10-May-2022
Welcome to the weekly threat detection update report from Stamus Networks. Each week, you will receive this email with a summary of the updates.
Current Stamus Threat Intelligence (STI) release version: 434
This week, in addition to daily ruleset and IOC updates, we provided Stamus Security Platform customers with the following improved defense(s):
Note: a "method" as referenced below, is a discrete detection vector for a given threat.
The following detections were added to your Stamus NDR this past week:
Recently, CNCERT and 360netlab worked together and discovered a rapidly spreading DDoS botnet on the Internet. The global infection looks fairly big as just in China there are more than 10,000 daily active bots (IPs) and alsomore than 100 DDoS victims beingtargeted on a daily basis. We named the botnet Fodcha because of its initial use of the C2 domain name folded.in and its use of the chacha algorithm to encrypt network traffic. Netlab360
Fodcha - MITRE - Exploitation for Client Execution | Fodcha - MITRE - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism | Fodcha - MITRE - Multi-Stage Channels | Fodcha - MITRE - Ingress Tool Transfer |
According to CloudSEK, the threat actors behind this campaign are using a new malware that researchers named “Inno Stealer” due to its use of the Inno Setup Windows installer.
The researchers say that Inno Stealer doesn’t have any code similarities to commodity other info-stealers currently in circulation and they have not found evidence of the malware being uploaded to the Virus Total scanning platform.
The loader file (Delphi-based) is the “Windows 11 setup” executable contained in the ISO, which, when launched, dumps a temporary file named is-PN131.tmp and creates another .TMP file where the loader writes 3,078KB of data.
CloudSEK explains that the loader spawns a new process using the CreateProcess Windows API the helps spawn new processes, establish persistence, and plant four files. Bleepingcomputer
InnoStealer - MITRE - Man in the Browser | InnoStealer - MITRE - Malicious File | InnoStealer - MITRE - Phishing | InnoStealer - MITRE - Malicious Link | InnoStealer - MITRE - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | InnoStealer - MITRE - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism | InnoStealer - MITRE - Steal Web Session Cookie | InnoStealer - MITRE - Ingress Tool Transfer | InnoStealer - MITRE - Data from Local System | InnoStealer - MITRE - Service Stop | InnoStealer - MITRE - Create or Modify System Process |
Goldbackdoor is a multi-stage malware that separates the first stage tooling and the final payload, which allows the threat actor to halt deployment after initial targets are infected. thrreatpost
Goldbackdoor - MITRE - System Information Discovery | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - Process Discovery | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - System Service Discovery | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - Malicious File | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - User Execution | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - Ingress Tool Transfer | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - Multi-Stage Channels | Goldbackdoor - MITRE - Create or Modify System Process |
Intrusions begin with a large number of spearphishing messages sent to employees of cryptocurrency companies—often working in system administration or software development/IT operations (DevOps)—on a variety of communication platforms. The messages often mimic a recruitment effort and offer high-paying jobs to entice the recipients to download malware-laced cryptocurrency applications, which the U.S. government refers to as "TraderTraitor."
The term TraderTraitor describes a series of malicious applications written using cross-platform JavaScript code with the Node.js runtime environment using the Electron framework. The malicious applications are derived from a variety of open-source projects and purport to be cryptocurrency trading or price prediction tools. CISA
TraderTraitor - MITRE - Data Encoding | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Ingress Tool Transfer | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Malicious File | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Phishing | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Malicious Link | TraderTraitor - MITRE - Multi-Stage Channels |
Early in August 2019, Proofpoint described what appeared to be state-sponsored activity targeting the US utilities sector with malware that we dubbed “Lookback”. Between August 21 and August 29, 2019, several spear phishing emails were identified targeting additional US companies in the utilities sector. The phishing emails originated from what appears to be an actor-controlled domain: globalenergycertification[.]net. This domain, like those used in previous campaigns, impersonated a licensing body related to the utilities sector. In this case, it masqueraded as the legitimate domain for Global Energy Certification (“GEC”). The emails include a GEC examination-themed body and a malicious Microsoft Word attachment that uses macros to install and run LookBack. (Note confusion between Malware, Campaign and ThreatActor) Malpedia
TA410 - Proofpoint | TA410 - MITRE - Phishing | TA410 - MITRE - Malicious Link | TA410 - MITRE - Exfiltration | TA410 - MITRE - Multi-Stage Channels | TA410 - MITRE - Process Injection | TA410 - MITRE - Input Capture | TA410 - MITRE - Service Stop | TA410 - MITRE - Ingress Tool Transfer | TA410 - MITRE - System Information Discovery | TA410 - MITRE - File and Directory Discovery | TA410 - MITRE - Process Discovery | TA410 - MITRE - System Service Discovery | TA410 - Proofpoint | TA410 - malpedia |
The following detections were updated this past week with changes to kill chain phase(s) or MITRE ATT&CK tactic(s)/technique(s):
VICEROY TIGER is an adversary with a nexus to India that has historically targeted entities throughout multiple sectors. Older activity targeted multiple sectors and countries; however, since 2015 this adversary appears to focus on entities in Pakistan with a particular focus on government and security organizations. This adversary consistently leverages spear phishing emails containing malicious Microsoft Office documents, malware designed to target the Android mobile platform, and phishing activity designed to harvest user credentials. In March 2017, the 360 Chasing Team found a sample of targeted attacks that confirmed the previously unknown sample of APT's attack actions, which the organization can now trace back at least in April 2016. The chasing team named the attack organization APT-C-35. In June 2017, the 360 Threat Intelligence Center discovered the organization’s new attack activity, confirmed and exposed the gang’s targeted attacks against Pakistan, and analyzed in detail. The unique EHDevel malicious code framework used by the organization. Malpedia
Magic Hound is an Iranian-sponsored threat group that conducts long term, resource-intensive cyber espionage operations, likely on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They have targeted U.S. and Middle Eastern government and military personnel, academics, journalists, and organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), via complex social engineering campaigns since at least 2014. MITRE
APT38 is a financially-motivated threat group that is backed by the North Korean regime. The group mainly targets banks and financial institutions and has targeted more than 16 organizations in at least 13 countries since at least 2014.
North Korean group definitions are known to have significant overlap, and the name Lazarus Group is known to encompass a broad range of activity. Some organizations use the name Lazarus Group to refer to any activity attributed to North Korea. Some organizations track North Korean clusters or groups such as Bluenoroff, APT37, and APT38 separately, while other organizations may track some activity associated with those group names by the name Lazarus Group. MITRE
Cobalt Strike is a commercial, full-featured, penetration testing tool which bills itself as “adversary simulation software designed to execute targeted attacks and emulate the post-exploitation actions of advanced threat actors”. Cobalt Strike’s interactive post-exploit capabilities cover the full range of ATT&CK tactics, all executed within a single, integrated system.
In addition to its own capabilities, Cobalt Strike leverages the capabilities of other well-known tools such as Metasploit and Mimikatz. MITRE
Crimson is malware used as part of a campaign known as Operation Transparent Tribe that targeted Indian diplomatic and military victims. MITRE
ESET has analyzed the operations of Evilnum, the APT group behind the Evilnum malware previously seen in attacks against financial technology companies. While said malware has been seen in the wild since at least 2018 and documented previously, little has been published about the group behind it and how it operates. The group’s targets remain fintech companies, but its toolset and infrastructure have evolved and now consist of a mix of custom, homemade malware combined with tools purchased from Golden Chickens, a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider whose infamous customers include FIN6 and Cobalt Group. Malpedia
gh0st RAT is a remote access tool (RAT). The source code is public and it has been used by multiple groups.
Source: MITRE
Kimsuky is a North Korean-based threat group that has been active since at least September 2013. The group initially focused on targeting Korean think tanks and DPRK/nuclear-related targets, expanding recently to the United States, Russia, and Europe. The group was attributed as the actor behind the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. compromise. MITRE
An adversary may rely upon a user opening a malicious file in order to gain execution. Users may be subjected to social engineering to get them to open a file that will lead to code execution. This user action will typically be observed as follow-on behavior from Spearphishing Attachment. Adversaries may use several types of files that require a user to execute them, including .doc, .pdf, .xls, .rtf, .scr, .exe, .lnk, .pif, and .cpl.
Adversaries may employ various forms of Masquerading on the file to increase the likelihood that a user will open it.
While Malicious File frequently occurs shortly after Initial Access it may occur at other phases of an intrusion, such as when an adversary places a file in a shared directory or on a user's desktop hoping that a user will click on it. This activity may also be seen shortly after Internal Spearphishing. MITRE
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
Molerats is a politically-motivated threat group that has been operating since 2012. The group's victims have primarily been in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. MITRE
MuddyWater is an Iranian threat group that has primarily targeted Middle Eastern nations, and has also targeted European and North American nations. The group's victims are mainly in the telecommunications, government (IT services), and oil sectors. Activity from this group was previously linked to FIN7, but the group is believed to be a distinct group possibly motivated by espionage. MITRE
QAKBOT or QBOT is a malware that is capable of monitoring the browsing activities of the infected computer and logs all information related to finance-related websites.
Trendmicro
Remote Access Trojans are programs that provide the capability to allow covert surveillance or the ability to gain unauthorized access to a victim PC. Remote Access Trojans often mimic similar behaviors of keylogger applications by allowing the automated collection of keystrokes, usernames, passwords, screenshots, browser history, emails, chat lots, etc. Remote Access Trojans differ from keyloggers in that they provide the capability for an attacker to gain unauthorized remote access to the victim machine via specially configured communication protocols which are set up upon initial infection of the victim computer. This backdoor into the victim machine can allow an attacker unfettered access, including the ability to monitor user behavior, change computer settings, browse and copy files, utilize the bandwidth (Internet connection) for possible criminal activity, access connected systems, and more. Malwarebytes
Adversaries may use rootkits to hide the presence of programs, files, network connections, services, drivers, and other system components. Rootkits are programs that hide the existence of malware by intercepting/hooking and modifying operating system API calls that supply system information. [1] Rootkits or rootkit enabling functionality may reside at the user or kernel level in the operating system or lower, to include a hypervisor, Master Boot Record, or System Firmware. [2] Rootkits have been seen for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems. MITRE
Adversaries may delete, alter, or send SMS messages without user authorization. This could be used to hide C2 SMS messages, spread malware, or various external effects. This can be accomplished by requesting the RECEIVE_SMS or SEND_SMS permissions depending on what the malware is attempting to do. If the app is set as the default SMS handler on the device, the SMS_DELIVER broadcast intent can be registered, which allows the app to write to the SMS content provider. The content provider directly modifies the messaging database on the device, which could allow malicious applications with this ability to insert, modify, or delete arbitrary messages on the device. MITRE
A Trojan horse or Trojan is a type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software. Trojans can be employed by cyber-thieves and hackers trying to gain access to users' systems. Users are typically tricked by some form of social engineering into loading and executing Trojans on their systems. Once activated, Trojans can enable cyber-criminals to spy on you, steal your sensitive data, and gain backdoor access to your system. Kaspersky
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
In early Febuary, 2021 TeamTNT launched a new campaign against Docker and Kubernetes environments. Using a collection of container images that are hosted in Docker Hub, the attackers are targeting misconfigured docker daemons, Kubeflow dashboards, and Weave Scope, exploiting these environments in order to steal cloud credentials, open backdoors, mine cryptocurrency, and launch a worm that is looking for the next victim. They're linked to the First Crypto-Mining Worm to Steal AWS Credentials and Hildegard Cryptojacking malware. TeamTNT is a relatively recent addition to a growing number of threats targeting the cloud. While they employ some of the same tactics as similar groups, TeamTNT stands out with their social media presence and penchant for self-promotion. Tweets from the TeamTNT’s account are in both English and German although it is unknown if they are located in Germany. Malpedia
Again, the generic nature of this detection means that the Payloads performed by this group of trojans may be highly variable, and therefore difficult to describe specifically. This group of trojans has been observed to perform any, or all, of the following actions:
redirect Web traffic
- manipulate certain Windows or third-party applications including settings or configurations
- drop or install additional malicious programs
- download and run additional malicious programs
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
Microsoft
This trojan was first developed as an Android-specific mobile banking trojan, capable of stealing files related to financial transactions. Once it has infected a device, Wroba uses SMS to send messages containing malicious links to the host’s stolen contact list. Avira
The following threat detection(s) were improved this past week with new or updated threat methods.
| Name of threat | New coverage | Total coverage | Last updated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | ||
| APT-C-35 | 2 | command and control | dns, tls | 140 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2022-05-07 |
| APT35 | 4 | command and control | dns | 162 | command and control, delivery | dns, ftp, http, tcp, tls | 2022-05-07 |
| APT38 | 1 | command and control | dns | 89 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2022-05-05 |
| Cobalt Strike | 1 | command and control | http | 350 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation | dns, http, smb, tcp, tls, udp | 2022-05-02 |
| Crimson | 2 | actions on objectives | tcp-pkt | 36 | actions on objectives, command and control | http, tcp, tcp-pkt | 2022-05-02 |
| Evilnum | 1 | delivery | http | 35 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http | 2022-05-06 |
| Fodcha | 5 | command and control | tcp-pkt, dns | 5 | command and control | tcp-pkt, dns | 2022-05-02 |
| Gh0st | 1 | command and control | http | 165 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp | 2022-05-03 |
| Goldbackdoor | 4 | command and control | dns, tls | 4 | command and control | dns, tls | 2022-05-02 |
| InnoStealer | 10 | command and control | dns, tls | 10 | command and control | dns, tls | 2022-05-02 |
| Kimsuky | 2 | command and control | http | 87 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, ftp, http, tls | 2022-05-07 |
| MalDoc | 1 | delivery | http | 461 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2022-05-06 |
| MetaStealer | 1 | command and control | http | 3 | command and control | http | 2022-05-02 |
| Molerats | 4 | command and control | dns, tls | 40 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tls | 2022-05-03 |
| MuddyWater | 3 | command and control | dns | 36 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tls | 2022-05-03 |
| QakBot | 4 | delivery, command and control | http, tls | 25 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | ftp, http, tcp, tls | 2022-05-04 |
| RAT Generic | 1 | command and control | http | 56 | actions on objectives, command and control, installation | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2022-05-02 |
| Rootkit | 1 | command and control | dns | 25 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp | 2022-05-06 |
| SmsThief | 1 | command and control | tls | 133 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls, udp | 2022-05-05 |
| SpyEyes | 1 | command and control | http | 6 | actions on objectives, command and control | http | 2022-05-03 |
| Stealer and Exfiltration | 1 | actions on objectives | http | 199 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation | dns, ftp, http, smtp, tcp, tls | 2022-05-02 |
| TA410 | 9 | delivery, command and control | http, tcp | 9 | delivery, command and control | http, tcp | 2022-05-02 |
| TeamTNT | 1 | command and control | dns | 4 | actions on objectives, command and control | dns, http | 2022-05-04 |
| TraderTraitor | 17 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 17 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 2022-05-02 |
| Trojan Agent | 1 | actions on objectives | http | 332 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, ip, smtp, tcp, tcp-pkt, tcp-stream, udp | 2022-05-05 |
| Wroba | 1 | delivery | tcp | 17 | command and control, delivery | http, tcp | 2022-05-02 |
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Stamus Networks believes in a world where defenders are heroes, and a future where those they protect remain safe. As organizations face threats from well-funded adversaries, we relentlessly pursue solutions that make the defender’s job easier and more impactful. The global leader in Suricata-based network security solutions, Stamus Networks helps enterprise security teams know more, respond sooner and mitigate their risk with insights gathered from cloud and on-premise network activity. Our Stamus Security Platform combines the best of intrusion detection (IDS), network security monitoring (NSM), and network detection and response (NDR) systems into a single solution that exposes serious and imminent threats to critical assets and empowers rapid response.
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