IoT Botnet Linked to Large-scale DDoS Attacks Since the End of 2024
Since the end of 2024, we have been continuously monitoring large-scale DDoS attacks orchestrated by an IoT botnet exploiting vulnerable IoT devices such as wireless routers and IP cameras.
Information Stealer Masquerades as LDAPNightmare (CVE-2024-49113) PoC Exploit
In December 2024, two critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) were addressed via Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday release. Both vulnerabilities were deemed as highly significant due to the widespread use of LDAP in Windows environments: CVE-2024-49112: A remote code execution (RCE) bug that attackers can exploit by sending specially crafted LDAP requests, allowing them to execute arbitrary code on the target system. CVE-2024-49113: A denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability that can be exploited to crash the LDAP service, leading to service disruptions. In this blog entry, we discuss a fake proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for CVE-2024-49113 (aka LDAPNightmare) designed to lure security researchers into downloading and executing information-stealing malware.
Since late 2022, Earth Baku has broadened its scope from the Indo-Pacific region to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Their latest operations demonstrate sophisticated techniques, such as exploiting public-facing applications like IIS servers for initial access and deploying the Godzilla webshell for command and control.
Social Media Malvertising Campaign Promotes Fake AI Editor Website for Credential Theft
We uncovered a malvertising campaign where the threat actor hijacks social media pages, renames them to mimic popular AI photo editors, then posts malicious links to fake websites.
Unveiling the Fallout: Operation Cronos' Impact on LockBit Following Landmark Disruption
On Feb. 19, 2024, Operation Cronos, a targeted law enforcement action, caused outages on LockBit-affiliated platforms, significantly disrupting the notorious ransomware group's operations. LockBit’s downtime was quickly followed by a takeover of its leak site by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), spotlighting the concerted international effort against cybercrime. Authorities leveraged the compromised LockBit leak site to distribute information about the group and its operations, announce arrests, sanctions, cryptocurrency seizure, and more. This demonstrated support for affected businesses and cast doubt on LockBit's promises regarding data deletion post-ransom payment — emphasizing that paying ransoms is not the best course of action. Trend Micro analyzed LockBit-NG-Dev, an in-development version of the ransomware. Key findings indicated a shift to a .NET core, which allows it to be more platform-agnostic and emphasizes the need for new security detection techniques. The leak of LockBit's back-end information offered a glimpse into its internal workings and disclosed affiliate identities and victim data, potentially leading to a drop in trust and collaboration within the cybercriminal network. The sentiments of the cybercrime community to LockBit's disruption ranged from satisfaction to speculation about the group’s future, hinting at the significant impact of the incident on the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) industry. Businesses can expect shifts in RaaS tactics and should enhance preparedness against potential reformations of the disrupted group and its affiliates. Contrary to what the group themselves have stated, activities observed post-disruption would indicate that Operation Chronos has a significant impact on the group’s activities.
Since early 2022, we have been monitoring an APT campaign that targets several government entities worldwide, with a strong focus in Southeast Asia, but also seen targeting Europe, America, and Africa.
CVE-2024-21412: Water Hydra Targets Traders with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Zero-Day
The APT group Water Hydra has been exploiting the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen vulnerability CVE-2024-21412 in its campaigns targeting financial market traders. This vulnerability, which has now been patched by Microsoft, was discovered and disclosed by the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative.
Kasseika Ransomware Deploys BYOVD Attacks Abuses PsExec and Exploits Martini Driver
In this blog, we detail our investigation of the Kasseika ransomware and the indicators we found suggesting that the actors behind it have acquired access to the source code of the notorious BlackMatter ransomware.
A Closer Look at ChatGPT's Role in Automated Malware Creation
As the use of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies becomes more widespread, it is important to consider the possible risks associated with their use. One of the main concerns surrounding these technologies is the potential for malicious use, such as in the development of malware or other harmful software. Our recent reports discussed how cybercriminals are misusing the large language model’s (LLM) advanced capabilities: We discussed how ChatGPT can be abused to scale manual and time-consuming processes in cybercriminals’ attack chains in virtual kidnapping schemes. We also reported on how this tool can be used to automate certain processes in harpoon whaling attacks to discover “signals” or target categories.
BlackCat Ransomware Deploys New Signed Kernel Driver
In this blog post, we will provide details on a BlackCat ransomware incident that occurred in February 2023, where we observed a new capability, mainly used for the defense evasion phase.
In this blog entry, we provide technical details and analysis on the 3CX attacks as they happen. We also discuss available solutions which security teams can maximize for early detection and mitigate the impact of 3CX attacks.
New OpcJacker Malware Distributed via Fake VPN Malvertising
We discovered a new malware, which we named “OpcJacker” (due to its opcode configuration design and its cryptocurrency hijacking ability), that has been distributed in the wild since the second half of 2022.
Black Basta Ransomware Gang Infiltrates networks via QAKBOT, Brute Ratel, and Cobalt Strike
We analyzed a QAKBOT-related case leading to a Brute Ratel C4 and Cobalt Strike payload that can be attributed to the threat actors behind the Black Basta ransomware.
Conti vs. LockBit: A Comparative Analysis of Ransomware Groups
We compare the targeting and business models of the Conti and LockBit ransomware groups using data analysis approaches. This will be presented in full at the 34th Annual FIRST Conference on June 27, 2022.
New Linux-Based Ransomware Cheerscrypt Targets ESXi Devices
Trend Micro Research detected “Cheerscrypt”, a new Linux-based ransomware variant that compromises ESXi servers. We discuss our initial findings in this report.
MacOS SUHelper Root Privilege Escalation Vulnerability A Deep Dive Into CVE-2022-22639
We discovered a now-patched vulnerability in macOS SUHelper, designated as CVE-2022-22639. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow malicious actors to gain root privilege escalation.
In this blog entry, we provide technical details and analysis on the 3CX attacks as they happen. We also discuss available solutions which security teams can maximize for early detection and mitigate the impact of 3CX attacks.
New OpcJacker Malware Distributed via Fake VPN Malvertising
We discovered a new malware, which we named “OpcJacker” (due to its opcode configuration design and its cryptocurrency hijacking ability), that has been distributed in the wild since the second half of 2022.
Black Basta Ransomware Gang Infiltrates networks via QAKBOT, Brute Ratel, and Cobalt Strike
We analyzed a QAKBOT-related case leading to a Brute Ratel C4 and Cobalt Strike payload that can be attributed to the threat actors behind the Black Basta ransomware.
Conti vs. LockBit: A Comparative Analysis of Ransomware Groups
We compare the targeting and business models of the Conti and LockBit ransomware groups using data analysis approaches. This will be presented in full at the 34th Annual FIRST Conference on June 27, 2022.
New Linux-Based Ransomware Cheerscrypt Targets ESXi Devices
Trend Micro Research detected “Cheerscrypt”, a new Linux-based ransomware variant that compromises ESXi servers. We discuss our initial findings in this report.
MacOS SUHelper Root Privilege Escalation Vulnerability A Deep Dive Into CVE-2022-22639
We discovered a now-patched vulnerability in macOS SUHelper, designated as CVE-2022-22639. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow malicious actors to gain root privilege escalation.
Conti vs. LockBit: A Comparative Analysis of Ransomware Groups
We compare the targeting and business models of the Conti and LockBit ransomware groups using data analysis approaches. This will be presented in full at the 34th Annual FIRST Conference on June 27, 2022.
New Linux-Based Ransomware Cheerscrypt Targets ESXi Devices
Trend Micro Research detected “Cheerscrypt”, a new Linux-based ransomware variant that compromises ESXi servers. We discuss our initial findings in this report.
MacOS SUHelper Root Privilege Escalation Vulnerability A Deep Dive Into CVE-2022-22639
We discovered a now-patched vulnerability in macOS SUHelper, designated as CVE-2022-22639. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow malicious actors to gain root privilege escalation.
