In their first article on the XZ backdoor, Kaspersky researchers analyzed its code from initial infection to the function hooking it performs. As they mentioned then, its initial goal was to successfully hook one of the functions related to RSA key manipulation.
In this article, the research team will focus on the backdoor’s behaviour inside OpenSSH, specifically OpenSSH portable version 9.7p1 – the most recent version at this time. To better understand what’s going on, they recommend you to read Baeldung’s article about SSH authentication methods and JFrog’s article about privilege separation in SSH.
Read more…
Source: Kaspersky
Related:
- A laughing RAT: CrystalX combines spyware, stealer, and prankware features
April 1, 2026
In March 2026, Kaspersky researchers discovered an active campaign promoting previously unknown malware in private Telegram chats. The Trojan was offered as a MaaS (malware‑as‑a‑service) with three subscription tiers. It caught the researchers attention because of its extensive arsenal of capabilities. On the panel provided to third‑party actors, in addition to the standard features of RAT‑like malware, ...
- North Korea-Nexus Threat Actor Compromises Widely Used Axios NPM Package in Supply Chain Attack
March 31, 2026
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) is tracking an active software supply chain attack targeting the popular Node Package Manager (NPM) package “axios.” Between March 31, 2026, 00:21 and 03:20 UTC, an attacker introduced a malicious dependency named “plain-crypto-js” into axios NPM releases versions 1.14.1 and 0.30.4. Axios is the most popular JavaScript library used to simplify ...
- Bogus Avast website fakes virus scan, installs Venom Stealer instead
March 27, 2026
A fake website impersonating Avast antivirus is tricking people into infecting their own computers. The site looks legitimate, runs what appears to be a virus scan, and claims your system is full of threats. But the results are fake: when you’re prompted to “fix” the problem, the download you’re given is actually Venom Stealer—a type of ...
- Infiniti Stealer: A new macOS infostealer using ClickFix and Python/Nuitka
March 26, 2026
A previously undocumented macOS infostealer has surfaced during our routine threat hunting. Malwarebytes Labs researchers initially tracked it as NukeChain, but shortly before publication, the malware’s operator panel became publicly visible, revealing its real name: Infiniti Stealer. This malware is designed to steal sensitive data from Macs. It spreads through a fake CAPTCHA page that tricks ...
- Unpacking a new Horabot campaign in Mexico
March 18, 2026
In this instalment of Kaspersky SOC Files series, Kaspersky researchers will walk you through a targeted campaign that our MDR team identified and hunted down a few months ago. It involves a threat known as Horabot, a bundle consisting of an infamous banking Trojan, an email spreader, and a notably complex attack chain. Although previous research ...
- Russian hackers target HR departments with vicious new ‘BlackSanta’ malware
March 11, 2026
Russian hackers have been targeting Human Resources (HR) departments at various organizations around the world with a never-before seen piece of malware called BlackSanta. The campaign was spotted by cybersecurity researchers Aryaka, who said the attacks have been going on for at least a year, and include a rather sophisticated infection chain. It most likely starts ...