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Black Basta Initiates Intrusion Featuring Qakbot to Exploit PrintNightmare Vulnerability
Since April 2022, Trend Micro has been tracking the Black Basta ransomware group, uncovering an intrusion involving Qakbot deployment via a malicious Excel document. The group exploited the PrintNightmare (CVE-2021-1675) vulnerability to gain initial access, using regsvr32.exe to execute Qakbot DLLs, performing process injection into explorer.exe, and creating persistence with a scheduled task. Additional payloads included fileless PowerShell scripts to execute Cobeacon, the Coroxy backdoor, and Netcat for lateral movement, all leading to the eventual ransomware deployment.
Tropic Trooper's "Unorthodox" Infection Chain
Check Point Research tracks Tropic Trooper's unorthodox infection chain targeting Chinese-speaking countries. The attack uses the Nimbda loader, SMS Bomber, and TROJ_YAHOYAH malware. The chain involves shellcode injection, GitHub/Gitee communication, and persistence via Windows run key. The goal remains unclear, but the attack uses a trojanized SMS Bomber for misdirection.
Threat Advisory Tracking Avoslocker Ransomware Group
Cisco Talos tracks AvosLocker ransomware group, active since June 2021 and recruiting in Russian forums. A February 2022 campaign exploited Log4Shell on an ESXi server, using LoLBins and various tools. The attack culminated with ransomware deployment via PDQ Deploy on March 8th, 2022.
Tracking MuddyWater APT's Targeting of the Middle East
Lab52 reports MuddyWater APT targeting the Middle East, including Pakistan, Israel, and Turkey, from November 2020 to January 2022. The group uses malicious Word documents with VBA macros to deploy VBS scripts, initiating CMD discovery and data exfiltration to C2 servers. The campaign aligns with Iranian strategic interests.
New ToddyCat APT Actor Surfaces
Kaspersky identifies ToddyCat, a new APT actor active since December 2020, targeting high-profile organizations in Europe and Asia. The group exploits vulnerable Microsoft Exchange servers and deploys China Chopper web shells, using Samurai and Ninja Trojan backdoors. Attribution remains undetermined, though targets align with those of Chinese-speaking groups.
Conti News Decommissioned
Research first reported by AdvIntel on May 20th, 2022, indicates the complete shutdown of the Conti ransomware gang's operations. The group's Conti News negotiation site has been decommissioned, with Threat Intel Analyst Ido Cohen noting on Twitter, 'After 28 days without any new victims, most of Conti #Ransomware infrastructure is down. This is the end? or a new start?' While Conti as an organization may have faded for now, there is a possibility of resurgence, with members potentially moving to other ransomware gangs or operating in smaller cells. The threat posed by Conti remains a concern in cyberspace.
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