PeckBirdy: A Versatile Script Framework for LOLBins Exploitation Used by China-aligned Threat Groups


Since 2023, Trend Micro researchers have been observing threat campaigns employing a previously unseen script-based command-and-control (C&C) framework which we named PeckBirdy, being used against Chinese gambling industries, as well as malicious activities targeting Asian government entities and private organizations.

While tracking this framework, Trend Micro identified at least two campaigns using PeckBirdy, which we were able to link to several China-aligned advanced persistent threat (APT) actors. PeckBirdy is a script-based framework which, while possessing advanced capabilities, is implemented using JScript, an old script language. This is to ensure that the framework could be launched across different execution environments via LOLBins (Living off the land binaries).

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Source: Trend Micro


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