New Star Blizzard spear-phishing campaign targets WhatsApp accounts


Star Blizzard’s new spear-phishing campaign, while novel in that it uses and targets WhatsApp for the first time, exhibits familiar spear-phishing TTPs for Star Blizzard, with the threat actor initiating email contact with their targets, to engage them, before sending them a second message containing a malicious link.

The sender address used by the threat actor in this campaign impersonates a US government official, continuing Star Blizzard’s practice of impersonating known political/diplomatic figures, to further ensure target engagement. The initial email sent to targets contains a quick response (QR) code purporting to direct users to join a WhatsApp group on “the latest non-governmental initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine NGOs.”

Read more…
Source: Microsoft


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Threat Assessment: Hangover Threat Group

    June 3, 2020

    Unit 42 researchers recently published on activity by the Hangover threat group (aka Neon, Viceroy Tiger, MONSOON) carrying out targeted cyberattacks deploying BackConfig malware attacks against government and military organizations in South Asia. As a result, we’ve created this threat assessment report for the Hangover Group’s activities. The techniques and campaigns can be visualized using the Unit 42 ...

  • Ransomware gangs team up to form extortion cartel

    June 3, 2020

    Ransomware gangs are teaming up to extort victims through a shared data leak platform, and the exchange of tactics and intelligence. In November 2019, the Maze Ransomware operators transformed ransomware attacks into data breaches after they released unencrypted data of a victim who refused to pay. Soon after, they launched a dedicated “Maze News” site used to shame their unpaid victims ...

  • REvil ransomware creates eBay-like auction site for stolen data

    June 2, 2020

    ​The operators of the REvil ransomware have launched a new auction site used to sell victim’s stolen data to the highest bidder. REvil, otherwise known as Sodinokibi, is a ransomware operation that breaches corporate networks using exposed remote desktop services, spam, exploits, and hacked Managed Service Providers. Once established on a network, they quietly spread laterally through the company while stealing ...

  • Severe Cisco DoS Flaw Can Cripple Nexus Switches

    June 2, 2020

    Cisco has patched a high-severity flaw in its NX-OS software, the network operating system used by Cisco’s Nexus-series Ethernet switches. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the input access control lists (ACLs) configured on affected Nexus switches – and launch a denial of service (DoS) attacks on the devices. “A successful ...

  • New cold boot attack affects seven years of LG Android smartphones

    June 2, 2020

    South Korean phone manufacturer LG has released a security update last month to fix a vulnerability that impacts its Android smartphones sold over the past seven years. The vulnerability, tracked under the identifier of CVE-2020-12753, impacts the bootloader component that ships with LG smartphones. Separate from the Android OS, the bootloader is a piece of firmware specific ...

  • Factory Security Problems from an IT Perspective (Part 3): Practical approach for stable operation

    June 1, 2020

    This article is the last in a series that discusses the challenges that IT departments face when they are assigned the task of overseeing cybersecurity in factories and implementing measures to overcome these challenges. As explained in the first two articles, a factory network that accounts for diverse conditions and environments requires a well-balanced consideration ...