17-October-2023
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: 872
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 Security Platform (SSP) this past week:
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
Akira Stealer - Malware Bazaar |
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
An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a stealthy computer network threat actor, typically a nation state or state-sponsored group, which gains unauthorized access to a computer network and remains undetected for an extended period. In recent times, the term may also refer to non-state sponsored groups conducting large-scale targeted intrusions for specific goals.
Such threat actors' motivations are typically political or economic. To date, every major business sector has recorded instances of attacks by advanced actors with specific goals seeking to steal, spy or disrupt. These include government, defense, financial services, legal services, industrial, telecoms, consumer goods, and many more. Some groups utilize traditional espionage vectors, including social engineering, human intelligence and infiltration to gain access to a physical location to enable network attacks. The purpose of these attacks is to place custom malicious code on one or multiple computers for specific tasks.
Source: Wikipedia
TA577 is a prolific cybercrime threat actor tracked by Proofpoint since mid-2020. This actor conducts broad targeting across various industries and geographies, and Proofpoint has observed TA577 deliver payloads including Qbot, IcedID, SystemBC, SmokeLoader, Ursnif, and Cobalt Strike. Malpedia
The Citizen Lab independently received and collected a set of since-deleted posts by this threat actor, which we call REPLYSPY. Our findings align with the Security Lab’s conclusions concerning Cytrox infrastructure, and we assess with high confidence that REPLYSPY included Cytrox Predator infection links in replies to numerous U.S. and international officials and others. Citizenslab
The following detections were updated this past week with changes to kill chain phase(s) or MITRE ATT&CK tactic(s)/technique(s):
Adversaries may communicate using a custom command and control protocol instead of encapsulating commands/data in an existing Standard Application Layer Protocol. Implementations include mimicking well-known protocols or developing custom protocols (including raw sockets) on top of fundamental protocols provided by TCP/IP/another standard network stack.
Ransom malware, or ransomware, is a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their system or personal files and demands ransom payment in order to regain access. The earliest variants of ransomware were developed in the late 1980s, and payment was to be sent via snail mail. Today, ransomware authors order that payment be sent via cryptocurrency or credit card. Malwarebytes
In late November, Prevailion’s Adversarial Counterintelligence Team (PACT) identified what appeared to be a malicious javascript-based Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that uses a robust Domain Generation Algorithm (DGA) to identify its Command and Control (C2) infrastructure and that utilizes novel methods for fileless persistence, on-system activity, and dynamic run-time capabilities like self-updating and recompilation. This RAT, which PACT refers to by its internal codename “DarkWatchman”, has been observed being distributed by email and represents an evolution in fileless malware techniques, as it uses the registry for nearly all temporary and permanent storage and therefore never writes anything to disk, allowing it to operate beneath or around the detection threshold of most security tools. PACT has reverse engineered the DGA, dynamically analyzed the malware, investigated the Threat Actor’s (TA) web-based infrastructure, and consolidated the results of our analysis into the following report. Prevailion
Attackers are utilizing hacked web sites that promote fake browser updates to infect targets with banking trojans. In some cases, post exploitation toolkits are later executed to encrypt the compromised network with ransomware.
Between May and September 2019, FireEye has conducted multiple incident response cases where enterprise customers were infected with malware through fake browser updates.
Hacked sites would display these "fakeupdates" through JavaScript alerts that state the user is using an old version of a web browser and that they should download an offered "update" to keep the browser running "smoothly and securely".
Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.Typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site.
Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques being used to deceive users. Users are often lured by communications purporting to be from trusted parties such as social web sites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators.
Cyber criminals violated the law TDS (Traffic Direction System) platform Keitaro and used it to redirect them users in exploit kits RIG and Fallout in order to infect them with malicious software.
TDS platforms are designed for redirection of users in particular sites. Legitimate TDS platforms, such as Keitaro, are mainly used by individuals and companies that want to advertise services or their products. Platforms drive users to the pages that companies want, targeting specific customers and promoting an ad campaign. techbizweb
Smoke Loader is a malicious bot application that can be used to load other malware.Smoke Loader has been seen in the wild since at least 2011 and has included a number of different payloads. It is notorious for its use of deception and self-protection. It also comes with several plug-ins. MITRE
It leverages compromised websites and performs some of the most creative fingerprinting checks we’ve seen, before delivering its payload (NetSupport RAT). Malwarebytes
A TOAD attack is a relatively new form of phishing attack that combines voice and email phishing techniques. Attackers aim to trick users into disclosing sensitive information over the phone, such as login credentials or financial data, by impersonating a trusted authority figure. They will get on a call with the victim, claiming to be a representative from a reputable company or organization. Then, they will follow up with an email that contains a phishing link or attachment. Proofpoint
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
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 | ||
| Akira Stealer | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 2023-10-13 |
| Command and Control | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 301 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-10 |
| Cytrox Predator APT | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 2023-10-13 |
| DarkGate | 2 | command and control | http | 20 | actions on objectives, command and control | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-14 |
| DarkWatchman | 1 | command and control | http | 3 | command and control | http | 2023-10-14 |
| Fake Browser | 31 | exploitation | dns, tls, http | 111 | delivery, exploitation | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-13 |
| Generic Phishing | 12 | delivery | dns, tls, http | 61 | delivery | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-13 |
| Keitaro | 3 | exploitation | dns, tls, http | 221 | command and control, delivery, exploitation | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-14 |
| Sherlock Stealer | 2 | actions on objectives, delivery | http | 2 | actions on objectives, delivery | http | 2023-10-13 |
| Smoke Loader | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 74 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-10-13 |
| SocGholish | 3 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 836 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation, reconnaissance | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-10-10 |
| TA577 | 1 | command and control | http | 1 | command and control | http | 2023-10-13 |
| TA582 | 8 | command and control | dns, http, tls | 8 | command and control | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-13 |
| TOAD Phishing | 6 | delivery | dns, tls, http | 121 | delivery | dns, http, tls | 2023-10-14 |
| Trojan Agent | 3 | actions on objectives, command and control | tcp-pkt, http | 409 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, ip, smtp, tcp, tcp-pkt, tcp-stream, tls, udp | 2023-10-13 |
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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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