Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 05 - 09, 2021

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 05 - 09, 2021 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • April 9, 2021

The Good

No preambles, let’s just dive right into the good news for this week. Memory safety bugs in Android might just become an issue of the past, or at least be reduced, by a recent development by Google. In another vein, Microsoft released an open-source cyberattack simulator to help developers experiment with AI-controlled cyber agents.

  • The open-source version of Android will have some OS parts that can be built on Rust, announced Google. This comes as an initiation to reduce memory safety bugs.

  • An open-source cyberattack simulator has been developed by Microsoft that would allow developers to create simulated environments to play against AI-controlled cyber agents. Dubbed CyberBattleSim, this Python-based Open AI Gym Interface models the way intruders spread laterally on a network.

  • The Australian Capital Territory government will be investing $700,000 in the Canberra Cyber Hub with the purpose to transform Canberra into the cyber capital of Australia.

  • Google Chrome is now blocking HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP access to TCP port 10080 to prevent ports from being abused in NAT Slipstreaming 2.0 attacks.

The Bad

Tick tock on the clock, but the threat party don’t stop. Only that the party is hosted by cybercriminals and nobody else is having any fun. Attacks on educational institutions seem to be never-ending. We don’t need to tell you how important it is to keep your credit card info to yourself. Visa has asked users to be extra careful amidst increasing web shell attacks. Also, better check your smartphone as it may have come loaded with some pesky adware straight from the manufacturer.

  • A data breach affected Michigan State University as a side-effect of a cyberattack on an Ohio law firm Bricker & Eckler LLP.

  • A massive cryptojacking attack campaign, delivering a UPX-packed cpuminer, is targeting U.S-based educational organizations. The first attack was spotted on February 16.

  • Global payment processor VISA warned that threat actors are increasingly deploying web shells, to inject malicious scripts, on compromised servers to exfiltrate credit card information from online customers.

  • A misconfigured Elasticsearch server belonging to Office Depot Europe leaked nearly one million records, including customer names, phone numbers, home and office addresses, and marketplaces logs.

  • Gigaset mobile device users are encountering unwanted apps that are downloaded via a pre-installed system update app named com.redstone.ota.ui. Three different versions of a trojan, capable of sending SMS and WhatsApp messages, redirecting users to malicious game sites, and downloading additional malware-laced apps, are installed by the app

  • OnlyFans suffered a breach of hundreds of private videos and images after a shared Google Drive was posted online.

  • Data of 533 million Facebook users were posted on a cybercrime forum. The leaked data includes phone numbers, Facebook IDs, birth dates, gender, and location.

  • Conti ransomware claimed to have attacked Broward County Public schools and demanded a $40 million ransom. More than 1TB of data has been stolen that includes social security numbers, addresses, birth dates, and contact information.

New Threats

The frustrations for security teams have come to a head as this week brought us a bounty of very scary, very real new threats. REvil got another upgrade in the form of its encryption method. Will it ever stop? The Lazarus APT group is back with a new malware, which was already used against a South African logistics firm. Last but definitely not least, a new maldoc builder has entered the threat landscape and comes in two different versions.

  • Iran-based APT34 threat actor group was found to be responsible for a cyberespionage campaign against organizations in Lebanon. The campaign deployed a new backdoor called SideTwist and was propagated via phishing emails.

  • New methods involving malicious Android apps disguised as TikTok and offers for free Lenovo laptops are being used to disseminate adware on smartphones. Users are being lured via SMSes and WhatsApp messages.

  • A large-scale tech support scam that warns users to renew their antivirus subscriptions was unveiled. The scam is widespread on sites using low-quality ad networks.

  • REvil ransomware operators added a new version of Safe Mode encryption that automatically logs Windows into Safe Mode before performing the encryption process.

  • Cring ransomware is well on its way to exploit a vulnerability in Fortigate VPN servers. Although Fortinet issued a security patch to fix the vulnerability last year, cybercriminals are deploying the exploit against networks that are yet to be patched.

  • The new backdoor malware Vyveva was used by the Lazarus APT group against a South African freight and logistics firm. The backdoor can exfiltrate files, collect data from infected machines and drives, connect to a C2 server remotely, and execute arbitrary code.

  • Dubbed FlixOnline, this newly discovered Android malware lures users by promising free Netflix subscription. The malicious software steals WhatsApp conversation data and spreads false information.

  • Brazilian organizations are under attack by a new banking trojan dubbed Janeleiro. The trojan is similar other trojans such as Casbaneiro, Grandoreiro, and Mekotio, and is distributed via phishing emails.

  • A new malicious document builder known as EtterSilent is being used to run cybercriminal schemes. The tool comes in two versions: one that exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Office, and another one that imitates the digital signature product DocuSign.

  • A cyberespionage campaign, which was launched against dozens of organizations in Vietnam, saw the distribution of two new malware named FoundCore and DropPhone. The threat actor has been loosely tied to the Chinese Cycldek threat actor group.

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Apr 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 21–25, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 14–18, 2025

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 07–11, 2025

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Mar 28, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 24–28, 2025

The U.K’s NCSC is putting domain abuse in its crosshairs. New guidance targets registrars with a push to curb malicious domain registrations and hijacks. The recommendations focus on tightening security at registration, offering enhanced protections to customers, and more. Europe is getting serious about the quantum future. ETSI has rolled out a new quantum-safe encryption standard featuring Covercrypt, a novel key encapsulation scheme with built-in access controls. By tying decryption permissions to user attributes, Covercrypt delivers speed and post-quantum security. Medusa isn’t just encrypting files, it’s dismantling defenses first. The RaaS has been leveraging a malicious driver called ABYSSWORKER in BYOVD attacks to disable endpoint protections. FamousSparrow has returned with new tools and a familiar agenda. The Chinese APT group was behind a July 2024 attack targeting a U.S. trade group and a Mexican research institute, deploying a web shell on an IIS server to drop SparrowDoor and ShadowPad. A supply chain attack snuck through npm by modifying what developers thought they could trust. Threat actors used two packages to inject malware into the widely used ethers library. Lucid isn’t just phishing - it’s engineering trust through your inbox. This advanced PhaaS platform weaponizes the built-in features of iMessage and RCS to create hyper-realistic scams. Known for years of corporate espionage, RedCurl has shifted gears with a new ransomware called QWCrypt. The malware was found in a North American network, targeting hypervisors for maximum disruption. PlayBoy Locker is offering ransomware with a user manual and tech support. The newly investigated RaaS platform operates on an affiliate model and comes packed with features. Targeting Windows, NAS, and ESXi systems, it moves laterally using LDAP scans and abuses Restart Manager DLLs to shut down active processes before encryption.

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Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 17–21, 2025

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Mar 14, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 10–14, 2025

A Russian hosting provider is feeling the heat from global sanctions. Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. have sanctioned Zservers, a bulletproof hosting provider linked to ransomware and fraud, freezing its assets and restricting operations. Switzerland is tightening its grip on cyber incident reporting. Starting April 1, critical infrastructure operatorsmust report cyberattacks to the NCSC within 24 hours, reinforcing national cybersecurity defenses. Cybercriminals are upgrading their toolkit for long-term access. Ragnar Loader is being leveraged by ransomware groups like FIN7, FIN8, and Ragnar Locker, evolving into a stealthier and more modular malware for persistent system compromise. Chinese hackers are slipping past defenses in Juniper routers. The UNC3886 threat group is backdooring older Juniper MX routers, bypassing security protections and embedding custom TinyShell malware to maintain access. North Korean hackers are adding ransomware to their arsenal. Moonstone Sleet (Storm-1789) is deploying Qilin ransomware, using fake companies and trojanized tools to infiltrate targets through LinkedIn and freelance platforms. A botnet is turning home routers into attack platforms. The Ballista botnet is exploiting an unpatched TP-Link Archer router flaw (CVE-2023-1389) to spread stealthily, using Tor domains and remote command execution to launch DDoS attacks worldwide. Copy, paste, and lose your crypto. MassJacker hijacks clipboard transactions, swapping wallet addresses with attacker-controlled ones, stealing funds from victims who unknowingly send money to the wrong destination. A fake CAPTCHA is all it takes to get root access. The OBSCURE#BAT campaign is using social engineering tactics to install the r77 rootkit, bypassing defenses and targeting English-speaking users with stealthy, persistent malware.

Mar 7, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 03–07, 2025

The code caves of GitHub just got a cleanup crew courtesy of Microsoft. A sprawling malvertising campaign that snagged nearly a million devices worldwide has been knocked down a peg. Cheap Android gadgets are getting a breather from a relentless digital pest. The BadBox 2.0 botnet, a souped-up sequel backed by multiple threat crews, saw 24 shady apps booted from Google Play and half a million infected devices cut off from their puppet masters, thanks to some crafty sinkholing and Google’s cleanup sweep. A sneaky gatecrasher has turned WordPress into a redirect rollercoaster. A malicious JavaScript injection lurking in a theme file has snagged at least 31 sites, pulling visitors through a two-step detour to shady third-party domains. Japan’s digital defenses are under siege from a shadowy crew with a taste for chaos. Since January, unknown threat actors have been prying open organizations in tech, telecom, entertainment, and more, exploiting CVE-2024-4577 in PHP-CGI on Windows. Crooks posing as the Electronic Frontier Foundation are targeting Albion Online players with phishing emails and fake PDFs, claiming account trouble. It’s a ruse to drop Stealc malware and Pyramid C2. A fresh face in the cybercrime underworld is juggling a bag of nasty surprises. EncryptHub is hitting users of QQ Talk, WeChat, Google Meet, and more with trojanized apps and slick multi-stage attacks. The Eleven11bot botnet, loosely tied to Iran, has taken over 86,000 IoT devices to slam telecoms and gaming servers with relentless DDoS barrages. Social media’s sunny side has a dark shadow creeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Since September 2024, Desert Dexter has been slinging a tweaked AsyncRAT via legit file-sharing sites and Telegram. For detailed Cyber Threat Intel, click ‘Read More’.

Feb 28, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 24–28, 2025

Stay ahead of cyber threats with the latest on the Vo1d botnet infecting Android TVs, GitVenom malware on GitHub, Redox Stealer, LCRYX ransomware, and a critical WordPress XSS vulnerability. Plus, insights on Lotus Blossom cyber espionage, PolarEdge malware targeting routers, Chrome extension hijacks, and PayPal phishing scams. Get the full security briefing now!

Feb 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, February 17–21, 2025

Google is stepping up its defenses against the quantum threat. The company is rolling out quantum-resistant digital signatures in Cloud KMS, following NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standards. Supply chain attacks just got harder to pull off. Apiiro has released two open-source tools to detect malicious code in software projects. With high detection rates across PyPI and npm packages, these tools add a crucial layer of security for developers. China’s Salt Typhoon is making itself at home in global telecom networks. The group has been caught using JumbledPath, a custom-built spying tool, to infiltrate ISPs in the U.S., Italy, South Africa, and Thailand. ShadowPad malware is once again causing havoc in Europe. Trend Micro flagged 21 targeted companies across 15 countries, with manufacturing firms bearing the brunt. A RAT is hiding in plain sight. SectopRAT has been spotted disguised as a fake Google Docs Chrome extension. It steals browser data, targets VPNs and cryptocurrency wallets, and injects malicious scripts into web pages. Darcula Suite is taking PhaaS to the next level. The upcoming update, currently in beta, will let users generate their own phishing kits by cloning real websites and customizing attack elements. A new payment card skimming campaign is turning Stripe’s old API into a weapon. Hackers are injecting malicious scripts into checkout pages, validating stolen card details through Stripe before exfiltration. LummaC2 is spreading through cracked software downloads again. ASEC found it disguised as a pirated Total Commander installer, hiding behind Google Collab Drive and Reddit links.