Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 20 - 24, 2022

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Weekly Threat Briefing June 24, 2022

The Good

Dial 311 for cybersecurity emergencies! The CISA has proposed the idea of launching a hotline number to provide assistance to small and medium-sized businesses in the event of a cybersecurity incident. In another development, President Joe Biden has signed two bipartisan bills that aim at strengthening the government’s cybersecurity posture across the local, state, and federal levels.

  • Members of the CISA have proposed an emergency number (311) for small and medium-sized businesses to handle cybersecurity incidents. The idea is among several recommendations the committee suggested to encourage the public to adopt cybersecurity best practices. The call line will help businesses bolster their IT defenses by offering immediate cybersecurity training.
  • The U.S. President signed two bipartisan bills—Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act and State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act—to strengthen the government’s cybersecurity posture across the local, state, and federal levels.
  • In a joint operation, Europol, along with Belgian and Dutch law enforcement authorities, has effectively dismantled a massive phishing operation that netted millions in illicit gains. The modus operandi started with an email, and text message containing a link to a phishing page.
  • The DOJ, along with German law enforcement, seized the infrastructure of the Russian RSOCKS botnet that has infected millions of devices across the world. The botnet leveraged brute-force attacks to compromise routers and other IoT devices which are then used to launch DDoS attacks.

The Bad

A new spyware, which is as dangerous as Pegasus, is being used in the wild to spy on Apple and Android smartphones in Italy and Kazakhstan. The spyware leverages a combination of tactics, including the typical drive-download attack for propagation. Another aggressive campaign from the Conti ransomware group has come under the lens of researchers. The gang hacked over 40 organizations in an attack campaign, codenamed ARMattack, that was launched in 2021.

  • Google’s Threat Analysis Group has held RCS Labs responsible for installing spyware on smartphones of certain users in Italy and Kazakhstan. The spyware is distributed via a combination of tactics that also include the drive-by-download attack.
  • According to an advisory from the CISA, state-sponsored APT actors continue to exploit the well-known Log4Shell vulnerability to launch attacks. The agency has advised organizations to update all affected VMware Horizon and UAG systems to the latest versions.
  • AvosLocker was found using several tools, including Cobalt Strike, Sliver, and commercial network scanners to expand its attack surface. The initial infection chain involved the exploitation of the Log4Shell vulnerability.
  • The operators behind the RIG exploit kit swapped the Raccoon Stealer malware with Dridex trojan for an attack campaign that has been active since January. The switch in the modus operandi comes in the wake of Raccoon Stealer temporarily closing its operation in February.
  • A phishing email campaign spoofed MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet provider in an attempt to steal recovery phrases from Microsoft 365 users. The recovery phrases could later enable attackers to steal NFTs and cryptocurrency from compromised wallets. The phishing email used a Know Your Customer (KYC) verification request to lure recipients into sharing sensitive data.
  • Ukrainian organizations have been subjected to new hacking attempts tailored to drop CredoMap malware and malicious Cobalt Strike beacons onto their networks. It is suspected to be the work of Fancy Bear and UAC-0098. The CredoMap malware is capable of stealing account credentials and cookies stored in Firefox, Edge, and Chrome web browsers.
  • Researchers stumbled upon a ransomware attack deploying zero-day exploits for vulnerabilities impacting Mitel VOIP appliances. The vulnerability is rated critical and affects Mitel Service Appliances – SA 100, SA 400, and Virtual SA.
  • Sensitive information of 1.1 million patients is reportedly affected due to a data breach at Indiana University Health Hospital. The breach took place in 2020.
  • BidenCash, a new carding site, is leaking credit card details and the information of their owners for as little as $0.15. The site admins also gave away a CSV database containing 6,600 credit cards for free, to promote their site.
  • Conti cybercrime group ran one of its most aggressive operations to hack more than 40 companies in a little over a month. Security researchers codenamed the hacking campaign as ARMattack and revealed that it occurred between November 17 and December 20, 2021.
  • The U.S subsidiary of Nichirin Co. was forced to halt some of its operations following a ransomware attack. According to the firm, the attack occurred on June 14 after attackers gained unauthorized access to its systems.

New Threats

Operators behind the notorious Emotet trojan never fail to surprise security researchers and as part of their latest work, the attackers have updated the anti-evasion capabilities using Microsoft Excel macros to bypass security checks. In other emerging threats, ICS vendors have been warned about a series of flaws that affect their operation technology devices. Collectively called OT:Icefall, these flaws stem from insecure engineering protocols, weak cryptography or broken authentication schemes, insecure firmware update mechanisms, and native functionality abuse.

  • Researchers discovered several malicious Python packages designed to exfiltrate AWS credentials and keys. The packages—loglib-modules, pyg-modules, pygrata, pygrata-utils, and hkg-sol-utils—were uploaded to a third-party software repository.
  • A new malware tool dubbed Quantum Lnk Builder has been spotted for sale on cybercrime forums. It can enable cybercriminal actors to build malicious Windows shortcut files. It also offers the capability to generate HTA and disk image payloads.
  • A new version of Emotet is capable of using spreadsheets, documents, and other Microsoft programs to bypass security solutions. Indeed, this new Emotet malware has led to a nine-fold increase in the use of Microsoft Excel macros compared with what security experts found in the fourth quarter of 2021.
  • Kaspersky revealed the tactics and techniques of a new APT group targeting high-profile entities in Europe and Asia. Named ToddyCat, the group has a distinct sign of using two new malware, called Samurai backdoor and Ninja trojan, in its attack campaigns.
  • Operation technology devices from 10 ICS vendors are found to be vulnerable to 56 new security flaws. Collectively called OT:Icefall, these flaws stem from insecure engineering protocols, weak cryptography or broken authentication schemes, insecure firmware update mechanisms, and native functionality abuse.
  • Check Point researchers have discovered a connection between the new Nimbda malware loader and the Tropic Trooper APT group. The attackers had used the loader, which is a variant of Yahoyah trojan, to deploy TClient backdoor in the final stage of the campaign.
  • MEGA addressed multiple vulnerabilities in its cloud storage service that could have allowed threat actors to decrypt user data stored in encrypted form. According to researchers, the flaws can be abused in various ways, including Plaintext Recovery attack, Framing attack, Integrity attack, and Guess-and-Purge (GaP) Bleichenbacher attack.
  • China-based APT groups Bronze Starlight and Bronze Riverside are using the HUI loader to spread ransomware to hide their cyber espionage campaigns. Bronze Starlight is reportedly delivering the LockBit 2.0, Atom Silo, Rook, Pandora, LockFile, and Night Sky ransomware families.
  • ClearSky discovered a new malware associated with the Iranian SiameseKitten (Lyceum) group. The malware is distributed via a fake Adobe update. In some cases, fake Microsoft certificates were also used to propagate the malware.

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Jul 4, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 30–July 04, 2025

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Jun 27, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 23–27, 2025

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Jun 20, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 16–20, 2025

As cybercriminals weave intricate webs in the digital underworld, global defenders are cutting through the chaos. Six nations toppled Archetyp Market, a darknet drug bazaar with €250 million ($288 million) in Monero deals, nabbing its admin and vendors while seizing €7.8 million ($9 million) in assets. The U.K unveiled a Cyber Growth Action Plan, injecting £16m ($21.2m) to fortify its £13.2bn ($17.5bn) cybersecurity industry after attacks bled retailers like M&S. Stateside, the U.S. reclaimed $225 million in crypto from investment scams, marking the Secret Service’s biggest digital heist bust yet. Cloud services are being quietly turned into covert attack channels. The Serpentine#Cloud campaign is abusing Cloudflare Tunnels and Python to deploy fileless malware via invoice-themed phishing lures. A popular WordPress plugin is exposing sites to full takeover. It affects the AI Engine plugin, impacting over 100,000 websites and opening the door to site-wide compromise. An official-looking email from the tax department may be anything but. Silver Fox APT is targeting Taiwanese users with phishing emails posing as the National Taxation Bureau, delivering malware like Winos 4.0, HoldingHands RAT, and Gh0stCringe. A new Android trojan is turning devices into data-harvesting tools under attackers’ full control. Attributed to the LARVA-398 group, AntiDot has infected thousands of devices through phishing and malicious ads. A fake job offer could now come bundled with custom-built spyware. PylangGhost is targeting crypto professionals in India. Delivered through spoofed job sites, the malware includes registry tampering, remote control, and data exfiltration modules aimed at compromising Windows systems. One compromised travel site is now a launchpad for infostealer infections. A new ClickFix variant, LightPerlGirl, is using fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA prompts and clipboard hijacking to deliver the Lumma infostealer.

Jun 6, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, June 02–06, 2025

Authorities have taken down a major hub for stolen financial data. The DOJ seized approximately 145 domains associated with the BidenCash marketplace, which had evolved from a small credit card shop in 2022 into a massive hub for stolen payment data. In a move to reinforce Europe’s cyber defenses, Microsoft is stepping in with strategic support. The newly launched European Security Program offers EU governments free access to AI-driven threat intelligence, vulnerability alerts, and guidance to counter attacks from state-sponsored actors. Not all GitHub projects are built with good intentions. Researchers uncovered a widespread campaign involving more than 130 repositories booby-trapped with malware disguised as game cheats, hacking tools, and utilities. A free software download could end up costing your entire crypto wallet. ViperSoftX is back in circulation, targeting crypto users with malicious PowerShell scripts bundled into cracked apps, keygens, and torrent packages. Some attackers mine crypto, JINX-0132 mines misconfigurations. This threat actor is running a stealthy cryptojacking campaign against DevOps platforms, exploiting exposed defaults and overlooked RCE flaws. Destruction masquerading as maintenance tools is hitting Ukraine’s infrastructure. Researchers attributed a new wiper malware called PathWiper to a Russia-linked APT group, targeting critical systems by leveraging legitimate administrative frameworks. A few swapped letters could be all it takes to get owned. A new supply chain attack targets Python and npm developers through typo-squatting and name confusion. A new Android banking trojan, named Crocodilus, has emerged in the threat landscape. It masquerades as legitimate apps like Google Chrome and uses overlay attacks to steal credentials from financial apps.

May 30, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 26–30, 2025

Under the hood of vulnerability management, NIST just added a sharper diagnostic tool. The new Likely Exploited Vulnerabilities metric offers deeper insight into which CVEs are likely being used in the wild, complementing EPSS with more contextual signals. Digital warfare is no longer a future threat, it's a current investment. The U.K. Ministry of Defence has unveiled a £1 billion Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks and support offensive cyber missions. With AI-driven systems like the Digital Targeting Web in development, the goal is seamless coordination across weapons platforms. A quiet but relentless campaign has been unfolding across multiple industries. The Chinese group Earth Lamia is targeting finance, government, logistics, and more by exploiting known web app vulnerabilities. APT41 hides malware commands where no one’s looking: your calendar. In a creative twist on C2 infrastructure, China-backed APT41 embedded encrypted instructions inside Google Calendar events. AyySSHush doesn’t make noise, it builds armies. More than 9,000 ASUS routers have been compromised by this botnet, which quietly slips in through a CVE-2023-39780 exploit. Fake CAPTCHA prompts are now doing more than testing if you're human—they're installing malware. EDDIESTEALER, a new Rust-based infostealer, spreads through deceptive CAPTCHA pages that trigger malicious PowerShell scripts. Threat actors are wrapping their tools in layers of obfuscation, and DOUBLELOADER is no exception. This new backdoor uses the ALCATRAZ obfuscator—once seen in the game-hacking scene—to disguise its presence. A new Go-based botnet called PumaBot is clawing its way through Linux IoT devices. It brute-forces SSH credentials, impersonates Redis files for stealth, and deploys rootkits to mine crypto and steal credentials.

May 23, 2025

Cyware Weekly Threat Intelligence, May 19–23, 2025

Operation Endgame just dealt a major blow to the ransomware supply chain. Europol led the charge in dismantling malware infrastructure tied to multiple malware families, seizing 300 servers and more. Japan has officially gone on the cyber offense. The new Active Cyberdefense Law allows preemptive strikes against foreign cyber threats. It enables traffic analysis and takedowns of hostile servers. Think twice before clicking on that Ledger update. A new macOS malware campaign is deploying fake versions of the Ledger Live app to steal cryptocurrency seed phrases. A Turkish phishing lure leads straight to SnakeKeylogger. Fake AI tools are the new phishing lures and they’re convincing. Cybercriminals cloned Kling AI’s brand through Facebook ads and spoofed websites to trick users into downloading malware. The DBatLoader (aka ModiLoader) malware is making the rounds again - this time disguised as a Turkish bank email. The copyright threat in your inbox might be bait. A phishing campaign sweeping across central and eastern Europe is using fake legal complaints to deliver the Rhadamanthys Stealer. Two years of silence, 6,200 downloads later - the malware is finally found. A malicious campaign targeting JavaScript developers slipped past detection by disguising harmful npm packages as plugins for frameworks like React, Vue.js, Vite, and Quill Editor. Researchers uncovered a stealthy new backdoor paired with a Monero coinminer, using the PyBitmessage library for encrypted peer-to-peer communications.

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

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.