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


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 suite of espionage features. It could upload files, capture screenshots, execute commands, and manipulate system processes. Patterns in its tactics, techniques, and procedures linked it to a known player. Dark Caracal, the group behind Bandook, was a clear match. The dropper used in Poco RAT closely resembled Bandook’s, reinforcing the connection.

Read more…
Source: Positive Technologies


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Three Steps to the Terminal: A Siemens ROX II Zero-Day Trilogy

    July 17, 2026

    Palo Alto Unit 42 conducted this research in close partnership with Siemens, reflecting their shared commitment to advancing the security and resilience of critical infrastructure. This report details a critical, chained exploit comprising three zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-40948, CVE-2025-40947, and CVE-2025-40949) discovered in Siemens ROX II operational technology (OT) switches. Successful exploitation of this chain would allow ...

  • Shark vacuum flaw exposes cameras, home maps and Wi-Fi passwords

    July 17, 2026

    Shark’s cloud-connected robot vacuums are currently exposed by an unpatched AWS (Amazon Web Services) IoT (Internet of Things) policy flaw that could turn one compromised device into a remote-control skeleton key for many others in the same region, with access to cameras, maps, and Wi‑Fi passwords. A researcher using the handle tokay0 took apart a Shark RV2320EDUS robot vacuum and ...

  • Attackers target critical FortiSandbox flaws as CISA issues patch order

    July 17, 2026

    Fortinet admins have two more reasons to clear their calendars after CISA confirmed a pair of critical FortiSandbox bugs are being actively exploited. The two bugs, tracked as CVE-2026-39808 and CVE-2026-25089, both carry CVSS scores of 9.1 and affect FortiSandbox, FortiSandbox Cloud, and FortiSandbox PaaS. According to Fortinet, they are OS command injection flaws that allow ...

  • GoSerpent: a persistent threat evolves with sophisticated data collection and exfiltration

    July 16, 2026

    In February 2026, Kaspersky discovered a set of malicious activities that had been ongoing since late 2025. These activities involved a RAT module written in Go with proxy capabilities, which served as the main stage of the attack. The attack targeted government and diplomatic entities in Southeast Asia and showed a level of sophistication that ...

  • Tech support scam caused massive data breach at Australian airline Qantas

    July 16, 2026

    Australia’s Privacy Commissioner has revealed a tech support scam was the cause of the massive 2025 data breach at Australian airline Qantas and found the carrier didn’t breach its privacy obligations despite leaking personally identifiable information for 5.7 million customers. The Commissioner reached that conclusion, and a decision not to open a formal privacy probe, in ...

  • This fake Apple app can unlock your Mac’s password vault

    July 15, 2026

    CrashStealer is a new macOS infostealer that masquerades as Apple’s CrashReporter component, uses an Apple‑notarized installer to slip past Gatekeeper, tricks users into handing over their password, and then systematically loots browsers, password managers, crypto wallets, and Keychain secrets before exfiltrating them in AES‑encrypted bundles. Researchers have been following the development of CrashStealer since May 2026. It ...