Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, August 01 - 05, 2022

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence,  August 01 - 05, 2022 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing August 5, 2022

The Good

The widely used Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) gets a makeover after five years of the release of its first version. Under the new TLP 2.0, the TLP:WHITE level has been renamed TLP:CLEAR, and TLP:AMBER has an additional sub-level named TLP:AMBER+STRICT. Meanwhile, the NIST and CISA are finalizing a guideline for Identity and Access Management (IAM) that comes in the wake of the SolarWinds attacks where threat actors took advantage of poor identity management to compromise nine federal agencies.

  • NIST and CISA are working on finalizing guidance for Identity and Access Management (IAM) as a part of the roadmap for improving critical infrastructure security. The development comes in the wake of the SolarWinds security incident where adversaries took advantage of poor identity management to compromise at least nine federal agencies.
  • The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) has released the 2.0 version of Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), five years after the release of the initial version. In the new update, the TLP:WHITE level has now been renamed TLP:CLEAR. Similarly, TLP:Amber has another sub-level named TLP:AMBER+STRICT.
  • Meta, Facebook's parent company, took action against two threat actor groups—Bitter and APT36—for using their platforms to launch attacks against various targets across Southeast Asia.

The Bad

Unfortunately, cryptocurrency and blockchain firms are at the mercy of threat actors as Solana and Nomad confirmed losing more than $200 million in different hacking incidents. Ransomware threat actors continued to wreak havoc across multiple organizations, with Semikron suffering a loss of 2TB worth of documents and Aetna AEC reporting the personal data of nearly 326,000 of its users being impacted.

  • Microsoft disclosed a potential connection between the Raspberry Robin malware and a Russian cybercrime group - Evil Corp. The company’s researchers discovered that the Raspberry Robin Windows worm was being used to deliver the FakeUpdates malware. It is believed that the Raspberry Robin malware was deployed on the networks of hundreds of organizations from a wide range of industry sectors.

  • An unknown actor drained funds from approximately 8,000 wallets on the Solana network, causing a loss of approximately $8 million. The funds were drained from internet-connected hot wallets that include Phantom, Slope, and TrustWallet.

  • Cryptocurrency service Nomad suffered a major setback after hackers drained almost $200 million in digital funds from the company within a few hours. The attacker exploited a security flaw in the blockchain bridge to steal the funds.

  • Spinneys, a major retailer in UAE, suffered a ransomware attack on its internal server. The hackers accessed an internal server that contained customer data, including names, contact numbers, email addresses, delivery addresses, and previous order info. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

  • Football fans have been warned to exercise caution after news emerged that fraudsters are increasingly leveraging social media to sell non-existent tickets. Some victims have lost thousands of pounds on fake tickets for big matches such as cup finals.

  • Popular app JusTalk was found exposing a humongous database of private messages to the public internet for months. The database was not password-locked and the messages were unencrypted.

  • Health insurer Aetna ACE reported that a ransomware incident involving OneTouchPoint had affected the personal data of nearly 326,000 of its customers. The affected information included names, addresses, dates of birth, and limited medical information.

  • Germany-based semiconductor manufacturer company, Semikron, was hit by a ransomware attack, resulting in the partial encryption of IT systems and files. LV ransomware gang is behind the attack and stole 2TB worth of documents.

  • At least four Taiwanese websites suffered an outage owing to DDoS attacks. The affected websites belonged to President Tsai Ing-wen’s, the National Defense Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and Taiwan Taoyuan International airport.

  • Over 35,000 software repositories on GitHub were discovered distributing malware. Threat actors created copies of legitimate projects including crypto, golang, python, docker, Js, and bash to trick unsuspecting developers into downloading the malware.

  • INKY discovered many instances where malicious redirects were at the heart of a slew of recent phishing attacks. Phishers took advantage of open redirect vulnerabilities affecting American Express and Snapchat domains to harvest credentials.

  • Community healthcare provider First Choice notified its customers of a data security incident that occurred due to a discrepancy in its technological environment. The incident may have exposed the personal and protected health information of individuals treated at the firm.

  • The BlackCat ransomware actors took the responsibility for the attack on Luxembourg-based energy firm Creos. The attackers claim to have stolen 150GB of information, containing agreements, contracts, bills, emails, and passports.

  • A cyberattack against Avamere Health Services, an IT service provider to healthcare entities, resulted in two health data breaches that impacted 100 covered entities and 381,000 individuals.

  • Blockchain security firm Halborn warned about a new phishing campaign targeting crypto wallet MetaMask’s users. The scammers attempt to lure targets into giving up their passphrases.

  • Healthback Holdings, a home health company based in Oklahoma, disclosed a data breach that impacted around 21,114 individuals. The firm discovered unauthorized activity within its employee email environment on June 1.

  • The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) suffered a massive cyberattack, forcing it to shut down all of its IT systems as well as telephones, email servers, and digital services. The investigation is in progress.

  • Malware installed on the computer of an employee of fintech company Wiseasy enabled attackers to steal passwords for more than 140,000 Wiseasy payment terminals around the world. The hackers gained access to two dashboards that managed these payment terminals.

New Threats

New attack frameworks and platforms are the rage on underground forums. This week, Cisco Talos spotted Manjusaka, a new attack framework that is being used in the wild. Likewise, a new C2 platform named Dark Utilities has become popular for facilitating attackers to launch DDoS attacks and perform cryptocurrency mining.

  • A fake website masquerading as the official Atomic Wallet website was found spreading copies of Mars infostealer. The website was promoted on social media, with direct messages on various platforms, SEO poisoning, and spam emails. The fake site even featured a contact form, email address, and FAQ section.
  • Projector Libra is a newly spotted threat actor group distributing Bumblebee malware loader. Threat actors use phishing emails and file-sharing services to disperse the malware that eventually deploys Cobalt Strike on victims’ systems.
  • A rapidly evolving IoT botnet known as RapperBot has been found in the wild. First appearing in June, the botnet borrows heavily from the original Mirai source code. The botnet targets ARM, MIPS, SPARC, and x86 architectures.
  • Zscaler identified a large-scale phishing campaign that used the adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to evade security protections and infect enterprise email accounts. The AiTM technique can enable attackers to bypass multi-factor authentication.
  • A new malware called Woody Rat has been in the wild for at least one year. This advanced custom trojan is used to target Russian entities by using lures in archive file format and more recently Office documents leveraging the Follina vulnerability.
  • A new variant of SolidBit ransomware has been found targeting users of popular video games and social media platforms. The malware disguises as different applications, including a League of Legends account checker tool and an Instagram follower bot, to lure in victims. The malware is also being promoted on underground forums as Ransomware-as-a-Service.
  • Cisco Talos spotted Manjusaka, a new attack framework that is being used in the wild. The implants are coded in Rust and the framework is promoted as a spitting image of the Cobalt Strike framework.
  • Security researchers discovered a new vulnerability called ParseThru affecting Golang-based applications. The issue stems from changes introduced to Golang's URL parsing logic that's implemented in the "net/url" library. It could be abused to gain unauthorized access to cloud-based applications.
  • A newly found Gwisin ransomware is actively targeting Korean companies. It is similar to Magniber ransomware and leverages an MSI installer form to execute payloads.
  • Attackers are leveraging a new C2 platform named Dark Utilities to perform malware campaigns. The platform offers a variety of services such as remote system access, command execution, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and cryptocurrency mining operations.
  • Mandiant has issued technical details of a new ransomware family dubbed ROADSWEEP that targets the Albanian government. A previously unknown backdoor CHIMNEYSWEEP and a new variant of the ZEROCLEAR wiper may have been involved to propagate the ransomware.

Related Threat Briefings

May 9, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 05–09, 2025

Another blow to DDoS-for-hire networks. Europol has shut down six services used to launch global cyberattacks, arresting suspects in Poland and seizing domains in the U.S. The UN has launched a new framework to help policymakers make sense of cyber intrusions. Called UNIDIR Intrusion Path, it complements models like MITRE ATT&CK but simplifies the technical details. It breaks down attacker activity into three layers, making it easier to evaluate threats in a policy context. Old routers are becoming cybercrime goldmines. The FBI has warned that end-of-life routers are being hijacked with malware like TheMoon and sold on proxy networks such as 5Socks and Anyproxy. These compromised devices are used for crypto theft, cybercrime-as-a-service, and even espionage. Crypto users on Discord are the latest targets of a phishing campaign tied to Inferno Drainer. Attackers were found impersonating the Collab.Land bot to trick users into signing malicious transactions. The Play ransomware group has joined the list of actors exploiting CVE-2025-29824. This Windows zero-day in the CLFS driver enables privilege escalation via a race condition during file operations. Linked to the Balloonfly group, the attacks targeted a U.S. organization and included deployment of the Grixba infostealer. COLDRIVER’s latest malware, LOSTKEYS, is now in play. The Russian state-backed group is deploying this tool to steal files and system data from advisors, journalists, NGOs, and individuals linked to Ukraine. Agenda’s playbook just got upgraded. The ransomware group has added two new tools: SmokeLoader and a stealthy .NET-based loader called NETXLOADER. The latter leverages techniques like JIT hooking and AES decryption to deploy ransomware. Corporate HR teams are the latest target in a spear-phishing spree by Venom Spider. Disguised as job applications, these emails deliver More_eggs backdoor, now upgraded with advanced features.

May 2, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 28–May 02, 2025

The FBI just dropped a massive breadcrumb trail. Details of 42,000 phishing domains tied to the LabHost platform have been released to help defenders investigate potential breaches. The service enabled the theft of 500,000 credit cards and over a million credentials. The takedown of JokerOTP has exposed just how far phishing has evolved. The tool was used in more than 28,000 attacks across 13 countries, tricking victims into handing over 2FA codes by mimicking trusted brands. The operation cost victims £7.5 million and has now led to serious criminal charges, thanks to a joint effort involving Europol and Dutch authorities. Malware’s now hitching a ride on Go modules. Socket has uncovered three malicious packages hiding disk-wiping payloads, designed to cause irreversible data loss, especially on Linux systems. These modules take advantage of Go’s decentralized ecosystem. In the shadows of the cybersecurity landscape, MintsLoader emerges as a formidable adversary, orchestrating a multi-faceted infection strategy that deploys the notorious GhostWeaver RAT. Some PyPI packages are doing more than importing functions. Researchers uncovered seven malicious Python packages under the “Coffin” naming scheme, using Gmail’s SMTP service as a stealthy C2 channel. Ransomware groups aren’t always the ones breaking the door open. Researchers have uncovered ToyMaker, an initial access broker selling network entry to ransomware groups. Using a custom malware strain called LAGTOY, ToyMaker establishes reverse shells and executes commands on compromised systems. New vulnerabilities in Apple’s AirPlay protocol, collectively dubbed AirBorne, expose billions of devices to remote code execution without user interaction. Sharp and TX stealers are back, donning a new cloak - named Hannibal Stealer. It is going after credentials from browsers, crypto wallets, FTP clients, and VPN apps. It even captures Discord tokens and Steam sessions.

Apr 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 21–25, 2025

AI security finally has a global playbook. ETSI has released TS 104 223, a first-of-its-kind technical specification outlining how to secure AI systems across their entire lifecycle - from design to decommissioning. MITRE’s latest update is catching up with the cloud. ATT&CK v17 expands the framework to include ESXi and adds more than 140 defensive analytics. Platform-specific data collection advice, improved mitigation mapping, and deeper coverage of mobile threats like SIM swaps round out the upgrade. An APT group with deep roots in Southeast Asia is quietly siphoning data through everyday cloud platforms. Earth Kurma has been active since late 2020, targeting government and telecom entities across the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Signal and WhatsApp are the new frontline for cloud compromise. Russian actors are running OAuth phishing campaigns against Microsoft 365 users tied to Ukraine and human rights work. A forged email that passes every security check - that’s the new phishing trick. Attackers are using DKIM replay tactics to forward legitimate Google security alerts to unsuspecting victims. It starts with a fake sales order and ends with FormBook silently stealing your data. A recent phishing campaign has been abusing a long-patched Microsoft flaw to deliver a fileless variant of the malware. Docker containers aren’t always what they seem. A new threat named TenoBot is targeting systems running outdated Teneo Web3 node software, deploying malicious containers to hijack environments. A stealthy new RAT is slipping through Ivanti Connect Secure devices in Japan. Dubbed DslogdRAT, the malware exploits a zero-day flaw to execute commands via web shell and quietly exfiltrate data using encoded C2 traffic.

Apr 11, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 07–11, 2025

The U.K. government rolled out a Cyber Governance Code of Practice aimed at directors and board members, not just CISOs. Backed by the NCSC and other national bodies, the code includes practical actions, modular training, and a board-level toolkit. Startups building the future of cyber defense are getting serious backing. The British Business Bank has committed most of a £50 million fund to Osney Capital, which will invest in early-stage cybersecurity companies across the U.K. A torrent download might be doing more than delivering cracked software. A campaign has been distributing ViperSoftX to Korean users, likely run by Arabic-speaking threat actors. Invasive spyware campaigns are zeroing in on high-risk communities. MOONSHINE and BADBAZAAR are being deployed through trojanized mobile apps to surveil Uyghur, Tibetan, and Taiwanese individuals, as well as civil society groups. Search for QuickBooks during tax season, and you might land on a trap. Threat actors are placing deceptive Google Ads that link to phishing pages almost identical to the real QuickBooks login portal. It starts with a PDF search and ends with malware on your machine. A new campaign is using fake CAPTCHAs and Cloudflare Turnstile to lure users into downloading LegionLoader. Seed phrases aren’t supposed to come from strangers. The PoisonSeed campaign is targeting crypto holders and enterprise users by compromising bulk email services. Victims are lured with fake wallet setup instructions that embed attacker-controlled recovery phrases - giving threat actors full access once the wallets are used. A Chinese-linked threat group, ToddyCat, has been exploiting a security vulnerability in ESET's software to deliver a new malware, TCESB, in Asia.

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.

Mar 21, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 17–21, 2025

The race to outpace quantum threats is officially on. The NCSC has issued guidance to help organizations transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2035, with a focus on NIST-approved algorithms and planned support for critical sectors. A nationwide fraud crackdown ends with hundreds behind bars. Operation Henhouse led to 422 arrests and the seizure of millions in assets, as U.K. police target the country’s most widespread and costly crime - fraud. A threat actor briefly exposed their entire playbook. Researchers found a public server hosting tools tied to a campaign targeting South Korea, including a Rust-compiled payload delivering Cobalt Strike Cat and a list of over 1,000 potential targets. Phishing messages on Signal are leading to full system compromise. CERT-UA warns of DarkCrystal RAT attacks targeting Ukraine’s defense sector, using fake contacts and malicious files to trick victims into executing spyware. Ransomware slipped into VSCode under the radar. Two malicious extensions were discovered on the VSCode Marketplace, bypassing checks to deliver test-stage ransomware demanding ShibaCoin for decryption. Fake ads are being weaponized to steal Google credentials. A campaign targeting Semrush users is redirecting victims to spoofed login pages, where attackers harvest Google account logins through a fake “Log in with Google” prompt. A fake browser update could cost you more than a few clicks. A new ClearFake campaign is using fake reCAPTCHA and Turnstile pages to deliver malware like Lumma and Vidar Stealer, with payloads fetched through Binance’s Smart Chain. Hackers are quietly poisoning AI-generated code. A new supply chain attack targets AI editors like Copilot and Cursor, exploiting rules files to inject malicious prompts that trick the tools into writing compromised code.

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 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.