We closely monitor changes in the tactics of various cybercriminal groups. Recently, experts from Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) noted that, after attacks with Fog ransomware, malefactors were publishing not only victim’s data, but also the IP addresses of the attacked computers. We haven’t seen this tactic used by ransomware groups before. In this post, we explain why it’s important and what the purpose of this tactic is.

Who is the Fog ransomware group, and what’s it known for?

Since the ransomware business began to turn into a full-fledged industry, the involved cybercriminals have been splitting themselves up into various specializations. Nowadays, the creators of the ransomware and the people directly behind the attacks are most often not connected in any way — the former develop the malware along with a platform for attacks and subsequent blackmailing, while the latter simply buy access to the code and infrastructure under the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

Fog ransomware is one such platform — first noticed in early 2024. The malware is used to attack computers running either Windows or Linux. As is customary among ransomware operators in recent years, the affected data is not only encrypted, but also uploaded to the attackers’ servers, and then, if the victim refuses to pay, published on a TOR site.

Attacks using Fog were carried out against companies working in the fields of education, finance, and recreation. Often, criminals used previously leaked VPN access credentials to penetrate the victim’s infrastructure.

Why they are publishing IP addresses?

Our experts believe that the main purpose of publishing IP addresses is to increase the psychological pressure on victims. Firstly, it increases the traceability and visibility of an incident. The effect of publishing the name of a victim company is less impressive, while the IP address can quickly tell not only who the victim was — but also what exactly was attacked (whether it was a server or a computer in the infrastructure). And the more visible the incident, the more likely it is to face lawsuits over data leakage and fines from regulators. Therefore, it’s more likely that the victim will make a deal and pay the ransom.

In addition, publishing an IP address sends a signal to other criminal groups, which can use the leaked data. They become aware of the address of a knowingly vulnerable machine, and have access to the information downloaded from it, which can be studied and used for further attacks on the infrastructure of the same company. This, in turn, makes the consequences of publication even more unpleasant, and therefore becomes an additional deterrent to ignoring the blackmailer’s demands.

How to stay safe

Since most ransomware attacks still start with employee error, we first recommend periodically raising staff awareness about modern-day cyberthreats (for example, using the online training platform.)

In order not to lose access to critical data, we, as usual, recommend making backups and keeping them in storage isolated from the main network. To prevent the ransomware from running on the company’s computers, it’s necessary that each corporate device with access to the network be equipped with an effective security solution. We also recommend that large companies monitor activity in the infrastructure using an XDR class solution, and, if necessary, involve third-party experts in detection and response activities.

Kaspersky official blog – ​Read More

By Jung soo An, Asheer Malhotra, Brandon White, and Vitor Ventura.

• Cisco Talos discovered a malicious campaign we track under the UAT-5918 umbrella that has been active since at least 2023. 
• UAT-5918, a threat actor believed to be motivated by establishing long-term access for information theft, uses a combination of web shells and open-sourced tooling to conduct post-compromise activities to establish persistence in victim environments for information theft and credential harvesting. 
• We assess that UAT-5918’s post-compromise activity, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and victimology overlaps the most with Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, Earth Estries, and Dalbit intrusions we’ve observed in the past.

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UAT-5918’s activity cluster

Overview 

Talos assesses with high confidence that UAT-5918 is an advanced persistent threat (APT) group that targets entities in Taiwan to establish long-term persistent access in victim environments. UAT-5918 usually obtains initial access by exploiting N-day vulnerabilities in unpatched web and application servers exposed to the internet. The threat actor will subsequently use a plethora of open-source tools for network reconnaissance to move through the compromised enterprise. 

The activity that we monitored suggests that the post-compromise activity is done manually with the main goal being information theft. Evidently, it also includes deployment of web shells across any discovered sub-domains and internet-accessible servers to open multiple points of entry to the victim organizations. UAT-5918’s intrusions harvest credentials to obtain local and domain level user credentials and the creation of new administrative user accounts to facilitate additional channels of access, such as RDP to endpoints of significance to the threat actor.

Typical tooling used by UAT-5918 includes networking tools such as FRPC, FScan, In-Swor, Earthworm, and Neo-reGeorg. Credential harvesting is accomplished by dumping registry hives, NTDS, and using tools such as Mimikatz and browser credential extractors. These credentials are then used to perform lateral movement via either RDP, WMIC (PowerShell remoting), or Impacket. 

UAT-5918 activity cluster overlapping 

UAT-5918’s tooling and TTPs overlap substantially with several APT groups including Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon and Dalbit. 

There is a significant overlap in post-compromise tooling and TTPs with Volt Typhoon, such as using ping and tools like In-Swor for network discovery; gathering system information such as drive and partition; gathering logical drive information such as names, IDs, size, and free spaces; credential dumping from web browser applications; using open-source tools such as frp, Earthworm, and Impacket for establishing control channels; and the absence of custom-made malware. The U.S. government assesses that Volt Typhoon is a PRC state-sponsored actor conducting cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure. 

Multiple tools used in this intrusion also overlap with tooling used by Flax Typhoon in the past, such as the Chopper web shell, Mimikatz, JuicyPotato, Metasploit, WMIC and PowerShell, along with the use of tactics such as relying on RDP and other web shells to persist in the enterprise and WMIC for gathering system information. The U.S. government attributes Flax Typhoon, a Chinese government-sponsored threat actor, to the Integrity Technology Group, a PRC-based company.

Additionally, tooling such as FRP, FScan, In-Swor, and Neo-reGeorg, as well as filepaths and names used by UAT-5918, overlap with those used by Tropic Trooper. Tropic Trooper’s malware suite, specifically Crowdoor Loader and SparrowDoor, overlap with the threat actors known as Famous Sparrow and Earth Estries. We have also observed overlaps in tooling and tactics used in this campaign operated by UAT-5918 and in operations conducted by Earth Estries, including the use of FRP, FScan, Webshells, Impacket, living-off-the-land binaries (LoLBins), etc. Furthermore, we’ve discovered similar tooling between UAT-5918 and Dalbit consisting of port scanners, proxying tools, reverse shells, and reconnaissance TTPs.

It is worth noting that a sub-set of tools UAT-5918 uses such as LaZagne, SNetCracker, PortBrute, NetSpy etc., have not been seen being used by the aforementioned threat actors in public reporting. It is highly likely that this tooling might be exclusively used by UAT-5918 or their usage by other related groups may have been omitted in publicly available disclosures. 

Victimology and targeted verticals 

UAT-5918 also overlaps with the previously mentioned APT groups in terms of targeted geographies and industry verticals, indicating that this threat actor’s operations align with the strategic goals of the aforementioned set of threat actors. 

We have primarily observed targeting of entities in Taiwan by UAT-5918 in industry verticals such as telecommunications, healthcare, information technology, and other critical infrastructure sectors. Similar verticals and geographies have also been targeted by APT groups such as Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, Earth Estries, Tropic Trooper, and Dalbit. 

---

Initial access and reconnaissance 

UAT-5918 typically gains initial access to their victims via exploitation of known vulnerabilities on unpatched servers exposed to the internet. Activity following a successful compromise consists of preliminary reconnaissance to identify users, domains, and gather system information. Typical commands executed on endpoints include: 

ping <IP> 
net user 
systeminfo 
arp –a 
route print 
tasklist 
tasklist -v 
netstat -ano 
whoami 
ipconfig 
query user 
cmd /c dir c:users<username>Desktop 
cmd /c dir c:users<username>Documents 
cmd /c dir c:users<username>Downloads 

 Initial credential reconnaissance is carried out using the cmdkey command: 

cmdkey /list 

The threat actor then proceeds to download and place publicly available red-teaming tools (illustrated in subsequent sections) on endpoints to carry out further actions. In some cases, UAT-5918 also disabled Microsoft Defender’s scanning of their working directories on disk: 

powershell.exe -exec bypass Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath <working_directory> 
powershell Get-MpPreference 

---

Post-compromise tooling 

UAT-5918’s post-compromise tooling consists of web shells, some of which are publicly available, such as the Chopper web shell, multiple red-teaming and network scanning tools, and credentials harvesters.

Reverse proxies and tunnels 

The actor uses FRP and Neo-reGeorge to establish reverse proxy tunnels for accessing compromised endpoints via attacker controlled remote hosts. The tools are usually downloaded as archives and extracted before execution:

The Earthworm (ew) tool for establishing proxies is also run: 

Port scanning 

FScan is a port and vulnerability scanning tool that can scan ranges of IP addresses and Ports specified by the attackers:

Talos has observed the actor scanning of these ports in particular: 

 21 22 80 81 83 91 135 443 445 888 808 889 5432 8000 8080 54577 11211

The threat actor also relies extensively on the use of In-Swor, a publicly available tool authored and documented by Chinese speaking individuals, for conducting port scans across ranges of IP addresses. A sample command of In-Swor’s use is: 

Run[.]exe -h <ip_range>/24 -nopoc -pwdf pw[.]txt -p 1521,6379 -t 4 

In-Swor was used to scan for the following ports across IP address ranges: 

22		SSH 
80		HTTP 
135		RPC 
445		SMB 
1433		SQL server 
1521		Oracle DBs 
3306		MySQL 
3389		RDP 
4194 		Kubernetes? 
5432 		PostgreSQL 
5900 		VNC 
6379 		Redis 
10248 	    ? 
10250 	    Kubernetes 
10255 	    MongoDB 

In other instances, In-Swor was used to establish proxy channels:

svchost[.]exe proxy -l *:22 -k 9999 
svchost[.]exe proxy -l *:443 -k 9999 
svchost[.]exe proxy -hc -l *:443 -k 99997654  
svchost[.]exe -hc proxy -l *:443 -k 99997654  
svchost[.]exe proxy -l 443 –v 
 
svchost[.]exe -type server -proto tcp -listen :443  
svchost[.]exe -type server -proto http -listen :443  
svchost[.]exe -type server -proto rhttp -listen :443 

In addition to FScan, PortBrute, another password brute forcer for multiple protocols such as FTP, SSH, SMB, MYSQL, MONGODB, etc., was also downloaded and used:

PortBruteWin(5).exe -up <username>:<password> 

Additional network reconnaissance 

The threat actor uses two utilities for monitoring the current connection to the compromised hosts — NirSoft’s CurrPorts utility and TCPView. Both tools are likely used to perform additional network discovery to find accessible hosts to pivot to: 

C:Users<compromised_user>Desktopcports-x64/cports.exe 
C:Users<compromised_user>DesktopTCPViewtcpview64.exe 

The threat actor also uses PowerShell-based scripts to attempt SMB logins to specific endpoints already identified by them:

powershell[.]exe -file C:ProgramDatasmblogin-extra-mini.ps1 

Netspy, another tool authored and documented by Chinese speaking individuals, is a network segmentation discovery tool that UAT-5918 employs occasionally for discovery. The fact that the operator had to check the tool help denotes the lack of automation and the unusual usage of such tool:

netspy[.]exe -h 

Gathering local system information 

The attackers may also gather commands to profile the endpoint and its drives:

wmic diskdrive get partitions /value  
fsutil fsinfo drives  
wmic logicaldisk get DeviceID,VolumeName,Size,FreeSpace  
wmic logicaldisk get DeviceID,VolumeName,Size,FreeSpace /format:value 

---

Maintaining persistent access to victims 

The threat actor attempts to deploy multiple web shells on systems they find are hosting web applications. The web shells are typically ASP or PHP-based files placed deep inside housekeeping directories such as image directories, user files etc. 

The threat actor uses JuicyPotato’s (a privilege escalation tool) web shell variant that allows JuicyPotato to act as a web shell on the compromised system accepting commands from remote systems to execute:

JuicyPotato is then run to spawn cmd[.]exe to run a reverse shell that allows the threat actor to run arbitrary commands: 

Run.exe -t t -p c:windowssystem32cmd.exe -l 1111 -c {9B1F122C-2982-4e91-AA8B-E071D54F2A4D} 

UAT-5918 will also use PuTTY’s pscp tool to connect to and deliver additional web shells to accessible endpoints (likely servers) within the network:

pscp[.]exe <web_shell> <user>@<IP>:/var/www/html/<web_shell> 

Furthermore, Talos has observed UAT-5918 execute reverse Meterpreter shells to maintain persistent access to the compromised hosts:

C:ProgramDatabind.exe 

C:ProgramDatamicrobind.exe 

C:ProgramDatareverse.exe 

cmd /c C:/ProgramData/microbind.exe 

Backdoored user account creation 

UAT-5918 regularly creates and assigns administrative privileges to user accounts they’ve created on compromised endpoints: 

net user <victimname_username> <password> /add 
net localgroup administrators <username> /add 
net group domain admins <username> /add /domain 

---

Credential extraction 

Credential harvesting is a key tactic in UAT-5918 intrusions, instrumented via the use of tools such as Mimikatz, LaZagne, and browser credential stealers: 

Mimikatz: A commonly used credential extractor tool is run to obtain credentials from the endpoint:

LaZagne: LaZagne is an open-sourced credential extractor: 

C:/ProgramData/LaZagne.exe 
C:/ProgramData/LaZagne.exe -all >> laz.txt 

Registry dumps: The “reg” system command is used to take dumps of the SAM, SECURITY and SYSTEM hives:

Google Chrome information: The adversary also uses a tool called BrowserDataLite, a tool to extract Login information, cookies, and browsing history from web browsers. The extracted information is subsequently accessed via notepad[.]exe: 

BrowserDataLite_x64.exe 
 
C:Windowssystem32NOTEPAD.EXE Chrome_LoginPass.txt 
C:Windowssystem32NOTEPAD.EXE Chrome_Cookies.txt 
C:Windowssystem32NOTEPAD.EXE Chrome_History.txt 

SNETCracker: A .NET-based password cracker (brute forcer) for services such as SSH, RDP, FTP, MySQL, SMPT, Telnet, VNC, etc.: 

Finding strings related to credentials such as: 

findstr /s /i /n /d:C: password *.conf 

---

Pivoting to additional endpoints 

UAT-5918 consistently attempts to gain access to additional endpoints within the enterprise. They will perform network reconnaissance cyclically to discover new endpoints worth pivoting to and make attempts to gain access via RDP or Impacket: 

mstsc.exe -v <hostname> 

Impacket was also used on multiple occasions to pivot into additional endpoints and copy over tools: 

python wmiexec[.]py Administrator:<password>@<IP> -codec big5 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1ADMIN$__<timestamp> 2>&1 
 
cmd[.]exe /Q /c echo python wmiexec[.]py Administrator:<password>@<IP> -codec big5 ^> \<hostname>C$__output 2^>^&1 > C:WindowsjFcZpIUm[.]bat & C:Windowssystem32cmd[.]exe /Q /c C:WindowsjFcZpIUm[.]bat & del C:WindowsjFcZpIUm[.]bat 
 
cmd[.]exe /Q /c net use [][]<IP>c$ /user:<username> 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1 
cmd[.]exe /Q /c dir [][]<IP>c$ 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1  
cmd[.]exe /Q /c copy fscan64[.]exe [][]<IP>c$ 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1  
cmd[.]exe /Q /c copy [][]<IP>c$<scan_result>.txt 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1  
cmd[.]exe /Q /c copy fscan[.]exe [][]<IP>c$ 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1  
cmd[.]exe /Q /c copy mimikatz[.]exe [][]<IP>c$ 1> [][]127[.]0[.]0[.]1<share>__ 2>&1 

File collection and staging 

UAT-5918 pivots across endpoints enumerating local and shared drives to find data of interest to the threat actor. This data may include everything that furthers the APT’s strategic and tactical goals and ranges from confidential documents, DB exports and backups to application configuration files. In one instance, the threat actor used the SQLCMD[.]exe utility to create a database backup that could be exfiltrated: 

C:/ProgramData/SQLCMD.EXE -S <target_server_DB> -U <username> -P <password> -Q BACKUP DATABASE <NAME> to disk='<db_backup_location>.bak' 

---

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

Cisco Secure Access is a modern cloud-delivered Security Service Edge (SSE) built on Zero Trust principles. Secure Access provides seamless transparent and secure access to the internet, cloud services or private application no matter where your users work. Please contact your Cisco account representative or authorized partner if you are interested in a free trial of Cisco Secure Access.

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.

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.

---

IOCs 

IOCs for this research can also be found at our GitHub repository here. 

6F6F7AA6144A1CFE61AC0A80DB7AD712440BDC5730644E05794876EB8B6A41B4 
BAB01D029556CF6290F6F21FEC5932E13399F93C5FDBCFFD3831006745F0EB83 
F7F6D0AFB300B57C32853D49FF50650F5D1DC7CF8111AA32FF658783C038BFE5 
497A326C6C207C1FB49E4DAD81D051FCF6BCBE047E0D3FE757C298EF8FE99ABA 
F9EB34C34E4A91630F265F12569F70B83FEBA039C861D6BF906B74E7FB308648 
DD832C8E30ED50383495D370836688EE48E95334270CBBCE41109594CB0C9FD1 
F7B52EE613F8D4E55A69F0B93AA9AA5472E453B0C458C8390DB963FF8B0B769C 
B994CBC1B5C905A2B731E47B30718C684521E8EC6AFB601AFECF30EF573E5153 
12D4EFE2B21B5053A3A21B49F25A6A4797DC6E9A80D511F29CA67039BA361F63 
2272925B1E83C7C3AB24BDEB82CE727DB84F5268C70744345CDA41B452C49E84 
71EB5115E8C47FFF1AB0E7ACEBAEA7780223683259A2BB1B8DB1EB3F26878CA4 
E159824448A8E53425B38BD11030AA786C460F956C9D7FC118B212E8CED4087A 
7EF22BFB6B2B2D23FE026BDFD7D2304427B6B62C6F9643EFEDDB4820EBF865AF 
EFC0D2C1E05E106C5C36160E17619A494676DEB136FB877C6D26F3ADF75A5777 
B7690c0fc9ec32e1a54663a2e5581e6260fe9318a565a475ee8a56c0638f38d0 
A774244ea5d759c4044aea75128a977e45fd6d1bb5942d9a8a1c5d7bff7e3db9 
31742ab79932af3649189b9287730384215a8dccdf21db50de320da7b3e16bb4 
09cea8aed5c58c446e6ef4d9bb83f7b5d7ba7b7c89d4164f397d378832722b69 
D47e35baee57eb692065a2295e3e9de40e4c57dba72cb39f9acb9f564c33b421 
1753fa34babeeee3b20093b72987b7f5e257270f86787c81a556790cb322c747 
F4ea99dc41cb7922d01955eef9303ec3a24b88c3318138855346de1e830ed09e 
5b0f8c650f54f17d002c01dcc74713a40eccb0367357d3f86490e9d17fcd71e8 
3588bda890ebf6138a82ae2e4f3cd7234ec071f343c9f5db5a96a54734eeaf9f 
95eee44482b4226efe3739bed3fa6ce7ae7db407c1e82e988f27cd27a31b56a6 
02ab315e4e3cf71c1632c91d4914c21b9f6e0b9aa0263f2400d6381aab759a61 
D1825cd7a985307c8585d88d247922c3a51835f9338dc76c10cdbad859900a03 
234899dea0a0e91c67c7172204de3a92a4cbeef37cdc10f563bf78343234ad1d 
8d440c5f0eca705c6d27aa4883c9cc4f8711de30fea32342d44a286b362efa9a 
Ffb8db57b543ba8a5086640a0b59a5def4929ad261e9f3624b2c0a22ae380391 

Cisco Talos Blog – ​Read More

Malware analysis is a promising yet competitive career path, where education must be taken seriously to stand up against ever-evolving threats. The demand for such professionals has never been higher, but the requirements and expectations are not low either.  

A specific mindset and a number of well-developed soft skills are no less vital than a set of technical skills directly related to performing the job. Nurturing this mindset, as well as developing the skills, is a challenge not only for future professionals, but for educational institutions that offer cybersecurity programs.

1. Technical Skills 

Here go hands-on abilities critical for understanding and countering malware, acquaintance with research methods and tools. 

• Static And Dynamic Malware Analysis.  

Static analysis is examining malware without executing it—disassembling code, inspecting binaries, and identifying suspicious strings or functions. Dynamic analysis includes running malware in a controlled environment to observe its runtime behavior, such as network traffic or system changes. 

• Networking and Protocol Analysis. 

Malware often communicates with C2 servers or propagates through networks. Recognizing abnormal network traffic is crucial. 

• Programming Proficiency. 

Writing scripts or tools in languages like Python or C to automate analysis, unpack malware, or simulate its effects will be a part of work routine. This amplifies efficiency and enables custom solutions for unique threats. The skill is gained through coding practice, creating YARA rules, and engaging with cybersecurity coding projects. 

One great source of technical skills are quality learning programs and courses from validated experts — like ANY.RUN’s Security Training Lab. Based on nine-year experience in threat hunting and analysis, the program contains 30 hours of academic content, educational videos, interactive tests and practical tasks. It is designed with both students and universities demands in mind.  

2. Analytical Thinking (Problem Solving)  

 These skills form a mental framework optimal for dealing with complex threats. 

• Pattern Recognition.  

Identifying similarities between malware samples aids in detecting new variants and understanding campaigns. It is cultivated by reviewing diverse samples and indicators, studying threat intelligence reports, and building mental or written databases of common tactics. 

• Root Cause Analysis and Logical Deduction.  

An analyst must be able to find the underlying issue behind an incident to prevent recurrence and refine defensive measures. For this, endpoint forensics, registry analysis, and analyzing system logs are of great help. 
Deduction is applied to infer malware functionality from incomplete or obscured data (e.g., encrypted payloads) and assume effective countermeasures. 

• Hypothesis Testing. 

Formulating and testing assumptions helps understand malware behavior and intent. One can learn it by practicing in controlled environments, experimenting with malware configurations. 

3. Communication and Reporting Skills 

Analysis is useless if it can’t be shared effectively with teams and stakeholders. 

• Technical Writing. 

Clear, concise reports (e.g., detailing a malware’s TTPs—tactics, techniques, procedures) and executive summaries bring actionable insights for security professionals or executives, are crucial for team coordination and legal use. 

• Collaboration and Information Sharing.  

Participating in cybersecurity communities, contributing to threat intelligence platforms help enhance the collective understanding of threats and fuel professional growth of each member.  

• Verbal Explanation and visualization. 

Very much in demand is the capability to translate complex findings into terms for non-experts, to bridge the gap between analysts and decision-makers. An expert should be ready to speak at professional events and be coherent at meetings of any audience and level.   
Non the less important is competence is fluency in visualizing information, creating diagrams, attack trees, or timelines of malware behavior.  

It is important to make professional communication your joy and habit since your early days in the industry. ANY.RUN’s Security Training Lab, for instance, supports a private discord community for students with tips, lifehacks, and the latest news in cybersecurity, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing. 

4. Adaptability and Creativity 

Malware is evolving, so analysts must too, often thinking outside conventional approaches. 

• Learning Agility.  

Quickly grasping new tools, techniques, or malware trends keeps analysts relevant as threats shift and is vital for staying proactive. New career opportunities are always round the corner for those ready to take online courses, read research papers, attend webinars, explore industry news, and experiment with emerging tech. 

• Out-of-the-Box Thinking.  

Crafting novel ways to unpack obfuscated code or bypass anti-analysis tricks allows to outsmart malware authors. Problem-solving is fostered by brainstorming alternative approaches, collaborating with peers, and studying unconventional attack methods. 

• Resilience and Flexibility. 

Adaptability helps survive and progress when malware refuses to behave predictably, resists analysis, and high-end tools fail.  

5. Experience  

Practical exposure builds the intuition and context that technical skills alone can’t provide. 

• Familiarity with Malware Families. 

Real-world experience with topical malware is key to identifying common traits and recognizing advanced techniques.  

• Incident Response and Threat Hunting. 

Hands-on experience with real malware outbreaks sharpens decision-making under stress and reveals real-world impact. Experience in live environments develops a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating threats, bridges theory and practice. 

• Tool Mastery.

Proficiency with services and instruments is what delimits pro from a wannabe. The skill is built by consistent use in labs, following tutorials, and experimenting with new features or plugins. 

Experience is gained through practice only, so practice must be an integral element of education. Our Security Training Lab program introduces students to a range of tools for malware, script, and document analysis, including full access to ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox.  

Why universities choose ANY.RUN’s Security Training Lab 

The program provides educational institutions with the content, tools, and resources they need to train students on actual threats, ensuring they graduate with the skills and knowledge to be effective cybersecurity professionals.  It is designed to: 

• Close the skills gap — equip students with hands-on experience that employers demand. 

• Expand curriculum — Add real-world malware investigations to theory-based lectures.  

• Ensure expert support — Customers get assistance from our malware analyst team. 

• Help with efficient course management — Monitor student progress and performance. 

Conclusion 

A good malware analyst blends these skills seamlessly. Technical prowess without analytical thinking is like having tools but no plan — ineffective against clever malware. Experience sharpens both, while adaptability keeps them current. Communication ties it all together, ensuring the analyst’s work drives real outcomes, not just personal insight. Each skill is achievable with deliberate effort, practice, and a mindset that thrives on challenge — qualities any aspiring analyst can cultivate over time. 

Educational solutions like ANY.RUN’s Security Training Lab empower universities to deliver a modern curriculum that meets industry standards without recruiting specialized faculty, to make their cybersecurity program engaging and relevant, and to prepare students to handle actual threats. 

Learn more about Security Training Lab and get a quote for your university 

About ANY.RUN 

ANY.RUN helps more than 500,000 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. 

Request free trial of ANY.RUN’s services → 

The post Decoding a Malware Analyst: Essential Skills and Expertise appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog – ​Read More

It’s here! The news security teams have been waiting for: ANY.RUN now fully supports Android OS in its interactive sandbox! 

Now, you can investigate Android malware in a real ARM-based sandbox, exactly as it would behave on an actual mobile device. No more blind spots or unreliable analysis. 

With this release, ANY.RUN allows SOC teams, incident responders, and threat hunters to analyze Android threats faster, more efficiently, and with greater accuracy while reducing operational costs. 

And the best part? Android OS support is available to everyone, including Free plan users! 

Why Your Team Needs Mobile Threat Analysis Inside ANY.RUN’s Android Sandbox 

Android malware is a direct risk to businesses, financial institutions, and enterprise security teams. Attackers are targeting mobile devices to steal credentials, infiltrate corporate networks, and compromise financial systems.  

Without real-time mobile threat analysis, businesses face delayed detection, higher security costs, and increased exposure to cyber threats. 

Now you can interact with APK files in a fully controlled environment, track malicious activity in real time, and generate in-depth reports: all in one convenient place. 

By analyzing Android threats inside ANY.RUN’s secure cloud-based environment, businesses can: 

• Spot Android malware in seconds: Run suspicious APKs in a real Android environment and catch threats before they spread. 

• See exactly what malware is doing: Watch how it abuses permissions, steals data, or makes shady network connections, no more guesswork. 

• Make Android threat investigations easier: Quickly analyze mobile malware without slowing down your team or piling on extra work. 

• Take full control of your data: Analyze Android threats in a private, secure environment where only your team has access, no third parties involved. 

• Improve collaboration: Generate structured reports with detailed APK insights, making escalation and knowledge sharing between your team more effective. 

How to Get Started with ANY.RUN’s Android Sandbox 

Getting started is quick and easy.  

Since ANY.RUN is fully cloud-based, there’s no need to download or install complicated software. Just sign up and follow these simple steps to start analyzing right away: 

1. Select Android OS – Before launching an analysis, choose Android from the operating system menu. 

2. Upload the APK file – Drag and drop the file into the sandbox. 

3. Start the investigation – Run the file and observe its behavior in real time. 

See It in Action: Analyzing Mobile Malware Inside ANY.RUN’s Android Sandbox 

Let’s look at real-world malware cases to see how ANY.RUN’s interactive sandbox makes Android threat analysis easier and more effective. 

One notorious Android malware family is Coper, a banking trojan that targets financial apps, steals user credentials, and intercepts SMS messages. Attackers use it to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) and take full control of compromised devices. 

With ANY.RUN’s Android OS sandbox, we can break down exactly how this malware behaves in real time. 

View analysis session 

Instant Detection with Interactive Analysis 

The first thing you’ll notice after running an analysis is that ANY.RUN immediately flags suspicious activity. In this case, we see a red alert in the top right corner, signaling that the APK file is performing dangerous actions. 

Since the sandbox is fully interactive, we can engage with the app just like on a real Android device. This means: 

Opening the malware-infected app and seeing how it behaves 
Granting or denying permissions to observe how it reacts 
Triggering functions like keylogging to uncover hidden actions 

Digging into the Tree of Processes 

To understand how Coper operates under the hood, we check the Process Tree section, which provides a structured breakdown of all executed processes. 

Here, you can: 

• See which processes are spawned by the malware 

• Identify connections to suspicious services or commands 

• Detect any attempts to gain persistence or execute additional payloads 

The Process Tree is located in the right part of the analysis screen, giving a clear and organized view of how the APK interacts with the system.  

Instead of manually tracking logs, security teams get a clear breakdown of malicious actions in a simple, visual format. 

Understanding the Attack Tactics with MITRE ATT&CK Mapping 

Next, we head to the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix section, which helps map out exactly what techniques and tactics Coper is using. 

Inside ANY.RUN, this can be found under the MITRE ATT&CK tab, where you get a structured breakdown of: 

• The specific attack techniques used (e.g., credential theft, keylogging, SMS interception) 

• The broader tactics the malware follows (e.g., persistence, privilege escalation) 

• Links to detailed explanations for deeper research 

By clicking on any technique, you get a detailed description of how the attack works, making it easier to correlate threats and improve security defenses. 

Collecting IOCs for Threat Intelligence 

Once the analysis is complete, ANY.RUN generates structured, in-depth reports, allowing SOC teams to get: 

• Malicious URLs and IP addresses 
• Dropped or modified files 
• Registry changes and system modifications 

These IOCs can be exported and shared for further action, helping organizations update security rules, improve detection, and prevent future infections. 

In this analysis of GoldDigger malware, we can see a collection of useful IOCs by clicking the “IOC” button in the top right corner of the screen. 

Generating a Structured Report for Easy Sharing 

Once the analysis is complete, it’s time to generate a detailed report. In ANY.RUN, this can be done in the Reports section, allowing SOC teams to: 

 Quickly escalate cases with clear, organized evidence. 
 Share findings across teams for improved collaboration. 
 Enhance future detection strategies using real-world behavioral data. 

Having a clear, documented report helps SOC teams, threat hunters, and incident responders work more efficiently, ensuring that findings are communicated effectively across teams. 

Turn Your Team’s Hours of Android Malware Investigation into Minutes 

ANY.RUN’s Android OS support is a whole new way to investigate mobile threats with speed and precision.  

Whether your security team is tackling incident response, malware research, or threat hunting, this release helps businesses detect Android threats easier, cut investigation time, and strengthen security operations. 

• It’s fast – No waiting for static scans or manual reverse engineering. See how an APK behaves in seconds 

• It’s interactive – Click, explore, and engage with malware just like you would on a real Android device. 

• It’s detailed – Track every action with process trees, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, and real-time network insights. 

• It’s fully cloud-based – Run Android malware investigations anytime, anywhere, without worrying about infrastructure. 

• It’s built for teams – Generate structured reports, share findings, and collaborate on investigations seamlessly. 

Start your first Android analysis today and experience the precision of mobile malware analysis inside a real ARM-based sandbox. 

About ANY.RUN 

ANY.RUN helps more than 500,000 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. 

Request free trial of ANY.RUN’s services → 

The post Expose Android Malware in Seconds: ANY.RUN Sandbox Now Supports Real-Time APK Analysis  appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

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Since February, many users have been complaining about the Android System SafetyCore app suddenly appearing on their Android phones. It has neither UI nor settings, but Google Play says the developer is Google itself, the number of installations exceeds a billion, and the average rating is a dismal 2.4 stars. The purpose of the app is described vaguely: “It provides the underlying technology for features like the upcoming Sensitive Content Warnings feature in Google Messages”. It’s not hard to guess what “sensitive content” stands for, but how and why is Google going to be warning us about it? And how is it going to find out whether the content is indeed sensitive in nature?

First, some reassurance regarding privacy: neither Google nor independent experts have reported any privacy concerns. SafetyCore runs locally — without sending photos or associated information to external servers. When the user receives an image in Google Messages, a machine-learning model that runs locally on the phone analyzes it and blurs it if it detects anything saucy. To remove the blur, the user has to tap the image and confirm that they really want to view the content. A similar thing happens when sending: if the user tries to send an image with nudity, the phone double-checks if it really needs to be sent. Google stresses that it doesn’t send scan results anywhere.

The SafetyCore app handles the image analysis — but it’s not designed for standalone use. Other apps call on SafetyCore when receiving or sending pictures, but it’s up to them how to use the output. So far, AI analysis can only be used in Google Messages: images recognized as “sensitive” will be blurred. In the future, Google promises to make SafetyCore features available to other developers, enabling apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to detect nudes as well. Other apps could be configured to, for example, block adult content or immediately filter such images into spam.

Unlike previous attempts by Google and Apple to protect children from unwanted content, SafetyCore avoids external server analysis, which enhances privacy but strains hardware. Google anticipates that SafetyCore will eventually be installed on all sufficiently powerful (2GB RAM, Android 9+) phones. The feature will be disabled by default for adult users but enabled for minors. If you don’t need this kind of hand-holding, or don’t like having extra apps, you can simply remove SafetyCore from your phone. Unlike numerous other Google services, this app can easily be uninstalled through both Google Play and the “Apps” subsection of the phone settings. However, bear in mind that Google might reinstall the app with a future update.

SafetyCore is the most sophisticated, though not the only, on-device (meaning no cloud usage and no user-data sharing) AI-powered protection system that Google is developing. Alongside SafetyCore, in October 2024 Google announced language models designed to analyze messages from strangers in Google Messages and suggest ending the conversation if the message text resembles a typical scam scheme.

Besides SafetyCore, another app is spawning on devices with no warning — Android System Key Verifier. It also has no UI, can easily be uninstalled, and is designed for secure communication. However, it features no AI-driven analysis. This app enables two users to verify their keys during end-to-end encrypted messaging. WhatsApp and Signal have their own ways of doing this (users scan each other’s QR codes when meeting in person, or they compare long strings of numbers that show up on the screen). Google wants to make this easier for all messaging apps by putting a standard interface into Android.

Users’ main issue with Google, and the reason for the poor ratings, isn’t what the apps do, but how they’re installed: with no warnings, no explanations, and no user choice. A new app just appears on their phones. Many Google Play reviewers worry if it’s a virus, and some claim their phones or specific apps see reduced performance. There were no widespread issues connected to installing these Google apps, but if you’ve any doubts, you can manually delete the app and see if your phone indeed works better.

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