Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, July 25 - 29, 2022

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, September 05 - 09, 2022 - Featured Image

Weekly Threat Briefing • July 29, 2022

The Good

Quantum computers are the talk of the town and one cannot ignore the cyber risks associated with them. Therefore a new bill that fortifies conventional computers from possible data breaches due to quantum computing has come into action. This requires the federal agencies to actively monitor their defense systems to keep adversaries at bay. The healthcare sector is also being urged to implement the new guidelines from HC3 in the wake of rising web application attacks.

  • U.S. federal credit union regulators announced a new mandate to report cyber incidents. According to the new proposed rule, the federally chartered credit union organizations are required to report within 72 hours of a cyberattack and apply for third-party security breaches as well.

  • The Department of Health and Human Services Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) has urged healthcare entities to review their tactics and remediation strategies owing to the rise in web application attacks. The department has also issued a series of guidelines to create awareness about such attack types.

  • A newly introduced Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act requires federal agencies to adopt proper defenses against quantum-computing threats. As part of the bill, the federal agencies are required to migrate information technology systems to post-quantum cryptography, which will be monitored by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

  • The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has updated the cybersecurity directive to secure oil and natural gas pipelines from attacks. The directive went into effect on July 27 and aims at providing owners and operators more flexibility in reporting cybersecurity incidents.

The Bad

LinkedIn and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) are the new hotbeds for phishing as researchers unveiled details about their misuse in widespread campaigns to harvest personal information from users. Network and system outages were also reported by multiple organizations and institutions following ransomware attacks. In one incident, the attackers made a ransom demand of over $600,000 to prevent the data from being leaked online.

  • St. Luke’s Health System notified that an unknown number of patients were impacted by a data breach at one of its vendors, Kaye-Smith. The exposed information includes names, phone numbers, ID numbers, dates of birth, and social security numbers of patients.

  • Wooton Upper School in Bedfordshire has fallen victim to an attack by Hive ransomware. Following the attack, the attackers demanded a ransom of over $600,000 to stop the stolen data from being released online.

  • Another critical vulnerability impacting the Atlassian Confluence server and data center has come under active exploitation this week. The flaw in question is CVE-2022-26138 and can be abused to gain unrestricted access to all pages in Confluence.

  • A data breach impacting the personal information of some City of Detroit retirees came to notice this week. There are security concerns about the exploitation of people’s identities if the information is sold on the dark web forum.

  • Akamai mitigated one of the largest DDoS attacks that hit an organization in Europe. Around 75 attack attempts were made in the past 30 days with the traffic peaking at 853.7 Gbps and 659.6 Mpps over 14 hours.

  • InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) has become a new hotbed for phishing. Researchers have noticed an increase in the number of phishing emails containing IPFS URLs. These websites mimic several branded websites to trick users into sharing their personal information.

  • Four packages in the npm repository were found stealing Discord tokens and bank card data. All these packages contained highly obfuscated malicious Python and JavaScript code, dubbed Volt Stealer and Lofy Stealer, respectively.

  • Customers associated with Chase Bank are being warned against a new phishing campaign that attempts to pilfer their personal and banking details. The customers are lured with a phishing website that looks similar to the original site of the bank.

  • Microsoft found a new spyware campaign targeting entities in Europe and Central America. The campaign was launched by a North Korean threat actor, named Knotweed, using a malware dubbed Subzero.

  • A cyberattack at the managed service provider NetStandard had forced the company to shut down its MyAppsAnywhere cloud services. The action was taken to prevent the attack from spreading further.

  • WordFly has suffered an outage following a ransomware attack. During the attack, miscreants stole email addresses and names of customers connected with top arts organizations.

  • Microsoft says attackers increasingly use malicious Internet Information Services (IIS) web server extensions to compromise unpatched Exchange servers. These compromised servers are later used as a channel to bypass detection and distribute malicious payloads.

  • The decentralized music platform Audius was hacked over the weekend, with threat actors stealing over 18 million AUDIO tokens worth approximately $6 million. the hacker exploited a bug in the contract initialization code to launch the hack.

  • Charity platform Giving.sg has raised an alarm about a phishing attack that tries to steal credit card information and personal details from users on the pretext of donations. Investigations are underway.

  • A new phishing campaign codenamed 'Ducktail' is underway, targeting professionals on LinkedIn to take over their Facebook business accounts. The campaign has been active for almost four years from now.

  • The ransomware gang Lockbit claims to have hacked the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) and added the government agency to the list of victims reported on its dark web leak site. The stolen data includes documents, scans, financial reports, and contracts.

New Threats

In new threats, the capabilities of Gootkit and Amadey bot have been improved to launch more sophisticated attacks. While the new Gootkit variant uses fileless techniques to drop Cobalt Strike and other malicious malware, the new Amadey bot is capable of bypassing 14 different antivirus products.

  • A new malware, masquerading as cleaner apps, has infected over 1 million users across the globe. These apps are distributed via the Google Play Store app. Once executed, the malware displays unwanted advertisements and runs malicious payloads without the knowledge of the user.

  • Kaspersky researchers discovered CosmicStrand, a new strain of UEFI rootkit popular among Chinese-speaking hackers. The rootkit was found on ASUS and Gigabyte motherboards.

  • Researchers disclosed details of a new attack campaign, tracked as STIFF#BIZON. It targeted high-value organizations in multiple countries, including Poland and the Czech Republic, using Konni RAT.

  • A new version of Amadey bot distributed via SomkeLoader malware in a campaign. The campaign used software cracks and keygen sites as bait to lure their victims. The latest version of Amadey is capable of bypassing 14 different antivirus products.

  • Researchers have published a connection between SharpTongue and Kimsuky threat actor groups. SharpTongue is known for deploying a malicious SHARPEXT browser extension to steal mail data directly from webmail sessions. Targeted users include those from the U.S, Europe, and South Korea.

  • Capabilities of Gootkit loader have been updated to use fileless techniques to drop Cobalt Strike and other malicious malware. In the past, Gootkit used freeware installers to mask malicious files.

  • QBot is now spreading via Windows calculator. This is a new evasion technique adopted by attackers to remain undetected during the infection process.

  • Multiple DHL phishing pages have been found exfiltrating users’ personal data via Telegram bot. The fake pages use design elements like colors, fonts, and styles found on a typical DHL tracking page to convince victims that it’s legitimate in nature.

  • Cyble researchers spotted a new Rust-based infostealer, named Luca Stealer. The source code of the malware has been released for free on hacker forums. Luca Stealer is being actively used by threat actors.

  • Researchers have reiterated similarities between LockBit 3.0 ransomware and BlackMatter. The overlapping includes the privilege escalation and credential harvesting routines used to identify APIs required to terminate processes on victims’ machines.

  • A new phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform is being sold to cybercriminals aiming to gain access to the financial information of individuals residing in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia. The toolkit is tracked as Robin Bank and was utilized in a large-scale phishing campaign observed in June.

Related Threat Briefings

May 9, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 05–09, 2025

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May 2, 2025

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

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Apr 25, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 21–25, 2025

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Apr 18, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, April 14–18, 2025

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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.