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:
- ElectroRAT Drains Cryptocurrency Wallet Funds of Thousands
January 5, 2021
A new remote access tool (RAT) has been discovered being used in an extensive campaign. The attack has targeted cryptocurrency users in an attempt to collect their private keys and ultimately to drain their wallets. The never-before-seen RAT at the center of the campaign, which researchers dub ElectroRAT, is written in the Go programming language and ...
- Malware uses WiFi BSSID for victim identification
January 4, 2021
Malware operators who want to know the location of the victims they infect usually rely on a simple technique where they grab the victim’s IP address and check it against an IP-to-geo database like MaxMind’s GeoIP to get a victim’s approximate geographical location. While the technique isn’t very accurate, it is still the most reliable method ...
- Beware: PayPal phishing texts state your account is ‘limited’
January 3, 2021
A PayPal text message phishing campaign is underway that attempts to steal your account credentials and other sensitive information that can be used for identity theft. When PayPal detects suspicious or fraudulent activity on an account, the account will have its status set to “limited,” which will put temporary restrictions on withdrawing, sending, or receiving money. Read ...
- Backdoor account discovered in more than 100,000 Zyxel firewalls, VPN gateways
January 2, 2021
More than 100,000 Zyxel firewalls, VPN gateways, and access point controllers contain a hardcoded admin-level backdoor account that can grant attackers root access to devices via either the SSH interface or the web administration panel. The backdoor account, discovered by a team of Dutch security researchers from Eye Control, is considered as bad as it gets ...
- Data breach broker selling 368.8 million user records stolen from 26 companies
December 31, 2020
A data breach broker is selling the allegedly stolen user records for twenty-six companies on a hacker forum, BleepingComputer has learned. When threat actors and hacking groups breach a company and steal their user databases, they commonly work with data breach brokers who market and sell the data for them. Brokers will then create posts on ...
- Emotet malware hits Lithuania’s National Public Health Center
December 30, 2020
The internal networks of Lithuania’s National Center for Public Health (NVSC) and several municipalities have been infected with Emotet malware following a large campaign targeting the country’s state institutions. “When infected recipients opened infected messages, the virus entered the internal networks of the institutions,” NVSC officials said in a statement published today. “Infected computers, after downloading additional ...