Anvilogic Forge Threat Research Reports
Here you can find an accumulation of trending threats published weekly by the Anvilogic team.
We curate threat intelligence to provide situational awareness and actionable insights
Atomic detections that serve as the foundation of our detection framework.
Risk, pattern, and sequence-based detections utilizing the outputs of Threat Identifiers as a means of identifying actual threats.
• Threat News Reports
• Trending Threat Reports
• ResearchArticles
Forge Report: First Half Threat Trends of 2024
Featured Threat Reports
All Threat Reports
MSTIC identifies Iranian Threat Actors Targeting IT Sector
Microsoft's MSTIC has identified a rise in Iranian cyber attacks targeting IT service companies to access downstream customer networks. Over 1,600 notifications were issued this year compared to 48 in 2020. Notable attacks include the compromise of an Israeli IT provider by DEV-0228, leading to further breaches.
Memento Team, Ransomware Gang
The Memento Team ransomware gang, tracked by Sophos, bypassed encryption protection by using password-protected WinRAR archives after their initial Python 3.9 script was stopped by endpoint protection. The group had a six-month dwell time in the victim's network, exploiting the CVE-2021-21972 vCenter vulnerability. During this time, they deployed two coin-miners, XMR in May and XMRig in September, before encrypting the victim's network with a password-protected archive in October 2021.
CVE-2021-41379 Patch Bypass = InstallerFileTakeOver
Security researcher Abdelhamid Naceri discovered a bypass for the vulnerability Microsoft intended to patch under CVE-2021-41379 in November 2021, naming the exploit InstallerFileTakeOver. This vulnerability affects all supported versions of Windows, including Windows 10, 11, and Windows Server 2022, allowing users to obtain admin-level privileges. BleepingComputer validated the exploit's ease of use, demonstrating that it could open a command prompt with SYSTEM privileges from an account with low-level 'Standard' privileges. This vulnerability allows threat actors with limited access to a compromised device to easily elevate their privileges, facilitating lateral movement within a network.
Why the Emotet Resurgence by AdvIntel
AdvIntel researchers report a resurgence of Emotet malware, driven by high loader demand, decline in RaaS models, and organized crime syndicates like Conti. Initiated by former Ryuk and Emotet operators, this resurgence predicts a rise in Conti ransomware, similar to past alliances with TrickBot and Ryuk.
CVE-2017-11882
CVE-2017-11882 affects several versions of Microsoft Office, allowing remote users to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user by improperly handling objects in memory. The vulnerability resides in the old Equation Editor (EQNEDT32.EXE), which is used to insert and evaluate mathematical formulas in Office documents. Due to the use of an older compiler, EQNEDT32.EXE does not support address space layout randomization (ASLR), making it easier for attackers to exploit memory-corruption vulnerabilities. This guide focuses on detecting potential malicious Microsoft Office payloads exploiting CVE-2017-11882 on host systems.
Abuse SilentCleanup Task
The Windows SilentCleanup task, designed to run cleanmgr.exe, can be exploited by altering environment variables to run any file with admin rights, posing a significant security risk.
.png)
Intelligence Levels for Threat Reports
Tactical
Detectable threat behaviors for response with threat scenarios or threat identifiers.
Strategic
General information security news, for awareness.
.png)
Whitepapers
The World's Best SOC Teams Use Anvilogic
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
