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A Series of Post-Exploitation Activities from an Ursnif Infection
In early July 2023, a security researcher known as Kostas investigated an Ursnif malware infection. The study provides valuable insight into the malware's post-exploitation activities, including automated tasks, deliberate inactivity indicating a coordinated criminal effort, and hands-on-keyboard activity. The initial infection was through a phishing email containing a malicious PDF file. Upon execution, the malware performed a series of tasks for host enumeration, persistence establishment, and process injection. After 30 minutes, further hands-on-keyboard actions were observed, along with additional discovery commands, PowerShell execution, and Cobalt Strike use. This activity suggests a hand-over between different criminal groups during the infection process, further highlighting the coordinated effort behind these attacks.
Turla Sets Aim on Collect Data from Defense Industries
The Russian threat group Turla (also known as Secret Blizzard, KRYPTON, and UAC-0003) is conducting an active cyber campaign aimed at gathering sensitive data from defense organizations in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The campaign, as identified by a joint effort from CERT-UA and Microsoft, utilizes Capibar and Kazuar spyware. The attack begins with phishing emails containing weaponized Excel attachments, and the malware establishes persistence through a scheduled task disguised as a Firefox update. The group also abuses legitimate and compromised Exchange servers, transforming them into malware control centers. Despite detection efforts, as of July 20, 2023, the detection score for a sample of Capibar malware remains relatively low at 20/70 on VirusTotal.
FIN8 Bolsters its Arsenal with BlackCat and Updated Backdoor
In a significant development, the FIN8 threat group has amplified its cybercrime toolkit, introducing the BlackCat ransomware and an updated Sardonic backdoor, according to Symantec's Threat Hunter Team. Previously associated with point-of-sale (POS) attacks, FIN8's shift towards ransomware activities indicates a strategic move to exploit more profitable opportunities. The group's activities primarily impact a wide array of industries, including chemicals, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, retail, and technology.
A Splinter of Royal Ransomware Strikes Tampa Bay Zoo
ZooTampa, a nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida, has been targeted in a security breach, possibly by a splinter cell of the Royal ransomware gang known as BlackSuit. The incident has sparked an investigation involving law enforcement. A spokesperson for ZooTampa assured visitors that the zoo does not store any personal or financial information. The breach could potentially be indicative of a new trend in the activities of the Royal ransomware gang. Researchers speculate that Royal is undergoing a rebranding effort in response to increasing law enforcement pressure.
APT29 Adopts Car Sales Persona for Phishing Campaign
The Russian threat group APT29, also known as Cloaked Ursa, has initiated a new phishing campaign disguising as car sales to deliver malware to pro-Ukrainian diplomats. The campaign, which started in May 2023, revolves around distributing weaponized car flyers, primarily to public email addresses. When an unsuspecting diplomat clicks on the car images within the email, a series of malicious execution flow commences. This involves downloading an ISO container file containing shortcut files, and leading to the injection of a malicious DLL into a Windows process, resulting in the execution of a decrypted final payload. This payload then establishes a connection to both Dropbox and the Microsoft Graph API, serving as its command and control (C2) for further communication. Researchers from Unit 42 note that the campaign focuses more on the diplomats themselves than the countries they represent.
Mandiant Spoils Russia's Military Playbook on Ukraine
Mandiant's recent analysis exposes a six-phase cyber operation by Russia's military intelligence (GRU) against Ukraine, starting in 2019. The six phases include strategic cyber espionage, initial destructive cyber operations, sustained attacks, maintaining footholds, renewed disruptive attacks, and refocus on strategic cyber espionage. The operation targets critical Ukrainian organizations in government, telecommunications, financial services, energy, and transportation. The GRU employs various techniques, including compromising edge infrastructure, stealthy reconnaissance, persistence maintenance, and deployment of disruptive tools like wipers and ransomware. Additionally, the threat actors promote their campaigns on social media channels to boast about their narratives. The Mandiant report highlights the sophistication and strategic planning of these cyber attacks, indicating a deliberate effort by the GRU to increase the speed, scale, and intensity of offensive cyber operations while minimizing detection chances.
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