What's new arround internet
| Src | Date (GMT) | Titre | Description | Tags | Stories | Notes |
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2024-04-16 06:00:54 | De l'ingénierie sociale aux abus DMARC: Ta427 \\'s Art of Information Gathering From Social Engineering to DMARC Abuse: TA427\\'s Art of Information Gathering (lien direct) |
Key takeaways TA427 regularly engages in benign conversation starter campaigns to establish contact with targets for long-term exchanges of information on topics of strategic importance to the North Korean regime. In addition to using specially crafted lure content, TA427 heavily leverages think tank and non-governmental organization-related personas to legitimize its emails and increase the chances that targets will engage with the threat actor. To craftily pose as its chosen personas, TA427 uses a few tactics including DMARC abuse in concert with free email addresses, typosquatting, and private email account spoofing. TA427 has also incorporated web beacons for initial reconnaissance of its targets, establishing basic information like that the email account is active. Overview Proofpoint researchers track numerous state-sponsored and state-aligned threat actors. TA427 (also known as Emerald Sleet, APT43, THALLIUM or Kimsuky), a Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) aligned group working in support of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, is particularly prolific in email phishing campaigns targeting experts for insight into US and the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) foreign policy. Since 2023, TA427 has directly solicited foreign policy experts for their opinions on nuclear disarmament, US-ROK policies, and sanction topics via benign conversation starting emails. In recent months, Proofpoint researchers have observed (Figure 1) a steady, and at times increasing, stream of this activity. While our researchers have consistently observed TA427 rely on social engineering tactics and regularly rotating its email infrastructure, in December 2023 the threat actor began to abuse lax Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) policies to spoof various personas and, in February 2024, began incorporating web beacons for target profiling. It is this initial engagement, and the tactics successfully leveraged by TA427, which this blog is focused on. Figure 1. Volume of TA427 phishing campaigns observed between January 2023 and March 2024. Social engineering TA427 is a savvy social engineering expert whose campaigns are likely in support of North Korea\'s strategic intelligence collection efforts on US and ROK foreign policy initiatives. Based on the targets identified and the information sought, it is believed that TA427\'s goal is to augment North Korean intelligence and inform its foreign policy negotiation tactics (example Figure 2). TA427 is known to engage its targets for extended periods of time through a series of benign conversations to build a rapport with targets that can occur over weeks to months. They do so by constantly rotating which aliases are used to engage with the targets on similar subject matter. Figure 2. Example of TA427 campaign focused on US policy during an election year. Using timely, relevant lure content (as seen in Figure 3) customized for each victim, and often spoofing individuals in the DPRK research space with whom the victim is familiar to encourage engagement, targets are often requested to share their thoughts on these topics via email or a formal research paper or article. Malware or credential harvesting are never directly sent to the targets without an exchange of multiple messages, and based on Proofpoint visibility, rarely utilized by the threat actor. It is possible that TA427 can fulfill its intelligence requirements by directly asking targets for their opinions or analysis rather than from an infection. Additionally, insight gained from the correspondence is likely used to improve targeting of the victim organization and establish rapport for later questions and engagement. Figure 3. Timeline of real-world events based on international press reporting, side-by-side with Proofpoint observed subject lures. Lure content often includes invitations to attend events about North Korean policies regarding international affairs, questions regarding topics such as how deterr | Malware Tool Threat Conference | APT 37 APT 43 | ★★ |
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2023-03-14 17:32:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: Xenomorph Automates The Whole Fraud Chain on Android, IceFire Ransomware Started Targeting Linux, Mythic Leopard Delivers Spyware Using Romance Scam (lien direct) |
Anomali Cyber Watch: Xenomorph Automates The Whole Fraud Chain on Android, IceFire Ransomware Started Targeting Linux, Mythic Leopard Delivers Spyware Using Romance Scam, and More.
The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: Android, APT, DLL side-loading, Iran, Linux, Malvertising, Mobile, Pakistan, Ransomware, and Windows. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
Xenomorph V3: a New Variant with ATS Targeting More Than 400 Institutions
(published: March 10, 2023)
Newer versions of the Xenomorph Android banking trojan are able to target 400 applications: cryptocurrency wallets and mobile banking from around the World with the top targeted countries being Spain, Turkey, Poland, USA, and Australia (in that order). Since February 2022, several small, testing Xenomorph campaigns have been detected. Its current version Xenomorph v3 (Xenomorph.C) is available on the Malware-as-a-Service model. This trojan version was delivered using the Zombinder binding service to bind it to a legitimate currency converter. Xenomorph v3 automatically collects and exfiltrates credentials using the ATS (Automated Transfer Systems) framework. The command-and-control traffic is blended in by abusing Discord Content Delivery Network.
Analyst Comment: Fraud chain automation makes Xenomorph v3 a dangerous malware that might significantly increase its prevalence on the threat landscape. Users should keep their mobile devices updated and avail of mobile antivirus and VPN protection services. Install only applications that you actually need, use the official store and check the app description and reviews. Organizations that publish applications for their customers are invited to use Anomali's Premium Digital Risk Protection service to discover rogue, malicious apps impersonating your brand that security teams typically do not search or monitor.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] T1417.001 - Input Capture: Keylogging | [MITRE ATT&CK] T1417.002 - Input Capture: Gui Input Capture
Tags: malware:Xenomorph, Mobile, actor:Hadoken Security Group, actor:HadokenSecurity, malware-type:Banking trojan, detection:Xenomorph.C, Malware-as-a-Service, Accessibility services, Overlay attack, Discord CDN, Cryptocurrency wallet, target-industry:Cryptocurrency, target-industry:Banking, target-country:Spain, target-country:ES, target-country:Turkey, target-country:TR, target-country:Poland, target-country:PL, target-country:USA, target-country:US, target-country:Australia, target-country:AU, malware:Zombinder, detection:Zombinder.A, Android
Cobalt Illusion Masquerades as Atlantic Council Employee
(published: March 9, 2023)
A new campaign by Iran-sponsored Charming Kitten (APT42, Cobalt Illusion, Magic Hound, Phosphorous) was detected targeting Mahsa Amini protests and researchers who document the suppression of women and minority groups i |
Ransomware Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Guideline Conference | APT 35 ChatGPT ChatGPT APT 36 APT 42 | ★★ |
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2023-01-30 13:52:25 | Russian and Iranian Spear Phishing Campaigns are Running Rampant in the UK (lien direct) |
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has described two separate spear phishing campaigns launched by Russia's SEABORGIUM threat actor and Iran's TA453 (also known as Charming Kitten). The NCSC says both threat actors have targeted entities in the UK, including “academia, defence, governmental organisations, NGOs, think-tanks, as well as politicians, journalists, and activists." |
Threat Conference | APT 35 | ★★ |
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2023-01-26 00:01:00 | British cyber agency issues warning over Russian and Iranian espionage campaigns (lien direct) |  Two separate but similar espionage campaigns from Russian and Iranian-linked groups have prompted a warning from Britain's National Cyber Security Centre. In a document published on Thursday local time the NCSC warned how instead of sending surprise phishing emails, the hacking groups – identified as “Russia-based” SEABORGIUM and “Iran-based” APT42, or Charming Kitten – are [… |
Conference | APT 35 APT 42 | ★★ |
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2023-01-07 11:15:08 | CVE-2018-25070 (lien direct) | A vulnerability has been found in polterguy Phosphorus Five up to 8.2 and classified as critical. This vulnerability affects the function csv.Read of the file plugins/extras/p5.mysql/NonQuery.cs of the component CSV Import. The manipulation leads to sql injection. Upgrading to version 8.3 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is c179a3d0703db55cfe0cb939b89593f2e7a87246. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. VDB-217606 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability. | Vulnerability Guideline Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-12-14 10:20:58 | Iranian-state-aligned threat actor targets new victims in cyberespionage and kinetic campaigns – Proofpoint research (lien direct) | Iranian-state-aligned threat actor targets new victims in cyberespionage and kinetic campaigns – Proofpoint research Cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint have released new threat intelligence into Iranian state-aligned threat actor TA453 (AKA Charming Kitten, PHOSPHORUS, APT42), showing how the group has deviated from its traditional phishing techniques and is targeting new victims. - Malware Update | Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 42 | ★★ |
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2022-12-07 16:00:00 | Security Risks Found in Millions of XIoT Devices (lien direct) | Phosphorus published a report encapsulating five years of security research and device testing. | Conference | APT 35 | ★★★ |
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2022-09-14 05:09:00 | Iranian cyberspies use multi-persona impersonation in phishing threads (lien direct) | One of the most prolific state-sponsored Iranian cyber espionage groups is targeting researchers from different fields by setting up sophisticated spear-phishing lures in which they use multiple fake personas inside the same email thread for increased credibility.Security firm Proofpoint tracks the group as TA453, but it overlaps with activity that other companies have attributed to Charming Kitten, PHOSPHORUS and APT42. Incident response company Mandiant recently reported with medium confidence that APT42 operates on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) and specializes in highly targeted social engineering.To read this article in full, please click here | Conference | APT 35 APT 42 | |
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2022-09-08 11:08:00 | Microsoft Warns of Ransomware Attacks by Iranian Phosphorus Hacker Group (lien direct) | Microsoft's threat intelligence division on Wednesday assessed that a subgroup of the Iranian threat actor tracked as Phosphorus is conducting ransomware attacks as a "form of moonlighting" for personal gain. The tech giant, which is monitoring the activity cluster under the moniker DEV-0270 (aka Nemesis Kitten), said it's operated by a company that functions under the public aliases Secnerd and | Ransomware Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-08-23 07:50:00 | Google Uncovers Tool Used by Iranian Hackers to Steal Data from Email Accounts (lien direct) | The Iranian government-backed actor known as Charming Kitten has added a new tool to its malware arsenal that allows it to retrieve user data from Gmail, Yahoo!, and Microsoft Outlook accounts. Dubbed HYPERSCRAPE by Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG), the actively in-development malicious software is said to have been used against less than two dozen accounts in Iran, with the oldest known | Malware Tool Threat Conference | Yahoo APT 35 | |
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2022-06-21 15:03:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: GALLIUM Expands Targeting Across Telecommunications, Government and Finance Sectors With New PingPull Tool, DragonForce Malaysia OpsPatuk / OpsIndia and More (lien direct) | The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: APT35, CrescentImp, Follina, Gallium, Phosphorous, and Sandworm. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
Update: The Phish Goes On - 5 Million Stolen Credentials and Counting
(published: June 16, 2022)
PIXM researchers describe an ongoing, large-scale Facebook phishing campaign. Its primary targets are Facebook Messenger mobile users and an estimated five million users lost their login credentials. The campaign evades Facebook anti-phishing protection by redirecting to a new page at a legitimate service such as amaze.co, famous.co, funnel-preview.com, or glitch.me. In June 2022, the campaign also employed the tactic of displaying legitimate shopping cart content at the final page for about two seconds before displaying the phishing content. The campaign is attributed to Colombian actor BenderCrack (Hackerasueldo) who monetizes displaying affiliate ads.
Analyst Comment: Users should check what domain is asking for login credentials before providing those. Organizations can consider monitoring their employees using Facebook as a Single Sign-On (SSO) Provider.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Phishing - T1566 | [MITRE ATT&CK] User Execution - T1204
Tags: Facebook, Phishing, Facebook Messenger, Social networks, Mobile, Android, iOS, Redirect, Colombia, source-country:CO, BenderCrack, Hackerasueldo
F5 Labs Investigates MaliBot
(published: June 15, 2022)
F5 Labs researchers describe a novel Android trojan, dubbed MaliBot. Based on re-written SOVA malware code, MaliBot is maintaining its Background Service by setting itself as a launcher. Its code has some unused evasion portions for emulation environment detection and setting the malware as a hidden app. MaliBot spreads via smishing, takes control of the device and monetizes using overlays for certain Italian and Spanish banks, stealing cryptocurrency, and sometimes sending Premium SMS to paid services.
Analyst Comment: Users should be wary of following links in unexpected SMS messages. Try to avoid downloading apps from third-party websites. Be cautious with enabling accessibility options.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] System Network Configuration Discovery - T1016 | [MITRE ATT&CK] User Execution - T1204
Tags: MaliBot, Android, MFA bypass, SMS theft, Premium SMS, Smishing, Binance, Trust wallet, VNC, SOVA, Sality, Cryptocurrency, Financial, Italy, target-country:IT, Spain, target-country:ES
Extortion Gang Ransoms Shoprite, Largest Supermarket Chain in Africa
(published: June 15, 2022)
On June 10, 2022, the African largest supermarket chain operating in twelve countries, Shoprite Holdings, announced a possible cybersecurity incident. The company notified customers in E |
Ransomware Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Guideline Conference | Yahoo APT 35 | |
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2022-06-15 10:41:47 | New Iranian Spear-Phishing Campaign Hijacks Email Conversations (lien direct) | A major new state-backed spear-phishing operation targeting multiple high-ranking Israeli and US officials has been uncovered by security researchers. The campaign has been traced to the Iranian Phosphorus ATP group, according to Check Point. It has targeted former Israeli foreign minister and deputy Prime Minister Tzipi Livni, a former US ambassador to Israel, and a […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-05-17 15:01:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: Costa Rica in Ransomware Emergency, Charming Kitten Spy and Ransom, Saitama Backdoor Hides by Sleeping, and More (lien direct) | The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: APT, Conti ransomware, India, Iran, Russia, Spearphishing, and Vulnerabilities. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
COBALT MIRAGE Conducts Ransomware Operations in U.S.
(published: May 12, 2022)
Secureworks researchers describe campaigns by Iran-sponsored group Cobalt Mirage. These actors are likely part of a larger group, Charming Kitten (Phosphorus, APT35, Cobalt Illusion). In 2022, Cobalt Mirage deployed BitLocker ransomware on a US charity systems, and exfiltrated data from a US local government network. Their ransomware operations appear to be a low-scale, hands-on approach with rare tactics such as sending a ransom note to a local printer. The group utilized its own custom binaries including a Fast Reverse Proxy client (FRPC) written in Go. It also relied on mass scanning for known vulnerabilities (ProxyShell, Log4Shell) and using commodity tools for encryption, internal scanning, and lateral movement.
Analyst Comment: However small your government or NGO organization is, it still needs protection from advanced cyber actors. Keep your system updated, and employ mitigation strategies when updates for critical vulnerabilities are not available.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Exploit Public-Facing Application - T1190 | [MITRE ATT&CK] OS Credential Dumping - T1003 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Command and Scripting Interpreter - T1059 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Modify Registry - T1112 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Create Account - T1136 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Account Manipulation - T1098 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Proxy - T1090 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Data Encrypted for Impact - T1486
Tags: Cobalt Mirage, Phosphorous, Cobalt Illusion, TunnelVision, Impacket, wmiexec, Softperfect network scanner, LSASS, RDP, Powershell, BitLocker, Ransomware, Fast Reverse Proxy client, FRP, FRPC, Iran, source-country:IR, USA, target-country:US, Cyberespionage, Government, APT, Go, Log4j2, ProxyShell, CVE-2021-34473, CVE-2021-45046, CVE-2021-44228, CVE-2020-12812, CVE-2021-31207, CVE-2018-13379, CVE-2021-34523, CVE-2019-5591
SYK Crypter Distributing Malware Families Via Discord
(published: May 12, 2022)
Morphisec researchers discovered a new campaign abusing popular messaging platform Discord content distribution network (CDN). If a targeted user activates the phishing attachment, it starts the DNetLoader malware that reaches out to the hardcoded Discord CDN link and downloads a next stage crypter such as newly-discovered SYK crypter. SYK crypter is being loaded into memory where it decrypts its configuration and the next stage payload using hardcoded keys and various encryption methods. It detects and impairs antivirus solutions and checks for d |
Ransomware Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 15 APT 34 | |
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2022-05-12 13:18:29 | Iranian Cyberspy Group Launching Ransomware Attacks Against US (lien direct) | Over the past several months, Iran-linked cyberespionage group Charming Kitten has been engaging in financially-motivated activities, the Secureworks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) reports. | Ransomware Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | ★★★ |
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2022-05-12 06:56:45 | Iranian Hackers Leveraging BitLocker and DiskCryptor in Ransomware Attacks (lien direct) | A ransomware group with an Iranian operational connection has been linked to a string of file-encrypting malware attacks targeting organizations in Israel, the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Cybersecurity firm Secureworks attributed the intrusions to a threat actor it tracks under the moniker Cobalt Mirage, which it said is linked to an Iranian hacking crew dubbed Cobalt Illusion (aka APT35, | Ransomware Malware Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 15 | ★★★★ |
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2022-02-22 15:18:36 | Enterprise IoT Security Firm Phosphorus Raises $38 Million (lien direct) | Nashville, TN-based IoT security firm Phosphorus Cybersecurity has raised $38 million in a Series A funding round led by SYN Ventures and MassMutual Ventures. Phosphorus discovers, delivers timely and automated patching and credential rotation for IoT devices in what it calls the 'Security of Things'. | Patching Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-02-18 15:21:14 | Iran-linked TunnelVision APT is actively exploiting the Log4j vulnerability (lien direct) | Iran-linked TunnelVision APT group is actively exploiting the Log4j vulnerability to deploy ransomware on unpatched VMware Horizon servers. Researchers from SentinelOne have observed the potentially destructive Iran-linked APT group TunnelVision is actively exploiting the Log4j vulnerability to deploy ransomware on unpatched VMware Horizon servers. TunnelVision’s TTPs overlap with the ones associated with Iran-linked nation-state actors Phosphorus, Charming Kitten […] | Ransomware Vulnerability Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-02-17 23:40:44 | Iranian Hackers Targeting VMware Horizon Log4j Flaws to Deploy Ransomware (lien direct) | A "potentially destructive actor" aligned with the government of Iran is actively exploiting the well-known Log4j vulnerability to infect unpatched VMware Horizon servers with ransomware. Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne dubbed the group "TunnelVision" owing to their heavy reliance on tunneling tools, with overlaps in tactics observed to that of a broader group tracked under the moniker Phosphorus | Ransomware Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-02-08 16:00:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: Conti Ransomware Attack, Iran-Sponsored APTs, New Android RAT, Russia-Sponsored Gamaredon, and More (lien direct) | The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: APT, Cyberespionage, Data breach, RATs, SEO poisoning, and Spearphishing. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
New CapraRAT Android Malware Targets Indian Government and Military Personnel
(published: February 7, 2022)
Trend Micro researchers have discovered a new remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed, CapraRAT, that targets Android systems. CapraRAT is attributed to the advanced persistent threat (APT) group, APT36 (Earth Karkaddan, Mythic Leopard, Transparent Tribe), which is believed to be Pakistan-based group that has been active since at least 2016. The Android-targeting CapraRAT shares similarities (capabilities, commands, and function names) to the Windows targeting Crimson RAT, and researchers note that it may be a modified version of the open source AndroRAT. The delivery method of CapraRAT is unknown, however, APT36 is known to use spearphishing emails with attachments or links. Once CapraRAT is installed and executed it will attempt to reach out to a command and control server and subsequently begin stealing various data from an infected device.
Analyst Comment: It is important to only use the Google Play Store to obtain your software (for Android users), and avoid installing software from unverified sources because it is easier for malicious applications to get into third-party stores. Applications that ask for additional permissions outside of their normal functionality should be treated with suspicion, and normal functionality for the applications should be reviewed carefully prior to installation. Antivirus applications, if available, should be installed devices.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Phishing - T1566 | [MITRE ATT&CK] User Execution - T1204 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Software Deployment Tools - T1072
Tags: APT36, Earth Karkaddan, Mythic Leopard, Transparent Tribe, Android, CapraRAT
Russia’s Gamaredon aka Primitive Bear APT Group Actively Targeting Ukraine
(published: February 3, 2022)
The Russia-sponsored, cyberespionage group Primitive Bear (Gamaredon) has continued updating its toolset, according to Unit 42 researchers. The group continues to use their primary tactic in spearphishing emails with attachments that leverage remote templates and template injection with a focus on Ukraine. These email attachments are usually Microsoft Word documents that use the remote template to fetch VBScript, execute it to establish persistence, and wait for the group’s instruction via a command and control server. Unit 42 researchers have analyzed the group’s activity and infrastructure dating back to 2018 up to the current border tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The infrastructure behind the campaigns is robust, with clusters of domains that are rotated and parked on different IPs, often on a daily basis.
Analyst Comment: Spearphishing emails represent a significant security risk because the sending email will often appear legitimate to the target; sometimes a target company email is compromis |
Ransomware Malware Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 35 APT 29 APT 29 APT 36 | ★★ |
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2022-02-08 14:23:51 | CyberheistNews Vol 12 #06 [Heads Up] Beware of New Quickbooks Payment Scams (lien direct) |
![CyberheistNews Vol 12 #06 [Heads Up] Beware of New Quickbooks Payment Scams](https://blog.knowbe4.com/hubfs/Stu_Headshot_2021_resize.png)
[Heads Up] Beware of New QuickBooks Payment Scams
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CyberheistNews Vol 12 #06 | Feb. 8th., 2022
[Heads Up] Beware of New QuickBooks Payment Scams
Many small and mid-sized companies use Intuit's popular QuickBooks program. They usually start out using its easy-to-use base accounting program and then the QuickBooks program aggressively pushes other complimentary features. One of those add-on features is the ability to send customers' invoices via email.
The payee can click on a “Review and pay” button in the email to pay the invoice. It used to be a free, but less mature, feature years ago, but these days, it costs extra. Still, if you are using QuickBooks for your accounting, the ability to generate, send, receive and electronically track invoices all in one place is a pretty easy sell.
Unfortunately, phishing criminals are using QuickBooks' popularity to send business email compromise (BEC) scams. The emails appear as if they are coming from a legitimate vendor using QuickBooks, but if the potential victim takes the bait, the invoice they pay will be to the scammer.
Worse, the payment request can require that the payee use ACH (automated clearing house) method, which requires the payee to input their bank account details. So, if the victim falls for the scam, the criminal now has their bank account information. Not good.
Note: Some other QuickBooks scam warnings will tell you that QuickBooks will never ask for your ACH or banking details. This is not completely true. QuickBooks, the company and its support staff, never will, but QuickBooks email payment requests often do. Warn your users in Accounting.
CONTINUED at the KnowBe4 blog with both legit and malicious example screenshots:
https://blog.knowbe4.com/beware-of-quickbooks-payment-scams
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Malware Hack Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-02-02 11:55:18 | Experts warn of a spike in APT35 activity and a possible link to Memento ransomware op (lien direct) | The Cybereason Nocturnus Team reported a spike in the activity of the Iran-linked APT group APT35 (aka Phosphorus or Charming Kitten). The Cybereason Nocturnus Team observed a spike in the activity of the Iran-linked APT group APT35 (aka 'Charming Kitten', 'Phosphorus', Newscaster, and Ajax Security Team) The Phosphorus group made the headlines in 2014 when experts at iSight issued a report describing the most elaborate net-based spying campaign organized […] | Ransomware Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-02-01 16:24:06 | Iranian Hackers Using New PowerShell Backdoor Linked to Memento Ransomware (lien direct) | Attacks from the Iranian Phosphorus APT (aka Charming Kitten, APT35) are well documented. Now a new set of tools incorporated into the group's arsenal, and a connection with the Memento ransomware, have been discovered. | Ransomware Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-02-01 14:00:00 | Cyberspies linked to Memento ransomware use new PowerShell malware (lien direct) | An Iranian state-backed hacking group tracked as APT35 (aka Phosphorus or Charming Kitten) is now deploying a new backdoor called PowerLess and developed using PowerShell. [...] | Ransomware Malware Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-02-01 05:01:00 | PowerLess Trojan: Iranian APT Phosphorus Adds New PowerShell Backdoor for Espionage (lien direct) |
Over the past months, the Cybereason Nocturnus Team observed an uptick in the activity of the Iranian attributed group dubbed Phosphorus (AKA Charming Kitten, APT35), known for previously attacking medical research organizations in the US and Israel in late 2020, and for targeting academic researchers from the US, France, and the Middle East region back in 2019. |
Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-02-01 02:28:30 | Iranian Hackers Using New PowerShell Backdoor in Cyber Espionage Attacks (lien direct) | An advanced persistent threat group with links to Iran has updated its malware toolset to include a novel PowerShell-based implant called PowerLess Backdoor, according to new research published by Cybereason. The Boston-headquartered cybersecurity company attributed the malware to a hacking group known as Charming Kitten (aka Phosphorous, APT35, or TA453), while also calling out the backdoor's | Malware Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2022-01-12 11:22:16 | Iran-linked APT35 group exploits Log4Shell flaw to deploy a new PowerShell backdoor (lien direct) | Iran-linked APT35 group has been observed leveraging the Log4Shell flaw to drop a new PowerShell backdoor. Iran-linked APT35 cyberespionege group (aka ‘Charming Kitten‘ or ‘Phosphorus‘) has been observed leveraging the Log4Shell flaw to drop a new PowerShell backdoor, Check Point researchers states. The experts also details the use of a modular PowerShell-based framework dubbed CharmPower, that allows […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2022-01-11 18:17:45 | State hackers use new PowerShell backdoor in Log4j attacks (lien direct) | Hackers believed to be part of the Iranian APT35 state-backed group (aka 'Charming Kitten' or 'Phosphorus') has been observed leveraging Log4Shell attacks to drop a new PowerShell backdoor. [...] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2021-12-29 16:00:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: Equation Group\'s Post-Exploitation Framework, Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Protocol Exploited, Third Log4j Vulnerability, and More (lien direct) | The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: Apache Log4j 2, APT, Malspam, Ngrok relay, Phishing, Sandbox evasion, Scam, and Vulnerabilities. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
A Deep Dive into DoubleFeature, Equation Group’s Post-Exploitation Dashboard
(published: December 27, 2021)
Check Point researchers have published their findings on the Equation Group’s post-exploitation framework DanderSpritz — a major part of the “Lost in Translation” leak — with a focus on its DoubleFeature logging tool. DoubleFeature (similar to other Equation Group tools) employs several techniques to make forensic analysis difficult: function names are not passed explicitly, but instead a checksum of it; strings used in DoubleFeature are decrypted on-demand per function and they are re-encrypted once function execution completes. DoubleFeature also supports additional obfuscation methods, such as a simple substitution cipher and a stream cipher. In its information gathering DoubleFeature can monitor multiple additional plugins including: KillSuit (also known as KiSu and GrayFish) plugin that is running other plugins, providing a framework for persistence and evasion, MistyVeal (MV) implant verifying that the targeted system is indeed an authentic victim, StraitBizarre (SBZ) cross-platform implant, and UnitedRake remote access tool (UR, EquationDrug).
Analyst Comment: It is important to study Equation Group’s frameworks because some of the leaked exploits were seen exploited by other threat actors. Defense-in-depth (layering of security mechanisms, redundancy, fail-safe defense processes) is the best way to ensure safety from APTs, including a focus on both network and host-based security. Prevention and detection capabilities should also be in place.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Modify Registry - T1112 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Rootkit - T1014 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion - T1497 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information - T1140
Tags: Equation Group, DanderSpritz, DoubleFeature, Shadow Brokers, EquationDrug, UnitedRake, DiveBar, KillSuit, GrayFish, StraitBizarre, MistyVeal, PeddleCheap, DiceDealer, FlewAvenue, DuneMessiah, CritterFrenzy, Elby loader, BroughtHotShot, USA, Russia, APT
Dridex Affiliate Dresses Up as Scrooge
(published: December 23, 2021)
Days before Christmas, an unidentified Dridex affiliate is using malspam emails with extremely emotion-provoking lures. One malicious email purports that 80% of the company’s employees have tested positive for Omicron, a variant of COVID-19, another email claims that the recipient was just terminated from his or her job. The attached malicious Microsoft Excel documents have two anti-sandbox features: they are password protected, and the macro doesn’t run until a user interacts with a pop-up dialog. If the user makes the macro run, it will drop an .rtf f |
Ransomware Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2021-10-14 14:36:04 | A Telegram Bot Told Iranian Hackers When They Got a Hit (lien direct) | APT35 may not be the most dangerous group out there, but they've got a new phishing trick. | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2021-08-05 15:48:35 | Iran-Linked Hackers Expand Arsenal With New Android Backdoor (lien direct) | The Iran-linked hacking group named Charming Kitten has added a new Android backdoor to its arsenal and successfully compromised individuals associated with the Iranian reformist movement, according to security researchers with IBM's X-Force threat intelligence team. | Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2021-08-04 20:30:00 | ITG18: Operational Security Errors Continue to Plague Sizable Iranian Threat Group (lien direct) | This blog supplements a Black Hat USA 2021 talk given August 2021. IBM Security X-Force threat intelligence researchers continue to track the infrastructure and activity of a suspected Iranian threat group ITG18. This group’s tactics, techniques and procedures(TTPs) overlap with groups known as Charming Kitten, Phosphorus and TA453. Since our initial report on the group’s training […] | Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2021-07-31 09:53:50 | TA453 usurpe secrètement l\'université de Londres pour dérober des données personnelles récupérées ensuite par le gouvernement iranien (lien direct) | Alors qu'ils ciblaient en mars dernier les éminents chercheurs en médecine via des campagnes de phishing principalement aux États-Unis et en Israël, l'acteur malveillant TA453 affilié au gouvernement iranien, également connu sous les noms de CHARMING KITTEN et PHOSPHORUS, est de retour avec une nouvelle campagne de leurres par mail, détectée par les chercheurs Proofpoint. The post TA453 usurpe secrètement l'université de Londres pour dérober des données personnelles récupérées ensuite par le gouvernement iranien first appeared on UnderNews. | Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2021-04-23 09:00:00 | APT35 âCharming Kitten\' discovered in a pre-infected environment (lien direct) | This blog discusses how Darktrace discovered a stealthy pre-existing APT35 infection in a customer environment. | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2021-04-06 16:57:00 | Anomali Cyber Watch: APT Groups, Data Breach, Malspam, and More (lien direct) | The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: APT10, Charming Kitten, China, Cycldek, Hancitor, Malspam, North Korea, Phishing, TA453, and Vulnerabilities. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
The Leap of a Cycldek-Related Threat Actor
(published: April 5, 2021)
A new sophisticated Chinese campaign was observed between June 2020 and January 2021, targeting government, military and other critical industries in Vietnam, and, to lesser extent, in Central Asia and Thailand. This threat actor uses a "DLL side-loading triad" previously mastered by another Chinese group, LuckyMouse: a legitimate executable, a malicious DLL to be sideloaded by it, and an encoded payload, generally dropped from a self-extracting archive. But the code origins of the new malware used on different stages of this campaign point to a different Chinese-speaking group, Cycldek.
Analyst Comment: Malware authors are always innovating new methods of communicating back to the control servers. Always practice Defense in Depth (do not rely on single security mechanisms - security measures should be layered, redundant, and failsafe).
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] DLL Side-Loading - T1073 | [MITRE ATT&CK] File Deletion - T1107
Tags: Chinese-speaking, Cycldek-related
Hancitor’s Use of Cobalt Strike and a Noisy Network Ping Tool
(published: April 1, 2021)
Hancitor is an information stealer and malware downloader used by a threat actor designated as MAN1, Moskalvzapoe or TA511. Initial infection includes target clicking malspam, then clicking on a link in an opened Google Docs page, and finally clicking to enable macros in the downloaded Word document. In recent months, this actor began using a network ping tool to help enumerate the Active Directory (AD) environment of infected hosts. It generates approximately 1.5 GB of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) traffic.
Analyst Comment: Organizations should use email security solutions to block malicious/spam emails. All email attachments should be scanned for malware before they reach the user's inbox. IPS rules need to be configured properly to identify any reconnaissance attempts e.g. port scan to get early indication of potential breach.
MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Remote System Discovery - T1018 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Remote Access Tools - T1219 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Rundll32 - T1085 | [MITRE ATT&CK] Standard Application Layer Protocol - T1071 | [MITRE ATT&CK] System Information Discovery - T1082
Tags: Hancitor, Malspam, Cobalt Strike
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Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 10 | |
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2021-01-15 12:14:17 | Experts Insight On APT35 Recent Phishing Attacks (lien direct) | It has been reported that the Iranian group APT35 (also known as Charming Kitten or Phosphorus) executed sophisticated spear-phishing campaigns that involved not only email attacks but also SMS messages… The ISBuzz Post: This Post Experts Insight On APT35 Recent Phishing Attacks | Conference | APT 35 APT 35 | |
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2021-01-08 20:19:37 | APT Horoscope (lien direct) | This delightful essay matches APT hacker groups up with astrological signs. This is me: Capricorn is renowned for its discipline, skilled navigation, and steadfastness. Just like Capricorn, Helix Kitten (also known as APT 35 or OilRig) is a skilled navigator of vast online networks, maneuvering deftly across an array of organizations, including those in aerospace, energy, finance, government, hospitality, and telecommunications. Steadfast in its work and objectives, Helix Kitten has a consistent track record of developing meticulous spear-phishing attacks... | Conference | APT 35 APT 35 APT 34 | |
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2020-10-29 15:21:08 | Expert Reacted On Microsoft Says Iranian Hackers “Phosphorus” Targeted Conference Attendees (lien direct) | Microsoft says it detected and worked to stop a series of cyberattacks from the threat actor Phosphorous masquerading as conference organizers to target more than 100 high-profile individuals. Phosphorus, an Iranian actor, has targeted with this scheme potential attendees of the upcoming Munich Security Conference and the Think 20 (T20) Summit in Saudi Arabia. The … The ISBuzz Post: This Post Expert Reacted On Microsoft Says Iranian Hackers “Phosphorus” Targeted Conference Attendees | Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-10-29 11:16:42 | Iran-linked Threat Actor Targets T20 Summit Attendees (lien direct) | It has been reported that an Iranian threat actor has successfully compromised attendees of two global conferences – including ambassadors and senior policy experts – in an effort to steal their email credentials. Microsoft linked the attack, which targeted more than 100 conference attendees, to Phosphorus, which it said is operating from Iran. The group – also known … The ISBuzz Post: This Post Iran-linked Threat Actor Targets T20 Summit Attendees | Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-10-29 08:28:32 | Iran-linked Phosphorous APT hacked emails of security conference attendees (lien direct) | Iran-linked APT group Phosphorus successfully hacked into the email accounts of multiple high-profile individuals and security conference attendees. Microsoft revealed that Iran-linked APT Phosphorus (aka APT35, Charming Kitten, Newscaster, and Ajax Security Team) successfully hacked into the email accounts of multiple high-profile individuals and attendees at this year’s Munich Security Conference and the Think 20 (T20) summit. “Today, we're sharing […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-09-15 15:00:00 | Weekly Threat Briefing: APT Group, Malware, Ransomware, and Vulnerabilities (lien direct) |
The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Weekly Threat Briefing discuss the following topics: APT, Conti Ransomware, Cryptominers, Emotet, Linux, US Election, and Vulnerabilities. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to the Weekly Threat Briefing and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity. 
Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.
Trending Cyber News and Threat Intelligence
China’s ‘Hybrid War’: Beijing’s Mass Surveillance of Australia and the World for Secrets and Scandal
(published: September 14, 2020)
A database containing 2.4 million people has been leaked from a Shenzhen company, Zhenhua Data, believed to have ties to the Chinese intelligence service. The database contains personal information on over 35,000 Australians and prominent figures, and 52,000 Americans. This includes addresses, bank information, birth dates, criminal records, job applications, psychological profiles, and social media. Politicians, lawyers, journalists, military officers, media figures, and Natalie Imbruglia are among the records of Australians contained in the database. While a lot of the information is public, there is also non-public information contributing to claims that China is developing a mass surveillance system.
Recommendation: Users should always remain vigilant about the information they are putting out into the public, and avoid posting personal or sensitive information online.
Tags: China, spying
US Criminal Court Hit by Conti Ransomware; Critical Data at Risk
(published: September 11, 2020)
The Fourth District Court of Louisiana, part of the US criminal court system, appears to have become the latest victim of the Conti ransomware. The court's website was attacked and used to steal numerous court documents related to defendants, jurors, and witnesses, and then install the Conti ransomware. Evidence of the data theft was posted to the dark web. Analysis of the malware by Emsisoft’s threat analyst, Brett Callow, indicates that the ransomware deployed in the attack was Conti, which has code similarity to another ransomware strain, Ryuk. The Conti group, believed to be behind this ransomware as a service, is sophisticated and due to the fact that they receive a large portion of the ransoms paid, they are motivated to avoid detections and continue to develop advanced attacking tools. This attack also used the Trickbot malware in its exploit chain, similar to that used by Ryuk campaigns.
Recommendation: Defense in Depth, including vulnerability remediation and scanning, monitoring, endpoint protection, backups, etc. is key to thwarting increasingly sophisticated attacks. Ransomware attacks are particularly attractive to attackers due to the fact that each successful ransomware attack allows for multiple streams of income. The attackers can not only extort a ransom to decrypt the victim's files (especially in cases where the victim finds they do not have appropriate disaster recovery plans), but they can also monetize the exfiltrated data directly and/or use the data to aid in future attacks. This technique is increasingly used in supply chain compromises to build difficult to detect spearphishing attacks.
Tags: conti, ryuk, ransomware
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Ransomware Malware Tool Vulnerability Threat Conference | APT 35 APT 28 APT 31 | ★★★ |
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2020-09-14 14:49:08 | Lock and Code S1Ep15: Safely using Google Chrome Extensions with Pieter Arntz (lien direct) |
This week on Lock and Code, we talk to Pieter Arntz, malware intelligence researcher for Malwarebytes, about Google Chrome extensions.
Categories:
Podcast
Tags: advanced persistent threatsAPTCenter for Public Health ResearchCharming Kittencovid-19data breachddosDDos attackdistributed denial of service attackelection interferenceelectionsLugar CentremalvertisingNetflix scampandemic
(Read more...)
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Malware Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-08-28 15:33:29 | Iran-linked Charming Kitten APT contacts targets via WhatsApp, LinkedIn (lien direct) | The Iran-linked Charming Kitten APT group leveraged on WhatsApp and LinkedIn to carry out phishing attacks, researchers warn. Clearsky security researchers revealed that Iran-linked Charming Kitten APT group is using WhatsApp and LinkedIn to conduct spear-phishing attacks. Iran-linked Charming Kitten group, (aka APT35, Phosphorus, Newscaster, and Ajax Security Team) made the headlines in 2014 when experts at iSight issued a report describing the most elaborate net-based spying […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-08-28 03:36:28 | Iranian Hackers Pose as Journalists to Trick Victims Into Installing Malware (lien direct) | An Iranian cyberespionage group known for targeting government, defense technology, military, and diplomacy sectors is now impersonating journalists to approach targets via LinkedIn and WhatsApp and infect their devices with malware.
Detailing the new tactics of the "Charming Kitten" APT group, Israeli firm Clearsky said, "starting July 2020, we have identified a new TTP of the group, |
Malware Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-07-17 13:49:25 | Iran-linked APT35 accidentally exposed 40 GB associated with their operations (lien direct) | Iran-linked APT35 group accidentally exposed one of its servers, leaving online roughly 40 GB of videos and other files associated with its operations. Researchers at IBM X-Force Incident Response Intelligence Services (IRIS) discovered an unsecured server belonging to Iran-linked APT35 group (aka ITG18, Charming Kitten, Phosphorous, and NewsBeef) containing data for many domains managed by […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-07-17 03:23:46 | Iranian Hackers Accidentally Exposed Their Training Videos (40 GB) Online (lien direct) | An OPSEC error by an Iranian threat actor has laid bare the inner workings of the hacking group by providing a rare insight into the "behind-the-scenes look into their methods."
IBM's X-Force Incident Response Intelligence Services (IRIS) got hold of nearly five hours worth of video recordings of the state-sponsored group it calls ITG18 (also called Charming Kitten, Phosphorous, or APT35) that |
Threat Conference | APT 35 | ★★★★★ |
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2020-07-16 10:00:00 | Iranian Spies Accidentally Leaked a Video of Themselves Hacking (lien direct) | IBM's X-Force security team obtained five hours of APT35 hacking operations, showing exactly how the group breaks into email accounts-and who it's targeting. | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-07-16 09:00:00 | New Research Exposes Iranian Threat Group\'s Operations (lien direct) | IBM X-Force Incident Response Intelligence Services (IRIS) has uncovered rare details on the operations of the suspected Iranian threat group ITG18, which overlaps with Charming Kitten and Phosphorous. In the past few weeks, ITG18 has been associated with targeting of pharmaceutical companies and the U.S. presidential campaigns. Now, due to operational errors-a basic misconfiguration-by suspected […] | Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2020-02-07 10:59:52 | Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten targets journalists, political and human rights activists (lien direct) | Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten has been targeting journalists, political and human rights activists in a new campaign. Researchers from Certfa Lab reports have spotted a new cyber espionage campaign carried out by Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten that has been targeting journalists, political and human rights activists. Iran-linked Charming Kitten group, (aka APT35, Phosphorus, Newscaster, and Ajax Security Team) made the […] | Conference | APT 35 | |
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2019-10-13 23:06:24 | Charming Kitten Campaign involved new impersonation methods (lien direct) | Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten employed new spear-phishing methods in attacks carried out between August and September. Security experts at ClearSky analyzed attacks recently uncovered by Microsoft that targeted a US presidential candidate, government officials, journalists, and prominent expatriate Iranians. Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) observed the APT group making more than 2,700 attempts to […] | Threat Conference | APT 35 | |
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2019-10-09 18:20:48 | Iranian Hackers Update Spear-Phishing Techniques in Recent Campaign (lien direct) | The Iranian state-sponsored threat actor known as Charming Kitten employed new spear-phishing methods in a campaign observed in August and September, ClearSky's security researchers report. | Threat Conference | APT 35 |
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