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Gomorrah Stealer v4.0 activity observed The Gomorrah stealer malware first became known in early 2020, and has been seen in the cyber threat landscape intermittently since then. It is not as commonly observed as other malware such as Formbook, Agent Tesla, or RedLine. Originally sold, it has since been cracked and is now widely available to anyone for free. Gomorrah is typically spread through drive-by-downloads and its command-and-control servers have been sporadically detected. Recently, Symantec has observed yet another campaign in which Gomorrah is disguised as fake software installers, a common social engineering tactic. Capability-wise, it can steal passwords stored in Chromium-based browsers, sessions from Discord and Telegram, crypto wallets, VPN passwords, grab documents, and screenshots, etc. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.MBT Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.C
Google cloud storage services abused to steal credentials In a recent phishing campaign, threat actors abused Google cloud storage services to steal credentials. As shown in the Figure 1, emails are masqueraded as Microsoft planner notification messages. The email template is pretty neat and has limited content. Figure 1: Email masqueraded as Microsoft planner notification message. As shown in Figure 2, a Google cloud storage URL is being exploited which redirects to fake Microsoft login page aimed to steal credentials. The phishing page is stored on the googleusercontent[.]com platform. Figure 2: Phishing page used for credential harvesting. Protection Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers.
Google Firebase and Clearbit abused in Phishing campaigns Phishing actors employ a plethora of tactics to make their phishing attempts more persuasive, ranging from hosting services to social engineering. Among host services, abusing Google Firebase has been prevalent due to its ease of use, free hosting, scalability, and domain customization features. These attributes make it an appealing platform for phishing actors seeking to host and distribute fraudulent content with minimal effort and cost. Regarding social engineering tactics, actors have increasingly been generating phishing pages dynamically based on the email address in the query string. To add further credibility, they've been exploiting Clearbit (logo.clearbit.com) to look up company logos based on victims' email address domains, which are then displayed on the phishing pages. By leveraging legitimate logos, phishing actors can significantly enhance the effectiveness of their phishing campaigns, potentially resulting in financial loss, data breaches, and reputational damage to targeted companies. An example of a recently seen URL related to the above tactics: hxxps://firebasestorage[.]googleapis[.]com/v0/b/fficeme-a6187[.]appspot[.]com/o/jyps%2Fauth%2FLogin[.]html?alt=media&token=5e00a67b-5b1a-4cc9-85cb-c9c0b4701601#[User's email address] Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Google Forms abused in a recent phishing wave Symantec has recently observed a new phishing wave abusing Google Forms service. As shown in Figure 1, phishing emails are disguised as important notification messages. By specific choice of words used in the message content, the emails are meant to create a sense of urgency of the notification. The recipient is enticed to click on the hyperlinked text with an embedded Google Forms URL in order to perform the required action. Figure 1: Phishing email disguised as a notification message with Google Forms URL embedded within the email content. As shown in Figure 2, upon clicking the embedded URL in the email, the recipient is served with a detailed credential stealing Google Form. Figure 2: A form created with the help of Google Forms aims to steal credentials. Protection Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers.
Google Sites services abused to steal credentials in new phish run In recent phishing runs, Symantec has observed the abuse of the sites.google.com service from Google that allows users to create and host web content. As shown in Figure 1, phishing emails are masqueraded as notification messages informing the recipients to upgrade their existing email storage space. The content of the email is kept short and urges the recipient to click on hyperlinked text. Figure 1: Phishing email masqueraded as a mailbox upgrade notification email with a sites.google.com URL embedded in content. Upon clicking the hyperlinked text, a fake credential stealing webpage hosted on sites.google.com is served to the recipient aimed to steal credentials as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: The embedded URL redirects the user to a fake credentials stealing webpage. Protection Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers.
GooseEgg, a post-explotation malware Researchers at Microsoft have reported on ongoing activities of the Russian-based threat actor Forest Blizzard identified by Symantec as Swallowtail (aka STRONTIUM) utilizing a custom tool dubbed GooseEgg. This activity has been taking place since at least 2020 and possibly as early as 2019. The tool exploits a vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service (CVE-2022-38028) to gain SYSTEM-level privileges and steal credentials from compromised networks. The recently observed campaign targets government, non-governmental, education, and transportation sector organizations primarily in Ukraine, Western Europe, and North America. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Adaptive-based ACM.Ps-Rd32!g1 File-based Trojan.GooseEgg Trojan Horse WS.Reputation.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.C
Gootloader - initial stage loader looks for new targets According to recent report, an active Gootloader campaign has been seen targeting various enterprise and government institutions. The first stage of the infection chain leverages small .js loader files that deploy PowerShell scripts used to download various payloads - those can include Cobalt Strike Beacons, ransomware or banking trojans. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based ISB.Downloader!gen457 JS.Downloader WS.Malware.1 Network-based Web Attack: Webpulse Bad Reputation Domain Request Web-based Observed IPs/Domains are covered under security categories
GoPIX malware GoPIX is another malware variant targeting PIX, an instant payment solution created and managed by the monetary authority of Brazil, the Central Bank of Brazil. The malware first emerged on the threatscape around the end of last year and has been seen spread mostly through malvertising. GoPIX has clipboard stealer functionalities with focus on PIX transactions. It can also act as a cryptocurrency clipper by substituting cryptocurrency wallet addresses with those controlled by the attackers. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1
GoSearch22 - new malware runs natively on latest Apple M1 platform Symantec Security Response has been aware of the reports about a new malware natively compatible with the latest M1 Apple platform. GoSearch22 is a variant of widely known Pirrit Mac-targeting adware and its purpose is to collect various browsing data from the affected systems. While originally written for the x86 platform, the latest discovered GoSearch22 samples are reported to have been compiled to run natively on arm64 systems. Symantec provides the following coverage against the GoSearch22 and Pirrit variants: File-based OSX.Trojan.Gen OSX.Trojan.Gen.2
Gotham Stealer (aka Pirate Stealer) There have been recent reports of an infostealer known as Gotham which has been used in drive-by-download attacks by multiple groups and individuals. This threat is actually a rebrand of Pirate Stealer whose source code is available on a public software development and version control hosting service. With run-of-the-mill capabilities, it exfiltrates stolen data through automated messages sent via Discord webhooks, and has standard data theft capabilities including stealing PC data, login credentials, cookies, and autofill information from Chromium browsers. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Infostealer
GoTiS Ransomware GoTiS is new Xorist ransomware variant observed on the threat landscape recently. The malware encrypts user files and appends .GoTiS extension to them. Ransom note is dropped in form of a text file called "HOW TO DECRYPT FILES.txt" where the threat actors ask the victims for ransom payment in Bitcoin and advise to contact them via provided email addresses for further instructions once the ransom has been paid. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Ransom.CryptoTorLocker WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.B
Governmental organizations targeted by a new PureCrypter campaign A new campaign leveraging the PureCrypter downloader and targeted at governmental organizations has been observed in the wild. The infection chain involves malspam emails disguised as order confirmations that contain discord URLs where the malicious archives are hosted. Upon execution of the extracted PureCrypter binary, the loader will attempt to grab a secondary payload from compromised websites belonging to a non-profit organization. The campaign delivers a wide variety of final payloads including AgentTesla, RedLine Stealer, Blackmoon and Philadelphia Ransomware, among others. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g2 SONAR.ProcHijack!g21 Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec’s email security products File-based MSIL.Downloader!gen7 MSIL.Downloader!gen8 Packed.NSISPacker!g14 Ransom.Philadelphia Scr.Malcode!gdn14 Scr.Malcode!gdn32 Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B Network-based System Infected: Bad Reputation Application Network Activity System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 634 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Govt agencies and Industries in Brazil targeted in an IPFS-based phishing attack Email credentials are important, and if compromised, they provide cybercriminals with a powerful entry point to conduct further malicious activities. Over the years, certain groups and individuals have specialized in collecting email credentials then selling them on the black market. On a daily basis, countless email-credential related phishing campaigns are witnessed. Recently, Symantec has observed a campaign that targets government agencies and enterprises in Brazil, including foreign industries with offices there. The emails are fairly simple, with the subject line "O seu e-mail [victim's email]," and containing a link to a phishing landing page hosted on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System). An IPFS-based phishing attack is a type of phishing attack that uses the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to host and distribute phishing landing pages. In this type of attack, the attacker creates a phishing landing page and stores it on the IPFS network, making it available for anyone to access through a unique IPFS address. It's not uncommon for actors to leverage IPFS to conduct phishing attacks, as it provides a certain degree of anonymity, persistence, resilience, and speed. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec’s email security products Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Gozi: VBS Obfuscation Symantec Security Response is aware of a recent spam run that distributes Gozi banking malware via an email attachment. The sample file is a VBS script with “presentation_37142.vbs” as its filename and is classified as Trojan Downloader. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-Based Heur.AdvML.C Trojan Horse VBS.Downloader.Trojan WS.Malware.1
Grandoreiro malware targets organizations in the Spanish-speaking countries A new on-going campaign involving the Grandoreiro banking trojan and targeting Spanish-speaking countries has been observed in the wild. The threat actors leverage spear phishing emails masqueraded as correspondence from government officials to lure recipients into downloading the malware binaries. Grandoreiro uses a technique known as binary padding, where multiple .bmp images are added to the binary in order to inflate it's size (to over 400MB) and thus attempt to evade sandboxes. The malware targets victim's banking details but has also additional backdoor capabilities allowing it to execute arbitrary commands, among others. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Network-based System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 568 Web-based Observed IPs/domains are covered under security categories
GraphicalProton backdoor leveraged in attacks exploiting CVE-2023-42793 TeamCity vulnerability In a recent set of malicious activities attributed to the APT29 threat group (also known as CozyDuke or NOBELIUM), JetBrains TeamCity vulnerability CVE-2023-42793 has been leveraged for the initial access to the targeted environments. The threat group has been distributing a backdoor dubbed GraphicalProton through DLL hijacking of Zabbix and Webroot antivirus software as well as an open source application called vcperf. GraphicalProton functionality is focused on reconnaissance and ex-filtration. The backdoor can gather system and network information as well as data concerning running processes on the infected endpoint, among others. In order to avoid detections, the malware utilizes OneDrive and Dropbox cloud services as C2 communication channels. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based ACM.Ps-RgPst!g1 ACM.Ps-Rd32!g1 ACM.Untrst-RgPst!g1 SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based PUA.Gen.2 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.9 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.A!400 Heur.AdvML.A!500 Heur.AdvML.B!200 Heur.AdvML.C Network-based Web Attack: TeamCity Authentication Bypass CVE-2023-42793 Policy-based Symantec Data Center Security default lockdown policy sym_win_hardened_sbp protects the underlying Windows servers from the TeamCity CVE-2023-42793, including preventing execution of arbitrary cmd shells as demonstrated in some public exploit samples. DCS network rules in the policy can be configured to limit TeamCity application to trusted clients. Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Graphican backdoor used by Flea group to attack foreign ministries The Flea (aka APT15, Nickel) advanced persistent threat (APT) group continued to focus on foreign ministries in a recent attack campaign that ran from late 2022 into early 2023 in which it leveraged a new backdoor called Backdoor.Graphican. The primary focus of the campaign observed by the Threat Hunter Team at Symantec, part of Broadcom, appears to be on ministries of foreign affairs in the Americas. Flea used a large number of tools in this campaign. As well as the new Graphican backdoor, the attackers leveraged a variety of living-off-the-land tools, as well as tools that have been previously linked to Flea. Read more in our blog: Graphican: Flea Uses New Backdoor in Attacks Targeting Foreign Ministries Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Backdoor.Graphican Backdoor.Hadmad Backdoor.Ketrican HackTool.LaZagne!gen1 Hacktool Hacktool.Mimikatz Hacktool.Safetykatz PHP.Backdoor.Trojan Pwdump Trojan.Gen Trojan.Gen.NPE Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g1 SONAR.TCP!gen1 SONAR.TCP!gen6 Machine learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Graphiron infostealer deployed against targets in Ukraine The Nodaria espionage group (aka UAC-0056) is using a new piece of two-stage information stealing malware against targets in Ukraine. The Go-based Graphiron malware is designed to harvest a wide range of information from the infected computers, including system information, credentials, screenshots, and files. The earliest evidence of Graphiron dates from October 2022. It continued to be used until at least mid- January 2023 and it is reasonable to assume that it remains part of the Nodaria toolkit. The malware has some similarities with older Nodaria tools such as GraphSteel and GrimPlant. Read more in our blog: Graphiron: New Russian Information Stealing Malware Deployed Against Ukraine Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen6 File-based Downloader.Graphiron Infostealer Infostealer.Graphiron Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C
GravityRAT continues to spy on Android users A multi-platform Remote Access Trojan known has GravityRAT has regularly been observed in the threat landscape since at least 2015 and is still active as of today. This malware's activities have mainly been seen in South Asia and more recently, actors have been spotted disguising this threat as a chat related Android application. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk
Grayling APT group The Symantec Threat Hunter Team, part of Broadcom, observed the usage of custom malware by a previously unseen advanced persistent threat (APT) group. Dubbed Grayling, the group used a DLL side-loading technique to leverage the malware for intelligence gathering. Targets included a number of organizations in the manufacturing, IT, and biomedical sectors in Taiwan. Initial access to the victim machines appears to be by way of exploitation of vulnerable public facing infrastructure. Once established within the network, activity includes the deployment of various payloads such as NetSky, Cobalt Strike, and others. Further observed activity included privilege escalation, network scanning, and the use of downloaders. Read more in our blog: Grayling: Previously Unseen Threat Actor Targets Multiple Organizations in Taiwan Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen6 File-based Backdoor.Rozena!gen3 Pwdump Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.2 Machine learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Greatness, a PaaS (Phishing-as-a-Service) on the rise Greatness, a Phishing-as-a-Service (PaaS) platform with activities ongoing from mid-2022, has recently been brought into the light. According to reports, this relatively new platform has quickly become popular among cybercriminals, focusing on Microsoft 365 credentials theft. Malicious emails leading to Greatness have been observed around the world, luring victims into a sophisticated attack chain if they are successfully tricked into opening the malicious HTML attachment. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
GreenBean Android banking trojan GreenBean is a new banking trojan variant for Android. The malware targets applications related to internet payments, banking and cryptocurrency. GreenBean abuses Android Accessibility services to gain access to credentials from the targeted apps. C2 server communication is established with the help of the open-source Simple Realtime Server (SRS) project. GreenBean also utilizes webRTC video streaming capabilities for the purpose of screen sharing and camera recording. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk Android.Reputation.2 AppRisk:Generisk Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
GriftHorse – first prize, premium SMS charges In the mobile threatscape, pure fraud malware is still prevalent and the campaigns keep coming. Yet another mobile malware known as GriftHorse has found its way into the shady side of town. Compromised victims will continuously observe notifications on their phones informing them that they've won a prize. If victims are successfully lured and enter their phone number they'll be subscribed to a premium SMS service. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based Android.Reputation.2
Groundhog DDoS botnet According to reports of recent research, the Groundhog botnet has been expanding in the past few months. This Botnet is not new and has in fact been around for some years now. It's been mainly using a Linux DDoS malware known as XOR.DDoS. Symantec has the following coverage in place: File-based Linux.Xorddos
GuLoader campaign: From Seoul to Brussels GuLoader's prevalence remains unwavering, and Symantec continues to observe actors conducting campaigns worldwide. One particular case has caught our attention, as the actor exhibits behavior reminiscent of a locust colony, traversing from field to field. In fact, this actor has been orchestrating a substantial campaign in South Korea over the past three weeks in three waves, recently shifting focus to Belgium. In the South Korea activities, the threat actors have been posing as Hanwha Engineering & Construction, targeting South Korean energy, manufacturing, gaming, logistics, and pharmaceutical industries. Malicious emails (subject: 한화건설 캐나다 온타리오주 프로젝트 견적 요청) contained a 7z archive, within which GuLoader was disguised as a fake PDF order document. As for the recently observed activities in Belgium, in terms of victimology they target sectors such as insurance, construction, consulting, software engineering, recruitment, finance, art, and energy. Similar to the South Korean case, the modus operandi remains consistent, with emails (subject: RFQ December/Last quarter order-19122023) containing a malicious 7z archive, within which the GuLoader binary is disguised as a fake PDF document. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec’s email security products Behavior-based ACM.Ps-Wscr!g1 ACM.Wscr-Ps!g1 File-based Trojan.Gen.NPE Network-based Web Attack: Webpulse Bad Reputation Domain Request System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 719
GuLoader campaign: South Korea HomeTax impersonation Symantec has detected a GuLoader campaign in South Korea, where actors exploit the National Tax Service (NTS) as a social engineering trick. HomeTax is being impersonated, and the malicious emails (subject: 국세청 홈택스 서비스의 전자세금계산서입니다) attempt to deceive users with a fake electronic tax invoice from the NTS HomeTax service. Attached is a Zip file (NTS_eTaxInvoice.zip) containing a malicious VBS (NTS_eTaxInvoice.vbs), which is GuLoader. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec’s email security products File-based Trojan Horse
Guloader caught smuggling malicious ZIPs inside SVG images A recent Guloader malspam campaign has been found to be smuggling malicious ZIPs inside of attached SVG files. These SVGs contain JavaScript code that, upon opening the file, generates a malicious ZIP that proceeds automatically display a download prompt. The ZIP file contains a WSF file which downloads the final infection payload. Example Email Subjects: INVOICE-INVOICE#RVBSA09SGSA Payment Confirmation Solicitud de Cotización #PO-SJ005182824013710 Please confirm Payment Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers. File-based ISB.IcedID!gen2 Scr.Guloader!gen3 Scr.Malcode!gen VBS.Downloader.Trojan
GuLoader DHL-themed campaigns hit Italy and Vietnam GuLoader's (also known as CloudEye) prevalence continues to fluctuate but is clearly not showing any signs of stopping. On a daily basis, Symantec continues to observe malspam campaigns leveraging this threat to load various remote access trojans and infostealers. Recently, we have observed two DHL-themed campaigns that have targeted entities in Italy and Vietnam where threat actors have attached an ISO archive (flavor of the year) to the emails. A malicious VBScript, disguised as a DHL air waybill (AWB) can be found inside the ISO archive, which will trigger the final payload if the victim is successfully tricked into executing it. Email subject Dichiarazioni per importazioni richieste (1100549726 - SDOGANAMENTO) Khai báo cho hàng nhập khẩu bắt buộc (1100549726 - RÕ RÀNG HẢI QUAN) Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec’s email security products File-based Trojan.Gen.NPE
GuLoader distributed with the help of tax-themed lures GuLoader is a shellcode-based downloader known to deliver a wide range of different malware variants including ransomware, infostealers, banking trojans, RATs, etc. A new campaign leveraging tax-themed lures to deliver GuLoader payloads has been observed in the wild. Tax-related lures are a very popular theme during the tax season and each year different threat actors use them to spread malware and steal confidential data. In this latest campaign, the attackers leverage malspam emails with links pointing to download of password-protected .zip archives. Upon extraction the victims are served with shortcut files disguised as .pdf documents that in turn invoke PowerShell commands to retrieve heavily obfuscated Visual Basic scripts from remote locations. The malicious .VBS scripts are then responsible for GuLoader payload execution on the infected endpoints. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE Trojan.Gen.NPE.C Scr.Malcode!gen36 VBS.Downloader.Trojan WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
GuLoader email campaign used to deliver Remcos RAT A recently observed campaign with global distribution was responsible for delivering Remcos RAT by way of GuLoader malspam. The multi-stage campaign arrives as a zip email attachment. Inside the archive is the first stage GuLoader script which is responsible for executing the second stage Powershell script. This in turn launches additional pieces of shellcode as the third stage. The final stage involves downloading and injecting the Remcos RAT payload into a legitimate Windows process. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Scr.Guloader!gen1 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.NPE Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
GuLoader malspam delivers Remcos RAT As Symantec Security Response previously reported in a past Bulletin, GuLoader is often observed in spam runs delivering payloads such as Azorult or Lokibot. Now Remcos RAT can be added to that list as a payload of the recent GuLoader malspam run. Remcos is commercially sold as remote control and surveillance software. Characteristics of the malicious emails are as follows: Email subject: New Quotation 2021 Email attachment: Lowes_Quotation_PN#1092021.xlsx Lowes_Quotation_PN#16392021.xlsx PN_LOWES_ORDER..xlsx Symantec provides the following coverage against this recent GuLoader spam run: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE Network-based Malicious Phishing Site: Phishing Suspicious Request Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers.
GuLoader malspam makes use of .XXE attachments During the last month, Symantec Security Response has observed a few malspam runs delivering attachments in .XXE format. XXE is old archive format that utilizes xxencoding which is a binary-to-text encoding used in the past for sending binary files over email. The use of .xxe files in malspam campaigns is not very common these days and might be an attempt to evade AV scanners and decomposers. Several of the recently observed campaigns had various subject lines and purported to come from various organizations, financial institutions or shipment companies. Some examples include: "Fwd:RE: CAD BANK DETAILS" "AW: RE: DRAFT SHIPPING DOCS" "Fwd: AIR WAYBILL#7666603455" "SWIFT MT103 Notification from KBank" "Fwd: Documents for the first container" "Fwd: contract and proforma and draft BL" "Fwd: commission Note" The email attachments themselves have file names corresponding to the email subjects, which are also quite long and include some form of a fake reference or an order number. For example: "CAD_BANK_DETAILS_EXPORT_IMPORT_DOCUMENTRECEIPTCLOKEBEDREVI.xxe" "DRAFT ALL SHIPPING DOCS NO. 0010-LP-A-49_803000000003220000000000.xxe" "AirWayBill_number7666603455_dated_19thAugust_2020.xxe" "SWIFT MT103 Notification from KBank_swiftMessage_ref000454000000.xxe" "FisrtContainder_documents+certificates+export+AYHTKO00900XXCVBNN.xxe" "salescontract_proforma_draft_BL905539519489_confirmation.xxe" "commissionNote_augustShipments_098234444444444444444444409923_scanned.xxe" The .XXE attachments once extracted lead to a GuLoader trojan. GuLoader is a variant of downloader malware mostly distributed by spam and it has been known to deliver various payloads, among others malware from Azorult or Lokibot strains. In the past year there have also been several instances where GuLoader delivered malware with help of various cloud services or file-sharing websites. Symantec protections against malware distributed in those recent campaigns Trojan.Guloader Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C
GwisinLocker Ransomware GwisinLocker was apparently named after a type of spirit or ghost in Korean folklore called “Gwisin” (귀신). The ransomware was first discovered back in July, its main targets being South Korean industrial and pharmaceutical companies. A Linux ransomware variant, GwisinLocker operates a double extortion method in its campaigns. The generated ransomware note (!!!_HOW_TO_UNLOCK_MCRGNX_FILES_!!!.TXT) includes contact information along with a list of data and intellectual property stolen from within the company. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Ransom.GwisinLocker Trojan Horse WS.Malware.2
HackBoss is waiting for you outside the mine shaft The Cryptocurrency market is thriving albeit experiencing regular highs and lows. The threat landscape is a reflection of its success as we continue to observe many Coinminers as well as malware that steal cryptocurrencies. There has been a report of yet another malware known as 'HackBoss' that has been stealing from miners by replacing their cryptocurrency wallet address with HackBoss wallet addresses. This trick is not new and has in fact been used many times by many different malware. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Horse WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2
Hacked YouTube Accounts Delivering Vidar and LummaC2 Infostealers Threat actors are constantly improving their tactics in order for their malware distribution to be more effective, and hiding infostealers within cracked software on YouTube's content or comments seems to no longer be a convincing enough ploy. Recent reports indicate attackers shifting their focus to hacking famous YouTube channels and exploiting content creators' reputations in order to lure subscribers and random YouTube users into downloading malware - in this particular case Vidar and LummaC2 infostealers, both known for stealing browser data as well as downloading and installing additional malware. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Scr.Malcode!gdn21 Scr.Malcode!gdn32 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.B!200 Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Hades - WastedLocker's successor distributed in new ransomware campaigns A new ransomware variant dubbed as Hades has been identified as a successor to the infamous WastedLocker malware family. According to the released report Hades is being actively spread in the campaigns orchestrated by threat actor group known as INDRIK SPIDER. The malware encrypts victim's files and drops a ransom note directing the user to a hidden TOR site containing further instructions. As we continue to monitor and enhance our protections against Hades ransomware variants, we recommend performing regular backups for any important data and ensuring your security products are kept up to date with the latest product definitions. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Downloader Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1
Hades Ransomware actively targets organizations A recently released report attributes the Hades Ransomware to an APT group known as GOLD WINTER. While the group does publicly name the victims after encrypting and stealing their data, it does not utilize any leak page to expose the stolen data. Instead customized tor-based websites are used for communication with the victims. Hades is a ransomware variant known for some time now. It has functionalities that include checks for virtualized environments and ability to delete the volume shadow copies. Hades drops a ransom note which resembles that known from the Conti ransomware variants. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Downloader Heur.AdvML.B Packed.Generic.459 Ransom.Cryptolocker Ransom.Gen Network-based Web Attack: Webpulse Bad Reputation Domain Request Web-based Observed IPs/Domains are covered under security categories
Hakuna Matata ransomware Hakuna Matata is another run-of-the-mill ransomware variant observed recently in the wild. The malware encrypts user files using AES-256 algorithm and has functionality to kill processes and services related to backup applications as well as a capability to delete the volume shadow copies on the infected endpoints. Some versions of Hakuna Matata have been observed to also contain a crypto clipper module allowing the attackers to swap victims' cryptocurrency wallet addresses with the ones owned by the malware actor. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.RansomGen!gen3 File-based Ransom.Hakuna Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B
Hancitor coalescing with FickerStealer FickerStealer is now being delivered via Hancitor in malspam campaigns. Threat actors are leveraging this Malware-as-a-Service Infostealer which first surfaced in August 2020. If the infection routine is successful and the target machine succeeds in connecting with the C&C servers, initially Cobalt Strike will be launched followed closely by FickerStealer to continue the attack. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Heur.AdvML.B Trojan.Gen.2 WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2
Hancitor spam run Security Response has discovered malspam attempting to distribute Hancitor malware. The malicious emails have "You received invoice from DocuSign Signature Service" as the email subject and contain a link to a remotely-hosted document file with a malicious macro. This macro in turn downloads a Hancitor DLL which is known to work with Cobalt Strike in order to download and install additional malware to the compromised system. Symantec provides the following detection for this spam run: File-based ISB.Suspexec!gen29 Trojan Horse Network-based System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 522 Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
HardBit 2.0 ransomware HardBit is a ransomware variant that was first discovered around October 2022. The latest 2.0 variant superseded it in November and is still circulating in the wild. The ransomware has the functionality to terminate selected system processes and services as well as delete the Volume Shadow Copies on the infected endpoint. The malware encrypts users' files and appends .hardbit2 extension to them. Ransom note is dropped into the drive root and any folders containing encrypted files in a form of both .txt and .hta files. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g2 Sonar.SuspLaunch!g18 Sonar.SuspLaunch!g193 Sonar.SuspLaunch!g257 Sonar.TCP!gen1 File-based Ransom.Hardbit Scr.Malcode!gdn32 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.B!100 Heur.AdvML.B!200 Network-based Attack: Ransom.Crysis Activity 3 Attack: Ransom.Gen Activity 29
HardBit Ransomware Over the past few weeks, another ransomware group known as HardBit has been targeting organizations. This actor has not stated a price to decrypt files in their ransom note, instead inviting victims to connect with them via email or Tox chat. As with many other ransomware actors, they only accept Bitcoin as payment. At this time, the classic double extortion tactic (the leak or sell off of stolen files) does not seem to be employed although they do threaten to attack again and again if the victim doesn't pay. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Scr.Malcode!gdn32 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B
Harly keeps on sneaking onto Google Play Similar to Joker, Harly Android subscriber continues to find its way onto Google Play disguised as generic programs such as face editing selfie apps. This threat can be extremely lucrative to operators and extremely destructive to victims' finances, as users who unknowingly download and install Harly from Google Play will be subscribed to an array of premium-rate services. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AppRisk:Generisk
Harly subscribes Android users to paid services Yet another Android subscriber - known as Harly - has recently been brought to light. As per reports, it's been active since 2020 and multiple infected Androids apps have been observed on Google Play. This type of threat isn't new and has in fact plagued Android users for years, the most infamous being Joker, and Harly pretty much behaves the same way. If a victim is successfully tricked into downloading and installing Harly disguised as a legitimate app, it will stealthily subscribe them to paid services. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk AppRisk:Generisk
Harvester group targets victims in South Asia A previously unseen actor is targeting organizations in South Asia, with a focus on Afghanistan, in what appears to be an information-stealing campaign using a new toolset. The attackers, identified as Harvester, deployed a custom backdoor on victim machines alongside other downloaders and screenshot tools that provided the attackers with remote access and allowed them to spy on user activities and exfiltrate information. The custom backdoor is identified as Graphon, while tools such as Cobalt Strike and Metasploit were also found. Symantec protects you from these threats, identified as the following: File-based Backdoor.Cobalt Backdoor.Cobalt!gen7 Backdoor.Graphon Downloader Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Packed.Generc.347 Trojan.Gen.2 Behavior-based SONAR.MalTraffic!gen1 Network-based System Infected: Meterpreter Reverse TCP Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
HavanaCrypt Ransomware A new ransomware family emerged recently in the wild called HavanaCrypt, which disguises itself as a Google Software Update application. The ransomware is utilizing a Microsoft web hosting service IP address for its command and control (C&C) server in order to evade detection, and also takes advantage of KeePass Password Safe’s for generating encryption keys. Infected files will be appended with .Havana as its new extension name. Symantec protects you from these threats, identified by the following: File-based Ransom.Havana Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan Horse WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
HawkEye keeps snipping for your information HawkEye Keylogger is a malware tool with some history now, and although its use has seen a decrease over the years, researchers keep seeing its code mainly being distributed through spam emails, most recently targeting Korean users. This keylogger targets the usual basic system, web browser and e-mail client information, with keylogging, clipboard logging and screenshots, as well as looking for crypto coin wallets and Minecraft accounts. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.2 Email-based Protection is in place for Symantec's email security products. Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology from Symantec provides an extra layer of protection.
HCrypt - Crypter as a Service New reports emerged about a RAT loader dubbed as HCrypt, that's been advertised and sold by malicious actors in the form of a "Crypter-as-a-Service" offering. These malicious campaigns appear to be using HCrypt to spread malware from the ASyncRAT or LimeRAT family. Symantec provides the following detections against this HCrypt campaign: File-based Backdoor.Ratenjay!gen3 Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan Horse Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
HeadCrab Malware making the rounds HeadCrab has been around since at least September 2021. This elusive malware is known to reside in Redis servers. Its complex design enables it to run solely in memory and communicates only with legitimate IP addresses in order to evade detection. Aside from HeadCrab's main purpose which is to build a botnet designed to mine Monero cryptocurrency, it also has other malicious capabilities such as executing shell commands, loading fileless kernel modules, and exfiltrating data to remote servers. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse WS.Malware.2
Heap buffer overflow in libwebp vulnerability - CVE-2023-4863 CVE-2023-4863 is a recently disclosed (CVSS score: 8.8 High) critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability in libwebp, a graphics file format. This vulnerability resides within the Huffman coding algorithm used by libwebp for lossless compression. If exploited the vulnerability enables remote attackers to perform out-of-bounds memory writes using maliciously crafted HTML pages. This type of exploit can have severe consequences, such as unauthorized access to sensitive information and crashes due to arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability has not been observed in email based attacks but our Link Following and Webpulse technologies protect against such URL based attacks. A new vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-5129, has been rejected by the CVE Numbering Authority, as being a duplicate of CVE-2023-4863. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Exp.CVE-2023-4863 Network-based Web Attack: WebP Heap Overflow CVE-2023-4863
Heeck4ever Ransomware In addition to the relentless threat posed by ransomware gangs that infiltrate compromised environments, encrypt critical machines, extract sensitive information, and extort victims for exorbitant sums, there are also many other ransomware variants that target individual machines belonging to both consumers and enterprise users through social engineering tactics, demanding smaller ransoms. Heeck4ever is one such ransomware variant that has been observed masquerading as fake Windows optimization tools, a Microsoft Office installer, and a Windows Form app. Once a user falls victim to this deception and their files are encrypted, they are prompted to pay either $200 worth of Bitcoin or a reduced amount of $50 if the payment is made within 72 hours. Additionally, victims are presented with alternative payment options, including PayPal. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.SuspDrop!gen1 File-based Trojan.Gen.MBT Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B
Hello. Three years on and still unpatched? Symantec Security Response has observed a malicious spam campaign sent to more than 100 organizations globally. The email used in the attack has the simple subject "Hello", and its attached malicious document file targets a three-year old vulnerability (CVE-2017-8570) which was patched by Microsoft in mid-2017. Although Symantec blocks this attack, infection can (and should) be prevented by simply applying the patch. Symantec detects the malicious document file as the following: File-based protection Exp.CVE-2017-8570!g3
HelloKitty actors leverage DDoS attacks in recent campaigns Symantec Security Response is aware of the latest FBI alert about the activities of the HelloKitty ransomware known also as Fivehands. Attackers responsible for this ransomware have been known to employ Double Extortion tactics in their campaigns, but recently they also have been making use of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeted at victim company’s public facing websites. The threat actors have been exploiting Sonicwall vulnerabilities in the past, as well as leveraging various penetration testing tools such as Cobalt Strike, Mimikatz or PowerShell Empire. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Ransom.CryptoTorLocker Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Network-based Attack: Ransom.Gen Activity 29
HelloTeacher mobile malware targets Vietnamese banking users HelloTeacher is a mobile malware distributed under the disguise of popular messaging Android apps such as Viber or Kik Messenger, targeting Vietnamese banking users. Once installed, HelloTeacher will prompt the victim to enable Accessibility Service, which once enabled allows the malware to exfiltrate data from account balances, contacts, photos and installed applications with additional capabilities like screen capturing, SMS harvesting and more. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk Android.Malapp Android.Reputation.2
HelloXD ransomware HelloXD is a ransomware variant discovered back around the end of 2021. The malware shows certain code overlaps with the leaked Babuk malware variant. According to a latest report, HelloXD has been attributed to a threat actor dubbed as x4k. Some of the discovered ransomware samples have also been deploying a secondary open source backdoor known as MicroBackdoor to the infected machines. This backdoor allows the attackers to further compromise the system by executing remote commands and uploading/downloading files, among others. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g2 SONAR.RansomGen!gen2 SONAR.Ransomware!g1 SONAR.SuspDataRun SONAR.SuspLaunch!g18 File-based Backdoor.Cobalt!gen9 Backdoor.Cobalt!gm5 Downloader Meterpreter Packed.Generic.347 Ransom.Helloxd Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed IPs/domains are covered under security categories
Hentai Oniichan ransomware is not so unusual after all Symantec Security Response recently became aware of a ransomware which tries to give itself a bad name. In its ransom note, the malware claims to be "Hentai Oniichan" ransomware, which means perverted big brother in Japanese. Its behavior is however fairly typical of ransomware, adding a ".hor" file extension to the files it encrypts and demanding 10 Bitcoins for decryption. Symantec provides the following detection against Hentai Oniichan ransomware: File-based Trojan.Gen.2
Hermit spyware Hermit is a sophisticated mobile spyware that has been around for some years now. It's believed to have been created by RCS labs and Tykelab Srl, and is sold to Nation states and law enforcement to help the fight against crime and terrorism, and to maintain public safety. Despite this, potential misuse of the software has been flagged over the years and Symantec has had long standing detection of it. Recently, this threat has been observed in Kazakhstan, likely spread via SMS messages. It's often seen disguised as applications related to telecom and smartphone industries. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based Android.Reputation.2 AppRisk:Generisk Symantec Endpoint Protection Mobile is able to also analyze links contained within SMS messages. It shields users from SMS phishing attempts by checking URLs found in text messages against the threat intelligence in Symantec WebPulse, part of the Symantec Global Intelligence Network (GIN), and alerting users when the links are suspect. SEP Mobile provides protection against network content threats, filtering and blocking communication to known C&C servers used in Hermit's campaigns. It can also identify and protect vulnerable iOS & Android devices.
HiatusRAT malware HiatusRAT is a relatively new Remote Access Trojan (RAT) used in campaigns compromising business-grade and enterprise routers. First seen earlier this year, the malware allows the attackers to remotely interact with the infected devices, set up SOCKS5 proxies, collect traffic passing through the routers, download arbitrary files from the remote C2 servers and execute malicious scripts, among others. The most recently observed HiatusRAT variant added compatibility with several CPU architectures including ARM, Intel 80386, and x86-64 in addition to already supported MIPS, MIPS64, and i386. Latest campaigns distributing this malware have been targeted at organizations in the United States and in Taiwan. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Downloader Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.NPE WS.Malware.1 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
HiddenAds - a new malware strain found hiding on Google Play Store A new mobile malware variant dubbed HiddenAds has been identified disguised as cleaner apps on the Google Play Store. The malware run its malicious services right after the installation without the need for the user to even execute the app. HiddenAds will display various advertisements on the infected devices either though pop-up windows or full screen overlays. It has been reported that the malicious apps distributing the malware have been downloaded up to 1 million times worldwide. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk Android.Reputation.2 Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
Higaisa luring victims to phishing website for malware drop The ATP group called "Higaisa" has been accredited with a new campaign luring victims to a deceptive site mimicking OpenVPN. The imitation site is "open-vpn[.]top" and has been tailored to Chinese users as a method to distribute malware. This threat actor employs brand phishing campaigns enticing recipients that regularly use VPNs to overcome online censorship and in doing so users are tricked into using the fraudulent OpenVPN website. The fake site hosts a malicious OpenVPN installer file that once executed, runs Rust-based malware on the system, subsequently triggering further shellcode and C2 communications. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan horse Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.B!100 Heur.AdvML.B!200 Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
HijackLoader malware HijackLoader is a malware loader variant used in the wild for the last few months. The malware leverages a wide variety of embedded modules for malicious code injection and execution. HijackLoader employs several evasion techniques such as checks for presence of running antivirus processes or delayed code execution, among others. Few of the observed campaigns have shown HijackLoader delivering payloads from miscellaneous malware families such as RedLine Stealer, Danabot or SystemBC. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.A!400 Heur.AdvML.A!500 Heur.AdvML.C Network-based System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 634 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Hildegard: Attack on Kubernetes Symantec Security Response is aware of a report of new Hildegard malware that targets Kubernetes clusters for cryptojacking and potentially stealing information from them. The malware propagates to other containers after it successfully gets inside the system via a misconfigured kubelet. Symantec provides the following coverage against this attack: File-based Trojan Horse Downloader Trojan.Gen.NPE Network-based Malicious Site: Malicious Domains Request System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Domains 2 Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
Hinata DDoS botnet Hinata or HinataBot is a newly discovered DDoS botnet written in the Golang programming language. During the infection chain, the malware exploits weak credentials and some old Hadoop YARN, Realtek (CVE-2014-8361) and Huawei (CVE-2017-17215) vulnerabilities. Depending on the variant, HinataBot might utilize a variety of protocols for the purpose of DDoS attacks including HTTP, UDP, TCP, and ICMP. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Linux.Lightaidra Trojan Horse WS.Malware.2 Network-based Web Attack: Huawei Router RCE CVE-2017-17215 Web Attack: Realtek SDK RCE CVE-2014-8361 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Hive0051c malware campaign distributing GammaLoad in Ukraine Hive0051c has been observed conducting a malware campaign distributing the GammaLoad malware in Ukraine. The attack vector employed phishing emails containing Ukrainian-language lure documents targeting military and government entities. The GammaLoad backdoor presents the risk of various follow-on payloads, facilitated by independent C2 fallback channels. Hive0051c utilized synchronized DNS fluxing across multiple channels to rotate infrastructure and maintained several active C2 clusters. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT W97M.Downloader WS.Malware.2 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
HiveNightmare - Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVE-2021-36934) On July 20th Microsoft published information about a new elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Windows. Identified as CVE-2021-36934, the issue resides with permissions related to Access Control Lists (ACLs) on multiple system files, which includes the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker run arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. This vulnerability has been nicknamed HiveNightmare and SeriousSAM. Microsoft has provided a workaround which requires two steps be taken to be successful. One step is to restrict access to the contents of the folder %windir%\system32\config. The second step is to delete volume shadow copies, thereby removing vulnerable copies of the easily accessible ACLs made during the creation of system restore points. Indications are that a security update to address this vulnerability will be released during the regular security update schedule. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Exp.CVE-2021-36934
Hive Ransomware Hive is yet another ransomware gang that performs attacks against companies, hoping to make money. They employ double extortion tactics like several other infamous ransomware gangs have been doing. Double extortion refers to exfiltrating the data before encrypting it. This way if the company refuses to pay the ransom, the attacker can threaten to publicize their data by either publishing it online or selling it to the highest bidder. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Downloader Heur.AdvML.B Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1
Hive Ransomware goes after organizations and healthcare Symantec Security Response is aware of a recent FBI FLASH alert warning about the activities of the Hive Ransomware. Hive has been discovered back in June and seen targeting various businesses and healthcare sector since then. According to the alert, Hive spreads through phishing emails as well as via compromised RDP access to the victim's networks. The threat actors behind this ransomware leverage double-extortion by also ex-filtrating confidential data and threatening the victims to release it publicly if the ransom demands are not met. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Downloader Heur.AdvML.B Ransom.Hive Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT Behavior-based SONAR.RansomHive!g1 SONAR.RansomHive!g2 Network-based Attack: Ransom.Gen Activity 29
HiveRat: Timid steps into the threatscape, boosted by leaks Remote Access Trojans, otherwise known as RATs, are nothing new although they still do regularly grab a share of security-related news headlines. HiveRAT is just one more RAT among many which have recently ventured onto the threat landscape. While it's still not as prevalent as RATs such as Remcos, NjRat and Nanocore, Symantec did observe some activity earlier this year in the form of drive-by-download and email spam. In October however, there was a significant uptick which we believe to be associated with the leak of a cracked version on multiple underground forums. We expect to see increasing HiveRAT activities as more groups and individuals give it a try and perhaps decide to add it to their permanent malware roster. File-based Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Behavior-based SONAR.SuspBeh!gen609 SONAR.SuspBeh!gen678 Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products and Email Threat Isolation (ETI) technology provides an extra layer of protection for our customers. Website-based This activity is proactively blocked by Symantec Web Isolation technology
HogStealer is after gamers In early 2021, Symantec came across a simple Infostealer known as HogStealer which is mostly being delivered via drive-by-download and social engineering to the gaming community. In one of these recent social engineering attacks, actors attempted to lure gamers by disguising their malware as a GeForce Experience installer and update. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Infostealer.Hogstealer Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Horse WS.Malware.1
HolesWarm botnet exploiting both Windows and Linux vulnerabilities A new botnet named HolesWarm was first seen June this year and its overall scheme of cryptomining is still in operation. By leveraging the use of more than twenty known vulnerabilities within Windows and Linux server environment, threat actors were capable of breaking into more than thousands of cloud hosts to date. A further distinct feature of HolesWarm is its ability to relay password information to attackers in use of gaining control over victim's server. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Gen.NPE
Holiday-Themed Konni RAT Konni is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), observed in the wild since early 2014. The Konni malware family is potentially associated with APT37, a North-Korean cyber espionage group active since 2012. In December 2021, the group leveraged the holiday festivities and launched an attack on Russian embassy diplomats. Supposed 'New Year' emails were sent out with hopes of attracting an audience, along with a malicious ZIP file. Decompressing the archive attachment will unveil a screensaver file that displays the festive holiday. If the holiday file gets clicked on, the initial attack will commence, with a connection to the attacker's C2 server, follow by a Konni RAT download as its final payload. This campaign, if successful, can allow the attackers full control over infected systems. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.NPE Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 W97M.Downloader Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
HomuWitch Ransomware HomuWitch is another run-of-the-mill ransomware variant that was first observed last year in the wild. The malware encrypts user files and appends .homuencrypted extension to them. The dropped ransomware demands the victims to pay for the decryption of files with the Monero cryptocurrency and asks them to contact the attackers via email or Session instant messenger app. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Adaptive-based ACM.Untrst-FlPst!g1 Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g2 SONAR.Ransomware!g34 SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Ransom.Zombie Scr.Malcode!gen Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A!300 Heur.AdvML.A!400 Heur.AdvML.A!500 Heur.AdvML.C Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories in all WebPulse enabled products
Hook - evolution of the Ermac mobile malware Hook is a mobile malware based on the Ermac variant. Beside typical spyware characteristics and similar functionalities to those known from the Ermac malware, Hook also exhibits some Remote Access tool (RAT) capabilities. This malware variant can interact with device system files, create remote sessions, take screenshots, simulate clicks or press events on the specific UI elements etc. The attackers behind Hook also implemented WebSocket communication with the C2 serves in addition to the plain HTTP communication used in Ermac. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk Android.Reputation.1 Android.Reputation.2 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Hook activities persist This Android malware first appeared in early 2023 and is actively being sold on various underground forums. Over the previous months, this banking malware with RAT capabilities has been sporadically observed disguised as apps. In a recent example, an actor posed his malicious binary as an entertainment mobile application, hoping to lure Turkish mobile users. The malicious app is being distributed via Discord, most likely using a drive-by-download social engineering tactic. Hook's banking capabilities are based on the classic overlay technique. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AppRisk:Generisk
HookSpoofer infostealer HookSpoofer is a new infostealer variant based on the open source code of the StormKitty stealer. The malware is known to be spread via archives bundled with fake software packages. HookSpoofer's functionality includes keylogging, data clipping, data theft from VPN applications and web browsers, screenshot capture, theft of cryptocurrency wallets and others. The extracted information is sent to the attackers via a Telegram bot. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.NPE WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A
Hopes for free Robux leads to Ransomware Robux is the virtual currency used within the online platform Roblox, a popular online gaming platform that allows users to create, share, and play games created by other users. Robux serves as the in-game currency that players can use to purchase virtual items, accessories, avatar customization options, and other in-game assets. These assets can enhance the gaming experience or allow players to express their individuality within the Roblox universe. Robux can be obtained through various methods, including purchasing them with real-world currency, earning them through the Roblox Affiliate Program, participating in developer exchange programs, and more. Many players attempt to use game hacks in hopes of generating Robux for free, but this often comes at a high price as malicious groups and individuals prey on these players. In a recent example, Symantec observed a drive-by-download campaign in which an actor disguised a Ransomware as a fake Robux generator. If successfully executed, it would encrypt files, and victims would be asked to contact them via the Element messaging app and pay 50 dollars worth of Bitcoin. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.SuspBeh!gen625 File-based Ransom.Sorry Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B
Hornbill & Sunbird malware duo targets mobile users We have been aware of the latest report concerning the discovery of two new Android malware variants dubbed as Hornbill and Sunbird. Both of these malware families have been associated with a known APT group called Confucius. Sunbird has a set of RAT-like features including the ability to execute arbitrary commands on the infected devices and ex-filtrate a variety of information from them. Hornbill on the other hand is more of a spyware tool aimed at ex-filtration of only specific information. Symantec provides the following detections against this campaign: File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk AppRisk:Generisk Other:Android.Reputation.1
Hornet Ransomware Some ransomware actors can be fairly rude to their victims in the ransom note and Hornet ransomware is one of these, pointedly calling his victims "idiots" for allowing themselves to get infected. This absolute charmer has been targeting consumers and small businesses with a run-of-the-mill ransomware, where post encryption files will be renamed with a random 8 character string. The double-extortion tactic is not employed. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.Ransom!gen25 SONAR.SuspBeh!gen626 File-based Ransom.HiddenTear!g1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B
HUI Loader leveraged by Bronze Starlight group to deploy ransomware payloads Threat group known as Bronze Starlight has been reported to spread ransomware on targeted networks as a decoy to distract organizations from the true purpose of their activities - likely information theft. The attackers have been leveraging HUI Loader to deploy a wide range of ransomware payloads, including LockFile, AtomSilo, Rook, Night Sky, and Pandora. This threat actor and another closely related group named Bronze Riverside are known to use a variety of off-the-shelf tools such as Sodamaster RAT, PlugX, and Cobalt Strike to steal confidential data. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based AGR.Terminate!g2 SONAR.SuspLaunch!g18 File-based Downloader Packed.Generic.663 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.2 Web-based Observed IPs/domains are covered under security categories
Hunters International ransomware A sample of a new ransomware variant called "Hunters International" has emerged in the wild. The malware is believed to be based on the source code of the infamous Hive ransomware as it shares many similarities with that malware family. The malware encrypts user files and appends .LOCKED extension to them. The ransom note is shared via the "Contact Us.txt" file dropped in each of the encrypted directories on the drive. The threat actors behind this ransomware have also established a public leak website where they call out the victims of their attacks. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.B!100 Heur.AdvML.B!200
HVAC used as bait to deliver malware In the midst of COVID-19, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) takes on a vital role in office safety as the system maintains clean air and provides heating and cooling. Predictably, threat actors have not passed up on the opportunity to use HVAC as bait to infect potential targets. Symantec has observed emails with the attachment "Airtouch+system+Quotation.exe" being spammed out to a number of organizations worldwide. The email asks the targeted organization to provide a quote for HVAC related items listed in the attached file. Opening the file installs a back door, allowing the compromised computer to be remotely controlled. Symantec Protection: Trojan Horse
Hydra disguised as Google Play Symantec continues to observe Hydra Android malware activities around the globe. Multiple groups and individuals leverage this threat and usually attempt to infect victims via third party markets, fake websites and other social platforms, posing as legitimate applications. In recent reports, one actor has actually disguised its Hydra as a Google Play and stored it on Discord – a popular VOIP. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AppRisk:Generisk
Hydra keeps disguising itself as Google Play Hydra has been around in the mobile threat landscape for some time, and its presence is still being detected worldwide. Recently, multiple login panels have been observed with groups and individuals disguising Hydra as Google Play store (a common tactic). When users are tricked into downloading and installing Hydra, it has the capability to carry out a range of harmful actions. These actions consist of collecting sensitive information such as contact and SMS details, stealing cookies, injecting/overlaying financial applications, and intercepting One Time Passwords (OTPs), device lock Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and other valuable data. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk
Hydra mobile malware spread via fake document manager app A new campaign distributing the Hydra mobile malware has been discovered, where the malicious app has been present in the Google Play Store. The malware masqueraded as a document manager application and was downloaded over 10000 times since publication. Hydra is a mobile banking trojan variant seen in the threat landscape since 2019. The malware has functionalities that allow it to steal cookies, SMS data, user contacts, OTPs or device lock PINs among others. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Mobile-based AdLibrary:Generisk Android.Reputation.1 Android.Reputation.2 Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
HZ Remote Access Trojan (RAT) HZ is a remote access trojan (RAT) variant distributed either as an embedded self-extracting .zip archive or a .rtf document attached to malspam. The distribution chain with the use of .rtf attachments is known to leverage exploit of a relatively old Equation Editor vulnerability - CVE-2017–11882. HZ's functionality depends strongly on the set of commands received from the attacker's C2 servers. HZ RAT samples use a specific mutex to prevent multiple installations on same endpoint. It has been found that the same mutex is shared with some known Cobalt Strike stager samples as well. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Backdoor.Cobalt!gen9 Backdoor.Meciv Exp.CVE-2017-11882 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Network-based System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Activity 634 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Icarus Stealer Icarus is a run-of-the mill infostealer (computer info, passwords and crypto wallet theft) with remote access capabilities via hidden virtual network computing (hVNC) – a technique that allows actors to generate a hidden desktop of the compromised machine. It's recently been advertised on various hacking forums and websites but a cracked version is also distributed for free. Symantec expects to see an increase in activity as groups and individuals buy this product or access the cracked version. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B
IceBreaker Malware Targeting Gaming and Gambling Industry In September last year, a backdoor malware dubbed 'IceBreaker APT' was spotted targeting gaming and gambling companies. The malware's origin and creator is as yet unknown. The infection chain would initiate with threat actors contacting the website's customer support stating they are experiencing an issue, pretending to send a screenshot showing the problem but instead the attackers will send a link hosting a malicious ZIP archive. Subsequently, a malicious LNK file will download the IceBreaker payload. IceBreaker backdoor has the following capabilities: Customization via plugins that extend the build-in features of the threat Process discovery Steal passwords and cookies from the local storage. It particularly targets Google Chrome Enables a Socks5 reverse proxy server in the infected machine via the open source project tsocks Persistence is achieved by creating a new LNK file in the startup folder "\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\WINN.lnk" Exfiltrate files to the remote server via web sockets Run custom VBS scripts in the infected machine Take screenshots from the victim's machine Generate remote shell sessions Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based CL.Downloader!gen89 ISB.Downloader!gen52 Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Malscript WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2 WS.SecurityRisk.4 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
IcedID (Bokbot) delivering Cobalt Strike TA551, also known as 'Shathak', is known for running an email-based malware campaign targeting English-speaking victims. Recent reports have shown the group striking again, but this time with Word documents using both German and Italian templates. The infection routine includes installation of IcedID (Bokbot) using a DLL pulled from the malicious Word document, followed by a Cobalt Strike beacon soon after as an additional malware intended to be used for a subsequent attack. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.IcedID!g1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 W97M.Downloader Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
IcedID goes PDF in its latest malspam campaign IcedID continues to be one of the most prevalent banking malware, right behind Qakbot. IcedID malspam campaigns are observed on a daily basis and actors behind these endlessly cycle through different techniques hoping to evade detection. In the latest campaign, the authors have been attaching malicious phishing PDFs that will redirect victims to a password protected archive if successfully lured. In turn, that archive contains another archive in ISO format which has a malicious LNK file in it that drops IcedID. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products File-based Scr.Malcode!gen Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.IcedID
IcedID malware delivery via Contact Form In a recent malspam campaign, threat actors crafted a new tactic on how to deliver IcedID malware. The attackers hijacked a select few web-based enterprise contact forms. If utilized, a threatening email will follow claiming that the user committed a copyright infringement. Besides the strong language and legal threats conveyed in the message a compromised sites.google.com link is also provided. Browsing to this site will automatically download and execute a highly obfuscated .js file which will fetch the IcedID payload. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2
IcedID malware distributed via fake Zoom installers IcedID is a well known banking malware, often used as a loader for additional malicious payloads and modules. Just recently the malware being distributed in a new campaign leverages phishing websites delivering malware binaries disguised as Zoom application installers. The phishing websites have been designed in a way to imitate the legitimate Zoom Download Center pages and trick users into downloading the Zoom Client installers bundled with malware binaries. Once the downloaded installer is run, the malware is executed but also in order to avoid user's suspicion a legitimate version of the Zoom application is installed alongside. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
IcedID variations IcedID is a banking malware and was first observed in 2017. Two new variants have recently been observed being used in addition to the original version. While historically IcedID’s main function was a banking trojan, the new variations remove the banking functionality and focus on being a loader for follow-on infections including ransomware. All are being used by various groups and there is a possibly the original operators behind Emotet are using it as well. The original IcedID variant consists of an initial loader which contacts a C2 server, downloads a DLL which then delivers the malware. The first new variant, Lite IcedID, has been observed being delivered as a payload in Emotet infections. The second variant, Forked IcedID is being used by a smaller number of threat actors and delivers a bot to infect the machine. It is likely these new variants will continue to be used to facilitate additional malware attacks. Symantec protects you from these threats, identified by the following: Email-based Coverage is in place for Symantec's email security products File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan Horse WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2 Machine Learning Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B
IceFire ransomware now also targets Linux A new Linux variant of the IceFire ransomware has been observed in recent attacks targeted at media and entertainment organizations worldwide. The attackers have been leveraging a vulnerability (CVE-2022-47986) in IBM Aspera Faspex file-sharing software for the purpose of malware distribution. IceFire will not encrypt specific system-related folders and files according to set pre-defined exclusions, in an effort to prevent system instability. The malware will append .iFire extension to the encrypted files and drop a ransom note to any directory targeted for encryption. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Ransom.IceFire Trojan.Gen.NPE WS.Malware.1 Network-based Attack: IBM Aspera Faspex RCE CVE-2022-47986 Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
IceID Trojan utilized as a point of entry for further infections Symantec Security Response has been aware of the released report related to the malicious activities with the use of the IceID banking trojan. A series of campaigns dating back to 2020 has been observed where multi-staged IceID infection chain also utilized other malware variants known as Photoloader and Mouseisland. Previously, IceID infections served specifically as a point of entry for Maze or Egregor ransomware. Symantec provides the following detections related to the reported campaigns: File-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan Horse
IceRat - new malware written in JPHP emerges According to recent reports a new malware dubbed IceRat has been discovered. It looks like this might be the first malware variant observed in the wild that has been written in JPHP, which is a new PHP implementation that uses JAVA VM. IceRAT contacts its command and control server to download additional malware onto the compromised system including infostealers and coinminers. Symantec coverage for this malware includes: File-based Heur.AdvML.B Heur.AdvML.C Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT PUA.Gen.2 WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2 Network-based System Infected: Backdoor.Trojan Activity 58 System Infected: Coinminer Activity 2 System Infected: Coinminer Download 12 System Infected: Infostealer.Rultazo Activity 4 System Infected: Miner.Bitcoinminer Activity 7 System Infected: Trojan.Backdoor Domains 2 Website-based These activities are proactively blocked by Symantec Web Isolation technology.
IceXLoader, new version written in Nim IceXLoader is a commercial malware used to download and deploy additional malware on infected machines, usually at a second or third stage of an attack chain. A new version of this malware has been found written in Nim, which is relatively new as a language used by threat actors. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan Horse WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2 Behavior-based SONAR.SuspBeh!gen66 SONAR.SuspDataRun SONAR.SuspDrop!gen1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
IceXLoader malware returns with a new updated variant IceXLoader is downloader malware written in Nim programming language that has been initially discovered back in June 2022. It is used usually at a second or third stage of an attack chain to download and deploy additional malware payloads. According to a recent report, a new 3.3.3 version of IceXLoader has been found in the wild. Beside payload download, IceXLoader also establishes persistency and collects various data about the infected hosts including OS version, IP addresses and hardware information, among others. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.SuspBeh!gen66 SONAR.SuspDataRun SONAR.SuspDrop!gen1 SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
ImBetter infostealer targets cryptocurrency users New infostealing malware dubbed ImBetter has been leveraged in the latest campaigns targeting cryptocurrency users. The malware is spread via phishing websites imitating known and popular brands of crypto-wallets such as Metamask. ImBetter has functionality to steal various system information and a wide variety of browser's data including cookies, login credentials, user profiles and cryptocurrency wallets. The collected data is then sent to preconfigured Command and Control (C&C) servers belonging to the attackers. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: Behavior-based SONAR.TCP!gen1 File-based Trojan Horse Trojan.Gen.MBT WS.Malware.1 WS.Malware.2 Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.A Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains/IPs are covered under security categories
Improved Spectre RAT released Spectre RAT first emerged back in 2017 and has been constantly evolving ever since. Significant improvements have recently been observed within the malware's source code and this will certainly enhance its capabilities such as enabling stealthy remote access and control over an infected machine, as well as its anti-analysis and obfuscation functionalities. In this recent version, the infection routine will commence with a malicious macro-enabled word document, then a VBS code will be written in the startup folder which will subsequently download a payload from a malicious website, save it as an executable file and run it. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Trojan.Gen.2 Trojan.Gen.NPE Trojan.Gen.MBT Trojan.Mdropper W97M.Downloader Machine Learning-based Heur.AdvML.B Web-based Observed domains are covered under security categories
in2al5d p3in4er Many malware actors employ loaders to deploy their malware, a common technique to increase the effectiveness and stealth of their attacks. Light has been shed on one of these loaders called "Invalid Printer," (also known as "in2al5d p3in4er") which was used by the Aurora stealer in recent campaigns. According to reports, the group or individual behind this loader has been using YouTube accounts to lure victims looking for software and tools, to fake websites. Symantec protects you from this threat, identified by the following: File-based Infostealer Suspicious: Content Suspicious: Reputation WS.Reputation.1