SmokeLoader | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Cybersecurity researchers have published the inner workings of a new wiper called  Azov Ransomware  that's deliberately designed to corrupt data and "inflict impeccable damage" to compromised systems. Distributed through another malware loader known as  SmokeLoader , the malware has been  described  as an "effective, fast, and unfortunately unrecoverable data wiper," by Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point. Its origins have yet to be determined. The wiper routine is set to overwrite a file's contents in alternating 666-byte chunks with random noise, a technique referred to as  intermittent encryption  that's being increasingly leveraged by ransomware operators to evade detection and encrypt victims' files faster. "One thing that sets Azov apart from your garden-variety ransomware is its modification of certain 64-bit executables to execute its own code," threat researcher Jiří Vinopal said. "The modification of executables is

Cryptocurrency users are being targeted with a new clipper malware strain dubbed  Laplas  by means of another malware known as SmokeLoader. SmokeLoader, which is delivered by means of weaponized documents sent through spear-phishing emails, further acts as a conduit for other  commodity trojans  like  SystemBC  and  Raccoon Stealer 2.0 , according to an  analysis  from Cyble. Observed in the wild since circa 2013,  SmokeLoader  functions as a generic loader capable of distributing additional payloads onto compromised systems, such as information-stealing malware and other implants. In July 2022, it was found to deploy a backdoor called  Amadey . Cyble said it discovered over 180 samples of the Laplas since October 24, 2022, suggesting a wide deployment. Clippers, also called ClipBankers, fall under a category of malware that Microsoft calls  cryware , which are designed to steal crypto by keeping close tabs on a victim's clipboard activity and swapping the original wallet ad

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