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:
- FBI: APTs Actively Exploiting Fortinet VPN Security Holes
April 3, 2021
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are warning that advanced persistent threat (APT) nation-state actors are actively exploiting known security vulnerabilities in the Fortinet FortiOS cybersecurity operating system, affecting the company’s SSL VPN products. According to an alert issued Friday by the FBI and CISA, cyberattackers are scanning devices on ports 4443, 8443 ...
- Browser lockers: extortion disguised as a fine
April 2, 2021
Browser lockers (aka browlocks) are a class of online threats that prevent the victim from using the browser and demand a ransom. A locker is a fake page that dupes the user, under a fictitious pretext (loss of data, legal liability, etc.), into making a call or a money transfer, or giving out payment details. ...
- Hancitor’s Use of Cobalt Strike and a Noisy Network Ping Tool
April 1, 2021
Hancitor is an information stealer and malware downloader used by a threat actor designated as MAN1, Moskalvzapoe or TA511. In a threat brief from 2018, we noted Hancitor was relatively unsophisticated, but it would remain a threat for years to come. Approximately three years later, Hancitor remains a threat and has evolved to use tools ...
- USB threats to ICS systems have nearly doubled
April 1, 2021
The latest Honeywell USB Threat Report 2020 indicates that the number of threats specifically targeting Operational Technology systems has nearly doubled from 16% to 28%, while the number of threats capable of disrupting those systems rose from 26% to 59% over the same period. Let’s face it. Critical infrastructure operators in manufacturing, aerospace, energy, shipping, chemical, ...
- Back in a Bit: Attacker Use of the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service
March 31, 2021
Microsoft introduced the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) with Windows XP to simplify and coordinate downloading and uploading large files. Applications and system components, most notably Windows Update, use BITS to deliver operating system and application updates so they can be downloaded with minimal user disruption. Applications interact with the Background Intelligent Transfer Service by creating ...
- Google: North Korean hackers target security researchers again
March 31, 2021
Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) says that North Korean government-sponsored hackers are once again targeting security researchers using fake Twitter and LinkedIn social media accounts. The hackers also created a website for a fake company named SecuriElite (located in Turkey) and supposedly offering offensive security services as the Google security team focused on hunting down state-backed ...