Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence

Daily Threat Briefing • Nov 22, 2024

Geopolitical tensions continue to fuel cyber-espionage, with Russia-aligned TAG-110 launching a campaign targeting Central Asia, East Asia, and Europe. Using custom tools like HATVIBE and CHERRYSPY, the group focuses on government entities, human rights organizations, and educational institutions.

Shifting its focus from gamers to enterprises, XenoRAT is being deployed in a new campaign leveraging Excel XLL files. Researchers uncovered the malware delivering a multi-stage infection chain. This evolution highlights a deliberate pivot toward breaching enterprise networks.

Critical infrastructure is under fire as attackers exploit vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. Two flaws have been used to compromise approximately 2,000 firewalls globally, primarily in the U.S. and India. The vulnerabilities enable authentication bypass and administrative control, allowing attackers to tamper with configurations.

Top Malware Reported in the Last 24 Hours

TAG-110 deploys HATVIBE and CHERRYSPY

Insikt Group identified a cyber-espionage campaign conducted by the Russia-aligned threat group TAG-110, targeting organizations in Central Asia, East Asia, and Europe. The group uses custom malware tools HATVIBE and CHERRYSPY to primarily attack government entities, human rights groups, and educational institutions. TAG-110's tactics align with the historical activities of UAC-0063, attributed to Russian APT group BlueDelta (APT28). The campaign aims to gather intelligence on geopolitical developments and maintain influence in post-Soviet states.

Linux backdoors connected to Gelsemium APT

ESET researchers have found two new Linux backdoors called WolfsBane and FireWood that are used for cyberespionage to gather sensitive data like system information, user credentials, and specific files. WolfsBane is associated with the Gelsemium APT group from China, known for targeting organizations in Eastern Asia and the Middle East since 2014. FireWood, on the other hand, is not definitively linked to Gelsemium and may be shared among different China-aligned APT groups. It is connected to a backdoor named Project Wood, used in Operation TooHash in 2005.

XenoRAT adopts unique deployment

Researchers at Hunt uncovered a new deployment of XenoRAT, using Excel XLL files and advanced obfuscation techniques. Traditionally targeting gamers, this version represents a significant shift with implications for enterprise networks. The malicious file, "Payment_Details.xll," serves as a dropper for the XenoRAT payload and another remote access tool. The use of Excel-DNA and ConfuserEx make detection and analysis challenging. The infection chain involves a decoy PDF and multiple stages of execution, ultimately revealing XenoRAT's configuration and C2 server address. The attackers have manipulated timestamps to avoid detection, indicating a focus on breaching enterprise networks.

Top Vulnerabilities Reported in the Last 24 Hours

Over 2,000 PAN-OS firewalls hacked

Thousands of Palo Alto Networks firewalls have been compromised in attacks exploiting two security vulnerabilities (CVE-2024-0012 and CVE-2024-9474) in PAN-OS. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrator privileges, enabling them to tamper with configurations and exploit other vulnerabilities. The CISA has added these vulnerabilities to its KEV Catalog. Approximately 2,000 firewalls have been compromised globally, with the majority in the U.S. and India.

Top Exploited Vulnerabilities of 2023

A VulnCheck report highlighted the top routinely exploited vulnerabilities of 2023, identifying 15 security defects in various products such as Apache, Atlassian, Barracuda, Citrix, Cisco, Fortinet, Microsoft, Progress, PaperCut, and Zoho. The report also mentioned that there are approximately 400,000 internet-accessible systems potentially exposed to attacks due to the availability of public proof-of-concept exploits. Notable vulnerabilities include Log4Shell and Zerologon, which have over 100 and 75 public exploits respectively. Threat actors from various countries, including China, Russia, and Iran, have been linked to exploiting these vulnerabilities.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 21, 2024

With advanced techniques and creative exploits, cybercriminals are escalating their attacks on users' digital and financial lives. A revamped version of NodeStealer is targeting Facebook Ads Manager accounts to extract sensitive information and steal credit card data from web browsers. The malware employs sophisticated methods to access credit card details, which are then exfiltrated via Telegram. The WorkflowKit Race Vulnerability in macOS has exposed users to potential data breaches and remote code execution. The flaw arises from a race condition during the shortcut extraction process, allowing malicious apps to intercept and modify shortcuts during import. Apple addressed this critical issue in macOS 14.5 with enhanced sandbox restrictions. Adding to these growing concerns, criminals have devised a new scam known as Ghost Tap, exploiting NFC technology in mobile payment services. Using phishing tactics and mobile banking malware, attackers capture victims’ card credentials, link them to mobile wallets, and deploy mules to make fraudulent purchases at physical stores.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 20, 2024

Cybercriminals and nation-state actors are fine-tuning their craft, targeting everything from IoT devices to global telecom networks. The Ngioweb malware has been used to assemble a botnet of over 35,000 compromised IoT devices and SOHO routers, to sell residential proxies on platforms like NSOCKS. A China-linked group, LIMINAL PANDA, has been conducting cyberespionage against telecommunications entities in South Asia and Africa since 2020. Armed with custom malware like SIGTRANslator and PingPong, they exploit telecom protocols to exfiltrate data and maintain persistent access, employing advanced tactics. Meanwhile, the CISA has issued warnings about three actively exploited vulnerabilities in networking products. These include a critical Kemp LoadMaster OS flaw and two Palo Alto PAN-OS vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities have been added to the the KEV catalog.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 19, 2024

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, attackers are leveraging tailored tactics to exploit both individuals and organizations. BabbleLoader, a stealthy malware loader, is delivering information stealers like WhiteSnake and Meduza, targeting users searching for cracked software and professionals in finance and administration by disguising itself as accounting software. Its advanced evasion techniques bypass antivirus and sandbox defenses, disrupting analysis and detection. Critical vulnerabilities are also under scrutiny. The LibreNMS project revealed CVE-2024-51092, a flaw in its network monitoring platform that allows authenticated attackers to execute OS commands and potentially take over servers. Users are strongly advised to update to version 24.10.0 to mitigate these risks. Meanwhile, phishing campaigns continue to escalate. DocuSign phishing attacks targeting state and municipal contractors have surged by 98% in just one week. Exploiting licensing cycles and spoofing government agencies like the Department of Health, these campaigns aim to trick businesses into signing fake documents for financial gain.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 18, 2024

Threat actors are employing sophisticated techniques to breach defenses across industries, from maritime manufacturing to WordPress websites and software impersonation campaigns. A DONOT APT campaign has been targeting Pakistan’s manufacturing sector supporting maritime and defense operations. The attackers use malicious LNK files disguised as RTF documents, leveraging dynamic domain generation and updated encryption to maintain persistence and evade detection. Meanwhile, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the Really Simple Security WordPress plugin is putting over four million sites at risk, granting attackers full administrative access. Another vulnerability in the WPLMS Learning Management System exposes sites to arbitrary file reading and deletion, prompting emergency patches and forced updates by WordPress. On the social engineering front, researchers highlighted the rise of ClickFix campaigns, impersonating trusted software to deliver malware like AsyncRAT and Lumma Stealer. A fake CAPTCHA variant in these campaigns recently tricked users into executing malicious payloads, impacting hundreds of organizations globally.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 15, 2024

From app stores to online shopping platforms, cybercriminals are exploiting trust to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive data. Eight trojan-infected Android apps were spotted on the Google Play Store, downloaded over two million times. These apps, containing Android.FakeApp.1669, connect to malicious DNS servers to display deceptive links. Meanwhile, the CISA has issued a warning about two critical vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Networks Expedition software, citing active exploitation. These flaws allow attackers to execute commands as root and access sensitive database contents. In another alarming campaign, Chinese threat actor SilkSpecter has created over 4,500 fake domains impersonating brands like North Face and Ikea to steal credit card details from shoppers in the U.S. and Europe.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 14, 2024

The lines between digital espionage and warfare blur as state-sponsored threat actors employ increasingly advanced methods to compromise their targets. China’s APT41 has launched a cyberespionage campaign targeting organizations in South Asia, utilizing the DeepData Framework. This Windows-based toolkit consists of 12 malicious plugins that are designed to harvest a wide range of sensitive data. Meanwhile, the Lazarus Group has turned its sights on macOS users with a new malware strain, RustyAttr. Built using the Tauri framework, the malware exploits extended file attributes to execute a malicious shell script that loads a Rust-based backend via a fake webpage. In another wave of attacks, a critical zero-day vulnerability is being exploited to target Windows systems in Ukraine. This vulnerability allows attackers to take control of systems when users interact with malicious URL files delivered through phishing emails.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence, November 13, 2024

From deceptive apps to vulnerabilities and developer-targeted tools, attackers are exploiting every corner of the digital landscape. SpyNote is posing as a fake antivirus, giving attackers full control over Android devices, stealing credentials, and targeting cryptocurrency users. In its November Patch Tuesday, Microsoft patched 89 security flaws, including two actively exploited vulnerabilities, urging immediate updates. Meanwhile, a new tool named GoIssue is being sold to attackers, allowing bulk theft of developer credentials from GitHub profiles, enabling supply chain attacks.

Cyware Daily Threat Intelligence

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