New Cross-Platform Malware 'Noodle RAT' Targets Windows and Linux Systems

A previously undocumented cross-platform malware codenamed Noodle RAT has been put to use by Chinese-speaking threat actors either for espionage or cybercrime for years. While this backdoor was previously categorized as a variant of Gh0st RAT and Rekoobe, Trend Micro security researcher Hara...

Two Chinese APT Groups Ramp Up Cyber Espionage Against ASEAN Countries

Two China-linked advanced persistent threat APT groups have been observed targeting entities and member countries affiliated with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN as part of a cyber espionage campaign over the past three months. This includes the threat actor known as Mustang Pand...

Attacks, Vulnerabilities and Actors 19 to 25 February 2024

For a detailed threat digest, download the pdf file here Summary HiveForce Labs recently made several significant discoveries in the realm of cybersecurity threats. In the past week alone, a total of fifteen attacks were executed, five vulnerabilities were uncovered, and five active adversaries...

Earth Preta’s DOPLUGS Leaves its Mark in Asia

Summary: The Chinese threat actor, Earth Preta, strategically targeted numerous Asian countries by employing a customized version of the PlugX backdoor known as DOPLUGS. This sophisticated threat was allegedly revealed during the SMUGX campaign in July 2023. Threat Level - Red | Attack Report For...

Mustang Panda Targets Asia with Advanced PlugX Variant DOPLUGS

The China-linked threat actor known as Mustang Panda has targeted various Asian countries using a variant of the PlugX aka Korplug backdoor dubbed DOPLUGS. "The piece of customized PlugX malware is dissimilar to the general type of the PlugX malware that contains a completed backdoor command...

China-Linked Hackers Target Myanmar's Top Ministries with Backdoor Blitz

The China-based threat actor known as Mustang Panda is suspected to have targeted Myanmar's Ministry of Defence and Foreign Affairs as part of twin campaigns designed to deploy backdoors and remote access trojans. The findings come from CSIRT-CTI, which said the activities took place in November...

Malicious Ads on Google Target Chinese Users with Fake Messaging Apps

Chinese-speaking users have been targeted by malicious Google ads for restricted messaging apps like Telegram as part of an ongoing malvertising campaign. "The threat actor is abusing Google advertiser accounts to create malicious ads and pointing them to pages where unsuspecting users will...

New MrAnon Stealer Malware Targeting German Users via Booking-Themed Scam

A phishing campaign has been observed delivering an information stealer malware called MrAnon Stealer to unsuspecting victims via seemingly benign booking-themed PDF lures. "This malware is a Python-based information stealer compressed with cx-Freeze to evade detection," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs...

Guyana Governmental Entity Hit by DinodasRAT in Cyber Espionage Attack

A governmental entity in Guyana has been targeted as part of a cyber espionage campaign dubbed Operation Jacana. The activity, which was detected by ESET in February 2023, entailed a spear-phishing attack that led to the deployment of a hitherto undocumented implant written in C++ called...

Carderbee APT Strikes Hong Kong with Supply Chain Attack

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary The Carderbee advanced persistent threat APT group executed a supply chain attack by exploiting the legitimate Cobra DocGuard software. Their objective was to deploy the PlugX backdoor onto targeted...

Carderbee Attacks: Hong Kong Organizations Targeted via Malicious Software Updates

A previously undocumented threat cluster has been linked to a software supply chain attack targeting organizations primarily located in Hong Kong and other regions in Asia. The Symantec Threat Hunter Team, part of Broadcom, is tracking the activity under its insect-themed moniker Carderbee. The...

Malicious USB Drives Targeting Global Targets with SOGU and SNOWYDRIVE Malware

Cyber attacks using infected USB infection drives as an initial access vector have witnessed a three-fold increase in the first half of 2023, That's according to new findings from Mandiant, which detailed two such campaigns – SOGU and SNOWYDRIVE – targeting both public and private sector entities...

European Ministries Fall Victim to Chinese Hacker’s SmugX Campaign

Threat Level Attack Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary A Chinese nation-state group has been persistently conducting a campaign targeting Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies in Europe. They employ HTML smuggling techniques to distribute a new variant of...

Chinese Hackers Use HTML Smuggling to Infiltrate European Ministries with PlugX

A Chinese nation-state group has been observed targeting Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies in Europe using HTML smuggling techniques to deliver the PlugX remote access trojan on compromised systems. Cybersecurity firm Check Point said the activity, dubbed SmugX , has been ongoing since at...

Chinese Hackers Use HTML Smuggling to Infiltrate European Ministries with PlugX

A Chinese nation-state group has been observed targeting Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies in Europe using HTML smuggling techniques to deliver the PlugX remote access trojan on compromised systems. Cybersecurity firm Check Point said the activity, dubbed SmugX, has been ongoing since at...

Escalating China-Taiwan Tensions Fuel Alarming Surge in Cyber Attacks

The rising geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan in recent months have sparked a noticeable uptick in cyber attacks on the East Asian island country. "From malicious emails and URLs to malware, the strain between China's claim of Taiwan as part of its territory and Taiwan's maintained...

Escalating China-Taiwan Tensions Fuel Alarming Surge in Cyber Attacks

The rising geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan in recent months have sparked a noticeable uptick in cyber attacks on the East Asian island country. "From malicious emails and URLs to malware, the strain between China's claim of Taiwan as part of its territory and Taiwan's maintained...

Researchers Uncover Powerful Backdoor and Custom Implant in Year-Long Cyber Campaign

Government, aviation, education, and telecom sectors located in South and Southeast Asia have come under the radar of a new hacking group as part of a highly-targeted campaign that commenced in mid-2022 and continued into the first quarter of 2023. Symantec, by Broadcom Software, is tracking the...

Daggerfly Cyberattack Campaign Hits African Telecom Services Providers

Telecommunication services providers in Africa are the target of a new campaign orchestrated by a China-linked threat actor at least since November 2022. The intrusions have been pinned on a hacking crew tracked by Symantec as Daggerfly , and which is also monitored by the broader cybersecurity...

Daggerfly Cyberattack Campaign Hits African Telecom Services Providers

Telecommunication services providers in Africa are the target of a new campaign orchestrated by a China-linked threat actor at least since November 2022. The intrusions have been pinned on a hacking crew tracked by Symantec as Daggerfly, and which is also monitored by the broader cybersecurity...