Attackers are increasingly exploiting Windows shortcut (LNK) files for malware delivery. Palo Alto Unit 42 telemetry revealed 21,098 malicious LNK samples in 2023, which surged to 68,392 in 2024.
In this article, Unit 42 researchers present an in-depth investigation of LNK malware, based on analysis of 30,000 recent samples. Windows shortcut files use the .lnk file extension and function as a virtual link that allows people to easily access other files without having to navigate through multiple folders on a Windows host. The flexibility of LNK files makes them a powerful tool for attackers, as they can both execute malicious content and masquerade as legitimate files to deceive victims into unintentionally launching malware.
Read more…
Source: Palo Alto Unit 42
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- Attacker combines phone, email lures into believable, complex attack chain
August 10, 2023
In the course of performing a postmortem investigation of an infected computer, Sophos X-Ops discovered that the attack began with an innocent-sounding phone call. The caller prompted an employee of a Switzerland-based organization to initiate a complex attack chain that compromised the employee’s computer. Sophos Incident Response analysts found that the attackers may have targeted the ...
- JanelaRAT: Repurposed BX Rat Variant Targeting LATAM FinTech
August 10, 2023
In June of 2023, researchers at Zscaler ThreatLabz discovered a threat actor targeting FinTech users in the LATAM region. JanelaRAT involves several tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) such as DLL side-loading, dynamic C2 infrastructure, and a multi-stage attack. The final malware involved in this campaign is a heavily modified variant of BX RAT. Because of this, ...
- Multiple high severity vulnerabilities in CODESYS V3 SDK could lead to RCE or DoS
August 10, 2023
Microsoft’s cyberphysical system researchers recently identified multiple high-severity vulnerabilities in the CODESYS V3 software development kit (SDK), a software development environment widely used to program and engineer programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Exploitation of the discovered vulnerabilities, which affect all versions of CODESYS V3 prior to version 3.5.19.0, could put operational technology (OT) infrastructure at risk ...
- CISA Releases Twelve Industrial Control Systems Advisories
August 10, 2023
CISA released twelve Industrial Control Systems (ICS) advisories on August 10, 2023. These advisories provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits surrounding ICS. ICSA-23-222-01 Siemens Solid Edge, JT2Go and Teamcenter Visualization ICSA-23-222-02 Siemens Parasolid Installer ICSA-23-222-03 Siemens JT Open, JT Utilities, and Parasolid Read more… Source: U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Common TTPs of attacks against industrial organizations
August 10, 2023
In 2022 Kaspersky investigated a series of attacks against industrial organizations in Eastern Europe. In the campaigns, the attackers aimed to establish a permanent channel for data exfiltration, including data stored on air-gapped systems. Based on similarities found between these campaigns and previously researched campaigns (e.g., ExCone, DexCone), including the use of FourteenHi variants, specific TTPs ...
- Germany says Charming Kitten hackers target Iran dissidents
August 10, 2023
Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) on Thursday warned critics of the Iranian leadership living in Germany that they might be targeted by hackers. The agency said the Charming Kitten online espionage group works by building trust with victims to the extent that they expose data on themselves, and any online ...