08-August-2023
Welcome to the weekly threat detection update report from Stamus Networks. Each week, you will receive this email with a summary of the updates.
Current Stamus Threat Intelligence (STI) release version: 813
This week, in addition to daily ruleset and IOC updates, we provided Stamus Security Platform customers with the following improved defense(s):
Note: a "method" as referenced below, is a discrete detection vector for a given threat.
The following detections were added to your Stamus Security Platform (SSP) this past week:
In the world of cybersecurity, a backdoor refers to any method by which authorized and unauthorized users are able to get around normal security measures and gain high level user access (aka root access) on a computer system, network, or software application. Once they're in, cybercriminals can use a backdoor to steal personal and financial data, install additional malware, and hijack devices. [Malwarebytes] (https://www.malwarebytes.com/backdoor/)
Lotok - microsoft |
CustomerLoader is a malicious program designed to cause chain infections. In other words, it loads additional malicious components and programs onto compromised devices. All known CustomerLoader infections relied on the DotRunpeX injector trojan to infiltrate the final payload. Over forty malware families were proliferated in this manner.
The cybersecurity community has first become aware of CustomerLoader's existence in June of 2023; however, there is some evidence suggesting that this malware has been active since at least May of the same year.
Due to the variety of distribution methods implemented for CustomerLoader, it is likely that the program's developers are offering it as a service – thus, the malware is used by multiple threat actors. Pcrisk
CustomerLoader - malpedia | CustomerLoader - abusech |
MajorGeeks describes this malware as trying to locate credit card data by reading the memory of all processes except itself by first blacklisting its own PID using the GetCurrentProcessId API. Once that data is discovered, it sends this data back to a command and control server using a custom binary protocol instead of HTTP. Malpedia
AbaddonPOS - microsoft |
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
KLBanker - microsoft | KLBanker - abusech |
The following detections were updated this past week with changes to kill chain phase(s) or MITRE ATT&CK tactic(s)/technique(s):
VICEROY TIGER is an adversary with a nexus to India that has historically targeted entities throughout multiple sectors. Older activity targeted multiple sectors and countries; however, since 2015 this adversary appears to focus on entities in Pakistan with a particular focus on government and security organizations. This adversary consistently leverages spear phishing emails containing malicious Microsoft Office documents, malware designed to target the Android mobile platform, and phishing activity designed to harvest user credentials. In March 2017, the 360 Chasing Team found a sample of targeted attacks that confirmed the previously unknown sample of APT's attack actions, which the organization can now trace back at least in April 2016. The chasing team named the attack organization APT-C-35. In June 2017, the 360 Threat Intelligence Center discovered the organization’s new attack activity, confirmed and exposed the gang’s targeted attacks against Pakistan, and analyzed in detail. The unique EHDevel malicious code framework used by the organization. Malpedia
Agent Tesla is a spyware Trojan written for the .NET framework that has been observed since at least 2014. MITRE
Windshift is a threat group that has been active since at least 2017, targeting specific individuals for surveillance in government departments and critical infrastructure across the Middle East. MITRE
APT17 is a China-based threat group that has conducted network intrusions against U.S. government entities, the defense industry, law firms, information technology companies, mining companies, and non-government organizations. MITRE
The IcedID banking Trojan was discovered by IBM X-Force researchers in 2017. At that time, it targeted banks, payment card providers, mobile services providers, payroll, webmail and e-commerce sites, mainly in the U.S. IcedID has since continued to evolve, and while one of its more recent versions became active in late-2019, X-Force researchers have identified a new major version release that emerged in 2020 with some substantial changes. securityintelligence.com
Cyber criminals violated the law TDS (Traffic Direction System) platform Keitaro and used it to redirect them users in exploit kits RIG and Fallout in order to infect them with malicious software.
TDS platforms are designed for redirection of users in particular sites. Legitimate TDS platforms, such as Keitaro, are mainly used by individuals and companies that want to advertise services or their products. Platforms drive users to the pages that companies want, targeting specific customers and promoting an ad campaign. techbizweb
Molerats is a politically-motivated threat group that has been operating since 2012. The group's victims have primarily been in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. MITRE
Pupy is an open-source, cross-platform RAT and post-exploitation framework mainly written in python. Pupy can be loaded from various loaders, including PE EXE, reflective DLL, Linux ELF, pure python, powershell and APK. Most of the loaders bundle an embedded python runtime, python library modules in source/compiled/native forms as well as a flexible configuration. They bootstrap a python runtime environment mostly in-memory for the later stages of pupy to run in. Pupy can communicate using various transports, migrate into processes, load remote python code, python packages and python C-extensions from memory. Malpedia
It leverages compromised websites and performs some of the most creative fingerprinting checks we’ve seen, before delivering its payload (NetSupport RAT). Malwarebytes
DPRK APT actor tracked by Proofpoint as TA444 Malpedia
The following threat detection(s) were improved this past week with new or updated threat methods.
| Name of threat | New coverage | Total coverage | Last updated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | ||
| APT-C-35 | 1 | command and control | http | 200 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-08-04 |
| AbaddonPOS | 6 | actions on objectives | tcp | 6 | actions on objectives | tcp | 2023-08-03 |
| AgentTesla | 1 | actions on objectives | http | 41 | actions on objectives, command and control | dns, ftp, http, smtp, tcp, tls | 2023-08-02 |
| Bahamut | 2 | command and control | dns, tls | 30 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tls | 2023-08-02 |
| Bitter | 1 | command and control | http | 45 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt | 2023-08-03 |
| CustomerLoader | 1 | command and control | http | 1 | command and control | http | 2023-08-03 |
| IcedID | 6 | command and control | dns, tls | 492 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-08-04 |
| KLBanker | 1 | command and control | http | 1 | command and control | http | 2023-08-03 |
| Keitaro | 6 | exploitation | dns, tls | 110 | command and control, delivery, exploitation | dns, http, tls | 2023-08-04 |
| Lotok | 1 | command and control | http | 1 | command and control | http | 2023-08-03 |
| Molerats | 4 | command and control | dns, tls, http | 69 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tls | 2023-08-01 |
| Pupy | 8 | command and control | dns | 10 | command and control | dns, tcp, tls | 2023-08-01 |
| SocGholish | 2 | command and control | dns, tls | 358 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation, reconnaissance | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-08-04 |
| TA444 | 44 | command and control | dns, tls | 495 | command and control | dns, http, tls | 2023-08-04 |
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Stamus Networks believes in a world where defenders are heroes, and a future where those they protect remain safe. As organizations face threats from well-funded adversaries, we relentlessly pursue solutions that make the defender’s job easier and more impactful. The global leader in Suricata-based network security solutions, Stamus Networks helps enterprise security teams know more, respond sooner and mitigate their risk with insights gathered from cloud and on-premise network activity. Our Stamus Security Platform combines the best of intrusion detection (IDS), network security monitoring (NSM), and network detection and response (NDR) systems into a single solution that exposes serious and imminent threats to critical assets and empowers rapid response.
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