A 26-year-old Finnish man was sentenced to more than six years in prison today after being convicted of hacking into an online psychotherapy clinic, leaking tens of thousands of patient therapy records, and attempting to extort the clinic and patients.

A 26-year-old Finnish man was sentenced to more than six years in prison today after being convicted of hacking into an online psychotherapy clinic, leaking tens of thousands of patient therapy records, and attempting to extort the clinic and patients.

On October 21, 2020, the **Vastaamo Psychotherapy Center** in Finland became the target of blackmail when a tormentor identified as “ransom\_man” demanded payment of 40 bitcoins (~450,000 euros at the time) in return for a promise not to publish highly sensitive therapy session notes Vastaamo had exposed online.

Ransom\_man announced on the dark web that he would start publishing 100 patient profiles every 24 hours. When Vastaamo declined to pay, ransom\_man shifted to extorting individual patients. According to Finnish police, some 22,000 victims reported extortion attempts targeting them personally, targeted emails that threatened to publish their therapy notes online unless paid a 500 euro ransom.

Finnish prosecutors quickly zeroed in on a suspect: **Julius “Zeekill” Kivimäki**, a notorious criminal hacker convicted of committing tens of thousands of cybercrimes before he became an adult. After being charged with the attack in October 2022, Kivimäki fled the country. He was arrested four months later in France, hiding out under an assumed name and passport.

**Antti Kurittu** is a former criminal investigator who worked on an investigation involving Kivimäki’s use of the Zbot botnet, among other activities Kivimäki engaged in as a member of the hacker group Hack the Planet (HTP).

Kurittu said the prosecution had demanded at least seven years in jail, and that the sentence handed down was six years and three months. Kurittu said prosecutors knocked a few months off of Kivimäki’s sentence because he agreed to pay compensation to his victims, and that Kivimäki will remain in prison during any appeal process.

“I think the sentencing was as expected, knowing the Finnish judicial system,” Kurittu told KrebsOnSecurity. “As Kivimäki has not been sentenced to a non-suspended prison sentence during the last five years, he will be treated as a first-timer, his previous convictions notwithstanding.”

But because juvenile convictions in Finland don’t count towards determining whether somebody is a first-time offender, Kivimäki will end up serving approximately half of his sentence.

“This seems like a short sentence when taking into account the gravity of his actions and the life-altering consequences to thousands of people, but it’s almost the maximum the law allows for,” Kurittu said.

Kivimäki initially gained notoriety as a self-professed member of the Lizard Squad, a mainly low-skilled hacker group that specialized in DDoS attacks. But American and Finnish investigators say Kivimäki’s involvement in cybercrime dates back to at least 2008, when he was introduced to a founding member of what would soon become HTP.

Finnish police said Kivimäki also used the nicknames “Ryan”, “RyanC” and “Ryan Cleary” (Ryan Cleary was actually a member of a rival hacker group — LulzSec — who was sentenced to prison for hacking).

Kivimäki and other HTP members were involved in mass-compromising web servers using known vulnerabilities, and by 2012 Kivimäki’s alias Ryan Cleary was selling access to those servers in the form of a DDoS-for-hire service. Kivimäki was 15 years old at the time.

In 2013, investigators going through devices seized from Kivimäki found computer code that had been used to crack more than 60,000 web servers using a previously unknown vulnerability in **Adobe’s ColdFusion** software. KrebsOnSecurity detailed the work of HTP in September 2013, after the group compromised servers inside data brokers LexisNexis, Kroll, and Dun & Bradstreet.

The group used the same ColdFusion flaws to break into the National White Collar Crime Center (NWC3), a non-profit that provides research and investigative support to the **U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation** (FBI).

As KrebsOnSecurity reported at the time, this small ColdFusion botnet of data broker servers was being controlled by the same cybercriminals who’d assumed control over **SSNDOB**, which operated one of the underground’s most reliable services for obtaining Social Security Number, dates of birth and credit file information on U.S. residents.

Kivimäki was responsible for making an August 2014 bomb threat against former **Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley** that grounded an American Airlines plane. Kivimäki also was involved in calling in multiple fake bomb threats and “swatting” incidents — reporting fake hostage situations at an address to prompt a heavily armed police response to that location.

**Ville Tapio,** the former CEO of Vastaamo, was fired and also prosecuted following the breach. Ransom\_man bragged about Vastaamo’s sloppy security, noting the company had used the laughably weak username and password “root/root” to protect sensitive patient records.

Investigators later found Vastaamo had originally been hacked in 2018 and again in 2019. In April 2023, a Finnish court handed down a three-month sentence for Tapio, but that sentence was suspended because he had no previous criminal record.

Man Who Mass-Extorted Psychotherapy Patients Gets Six Years

By Waqas
Update Windows Now or Get Hacked: Microsoft Warns of Actively Exploited Vulnerability!
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Russian APT28 Exploiting Windows Vulnerability with GooseEgg Tool

Hackers exploiting a critical Windows flaw (CVE-2022-38028) in the Print Spooler service. Patch immediately to block APT28 (Forest Blizzard and Fancy Bear) attacks & protect your system!

Microsoft issued a security warning about a critical vulnerability (CVE-2022-38028) in the Windows Print Spooler service that attackers are actively exploiting. This vulnerability allows attackers to escalate privileges on a compromised system, potentially granting them complete control.

The vulnerability resides in how the Print Spooler processes JavaScript code. By manipulating a specific file, attackers can execute malicious code with administrator privileges.

Microsoft attributes these attacks to the APT28 hacking group (also known as Fancy Bear or Forest Blizzard) which is using a custom malware tool called GooseEgg. While the exact timeframe for GooseEgg’s activity is unknown, Microsoft has observed it being operational since at least June 2020.

> Microsoft has identified longstanding activity by the Russian-based threat actor we track as Forest Blizzard using a custom tool we call GooseEgg to exploit CVE-2022-38028 in the Windows Print Spooler service to elevate permissions and steal credentials: https://t.co/YKHvxqJa61
> 
> — Microsoft Threat Intelligence (@MsftSecIntel) April 22, 2024

Targets of these attacks include organizations in North America, Western Europe, and Ukraine across various sectors such as government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), education, and transportation.

To mitigate this risk, Microsoft strongly recommends that all users install the security patch they released in October 2022. This patch addresses the vulnerability and prevents attackers from exploiting it.

While Microsoft offers temporary mitigation steps for those who cannot patch immediately, patching remains the most effective way to address this vulnerability and protect your system.

Nevertheless, it’s crucial to consistently update your Windows systems with the latest security patches, as this is the most effective defence against vulnerabilities. Additionally, exercise caution when interacting with attachments or links, particularly in emails from unfamiliar sources, as phishing attempts are a prevalent method used by attackers to compromise systems.

It is also important to know that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also flagged CVE-2022-38028 as a high-risk vulnerability, given its ongoing exploitation.

1.  Microsoft Executives’ Emails Breached by Russia Hackers
2.  Russian Hackers Target Ubiquiti Routers for Data, Botnet Creation
3.  Russian Operatives Expose German Military Webex Conversations
4.  Russian Midnight Blizzard Hackers Breached Microsoft Source Code
5.  Russian Hackers Hit Mail Servers in Europe for Political, Military Intel

Russian APT28 Exploiting Windows Vulnerability with GooseEgg Tool

By Deeba Ahmed
Veriti Research exposes surge in Androxgh0st attacks, exploiting CVEs and building botnets for credential theft. Patch systems, monitor for web shells, and use behavioral analysis to protect yourself.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Androxgh0st Malware Compromises Servers Worldwide for Botnet Attack

Veriti Research has discovered a surge in attacks from operators of the Androxgh0st malware family, uncovering over 600 servers compromised primarily in the U.S., India and Taiwan.

According to Veriti’s blog post, the adversary behind Androxgh0st had their C2 server exposed, which could allow for a counterstrike by revealing the impacted targets. The researchers then went on to alert the victims.

Further research revealed that Androxgh0st operators are exploiting multiple CVEs, including **CVE-2021-3129** and **CVE-2024-1709** to deploy a web shell on vulnerable servers, granting remote control capabilities. Moreover, evidence suggests active web shells associated with **CVE-2019-2725**. 

Image: Veriti

****Androxgh0st Threat Actor Ramps Up Activity****

Hackread.com has been tracking Androxgh0st operations since was first noticed in December 2022. The malware operator is known for deploying **Adhublika ransomware** and was previously observed communicating with an IP address associated with the Adhublika group.

Androxgh0st operators prefer exploiting Laravel applications to steal credentials for cloud-based services like AWS, SendGrid, and Twilio. They exploit vulnerabilities in Apache web servers and PHP frameworks, deploying webshells for persistence. 

However. their recent focus seems to be building botnets to exploit more systems. Recently, the FBI and CISA issued a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) advisory, **warning** about Androxgh0st constructing a botnet to carry out credential theft and establish backdoor access. 

Last year, Cado Security Ltd. **revealed** the details of a Python-based credential harvester and a hacking tool called Legion, linked to the AndroxGh0st malware family. Legion is designed to exploit email services for abuse.

****The Way Forward****

Veriti’s research goes onto show the importance of proactive exposure management and threat intelligence in cyber security. Organizations must regularly update their security measures, including patch management for known vulnerabilities, strong web shell deployment monitoring, and behavioural analysis tools to prevent breaches and protect against similar vulnerabilities.

1.  Russian Hackers Hit Ubiquiti Routers for Botnet Creation
2.  ActiveMQ Flaw Exploited to Spread GoTitan Botnet, PrCtrl Rat
3.  Mirai-based NoaBot Botnet Hit Linux Systems with Cryptominer
4.  Qakbot Botnet Disrupted, Infected 700,000 Computers Globally
5.  OracleIV DDoS Botnet Malware Targets Docker Engine API Instances

Androxgh0st Malware Compromises Servers Worldwide for Botnet Attack

At most, someone who intentionally or repeatedly shares information on their social platform that’s misleading or downright false may have their account blocked, suspended or deleted.

Thursday, April 18, 2024 14:00

If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you already know about how strongly I feel about the dangers of spreading fake news, disinformation and misinformation. 

And honestly, if you’re reading this newsletter, I probably shouldn’t have to tell you about that either. But one of the things that always frustrates me about this seemingly never-ending battle against disinformation on the internet, is that there aren’t any real consequences for the worst offenders. 

At most, someone who intentionally or repeatedly shares information on their social platform that’s misleading or downright false may have their account blocked, suspended or deleted, or just that one individual post might be removed.  

Twitter, which has become one of the worst offenders for spreading disinformation, has gotten even worse about this over the past few years and at this point doesn’t do anything to these accounts, and in fact, even promotes them in many ways and gives them a larger platform. 

Meta, for its part, is now hiding more political posts on its platforms in some countries, but at most, an account that shares fake news is only going to be restricted if enough people report it to Meta’s team and they choose to take action.  

Now, I’m hoping that Brazil’s Supreme Court may start imposing some real-world consequences on individuals and companies that support, endorse or sit idly by while disinformation spreads. Specifically, I’m talking about a newly launched investigation by the court into Twitter/X and its owner, Elon Musk.  

Brazil’s Supreme Court says users on the platform are part of a massive misinformation campaign against the court’s justices, sharing intentionally false or harmful information about them. Musk is also facing a related investigation into alleged obstruction.  

The court had previously asked Twitter to block certain far-right accounts that were spreading fake news on Twitter, seemingly one of the only true permanent bans on a social media platform targeting the worst misinformation offenders. Recently, Twitter has declined to block those accounts. 

This isn’t some new initiative, though. Brazil’s government has long looked for concrete ways to implement real-world punishments for spreading disinformation. In 2022, the Supreme Court signed an agreement with the equivalent of Brazil’s national election commission “to combat fake news involving the judiciary and to disseminate information about the 2022 general elections.” 

Brazil’s president (much like the U.S.) has been battling fake news and disinformation for years now, making any political conversation there incredibly divisive, and in many ways, physically dangerous. I’m certainly not an authority enough on the subject to comment on that and the ways in which the term “fake news” has been weaponized to literally challenge what is “fact” in our modern society.  

And I could certainly see a world in which a high court uses the term “fake news” to charge and prosecute people who are, in fact, spreading \*correct\* and verifiable information.  

But, even just forcing Musk or anyone at Twitter to answer questions about their blocking policies could bring an additional layer of transparency to this process. Suppose we want to really get people to stop sharing misleading information on social media. In that case, it needs to eventually come with real consequences, not just a simple block when they can launch a new account two seconds later using a different email address. 

**The one big thing **

Talos recently discovered a new threat actor we're calling “Starry Addax” targeting mostly human rights activists associated with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) cause. Starry Addax primarily uses a new mobile malware that it infects users with via phishing attack, tricking their targets into installing malicious Android applications we’re calling “FlexStarling.” The malicious mobile application (APK), “FlexStarling,” analyzed by Talos recently masquerades as a variant of the Sahara Press Service (SPSRASD) App. 

**Why do I care? **

The targets in this campaign's case are considered high-risk individuals, advocating for human rights in the Western Sahara. While that is a highly focused particular demographic, FlexStarling is still a highly capable implant that could be dangerous if used in other campaigns. Once infected, Starry Addax can use their malware to steal important login credentials, execute remote code or infect the device with other malware.  

**So now what? **

This campaign's infection chain begins with a spear-phishing email sent to targets, consisting of individuals of interest to the attackers, especially human rights activists in Morocco and the Western Sahara region. If you are a user who feels you could be targeted by these emails, please pay close attention to any URLs or attachments used in emails with these themes and ensure you’re only visiting trusted sites. The timelines connected to various artifacts used in the attacks indicate that this campaign is just starting and may be in its nascent stages with more infrastructure and Starry Addax working on additional malware variants. 

**Top security headlines of the week **

**A threat actor with ties to Russia is suspected of infecting the network belonging to a rural water facility in Texas earlier this year.** The hack in the small town of Muleshoe, Texas in January caused a water tower to overflow. The suspect attack coincided with network intrusions against networks belonging to two other nearby towns. While the attack did not disrupt drinking water in the town, it would mark an escalation in Russian APTs’ efforts to spy on and disrupt American critical infrastructure. Security researchers this week linked a Telegram channel that took credit for the activity with a group connected to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency. The adversaries broke into a remote login system used in ICS, which allowed the actors to interact with the water tank. It overflowed for about 30 to 45 minutes before officials took the machine offline and switched to manual operations. According to reporting from CNN, a nearby town called Lockney detected “suspicious activity” on the town’s SCADA system. And in Hale Center, adversaries also tried to breach the town network’s firewall, which prompted them to disable remote access to its SCADA system. (CNN, Wired) 

**Meanwhile, Russia’s Sandworm APT is also accused of being the primary threat actor carrying out Russia’s goals in Ukraine.** New research indicates that the group is responsible for nearly all disruptive and destructive cyberattacks in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022. One attack involved Sandworm, aka APT44, disrupting a Ukrainian power facility during Russia’s winter offensive and a series of drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy grid. Recently, the group’s attacks have increasingly focused on espionage activity to gather information for Russia’s military to use to its advantage on the battlefield. The U.S. indicated several individuals for their roles with Sandworm in 2020, but the group has been active for more than 10 years. Researchers also unmasked a Telegram channel the group appears to be using, called “CyberArmyofRussia\_Reborn.” They typically use the channel to post evidence from their sabotage activities. (Dark Reading, Recorded Future) 

**Security experts and government officials are bracing for an uptick in offensive cyber attacks between Israel and Iran** after Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel. Both countries have dealt with increased tensions recently, eventually leading to the attack Saturday night. Israel’s leaders have already been considering various responses to the attack, among which could be cyber attacks targeting Iran in addition to any new kinetic warfare. Israel and Iran have long had a tense relationship that included covert operations and destructive cyberattacks. Experts say both countries have the ability to launch wiper malware, ransomware and cyber attacks against each other, some of which could interrupt critical infrastructure or military operations. The increased tensions have also opened the door to many threat actors taking claims for various cyber attacks or intrusions that didn’t happen. (Axios, Foreign Policy) 

**Can’t get enough Talos? **

*   Cisco Warns of Global Surge in Brute-Force Attacks Targeting VPN and SSH Services 
*   Decade-old malware haunts Ukrainian police 
*   Attackers are pummeling networks around the world with millions of login attempts 
*   OfflRouter virus causes Ukrainian users to upload confidential documents to VirusTotal 
*   Large-scale brute-force activity targeting VPNs, SSH services with commonly used login credentials 
*   Talos Takes Ep. #179: Why we need to stop calling as-a-service group takedowns "takedowns" 

**Upcoming events where you can find Talos **

 **Botconf** **(April 23 - 26)** 

_Nice, Côte d'Azur, France_

> _This presentation from Chetan Raghuprasad details the Supershell C2 framework. Threat actors are using this framework massively and creating botnets with the Supershell implants._

**CARO Workshop 2024** **(May 1 - 3)** 

_Arlington, Virginia_

> Over the past year, we’ve observed a substantial uptick in attacks by YoroTrooper, a relatively nascent espionage-oriented threat actor operating against the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS) since at least 2022. Asheer Malhotra's presentation at CARO 2024 will provide an overview of their various campaigns detailing the commodity and custom-built malware employed by the actor, their discovery and evolution in tactics. He will present a timeline of successful intrusions carried out by YoroTrooper targeting high-value individuals associated with CIS government agencies over the last two years.

**RSA** **(May 6 - 9)** 

_San Francisco, California_    

**Most prevalent malware files from Talos telemetry over the past week **

_This section will be on a brief hiatus while we work through some technical difficulties._

Could the Brazilian Supreme Court finally hold people accountable for sharing disinformation?

Moobot, Miori, AGoent, and a Gafgyt variant have joined the infamous Mirai botnet in attacking unpatched versions of vulnerable Wi-Fi routers.

Source: Stuart Miles via Alamy Stock Photo

A number of botnets are pummeling a nearly year-old command-injection vulnerability in TP-Link routers to compromise the devices for IoT-driven distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

There already is a patch for the flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-1389, found in the Web management interface of the TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) Wi-Fi router and affecting devices Version 1.1.4 Build 20230219 or prior.

However, threat actors are taking advantage of unpatched devices to dispatch various botnets — include Moobot, Miori, AGoent, a Gafgyt variant, and variants of the infamous Mirai botnet — that can compromise the devices for DDoS and further nefarious activity, according to a blog post from Fortiguard Labs Threat Research.

"Recently, we observed multiple attacks focusing on this year-old vulnerability," which already was previously exploited by the in Mirai botnet, according to the post by Fortiguard researchers Cara Lin and Vincent Li. Fortiguard's IPS telemetry has detected significant traffic peaks, which alerted the researchers to the malicious activity, they said.

**Exploiting the TP-Link Flaw**

The flaw creates a scenario in which there is no sanitization of the "Country" field of the router's management interface, "so an attacker can exploit it for malicious activities and gain foothold," according to TP-Link's security advisory for the flaw.

"This is an unauthenticated command-injection vulnerability in the 'locale' API available via the web management interface," Lin and Li explained.

To exploit it, users can query the specified form "country" and conduct a "write" operation, which is handled by the "set\_country" function, the researchers explained. That function calls the "merge\_config\_by\_country" function and concatenates the argument of the specified form "country" into a command string. This string is then executed by the "popen" function.

"Since the 'country' field won't be emptied, the attacker can achieve command injection," the researchers wrote.

**Botnets to the Siege**

TP-Link's advisory when the flaw was revealed last year included acknowledgement of exploitation by the Mirai botnet. But since then other botnets as well as various Mirai variants also have taken siege against vulnerable devices.

One is Agoent, a Golang-based agent bot that attacks by first fetching the script file "exec.sh" from an attacker-controlled website, which then retrieves the Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) files of different Linux-based architectures.

The bot then executes two primary behaviors: the first is to create the host username and password using random characters, and the second is to establish connection with command and control (C2) to pass on the credentials just created by the malware for device takeover, the researchers said.

A botnet that creates denial of service (DoS) in Linux architectures called the Gafgyt variant also is attacking the TP-Link flaw by downloading and executing a script file and then retrieving Linux architecture execution files with the prefix filename "rebirth." The botnet then gets the compromised target IP and architecture information, which it concatenates into a string that is part of its initial connection message, the researchers explained.

"After establishing a connection with its C2 server, the malware receives a continuous 'PING' command from the server to ensure persistence on the compromised target," the researchers wrote. It then waits for various C2 commands to create DoS attacks.

The botnet called Moobot also is attacking the flaw to conduct DDoS attacks on remote IPs via a command from the attacker's C2 server, the researchers said. While the botnet targets various IoT hardware architectures, Fortiguard researchers analyzed the botnet's execution file designed for the "x86\_64" architecture to determine its exploitation activity, they said.

A variant of Mirai also is conducting DDoS attacks in its exploitation of the flaw by sending a packet from the C&C server to direct the endpoint to initiate the attack, the researchers noted.

"The command specified is 0x01 for a Valve Source Engine (VSE) flood, with a duration of 60 seconds (0x3C), targeting a randomly selected victim's IP address and the port number 30129," they explained.

Miori, another Mirai variant, also has joined the fray to conduct brute-force attacks on compromised devices, the researchers noted. And they also observed attacks by Condi that remains consistent with a version of the botnet that was active last year.

The attack retains the function to prevent reboots by deleting binaries responsible for shutting down or rebooting the system, and scans active processes and cross-references with predefined strings to terminate processes with matching names, the researchers said.

**Patch & Protect to Avoid DDoS**

Botnet attacks that exploit device flaws to target IoT environments are "relentless," and thus users should be vigilant against DDoS botnets," the researchers noted. Indeed, IoT adversaries are advancing their attacks by pouncing on unpatched device flaws to further their sophisticated attack agendas.

Attacks against TP-Link devices can be mitigated by applying the available patch for affected devices, and this practice should be followed for any other IoT devices "to safeguard their network environments from infection, preventing them from becoming bots for malicious threat actors," the researchers wrote.

Fortiguard also included in its post various indicators of compromise (IoCs) for the different botnet attacks, including C2 servers, URLs, and files that can help server administrators identify an attack.

**About the Author(s)**

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer, journalist, and therapeutic writing mentor with more than 25 years of professional experience. Her areas of expertise include technology, business, and culture. Elizabeth previously lived and worked as a full-time journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City; she currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, hiking with her dogs, traveling, playing music, yoga, and cooking.

Various Botnets Pummel Year-Old TP-Link Flaw in IoT Attacks

By Waqas
Firebird RAT, also known as Hive, crippled in an international sting operation. The FBI and AFP arrested the developer and marketer of this malicious remote access trojan.
This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: FBI and AFP Arrest Alleged Developer, Marketer of Firebird/Hive RAT

In a collaborative effort spanning continents, law enforcement agencies have dismantled a network responsible for the creation and distribution of malicious software known as Firebird, also rebranded as Hive. This remote access trojan (RAT) enabled unauthorized access to victims’ computers worldwide.

The breakthrough came through a joint investigation launched in 2020 by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Their coordinated efforts led to the arrests of two key suspects: an unnamed Australian citizen and Edmond Chakhmakhchyan, a resident of Van Nuys, California, who operated online under the alias “Corruption.”

FIREBIRD’s website (GIF credit: PcRisk)

****Unveiling the Network****

According to the AFP, the Australian suspect is believed to have developed Firebird and sold it on a hacking forum. This RAT allowed users to remotely control infected devices without the victims’ knowledge.

Chakhmakhchyan, on the other hand, allegedly played a crucial role in marketing and selling the software. He is accused of promoting Hive’s stealthy infiltration capabilities to potential buyers, facilitating Bitcoin transactions for purchases, and even offering support to customers.

The AFP investigation resulted in the arrest of the Australian suspect on April 11, 2024. He is facing 12 charges related to computer offences, including developing, supplying, and controlling data with the intent to commit these crimes. His trial is currently underway at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, with a potential maximum sentence of 36 years in prison.

****Taking Down Corruption****

The FBI, working in parallel with the AFP, apprehended Chakhmakhchyan on the same day. A recent US Department of Justice indictment details his alleged involvement. The document accuses Chakhmakhchyan of using the alias “Corruption” to market Hive online, highlighting its ability to gain covert access to target computers.

He is further accused of facilitating Bitcoin transactions for those who purchased the RAT and providing technical support to them. Chakhmakhchyan is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on May 7, 2024.

****A Global Threat Neutralized****

While Firebird/Hive may not have been among the most notorious RATs, its existence posed a significant threat to user security worldwide. This international operation demonstrates the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in combating cybercrime.

The arrests warn those involved in developing and distributing malicious software, highlighting the potential consequences of their actions and cybercrime in general.

1.  Poland Arrests 2 Suspected Hackers for Train Disruption
2.  Interpol Nets $300 Million, Arrests 3,500 in Major Cyber Crime Bust
3.  China Arrests 4 Who Weaponized ChatGPT for Ransomware Attacks
4.  Ukraine Arrests Hackers for Selling 100M Email, Instagram Accounts
5.  Operator of Major Proxy Botnet ‘IPStorm’ Arrested, Pleads Guilty in US

FBI and AFP Arrest Alleged Developer, Marketer of Firebird/Hive RAT

The security community is still reflecting on the “What If” of the XZ backdoor.

Thursday, April 11, 2024 14:00

I feel like over the past several years, the “holiday” that is April Fool’s Day has really died down. At this point, there are few headlines you can write that would be more ridiculous than something you’d find on a news site any day of the week. 

And there are so many more serious issues that are developing, too, that making a joke about a fake news story is just in bad taste, even if it’s in “celebration” of a “holiday.” 

Thankfully in the security world, I think we’ve all gotten the hint at this point that we can’t just post whatever we want on April 1 of each calendar year and expect people to get the joke. I’ve put my guard down so much at this point that I actually did legitimately fall for one April Fool’s joke from Nintendo, because I could definitely see a world in which they release a Virtual Boy box for the Switch that would allow you to play virtual reality games. 

But at least from what I saw on April 1 of this year, no one tried to “get” anyone with an April Fool’s joke about a ransomware actor requesting payment in the form of “Fortnite” in-game currency, or an internet-connected household object that in no universe needs to be connected to the internet (which, as it turns out, smart pillows exist!).  

We’re already dealing with digitally manipulated photos of “Satanic McDonalds,” Twitter’s AI generating fake news about the solar eclipse, and an upcoming presidential election that is sure to generate a slew of misinformation, AI-generated photos and more that I hesitate to even make up. 

So, all that is to say, good on you, security community, for just letting go of April Fool’s. Our lives are too stressful without bogus headlines that we, ourselves, generate.  

**The one big thing **

Talos discovered a new threat actor we’re calling “CoralRaider” that we believe is of Vietnamese origin and financially motivated. CoralRaider has been operating since at least 2023, targeting victims in several Asian and Southeast Asian countries. This group focuses on stealing victims’ credentials, financial data, and social media accounts, including business and advertisement accounts. CoralRaider appears to use RotBot, a customized variant of QuasarRAT, and XClient stealer as payloads. The actor uses the dead drop technique, abusing a legitimate service to host the C2 configuration file and uncommon living-off-the-land binaries (LoLBins), including Windows Forfiles.exe and FoDHelper.exe 

**Why do I care? **

This is a brand new actor that we believe is acting out of Vietnam, traditionally not a country who is associated with high-profile state-sponsored actors. CoralRaider appears to be after targets’ social media logins, which can later be leveraged to spread scams, misinformation, or all sorts of malicious messages using the victimized account. 

**So now what? **

CoralRaider primarily uses malicious LNK files to spread their malware, though we currently don’t know how those files are spread, exactly. Threat actors have started shifting toward using LNK files as an initial infection vector after Microsoft disabled macros by default — macros used to be a primary delivery system. For more on how the info in malicious LNK files can allow defenders to learn more about infection chains, read our previous research here. 

**Top security headlines of the week **

**The security community is still reflecting on the “What If” of the XZ backdoor** that was discovered and patched before threat actors could exploit it. A single Microsoft developer, who works on a different open-source project, found the backdoor in xz Utils for Linux distributions several weeks ago seemingly on accident, and is now being hailed as a hero by security researchers and professionals. Little is known about the user who had been building the backdoor in the open-source utility for at least two years. Had it been exploited, the vulnerability would have allowed its creator to hijack a user’s SSH connection and secretly run their own code on that user’s machine. The incident is highlighting networking’s reliance on open-source projects, which are often provided little resource and usually only maintained as a hobby, for free, by individuals who have no connection to the end users. The original creator of xz Utils worked alone for many years, before they had to open the project because of outside stressors and other work. Government officials have also been alarmed by the near-miss, and are now considering new ways to protect open-source software. (New York Times, Reuters) 

**AT&T now says that more than 51 million users were affected by a data breach** that exposed their personal information on a hacking forum. The cable, internet and cell service provider has still not said how the information was stolen. The incident dates back to 2021, when threat actor ShinyHunters initially offered the data for sale for $1 million. However, that data leaked last month on a hacking forum belonging to an actor known as “MajorNelson.” AT&T’s notification to affected customers stated that, "The \[exposed\] information varied by individual and account, but may have included full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, AT&T account number and AT&T passcode." The company has also started filing required formal notifications with U.S. state authorities and regulators. While AT&T initially denied that the data belonged to them, reporters and researchers soon found that the information were related to AT&T and DirecTV (a subsidiary of AT&T) accounts. (BleepingComputer, TechCrunch) 

**Another ransomware group claims they’ve stolen data from United HealthCare, though there is little evidence yet to prove their claim.** Change Health, a subsidiary of United, was recently hit with a massive data breach, pausing millions of dollars of payments to doctors and healthcare facilities to be paused for more than a month. Now, the ransomware gang RansomHub claims it has 4TB of data, requesting an extortion payment from United, or it says it will start selling the data to the highest bidder 12 days from Monday. RansomHub claims the stolen information contains the sensitive data of U.S. military personnel and patients, as well as medical records and financial information. Blackcat initially stated they had stolen the data, but the group quickly deleted the post from their leak site. A person representing RansomHub told Reuters that a disgruntled affiliate of Blackcat gave the data to RansomHub after a previous planned payment fell through. (DarkReading, Reuters) 

**Can’t get enough Talos? **

*   Talos Takes Ep. #178: Turla has been around for 20-plus years at this point, but they're still mixing things up 
*   Vulnerability in some TP-Link routers could lead to factory reset 
*   April’s Patch Tuesday includes 150 vulnerabilities, 60 which could lead to remote code execution 
*   Vietnamese Cybercrime Group CoralRaider Nets Financial Data 
*   Safeguarding Against CoralRaider: Protecting Your Data from Vietnamese Hackers 

**Upcoming events where you can find Talos **

**Botconf** **(April 23 - 26)** 

_Nice, Côte d'Azur, France_

> _This presentation from Chetan Raghuprasad details the Supershell C2 framework. Threat actors are using this framework massively and creating botnets with the Supershell implants._

**CARO Workshop 2024** **(May 1 - 3)** 

_Arlington, Virginia_

> Over the past year, we’ve observed a substantial uptick in attacks by YoroTrooper, a relatively nascent espionage-oriented threat actor operating against the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS) since at least 2022. Asheer Malhotra's presentation at CARO 2024 will provide an overview of their various campaigns detailing the commodity and custom-built malware employed by the actor, their discovery and evolution in tactics. He will present a timeline of successful intrusions carried out by YoroTrooper targeting high-value individuals associated with CIS government agencies over the last two years.

**RSA** **(May 6 - 9)** 

_San Francisco, California_    

**Most prevalent malware files from Talos telemetry over the past week **

**SHA 256:** c67b03c0a91eaefffd2f2c79b5c26a2648b8d3c19a22cadf35453455ff08ead0  
**MD5:** 8c69830a50fb85d8a794fa46643493b2  
**Typical Filename:** AAct.exe  
**Claimed Product:** N/A  
**Detection Name:** PUA.Win.Dropper.Generic::1201

**SHA 256:** abaa1b89dca9655410f61d64de25990972db95d28738fc93bb7a8a69b347a6a6  
**MD5:** 22ae85259273bc4ea419584293eda886  
**Typical Filename:** KMSAuto++ x64.exe  
**Claimed Product:** KMSAuto++  
**Detection Name:** W32.File.MalParent

**SHA 256:** 161937ed1502c491748d055287898dd37af96405aeff48c2500b834f6739e72d  
**MD5:** fd743b55d530e0468805de0e83758fe9  
**Typical Filename:** KMSAuto Net.exe  
**Claimed Product:** KMSAuto Net  
**Detection Name:** PUA.Win.Tool.Kmsauto::1201

**SHA 256:** b8aec57f7e9c193fcd9796cf22997605624b8b5f9bf5f0c6190e1090d426ee31  
**MD5:** 2fb86be791b4bb4389e55df0fec04eb7  
**Typical Filename:** KMSAuto Net.exe  
**Claimed Product:** KMSAuto Net  
**Detection Name:** W32.File.MalParent

**SHA 256:** 58d6fec4ba24c32d38c9a0c7c39df3cb0e91f500b323e841121d703c7b718681  
**MD5:** f1fe671bcefd4630e5ed8b87c9283534  
**Typical Filename:** KMSAuto Net.exe  
**Claimed Product:** KMSAuto Net  
**Detection Name:** PUA.Win.Tool.Hackkms::1201

The internet is already scary enough without April Fool’s jokes

Various anti-detection features, including the use of the ScrubCrypt antivirus-evasion tool, fuel an attack that aims to take over Microsoft Windows machines.

Source: Shane in Sweden via Shutterstock

A newly exposed corporate phishing campaign targeting Microsoft Windows users is delivering a flurry of remote access Trojans (RATs) and other malware under the cover of multiple detection-evasion techniques.

The attackers behind the campaign try to lure users into clicking on an attachment that ultimately employs the tool ScrubCrypt to deliver primarily the VenomRAT version 6, although various other oft-used malware also are associated with the campaign, researchers from Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs Threat Research revealed in a blog post.

While the RAT maintains a connection with attackers' command-and-control (C2) server, the attack drops plug-ins including Remcos RAT, XWorm, NanoCore RAT, and a stealer designed for specific crypto wallets, according to the researchers.

Ultimately the campaign is aimed at stealing critical data from targeted systems — ostensibly to be used in future attacks — as well achieving persistence on a victim's network, according to the post.

"The attackers employ a variety of methods, including phishing emails with malicious attachments, obfuscated script files, and Guloader PowerShell, to infiltrate and compromise victim systems," wrote Cara Lin, senior antivirus analyst at Fortinet. "Furthermore, deploying plugins through different payloads highlights the versatility and adaptability of the attack campaign."

VenomRAT is a tool used previously by the 8220 Gang, a cybercriminal group that uses a powerful botnet as its weapon of choice. ScrubCrypt, meanwhile, converts executables into undetectable batch files, providing "several options to manipulate malware, making it more challenging for antivirus products to detect," Lin noted.

**Phony Invoice Phish**

The campaign typically starts with a phishing email stating that a shipment has been delivered with an attached "invoice" that is actually an SVG file named "INV0ICE\_#TBSBVS0Y3BDSMMX.svg" and contains embedded base64-encoded data.

If a targeted user opens the SVG file, the ECMAScript creates a new blob and utilizes "window.URL.createObjectURL" to drop the decoded data as a ZIP file named "INV0ICE\_#TBSBVS0Y3BDSMMX.zip." The decompressed file reveals an obfuscated batch file with an embedded payload that appears to be created by the BatCloak tool, which distributes malware while effectively evading detection by antivirus program, Lin explained.

The embedded script initially copies a PowerShell execution file to "C:\\Users\\Public\\xkn.exe" and utilizes the copied file in later commands, using parameters that conceal its activity. It then decodes the malicious data and saves it as "pointer.png," which is later executed as "pointer.cmd" and deletes all the previously executed files.

**ScrubCrypt Delivers VenomRAT**

The "pointer.cmd" file serves as the ScrubCrypt batch file, and it's "deliberately cluttered with numerous junk strings to obscure readability," Lin wrote. The file incorporates two payloads, the first of which serves two primary purposes: establishing persistence and loading the targeted malware, VenomRAT. The second payload from the ScrubCrypt batch file is for AMSI bypass and ETW bypass, she noted.

VenomRAT was first identified in 2020 and uses a modified version of the well-known Quasar RAT. It allows attackers to gain unauthorized access and control over targeted systems. "As with other RATs, VenomRAT enables attackers to manipulate compromised devices remotely, allowing them to execute various malicious activities without the victim's knowledge or consent," Lin wrote.

Once deployed, VenomRAT initiates communication with its C2 server to send information about the victim, such as hardware specifications, username, operating system details, camera availability, execution path, foreground window name, and the name of the antivirus product installed. It then maintains communication channels with the C2 server to acquire the aforementioned additional plugins for related and other malicious activities as the attack continues from there, Lin wrote.

Notable among those plugins are three RATs often used for various nefarious purposes, including the Remcos RAT, which gives attackers complete system control to capture keystrokes, screenshots, credentials, and other sensitive information; NanoCore RAT, which can remotely access and control a victim's computer; and Xworm, which can load ransomware or act as a persistent backdoor.

**Vigilance Required**

Because this cyberattack campaign uses multiple layers of obfuscation and evasion techniques, it's important for enterprises to stay vigilant.

"The attackers' ability to persist in the system, evade detection, and execute malicious payloads underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and vigilant monitoring to mitigate such threats effectively," Lin noted.

Organizations should educate users about the hallmark signs of phishing campaigns and encourage them to report suspicious activity to IT departments, as well as avoid downloading files or clicking on links from untrusted sources.

Despite its evasive tactics, a strong antivirus-detection system should pick up the malware entering a network, and one that includes a content disarm-and-reconstruction service also is helpful to disable the malicious macros in the document before they can do any harm, Lin wrote.

Fortiguard included a list of indicators of compromise for the specific VenomRAT campaign in the post, including associated C2 domains, URLs associated with the attack, and files the attack distributes.

**About the Author(s)**

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer, journalist, and therapeutic writing mentor with more than 25 years of professional experience. Her areas of expertise include technology, business, and culture. Elizabeth previously lived and worked as a full-time journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City; she currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, hiking with her dogs, traveling, playing music, yoga, and cooking.

Cagey Phishing Campaign Delivers Multiple RATs to Steal Windows Data

As more electric vehicles are sold, the risk to compromised charging stations looms large alongside the potential for major cybersecurity exploits.

Source: Rosemary Roberts via Alamy Stock Photo

The increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) isn't just a favorite for gas-conscious consumers, but also for cybercriminals who focus on using EV charging stations to launch far-reaching attacks. This is because every charging point, whether inside a private garage or on a public parking lot, is online and running a variety of software that interacts with payment systems and the electric grid, along with storing driver identities. In other words, they are an Internet of Things (IoT) software sinkhole.

"As EV charging becomes more widespread, they will become appealing targets to more sophisticated hacking groups," says Hooman Shahidi, the CEO of EVPassport, a charging network provider. "Providers need to think of their products as critical infrastructure and a critical component of our national security." There are 2.5 million electric vehicles operating in the US, and more than half of them require plug-in chargers. Acknowledging their popularity, back in 2022, the UK mandated charging stations be built in all new residential construction.

Charging stations face significant cybersecurity risks. "Issues include unprotected Internet connectivity, insufficient authentication and encryption, absence of network segmentation, unmanaged energy assets, and more," wrote researchers from Check Point Software and SaiFlow, the latter a cybersecurity specialist in distributed energy solutions. Compromised stations could damage the power grid, for example, or result in stolen customer data. “Chargers have personal and payment information and run a variety of protocols that aren't typically recognized by traditional firewalls," says Check Point Software's Aaron Rose, who works in the office of the CTO.

The early stages of cyberattacks on charging stations began a few years ago, when one Russian station was attacked in February 2022 in response to the Ukraine war and three more were compromised in the United Kingdom in April 2022. Both situations were more cyber pranks that displayed rude messages on the screens of the units. Shell patched a vulnerability last year in one database that could have exposed millions of charging logs from across its EV charging network.

New vulnerabilities continue to plague charging stations. Two of them could lead to remote code execution and potential data theft, discovered by SaiFlow earlier this year. The exploits take advantage of weak authentication routines among the various software modules that are used in the stations, according to their research. Charging station vendor Enel X Way lists a variety of other data compromises involving vehicle ID numbers, as well as exploits that could gain remote access to the vehicle controls.

Elias Bou-Harb is a computer scientist with the Louisiana State University who has long studied charging station security. He has found almost every charging product has major vulnerabilities, including well-known attack methods such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. "What is particularly alarming is that some well-known protective measures haven't been implemented by most of the vendors, and that few of them have taken steps to improve their security even after we identified these weaknesses."

**IoT Devices Remain Attractive Targets**

Certainly, threats from charging stations aren't the only IoT devices that are targets of opportunity for cyberattackers. And the stations are just one of a multitude of IoT devices where exploits continue to increase. The combination of numerous smaller vendors with poor security design and practice and numerous automated tools such as botnets to locate and compromise various devices makes all IoT devices easy targets for hackers. Data from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) increased since then.

But the charging stations do represent a complex — and therefore very rich and potentially exploitable — combination of elements that can go beyond smart TVs and smart speakers. For example, Check Point's Rose says that "chargers have similar risk profiles but present a different attack surface to other smart devices."

What this means is that the chargers run management software tools "in between the EV user and the car and between the charging station and the power grid and coordinate billing, authentication, and supplied power," Bou-Harb says. "And adding to this complexity, all of this is also deployed by the charging vendors in the cloud." His research has found that some of the software run by these stations has been exploited for years, "and that vendors haven't yet realized they have been compromised, let alone fixed the problems."

Enel X Way's blog post lists a comprehensive eight-point framework for charging stations that covers identity access, risk management, emergency response, and other factors. 

**In Regulators' Crosshairs**

Both the US and Europe are making regulatory steps to try to rein in charging stations, both public and private. The UK has had an anti-tampering law in effect since 2022 relevant to the home-based charging stations. This resulted in security improvements from several vendors, as recently reported. Wallbox, a charging station vendor, added extra security safeguards to its equipment to comply with these regulations, while other vendors have dropped out of European markets rather than improve their products. 

The EU has proposed new cybersecurity safeguards for electric grid operators and IoT vendors in its NIS2 directive last year that will take effect in October. It includes stricter breach reporting requirements and levies higher fines, among other items. 

Another proposal is to have the charging station industry self-certify their devices, like what Underwriters Laboratories does for various electronics. European automotive safety vendor Dekra proposed a public charging station certification program that it claims is an industry first. It offers three different levels that range from providing basic security services to penetration testing of the equipment. 

The US is lagging in these efforts. Last summer, the Biden administration proposed a cybersecurity labeling program for smart home devices. Dubbed the Cyber Trust Mark, it would be administered by the FCC, based on work developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. "The Cyber Trust Mark is a great idea," Check Point's Rose says. "But execution is going to be key. The mark must be updated and based on doing continuous testing of devices."

Last year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also proposed a series of recommendations for public charging stations to improve their cybersecurity. However, one key element of the NIST, Cyber Trust, and Dekra initiatives is that they are all voluntary. "The charging stations' guidelines are a positive development," Ravi Lingarkar, vice president of product management at Akitra, wrote on LinkedIn. "Without uniform cybersecurity standards, EV charging stations can become easy targets for hackers. It's like enabling anyone to bring their own device to the grid. Given the rapid expansion of the EV charging infrastructure, cybersecurity is at the forefront of many potential problems." 

Still, these efforts are early and incomplete. "The government regulations have come too late," Bou-Harb says. "The market is already saturated with various charging products. These vendors don't really care about the security of their devices, which is often more of an afterthought. It's time for the charging vendors to come together, admit there is a problem, and start working on solutions and sharing threat data."

One potential roadblock is that EV chargers are under the purview of multiple regulatory agencies, such as the departments of Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security. Getting them all to work cooperatively isn't going to be easy. "No one is taking leadership," Bou-Harb says. 

"A simple step that the government could take now would be to require SOC2 pending for EV charging providers. We need to raise the bar," EVPassport's Shahidi says. The SOC2 standard focuses on security controls and privacy, among other items.  

**About the Author(s)**

Contributing Writer

David Strom is one of the leading experts on network and Internet technologies and has written and spoken extensively on topics such as cybersecurity, VOIP, convergence, email, cloud computing, network management, Internet applications, wireless and Web services for more than 35 years. He was the editor-in-chief of Network Computing print, Digital Landing.com, and Tom's Hardware.com. He has written two computer networking books and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows explaining technology concepts and trends. He regularly blogs at https://blog.strom.com, and is president of David Strom Inc.

EV Charging Stations Still Riddled With Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

A threat group of suspected Romanian origin called RUBYCARP has been observed maintaining a long-running botnet for carrying out crypto mining, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), and phishing attacks.
The group, believed to be active for at least 10 years, employs the botnet for financial gain, Sysdig said in a report shared with The Hacker News.
"Its primary method of operation

Tag

#botnet