Arid Viper Targeting Arabic Android Users with Spyware Disguised as Dating App

The threat actor known as Arid Viper aka APT-C-23, Desert Falcon, or TAG-63 has been attributed as behind an Android spyware campaign targeting Arabic-speaking users with a counterfeit dating app designed to harvest data from infected handsets. "Arid Viper's Android malware has a number of featur...

Arid Viper disguising mobile spyware as updates for non-malicious Android applications

Since April 2022, Cisco Talos has been tracking a malicious campaign operated by the espionage-motivated Arid Viper advanced persistent threat APT group targeting Arabic-speaking Android users. In this campaign, the actors leverage custom mobile malware, also known as Android Package files APKs, ...

Pro-Hamas Hacktivists Targeting Israeli Entities with Wiper Malware

A pro-Hamas hacktivist group has been observed using a new Linux-based wiper malware dubbed BiBi-Linux Wiper, targeting Israeli entities amidst the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war. "This malware is an x64 ELF executable, lacking obfuscation or protective measures," Security Joes said in a new report...

YoroTrooper Covert Cyber Espionage Masters of Kazakhstan

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary YoroTrooper, a stealthy threat actor primarily focused on espionage, first emerged in June 2022. YoroTroopers targets appear to be concentrated within the Commonwealth of Independent States CIS nations,...

YoroTrooper: Researchers Warn of Kazakhstan's Stealthy Cyber Espionage Group

A relatively new threat actor known as YoroTrooper is likely made up of operators originating from Kazakhstan. The assessment, which comes from Cisco Talos, is based on their fluency in Kazakh and Russian, use of Tenge to pay for operating infrastructure, and very limited targeting of Kazakhstani...

Kazakhstan-associated YoroTrooper disguises origin of attacks as Azerbaijan

Cisco Talos assesses with high confidence that YoroTrooper, an espionage-focused threat actor first active in June 2022, likely consists of individuals from Kazakhstan based on their use of Kazakh currency and fluency in Kazakh and Russian. The actor also appears to have a defensive interest in t...

Ex-NSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Data to Russia

A former employee of the U.S. National Security Agency NSA has pleaded guilty to charges accusing him of attempting to transmit classified defense information to Russia. Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 31, served as an Information Systems Security Designer for the NSA from June 6, 2022, to July 1, 2022,...

ExelaStealer: A New Low-Cost Cybercrime Weapon Emerges

A new information stealer named ExelaStealer has become the latest entrant to an already crowded landscape filled with various off-the-shelf malware designed to capture sensitive data from compromised Windows systems. "ExelaStealer is a largely open-source infostealer with paid customizations...

Sophisticated MATA Framework Strikes Eastern European Oil and Gas Companies

An updated version of a sophisticated backdoor framework called MATA has been used in attacks aimed at over a dozen Eastern European companies in the oil and gas sector and defense industry as part of a cyber espionage operation that took place between August 2022 and May 2023. "The actors behind...

Kimsuky Unveils New Addition to Its Malware Arsenal

Threat Level Actor Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary Kimsuky, a cyber-espionage group, is known for infiltrating via spear-phishing attacks, and is recognized for its versatility in using various types of malware and tools to facilitate remote control durin...

TetrisPhantom: Cyber Espionage via Secure USBs Targets APAC Governments

Government entities in the Asia-Pacific APAC region are the target of a long-running cyber espionage campaign dubbed TetrisPhantom. "The attacker covertly spied on and harvested sensitive data from APAC government entities by exploiting a particular type of secure USB drive, protected by hardware...

APT trends report Q3 2023

For more than six years, the Global Research and Analysis Team GReAT at Kaspersky has been publishing quarterly summaries of advanced persistent threat APT activity. These summaries are based on our threat intelligence research; and they provide a representative snapshot of what we have published...

Signal Debunks Zero-Day Vulnerability Reports, Finds No Evidence

Encrypted messaging app Signal has pushed back against "viral reports" of an alleged zero-day flaw in its software, stating it found no evidence to support the claim. "After responsible investigation we have no evidence that suggests this vulnerability is real nor has any additional info been...

Grayling APT Emerges as a Silent Threat Targeting Taiwan

Threat Level Actor Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary The Grayling APT group orchestrated a meticulously planned targeting campaign with a primary emphasis on espionage. Grayling set its sights on a government entity in the Asia-Pacific region, along with...

China’s Cyber Espionage Targets Semiconductor Giants in East Asia

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary In recent cyber espionage activities, threat actors affiliated with the Peoples Republic of China PRC have targeted semiconductor companies operating in Mandarin/Chinese-speaking regions of East Asia...

New PEAPOD Cyberattack Campaign Targeting Women Political Leaders

European Union military personnel and political leaders working on gender equality initiatives have emerged as the target of a new campaign that delivers an updated version of RomCom RAT called PEAPOD. Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro attributed the attacks to a threat actor it tracks under the nam...

Grayling APT Emerges as a Silent Threat Targeting Taiwan

Threat Level Actor Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary The Grayling APT group orchestrated a meticulously planned targeting campaign with a primary emphasis on espionage. Grayling set its sights on a government entity in the Asia-Pacific region, along with...

China’s Cyber Espionage Targets Semiconductor Giants in East Asia

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary In recent cyber espionage activities, threat actors affiliated with the Peoples Republic of China PRC have targeted semiconductor companies operating in Mandarin/Chinese-speaking regions of East Asia...

Unveiling Operation Jacana: Targeting the Guyana Government with DinodasRAT

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary A cyber espionage campaign named Operation Jacana was identified in February 2023, targeting a government entity in Guyana. This campaign began with a spear-phishing attack and resulted in the deployment...

Gaza-Linked Cyber Threat Actor Targets Israeli Energy and Defense Sectors

A Gaza-based threat actor has been linked to a series of cyber attacks aimed at Israeli private-sector energy, defense, and telecommunications organizations. Microsoft, which revealed details of the activity in its fourth annual Digital Defense Report, is tracking the campaign under the name...