From Social Engineering to DMARC Abuse: TA427’s Art of Information Gathering

Proofpoint researchers track numerous state-sponsored and state-aligned threat actors. TA427 (also known as Emerald Sleet, APT43, THALLIUM or Kimsuky), a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) aligned group working in support of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, is Read More …

Chinese hackers targeted UK’s Electoral Commission and politicians, say security services

Chinese state-backed hackers were responsible for two “malicious” digital campaigns targeting the UK’s democratic institutions and politicians, the security services have found. The UK holds China responsible for a prolonged cyber-attack on the Electoral Commission during which Beijing allegedly accessed Read More …

APT29 Uses WINELOADER to Target German Political Parties

In late February 2024, Mandiant identified APT29 — a Russian Federation backed threat group linked by multiple governments to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) — conducting a phishing campaign targeting German political parties. Consistent with APT29 operations extending back to Read More …

The Updated APT Playbook: Tales from the Kimsuky threat actor group

Rapit7 team recently ran across some interesting activity that they believe is the work of the Kimsuky threat actor group, also known as Black Banshee or Thallium. Originating from North Korea and active since at least 2012, Kimsuky focuses primarily on Read More …

Investigating Ivanti Connect Secure VPN Exploitation and Persistence Attempts

Mandiant and Ivanti’s investigations into widespread Ivanti zero-day exploitation have continued across a variety of industry verticals, including the U.S. defense industrial base sector. Following the initial publication on Jan. 10, 2024, Mandiant observed mass attempts to exploit these vulnerabilities Read More …

Data From Chinese Security Services Company i-Soon Linked to Previous Chinese APT Campaigns

On Feb. 16, 2024, someone uploaded data to GitHub that included possible internal company communications, sales-related materials and product manuals belonging to the Chinese IT security services company i-Soon, also known as Anxun Information Technology. The leaked materials appear to Read More …

A first analysis of the i-Soon data leak

Data from a Chinese cybersecurity vendor that works for the Chinese government has exposed a range of hacking tools and services. Although the source is not entirely clear, it seems that a disgruntled staff member of the group leaked the Read More …

Iran accelerates cyber ops against Israel from chaotic start

Since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Iranian government-aligned actors have launched a series of cyberattacks and influence operations (IO) intended to help the Hamas cause and weaken Israel and its political allies and business partners. Many of Iran’s immediate Read More …

Dead-end job

In November 2023, Group-IB’s Threat Intelligence unit detected a massive malicious campaign targeting employment agencies and retail companies primarily located in the APAC region, to steal and sell sensitive user data. The campaign was attributed to a previously unknown group. Read More …

Volt Typhoon Actors Exploiting Insecure SOHO Routers

Threat actors—particularly the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—sponsored Volt Typhoon group—are compromising small office/home office (SOHO) routers by exploiting software defects that manufacturers must eliminate through secure software design and development. Specifically, Volt Typhoon actors are exploiting security defects in Read More …