Hellhounds: Operation Lahat

In 2023, Positive Technologies Computer Security Incident Response Team (PT CSIRT) discovered that a certain power company was compromised by the Decoy Dog trojan. According to the PT CSIRT investigation, Decoy Dog has been actively used in cyberattacks on Russian Read More …

France bans ministers from WhatsApp, Signal; demands French alternatives

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has banned widely used messaging apps WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal for ministers and their teams due to security vulnerabilities, according to a memo obtained by French news outlet Le Point. “These digital tools are not Read More …

Foreign spy conducts cyberattacks against China’s defense, high-tech firm

China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) disclosed a new case on Monday of foreign espionage activities involving the recruitment of a Chinese software developer who provided “technical services.” This spy agency used “poisoned” software to conduct cyberattacks and steal secrets Read More …

Hacking Employers and Seeking Employment: Two Job-Related Campaigns Bear Hallmarks of North Korean Threat Actors

Unit 42 researchers recently discovered two separate campaigns targeting job-seeking activities linked to state-sponsored threat actors associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. The research team call the first campaign “Contagious Interview,” where Read More …

Stately Taurus targets the Philippines as tensions flare in the South Pacific

Tensions between China and the Philippines have risen sharply over the past several months. Coinciding with these real-world events, Unit 42 researchers observed three Stately Taurus campaigns during the month of August. These campaigns are assessed to have targeted entities Read More …

Into The Trash: Analyzing LitterDrifter

Gamaredon, also known as Primitive Bear, ACTINIUM, and Shuckworm, is a unique player in the Russian espionage ecosystem that targets a wide variety of almost exclusively Ukrainian entities. While researchers often struggle to uncover evidence of Russian espionage activities, Gamaredon Read More …

Agonizing Serpens (Aka Agrius) Targeting the Israeli Higher Education and Tech Sectors

Unit 42 researchers have investigated a series of destructive cyberattacks beginning in January 2023 and continuing as recently as October 2023, targeting the education and technology sectors in Israel. The attacks are characterized by attempts to steal sensitive data, such Read More …

WhatsApp spy mod spreads through Telegram, attacks Arabic-speaking users

It is not rare that users of popular instant messaging services find the official client apps to be lacking in functionality. To address that problem, third-party developers come up with mods that offer sought-after features besides aesthetic upgrades. Unfortunately, some Read More …

Over the Kazuar’s nest: Cracking down on a freshly hatched backdoor used by Pensive Ursa

While tracking the evolution of Pensive Ursa (aka Turla, Uroburos), Unit 42 researchers came across a new, upgraded variant of Kazuar. Not only is Kazuar another name for the enormous and dangerous cassowary bird, Kazuar is an advanced and stealthy Read More …

From Albania to the Middle East: The Scarred Manticore is listening

Check Point Research, in collaboration with Sygnia’s Incident Response Team, has been tracking and responding to the activities of Scarred Manticore, an Iranian nation-state threat actor that primarily targets government and telecommunication sectors in the Middle East. Scarred Manticore, linked Read More …