Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 02–06

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence - January 02–06 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • January 6, 2023

The Good

Welcoming you all to the first weekly threat briefing for 2023, and with that allow us to give you a peek into the new developments in cyberspace. The NIST finalized the cybersecurity framework for the ground-based operations of the space industry with an aim to manage cyber risks against satellites and other critical infrastructures. In another vein, victims hit by MegaCortex ransomware can now decrypt their files without giving in to ransom demands. Thanks to a free decryption tool released in collaboration between cybersecurity researchers and law enforcement agencies.

  • The NIST published the final version of its cybersecurity framework for the ground segment of space operations. The framework is designed to help organizations in the space sector manage their cybersecurity risks by implementing security measures on satellites and other critical infrastructure.

  • Victims of MegaCortex ransomware can now unlock their files for free. Several cybersecurity researchers in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, including Europol, the NoMoreRansom Project, the Zürich Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Zürich Cantonal Police, have released a decryption tool to decrypt the encrypted files.

  • President Joe Biden approved a set of new laws under the VA Cybersecurity Act of 2022 to boost cybersecurity across the Department of Veterans Affairs. As a part of the new law, the department needs to obtain an independent audit of its IT systems and cybersecurity programs. This is intended to boost data security for veterans.

The Bad

As holidays are over and kids are heading back to school, a new data leak affecting around 14 U.K schools has come to light. The Vice Society ransomware group is believed to be behind this incident. Meanwhile, the ProxyNotShell flaw remains a big threat to organizations as a new report suggests that over 70,000 Microsoft Exchange servers remain unpatched. Furthermore, the notoriety of the LockBit ransomware group continues to terrify organizations as a US-based locomotive firm confirms an attack.

  • The widely used instant messaging platform Slack disclosed a security issue involving unauthorized access to a subset of its private GitHub code repositories. While the investigation is ongoing, the firm confirmed that there is no evidence of customer data being stolen.
  • U.S. rail and locomotive company Wabtec Corporation confirmed being hit in an attack by the LockBit ransomware gang. The incident took place in June 2022 and impacted its operations in the U.S. Canada, U.K., and Brazil. It was further revealed that the ransomware was introduced onto certain systems as early as March 15, 2022.
  • A ransomware attack forced Swansea Public schools, Massachusetts, to cancel its classes on Wednesday. The preliminary investigation reveals that the personal information of no student or staff was compromised in the attack.
  • Toyota Motor Corporation revealed a data breach at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, a joint venture with Indian giant Kirloskar Group, that compromised the personal information of over 290,000 customers. The breach was reported after an access key was left exposed to the public on GitHub for over five years.
  • The team behind PyTorch discovered a supply chain attack that impacted its nightly builds on Linux. Threat actors turned a previously safe dependency, named torchtriton, malicious and installed a binary to collect system information and read sensitive files.
  • Around 70,000 Microsoft Exchange servers are vulnerable to the ProxyNotShell flaw that can allow adversaries to escalate privileges and gain arbitrary code execution on unpatched servers. Most of these servers are located in Europe, North America, and Asia.
  • A misconfigured AWS server belonging to the Cricketsocial.com community platform left over 100,000 records exposed online. Among the leaked data were email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and physical addresses of users.
  • A database containing over 235 million records of Twitter users is now available for free on the web. The exposed information includes names, email addresses, follower counts, and creation counts of users. This database is believed to be a subset of the recently reported 400 million Twitter user records breach.
  • The Shibuya ward office in Tokyo apologized for disrupted services after an apparent cyber attack. The website is still down. The ‘Anonymous’ hacktivist group has taken the responsibility of the attack.
  • Confidential data from 14 U.K schools was leaked online by hackers. These include SEN information and passport scans of children, along with contract details and pay scales of staff members. The attacks and leaks were believed to be perpetrated by the Vice Society ransomware group.
  • In a new update, Rackspace disclosed that threat actors accessed the personal storage files of 27 of its customers. The firm suffered a ransomware attack last year. Moreover, it was also found that the Play ransomware affiliates had leveraged the OWASSRF exploit to compromise its Microsoft Exchange Server environment.
  • A security breach at the CircleCI software development platform exposed security tokens and other secrets used by more than a million developers. As a precautionary measure, the firm urged users to rotate all secrets stored in the platform.

New Threats

There has been a buzz around the recently launched ChatGPT and, just like everything else, it also grabbed the attention of cybercriminals who are exploring ways to take advantage of the AI chatbot for malicious purposes. In other threat updates, the notorious BitRAT malware and Raspberry Robin worm were found targeting different financial firms to steal sensitive data.

  • Critical flaws discovered in vehicles of popular brands, including Honda, Nissan, BMW, Rolls Royce, Ford, Ferrari, and Toyota, could allow attackers to perform malicious activities. Some of these flaws can be exploited to achieve remote code execution or access the content of the memory of some systems.
  • Symantec researchers documented the activities of Bluebottle (aka OPERA1ER), a cybercrime group that targeted banks in French-speaking nations in Africa. The initial infection vector is unknown but in some cases, job-themed file lures written in the French language were leveraged to trick victims.
  • The BlackCat (aka ALPHV) ransomware group upgraded its extortion tactics by creating a replica of a recent victim’s site to publish stolen data and pressurize them into paying the ransom. As part of the tactic, the attackers published data of a company in the financial services industry.
  • A Shc-based malware downloader was found installing XMRig coinminer after exploiting vulnerable Linux SSH servers. The malware downloader was deployed alongside an IRC bot with DDoS capabilities in the attack.
  • Multiple lures targeting a Columbian cooperative bank’s infrastructure enabled attackers to drop BitRAT on victims’ systems and steal sensitive data. Over 418,777 rows of sensitive data containing email addresses, phone numbers, payment records, and salaries of customers were found on the dark web.
  • Blind Eagle (aka APT-C-36) used QuasarRAT in an ongoing financially motivated attack campaign targeting Ecuador-based organizations. The attack was launched via phishing emails pretending to be from the Colombian government.
  • Numerous financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, HSBC U.K., Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Nubank, are being targeted by a new version of SpyNote Android malware. The attack campaign has been active since October 2022 and the malware comes with a plethora of data-stealing capabilities.
  • Instances of cybercriminals misusing the ChatGPT AI chatbot interface have come to the notice of researchers. From creating a convincing spear-phishing email to running a reverse shell, and creating an encryption tool, threat actors are exploring creative ways to misuse the tool.
  • In a new finding, the Raspberry Robin worm has been found targeting financial and insurance firms in Europe. The malware is being distributed via a 7-Zip file, containing an MSI installer file designed to drop multiple modules.
  • A variant of Dridex was observed targeting macOS platforms with a new technique. The malware uses malicious macros as an entry method, wherein the macros are embedded in documents to trick users without having to pretend to be invoices or business-related files.
  • The NetSupport RAT malware has been discovered being distributed via phishing pages disguised as Pokemon card games. The campaign has been active since December 2022 and threat actors are also mimicking programs other than Pokemon to distribute malware.

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 18, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 14–18, 2025

The U.S. is drawing a hard line on data outflows. The DOJ’s new Data Security Program aims to block foreign adversaries, specifically nations like China and Russia, from acquiring sensitive American data through commercial channels. SSL certificates are about to expire a lot faster. In a move to tighten digital trust, the CA/Browser Forum has approved a gradual reduction in certificate lifespans - from the current 398 days to just 47 by 2029. One email, three stages, and no files to catch. Agent Tesla is being deployed through spam campaigns that use archive attachments with embedded JavaScript. They look like browser helpers, but they act like spyware. A set of 57 Chrome extensions have been found snooping on users. XorDDoS is now compromising Docker servers and deploying new features tied to a “VIP” variant. Most of the recent activity is hitting U.S. infrastructure. UNC5174 is keeping a low profile, but its targets aren’t. Active since late 2024, the Chinese state-linked group has been compromising Linux systems using a malicious bash script that drops SNOWLIGHT malware and a fileless VShell RAT. A wine-tasting invite with a side of malware. APT29, the Russian state-aligned group, is targeting European diplomatic networks with phishing lures disguised as event announcements.

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.

Apr 4, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, March 31–April 04, 2025

The EU is putting serious weight behind its digital ambitions. A €1.3 billion investment will fund cybersecurity and AI initiatives across the bloc from 2025 to 2027. Projects include the rollout of the EU Digital Identity Wallet, AI development hubs, and efforts to harden critical infrastructure. Canada’s privacy watchdog is giving organizations a way to think before they panic. A new online tool helps assess the risk of significant harm after a data breach, guiding users through questions about the sensitivity of exposed data and its potential misuse.

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 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.