in China, known as “Lighthouse,” is the subject of a new Google lawsuit. Lighthouse enables smishing (SMS phishing) campaigns, and if you’re in the US there is a good chance you’ve seen their texts about a small amount you supposedly owe in toll fees. Here’s an example of a toll-fee scam ...

  • CISA: Implementation Guidance for Emergency Directive on Cisco ASA and Firepower Device Vulnerabilities

    November 12, 2025

    CISA has released Emergency Cisco Directive 25-03 Implementation Guidance to assist federal agencies in addressing critical vulnerabilities in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) and Firepower devices. Emergency Directive 25-03: Identify and Mitigate Potential Compromise of Cisco Devices, issued on Sept. 25, identified known vulnerabilities CVE-2025-20333 and CVE-2025-20362, and mandated immediate action to mitigate risks. Threat actors continue to target ...

  • Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection Investigates Data Breach Exposing 1.5 Million People

    November 12, 2025

    The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) is investigating a data breach at major government software supplier Miljödata that has compromised the personal information of 1.5 million people. Miljödata learned of the breach after experiencing system disruptions that affected government services, and a threat actor approached the company demanding 1.5 Bitcoin to avoid leaking the stolen ...

  • UK: NHS providers reviewing stolen data published by cyber criminals

    November 11, 2025

    Pathology supplier Synnovis is contacting NHS organisations which had data stolen and published online following a major cyber attack last year. Synnovis has now completed its investigation into patient and staff data published online by the cyber criminal gang on 20 June 2024, which includes personal data such as names, NHS numbers, test results and test ...