Command and Control
APT41 malware abuses Google Calendar for stealthy C2 communication
The Chinese APT41 hacking group uses a new malware named ‘ToughProgress’ that exploits Google Calendar for command-and-control (C2) operations, hiding malicious activity behind a trusted cloud service. The campaign was discovered by Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, which identified and dismantled attacker-controlled Google Calendar and Workspace infrastructure and introduced targeted measures to prevent such abuse in the […]
New FinalDraft malware abuses Outlook mail service for stealthy comms
A new malware called FinalDraft has been using Outlook email drafts for command-and-control communication in attacks against a ministry in a South American country. The attacks were discovered by Elastic Security Labs and rely on a complete toolset that includes a custom malware loader named PathLoader, the FinalDraft backdoor, and multiple post-exploitation utilities. The abuse of Outlook, […]
QR codes bypass browser isolation for malicious C2 communication
Mandiant has identified a novel method to bypass browser isolation technology and achieve command-and-control operations through QR codes. Browser isolation is an increasingly popular security technology that routes all local web browser requests through remote web browsers hosted in a cloud environment or virtual machines. Any scripts or content on the visited web page is executed […]
New Specula tool uses Outlook for remote code execution in Windows
Microsoft Outlook can be turned into a C2 beacon to remotely execute code, as demonstrated by a new red team post-exploitation framework named “Specula,” released today by cybersecurity firm TrustedSec. This C2 framework works by creating a custom Outlook Home Page using WebView by exploiting CVE-2017-11774, an Outlook security feature bypass vulnerability patched in October 2017. “In […]