Cisco Threat Research Blog
Threat intelligence for Cisco Products
We detect, analyze, and protect customers from both known and unknown emerging threats
Threat Roundup for April 10 to April 17
Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we’ve observed between Apr 10 and Apr 17. As with previous roundups, this post isn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we’ve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics, indicators of compromise, and discussing how our customers are automatically protected from these threats.
As a reminder, the information provided for the following threats in this post is non-exhaustive and current as of the date of publication. Additionally, please keep in mind that IOC searching is only one part of threat hunting. Spotting a single IOC does not necessarily indicate maliciousness. Detection and coverage for the following threats is subject to updates, pending additional threat or vulnerability analysis. For the most current information, please refer to your Firepower Management Center, Snort.org, or ClamAV.net.
Reference:
20200417-tru.json – this is a JSON file that includes the IOCs referenced in this post, as well as all hashes associated with the cluster. The list is limited to 25 hashes in this blog post. As always, please remember that all IOCs contained in this document are indicators, and that one single IOC does not indicate maliciousness. See the Read More link above for more details.
PoetRAT Uses Covid-19 Lures To Attack Azerbajian
Cisco Talos has discovered a new malware campaign based on a previously unknown family we’re calling “PoetRAT.” At this time, we do not believe this attack is associated with an already known threat actor. Our research shows the malware was distributed using URLs that mimic some Azerbaijan government domains, thus we believe the adversaries in this case want to target citizens of the country Azerbaijan, including private companies in the SCADA sector like wind turbine systems.The malware is distributed using URLs that mimic some Azerbaijan government domains. The droppers are Microsoft Word documents that deploy a Python-based remote access trojan (RAT). We named this malware PoetRAT due to the various references to William Shakespeare, an English poet and playwright. The RAT has all the standard features of this kind of malware, providing full control of the compromised system to the operation. For exfiltration, it uses FTP, which denotes an intention to transfer large amounts of data.
The campaign shows us that the operators manually pushed additional tools when they needed them on the compromised systems. We will describe a couple of these tools. The most interesting is a tool used to monitor the hard disk and exfiltrate data automatically. Besides these, there are keyloggers, browser-focused password stealers, camera control applications, and other generic password stealers.
In addition to the malware campaigns, the attacker performed phishing a campaign on the same infrastructure. This phishing website mimics the webmail of the Azerbaijan Government webmail infrastructure.
Threat Roundup for April 3 to April 10
Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we’ve observed between Apr 3 and Apr 10. As with previous roundups, this post isn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we’ve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics, indicators of compromise, and discussing how our customers are automatically protected from these threats.
As a reminder, the information provided for the following threats in this post is non-exhaustive and current as of the date of publication. Additionally, please keep in mind that IOC searching is only one part of threat hunting. Spotting a single IOC does not necessarily indicate maliciousness. Detection and coverage for the following threats is subject to updates, pending additional threat or vulnerability analysis. For the most current information, please refer to your Firepower Management Center, Snort.org, or ClamAV.net.
Reference:
20200410-tru.json – This is a JSON file that includes the IOCs referenced in this post, as well as all hashes associated with the cluster. The list is limited to 25 hashes in this blog post. As always, please remember that all IOCs contained in this document are indicators, and that one single IOC does not indicate maliciousness. See the Read More link above for more details.
Threat Roundup for March 27 to April 3
Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we’ve observed between Mar 27 and Apr 3. As with previous roundups, this post isn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we’ve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics, indicators of compromise, and discussing how our customers are automatically protected from these threats.
As a reminder, the information provided for the following threats in this post is non-exhaustive and current as of the date of publication. Additionally, please keep in mind that IOC searching is only one part of threat hunting. Spotting a single IOC does not necessarily indicate maliciousness. Detection and coverage for the following threats is subject to updates, pending additional threat or vulnerability analysis. For the most current information, please refer to your Firepower Management Center, Snort.org, or ClamAV.net.
Reference:
20200403-tru.json – This is a JSON file that includes the IOCs referenced in this post, as well as all hashes associated with the cluster. The list is limited to 25 hashes in this blog post. As always, please remember that all IOCs contained in this document are indicators, and that one single IOC does not indicate maliciousness. See the Read More link above for more details.
AZORult brings friends to the party
By Vanja Svajcer.
Attackers are constantly reinventing ways of monetizing their tools. Cisco Talos recently discovered a complex campaign with several different executable payloads, all focused on providing financial benefits for the attacker in a slightly different way. The first payload is a Monero cryptocurrency miner based on XMRigCC, and the second is a trojan that monitors the clipboard and replaces its content. There’s also a variant of the infamous AZORult information-stealing malware, a variant of Remcos remote access tool and, finally, the DarkVNC backdoor trojan.
Defenders need to be constantly vigilant and monitor the behavior of systems within their network. Attackers are like water — they will attempt to find the smallest crack to achieve their goals. While organizations need to be focused on protecting their most valuable assets, they should not ignore threats that are not particularly targeted toward their infrastructure.
Trickbot: A primer
In recent years, the modular banking trojan known as Trickbot has evolved to become one of the most advanced trojans in the threat landscape. It has gone through a diverse set of changes since it was first discovered in 2016, including adding features that focus on Windows 10 and modules that target point of sale (POS) systems. Not only does it function as a standalone trojan, Trickbot is also commonly used as a dropper for other malware such as the Ryuk ransomware. The wide range of functionality allows this malware to adapt to different environments and maximize effectiveness in a compromised network.
COVID-19 relief package provides another platform for bad actors
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to yield new subject matter that bad actors can turn into fodder for enticing victims into clicking on malicious links and attachments. On March 27, the CARES Act was signed into law by the President, enacting a wide range of stimulus packages designed to aid Americans and businesses during the crisis. One such measure will authorize a supplemental stimulus check to American citizens.
Along with the general increase in coronavirus and COVID-19-themed attacks, this stimulus package will also be leveraged as a lure to deliver additional attacks to harm the unsuspecting victim into divulging personal information or be subject to financially based exploitation.
Talos has already detected an increase in suspicious stimulus-based domains being registered and we anticipate they will be leveraged to launch malicious campaigns against users.
Threat Roundup for March 20 to March 27
Today, Talos is publishing a glimpse into the most prevalent threats we’ve observed between Mar 20 and Mar 27. As with previous roundups, this post isn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis. Instead, this post will summarize the threats we’ve observed by highlighting key behavioral characteristics, indicators of compromise, and discussing how our customers are automatically protected from these threats.
As a reminder, the information provided for the following threats in this post is non-exhaustive and current as of the date of publication. Additionally, please keep in mind that IOC searching is only one part of threat hunting. Spotting a single IOC does not necessarily indicate maliciousness. Detection and coverage for the following threats is subject to updates, pending additional threat or vulnerability analysis. For the most current information, please refer to your Firepower Management Center, Snort.org, or ClamAV.net.
Reference:
20200327-tru.json – This is a JSON file that includes the IOCs referenced in this post, as well as all hashes associated with the cluster. The list is limited to 25 hashes in this blog post. As always, please remember that all IOCs contained in this document are indicators, and that one single IOC does not indicate maliciousness. See the Read More link above for more details.
Threat Update: COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing everyday life for workers across the globe. Cisco Talos continues to see attackers take advantage of the coronavirus situation to lure unsuspecting users into various pitfalls such as phishing, fraud, and disinformation campaigns. Talos has not yet observed any new techniques during this event. Rather, we have seen malicious actors shift the subject matter of their attacks to focus on COVID themes. We continue to monitor the situation and are sharing intel with the security community, customers, law enforcement, and governments.
Protecting your organization from threats that leverage COVID themes relies on the same strong security infrastructure foundation that your organization hopefully already has. However, security organizations must ensure existing protections and capabilities function in a newly remote environment, that users are aware of the threats and how to identify them and that organizations have implemented security best practices for remote work.
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