Mass Campaign of Murdoc Botnet Mirai: A New Variant of Corona Mirai

The Qualys Threat Research Unit has uncovered a large-scale, ongoing operation within the Mirai campaign, dubbed Murdoc Botnet. This variant exploits vulnerabilities targeting AVTECH Cameras and Huawei HG532 routers. It demonstrates enhanced capabilities, exploiting vulnerabilities to compromise...

13,000 MikroTik Routers Hijacked by Botnet for Malspam and Cyberattacks

A global network of about 13,000 hijacked Mikrotik routers has been employed as a botnet to propagate malware via spam campaigns, the latest addition to a list of botnets powered by MikroTik devices. The activity "takes advantage of misconfigured DNS records to pass email protection techniques,"...

FBI Deletes PlugX Malware from Thousands of Computers

According to a DOJ press release, the FBI was able to delete the Chinese-used PlugX malware from "approximately 4,258 U.S.-based computers and networks." Details: To retrieve information from and send commands to the hacked machines, the malware connects to a command-and-control server that is...

PlugX malware deleted from thousands of systems by FBI

The FBI says it has removed PlugX malware from thousands of infected computers worldwide. The move came after suspicion that cybercriminals groups under control of the People’s Republic of China PRC used a version of PlugX malware to control, and steal information from victims' computers. PlugX h...

Python-Based Malware Powers RansomHub Ransomware to Exploit Network Flaws

Cybersecurity researchers have detailed an attack that involved a threat actor utilizing a Python-based backdoor to maintain persistent access to compromised endpoints and then leveraged this access to deploy the RansomHub ransomware throughout the target network. According to GuidePoint Security...

Lazarus Group Targets Web3 Developers with Fake LinkedIn Profiles in Operation 99

The North Korea-linked Lazarus Group has been attributed to a new cyber attack campaign dubbed Operation 99 that targeted software developers looking for freelance Web3 and cryptocurrency work to deliver malware. "The campaign begins with fake recruiters, posing on platforms like LinkedIn, luring...

Expired Domains Allowed Control Over 4,000 Backdoors on Compromised Systems

No less than 4,000 unique web backdoors previously deployed by various threat actors have been hijacked by taking control of abandoned and expired infrastructure for as little as $20 per domain. Cybersecurity company watchTowr Labs said it pulled off the operation by registering over 40 domain...

MAL-2025-71 Malicious code in secure-toolkits (npm)

This package contains a multi-functional infostealer malware which establishes C2 via Discord, exfiltrating sensitive user data and files and providing remote shell access to an attacker. --- -= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=- Source: ghsa-malware...

Dozens of Chrome Extensions Hacked, Exposing Millions of Users to Data Theft

A new attack campaign has targeted known Chrome browser extensions, leading to at least 35 extensions being compromised and exposing over 2.6 million users to data exposure and credential theft. The attack targeted publishers of browser extensions on the Chrome Web Store via a phishing campaign a...

Germany Disrupts BADBOX Malware on 30,000 Devices Using Sinkhole Action

Germany's Federal Office of Information Security BSI has announced that it has disrupted a malware operation called BADBOX that came preloaded on at least 30,000 internet-connected devices sold across the country. In a statement published earlier this week, authorities said they severed the...

New Linux Rootkit PUMAKIT Uses Advanced Stealth Techniques to Evade Detection

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new Linux rootkit called PUMAKIT that comes with capabilities to escalate privileges, hide files and directories, and conceal itself from system tools, while simultaneously evading detection. "PUMAKIT is a sophisticated loadable kernel module LKM rootkit...

Malicious code in planweb-core-ui (npm)

This package contains code to download a second stage payload which establishes a C2 connection and persistence via registry keys. --- -= Per source details. Do not edit below this line.=- Source: ghsa-malware acc967a53ff92a71f6b9518c692bf641aa3595a3b65f28cc403b471c0474b175 Any computer that has...

Modular Java Backdoor Dropped in Cleo Exploitation Campaign

Many thanks to Rapid7 MDR and incident response teams for their contributions to this analysis. While investigating incidents related to Cleo software exploitation, Rapid7 Labs and MDR observed a novel, multi-stage attack that deploys an encoded Java Archive JAR payload. Our investigation reveale...

Modular Java Backdoor Dropped in Cleo Exploitation Campaign

Many thanks to Rapid7 MDR and incident response teams for their contributions to this analysis. While investigating incidents related to Cleo software exploitation, Rapid7 Labs and MDR observed a novel, multi-stage attack that deploys an encoded Java Archive JAR payload. Our investigation reveale...

Hackers Weaponize Visual Studio Code Remote Tunnels for Cyber Espionage

A suspected China-nexus cyber espionage group has been attributed to an attacks targeting large business-to-business IT service providers in Southern Europe as part of a campaign codenamed Operation Digital Eye. The intrusions took place from late June to mid-July 2024, cybersecurity companies...

More_eggs MaaS Expands Operations with RevC2 Backdoor and Venom Loader

The threat actors behind the Moreeggs malware have been linked to two new malware families, indicating an expansion of its malware-as-a-service MaaS operation. This includes a novel information-stealing backdoor called RevC2 and a loader codenamed Venom Loader, both of which are deployed using...

Russia-Linked Turla Exploits Pakistani Hackers' Servers to Target Afghan and Indian Entities

The Russia-linked advanced persistent threat APT group known as Turla has been linked to a previously undocumented campaign that involved infiltrating the command-and-control C2 servers of a Pakistan-based hacking group named Storm-0156 to conduct its own operations since 2022. The activity, firs...

Researchers Uncover Backdoor in Solana's Popular Web3.js npm Library

Cybersecurity researchers are alerting to a software supply chain attack targeting the popular @solana/web3.js npm library that involved pushing two malicious versions capable of harvesting users' private keys with an aim to drain their cryptocurrency wallets. The attack has been detected in...

SmokeLoader Malware Resurfaces, Targeting Manufacturing and IT in Taiwan

Taiwanese entities in manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology sectors have become the target of a new campaign distributing the SmokeLoader malware. "SmokeLoader is well-known for its versatility and advanced evasion techniques, and its modular design allows it to perform a wide ran...

Advanced threat predictions for 2025

We at Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team monitor over 900 APT advanced persistent threat groups and operations. At the end of each year, we take a step back to assess the most complex and sophisticated attacks that have shaped the threat landscape. These insights enable us to anticipat...