Evasion
Phishing kits now vet victims in real-time before stealing credentials
Phishing actors are employing a new evasion tactic called ‘Precision-Validated Phishing’ that only shows fake login forms when a user enters an email address that the threat actors specifically targeted. Unlike traditional mass-targeting phishing, this new method uses real-time email validation to ensure phishing content is shown only to pre-verified, high-value targets. Although not overly […]
CISA warns of Fast Flux DNS evasion used by cybercrime gangs
CISA, the FBI, the NSA, and international cybersecurity agencies are calling on organizations and DNS providers to mitigate the “Fast Flux” cybercrime evasion technique used by state-sponsored threat actors and ransomware gangs. Although the technique isn’t new, its effectiveness has been documented and proven repeatedly in actual cyberattacks. How Fast Flux helps with evasion Fast Flux is a DNS […]
Ransomware gang encrypted network from a webcam to bypass EDR
The Akira ransomware gang was spotted using an unsecured webcam to launch encryption attacks on a victim’s network, effectively circumventing Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), which was blocking the encryptor in Windows. Cybersecurity firm S-RM team discovered the unusual attack method during a recent incident response at one of their clients. Notably, Akira only pivoted to the webcam […]
New polyglot malware hits aviation, satellite communication firms
A previously undocumented polyglot malware is being deployed in attacks against aviation, satellite communication, and critical transportation organizations in the United Arab Emirates. The malware delivers a backdoor called Sosano, which establishes persistence on the infected devices and allows the attackers to execute commands remotely. The activity was discovered by Proofpoint in October 2024, which states that the […]
New Auto-Color Linux backdoor targets North American govts, universities
A previously undocumented Linux backdoor dubbed ‘Auto-Color’ was observed in attacks between November and December 2024, targeting universities and government organizations in North America and Asia. According to Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 researchers who discovered the malware, it is highly evasive and difficult to remove from infected systems, capable of maintaining access for extended periods. The […]
Phishing attack hides JavaScript using invisible Unicode trick
A new JavaScript obfuscation method utilizing invisible Unicode characters to represent binary values is being actively abused in phishing attacks targeting affiliates of an American political action committee (PAC). Juniper Threat Labs that spotted the attack reports that it took place in early January 2025 and carries signs of sophistication such as the use of: […]
Chinese hackers abuse Microsoft APP-v tool to evade antivirus
The Chinese APT hacking group “Mustang Panda” has been spotted abusing the Microsoft Application Virtualization Injector utility as a LOLBIN to inject malicious payloads into legitimate processes to evade detection by antivirus software. This technique was discovered by threat researchers at Trend Micro, who track the threat group as Earth Preta, reporting that they have verified over […]
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, […]
Hackers use macOS extended file attributes to hide malicious code
Hackers are using a novel technique that abuses extended attributes for macOS files to deliver a new trojan that researchers call RustyAttr. The threat actor is hiding malicious code in custom file metadata and also uses decoy PDF documents to help evade detection. The new technique is similar to how the Bundlore adware in 2020 hid its […]
EDRSilencer red team tool used in attacks to bypass security
A tool for red-team operations called EDRSilencer has been observed in malicious incidents attempting to identify security tools and mute their alerts to management consoles. Researchers at cybersecurity company Trend Micro say that attackers are trying to integrate EDRSilencer in attacks to evade detection. “Our internal telemetry showed threat actors attempting to integrate EDRSilencer in their […]