Pakistan-Origin SideCopy Linked to New Cyberattack on India's Ministry of Defence
Mar 28, 2023
Advanced Persistent Threat
An advanced persistent threat (APT) group that has a track record of targeting India and Afghanistan has been linked to a new phishing campaign that delivers Action RAT. According to Cyble, which attributed the operation to SideCopy , the activity cluster is designed to target the Defence Research and Development Organization ( DRDO ), the research and development wing of India's Ministry of Defence. Known for emulating the infection chains associated with SideWinder to deliver its own malware, SideCopy is a threat group of Pakistani origin that shares overlaps with Transparent Tribe . It has been active since at least 2019. Attack sequences mounted by the group involve using spear-phishing emails to gain initial access. These messages come bearing a ZIP archive file that contains a Windows shortcut file (.LNK) masquerading as information about the K-4 ballistic missile developed by DRDO. Executing the .LNK file leads to the retrieva...
