SMTP is the key: BPFDoor and AVERAT hitting the network edge


Rapid7 tracked a set of Linux samples that blend into the software and device conventions of the telecom environments they target. The set spans a newly observed BPFDoor variant, a BPF Rekoobe build seen against South Korean targets, a dropper, and six builds of a Linux implant Rapid7 researchers track as AVERAT, deployed against Taiwanese appliances. Additionally, researchers provide source code details of the Rapid7 BPFDoor controller introduced in our April 2026 blog, Stealthy BPFDoor Variants are a Needle That Looks Like Hay.

The chain uses two binaries. A dropper writes a shell script to the appliance’s storage mount and executes it. The script stages both payloads into /sbin under the names ntpdate and udevds, launches them, and deletes each file ten seconds later while the processes continue running. One of those payloads is the dropper itself, re-executing as a resident watchdog, leaving both processes running without an on-disk image.

Read more…
Source:  Rapid7 News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Philippines: 5.4M cyber attacks against government agencies deterred in 2024

    March 1, 2025

    The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) was able to prevent over 5 million attempts to compromise the cybersecurity of several government agencies last year. “In 2024, the DICT automatically deterred approximately 5.4 million malicious attempts against 32 government agencies connected to our national security operations,” DICT Undersecretary for Cybersecurity Jeffrey Ian Dy said at ...

  • The evolution of Dark Caracal tools: analysis of a campaign featuring Poco RAT

    February 28, 2025

    In early 2024, analysts at the Positive Technologies Expert Security Center (PT ESC) discovered a malicious sample. The cybersecurity community named it Poco RAT after the POCO libraries in its C++ codebase. At the time of its discovery, the sample had not been linked to any known threat group. The malware came loaded with a full ...

  • New spyware found to be snooping on thousands of Android and iOS users

    February 28, 2025

    Hundreds of thousands of Android users, as well as several thousand iPhone users, have had their sensitive data compromised by a spouseware app, called Spyzie. The apps were found leaking email addresses, text messages, call logs, photographs, and other sensitive data, belonging to millions of people who, without their knowledge or consent, have had these apps ...

  • Cyber Attack Keeps Cleveland Municipal Court Offline

    February 28, 2025

    Cleveland Municipal Court will remain closed Thursday, four days after officials announced a cyber attack against the court. The court has been closed since Monday. All internal systems and software, including the court’s website, have been shut down and will remain offline as authorities work to figure out what happened and the best time to restore ...

  • JavaGhost’s Persistent Phishing Attacks From the Cloud

    February 28, 2025

    Unit 42 researchers have observed phishing activity that we track as TGR-UNK-0011. They assess with high confidence that this cluster overlaps with the threat actor group JavaGhost. The threat actor group JavaGhost has been active for over five years and continues to target cloud environments to send out phishing campaigns to unsuspecting targets. According to website ...

  • UK: Cyber-attack sparks security fears over NHS provider’s data

    February 28, 2025

    The private healthcare group that will soon take charge of Swindon community care services has been hit by a cyber-attack. HCRG Care Group recently won the contract to provide care-at-home services in the Swindon area, which was previously managed by the trust in charge of Great Western Hospital, as well as other parts of Wiltshire. The company ...