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:
- Severe Cisco DoS Flaw Can Cripple Nexus Switches
June 2, 2020
Cisco has patched a high-severity flaw in its NX-OS software, the network operating system used by Cisco’s Nexus-series Ethernet switches. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the input access control lists (ACLs) configured on affected Nexus switches – and launch a denial of service (DoS) attacks on the devices. “A successful ...
- New cold boot attack affects seven years of LG Android smartphones
June 2, 2020
South Korean phone manufacturer LG has released a security update last month to fix a vulnerability that impacts its Android smartphones sold over the past seven years. The vulnerability, tracked under the identifier of CVE-2020-12753, impacts the bootloader component that ships with LG smartphones. Separate from the Android OS, the bootloader is a piece of firmware specific ...
- Factory Security Problems from an IT Perspective (Part 3): Practical approach for stable operation
June 1, 2020
This article is the last in a series that discusses the challenges that IT departments face when they are assigned the task of overseeing cybersecurity in factories and implementing measures to overcome these challenges. As explained in the first two articles, a factory network that accounts for diverse conditions and environments requires a well-balanced consideration ...
- Minneapolis Police Department Hack Likely Fake, Says Researcher
June 1, 2020
As protests continue to proliferate across the globe in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the Minnesota Police Department is making news for something else: A supposed hack, perpetrated at the hands of the Anonymous hacktivist group. According to Troy Hunt at Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), the group of allegedly ill-gotten email addresses and passwords ...
- Goodbye Mworm, Hello Nworm: TrickBot Updates Propagation Module
May 28, 2020
First discovered in 2016, TrickBot is an information stealer that provides backdoor access sometimes used by criminal groups to distribute other malware. TrickBot uses modules to perform different functions, and one key function is propagating from an infected Windows client to a vulnerable Domain Controller (DC). TrickBot currently uses three modules for propagation. As early as April ...
- Hackers Compromise Cisco Servers Via SaltStack Flaws
May 28, 2020
Cisco said attackers have been able to compromise its servers after exploiting two known, critical SaltStack vulnerabilities. The flaws exist in the open-source Salt management framework, which are used in Cisco network-tooling products. Two Cisco products incorporate a version of SaltStack that is running the vulnerable salt-master service. The first is Cisco Modeling Labs Corporate Edition (CML), ...