#1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Platform
Followed by 4.50+ million
The Hacker News Logo
Subscribe – Get Latest News
Cybersecurity

Trend Micro | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Category — Trend Micro
Crypto-Stealing OpcJacker Malware Targets Users with Fake VPN Service

Crypto-Stealing OpcJacker Malware Targets Users with Fake VPN Service

Apr 03, 2023 United States
A piece of new information-stealing malware called  OpcJacker  has been spotted in the wild since the second half of 2022 as part of a malvertising campaign. "OpcJacker's main functions include keylogging, taking screenshots, stealing sensitive data from browsers, loading additional modules, and replacing cryptocurrency addresses in the clipboard for hijacking purposes," Trend Micro researchers Jaromir Horejsi and Joseph C. Chen  said . The initial vector of the campaign involves a network of fake websites advertising seemingly innocuous software and cryptocurrency-related applications. The February 2023 campaign specifically singled out users in Iran under the pretext of offering a VPN service. The installer files act as a conduit to deploy OpcJacker, which is also capable of delivering next-stage payloads such as  NetSupport RAT  and a hidden virtual network computing ( hVNC ) variant for remote access. OpcJacker is concealed using a  crypter  known as Babadeda an
Hackers Can Abuse Legitimate GitHub Codespaces Feature to Deliver Malware

Hackers Can Abuse Legitimate GitHub Codespaces Feature to Deliver Malware

Jan 17, 2023 Threat Response / Malware
New research has found that it is possible for threat actors to abuse a legitimate feature in GitHub Codespaces to deliver malware to victim systems. GitHub Codespaces  is a cloud-based configurable development environment that allows users to debug, maintain, and commit changes to a given codebase from a web browser or via an integration in Visual Studio Code. It also comes with a port forwarding feature that makes it possible to access a web application that's running on a particular port within the codespace directly from the browser on a local machine for testing and debugging purposes. "You can also forward a port manually, label forwarded ports, share forwarded ports with members of your organization, share forwarded ports publicly, and add forwarded ports to the codespace configuration," GitHub  explains  in its documentation. It's  important  to note here that any forwarded port that's made public will also permit any party with knowledge of the URL
How to Get Going with CTEM When You Don't Know Where to Start

How to Get Going with CTEM When You Don't Know Where to Start

Oct 04, 2024Vulnerability Management / Security Posture
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a strategic framework that helps organizations continuously assess and manage cyber risk. It breaks down the complex task of managing security threats into five distinct stages: Scoping, Discovery, Prioritization, Validation, and Mobilization. Each of these stages plays a crucial role in identifying, addressing, and mitigating vulnerabilities - before they can be exploited by attackers.  On paper, CTEM sounds great . But where the rubber meets the road – especially for CTEM neophytes - implementing CTEM can seem overwhelming. The process of putting CTEM principles into practice can look prohibitively complex at first. However, with the right tools and a clear understanding of each stage, CTEM can be an effective method for strengthening your organization's security posture.  That's why I've put together a step-by-step guide on which tools to use for which stage. Want to learn more? Read on… Stage 1: Scoping  When you're defin
Raspberry Robin Worm Strikes Again, Targeting Telecom and Government Systems

Raspberry Robin Worm Strikes Again, Targeting Telecom and Government Systems

Dec 21, 2022
The  Raspberry Robin  worm has been used in attacks against telecommunications and government office systems across Latin America, Australia, and Europe since at least September 2022. "The main payload itself is packed with more than 10 layers for obfuscation and is capable of delivering a fake payload once it detects sandboxing and security analytics tools," Trend Micro researcher Christopher So  said  in a technical analysis published Tuesday. A majority of the infections have been detected in Argentina, followed by Australia, Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Brazil, France, India, and Colombia. Raspberry Robin, attributed to an activity cluster tracked by Microsoft as  DEV-0856 , is being increasingly  leveraged by multiple threat actors  as an initial access mechanism to deliver payloads such as  LockBit  and  Clop  ransomware. The malware is known for relying on infected USB drives as a distribution vector to download a rogue MSI installer file that deploys the main payload
cyber security

The State of SaaS Security 2024 Report

websiteAppOmniSaaS Security / Data Security
Learn the latest SaaS security trends and discover how to boost your cyber resilience. Get your free…
Researchers Demonstrate How EDR and Antivirus Can Be Weaponized Against Users

Researchers Demonstrate How EDR and Antivirus Can Be Weaponized Against Users

Dec 12, 2022 Endpoint Detection / Data Security
High-severity security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in different endpoint detection and response (EDR) and antivirus (AV) products that could be exploited to turn them into data wipers. "This wiper runs with the permissions of an unprivileged user yet has the ability to wipe almost any file on a system, including system files, and make a computer completely unbootable," SafeBreach Labs researcher Or Yair  said . "It does all that without implementing code that touches the target files, making it fully undetectable." EDR software, by design, are capable of continually scanning a machine for potentially suspicious and malicious files, and taking appropriate action, such as deleting or quarantining them. The idea, in a nutshell, is to trick vulnerable security products into deleting legitimate files and directories on the system and render the machine inoperable by making use of specially crafted paths. This is achieved by taking advantage of what's ca
Black Basta Ransomware Gang Actively Infiltrating U.S. Companies with Qakbot Malware

Black Basta Ransomware Gang Actively Infiltrating U.S. Companies with Qakbot Malware

Nov 24, 2022
Companies based in the U.S. have been at the receiving end of an "aggressive" Qakbot malware campaign that leads to Black Basta ransomware infections on compromised networks. "In this latest campaign, the Black Basta ransomware gang is using QakBot malware to create an initial point of entry and move laterally within an organization's network," Cybereason researchers Joakim Kandefelt and Danielle Frankel  said  in a report shared with The Hacker News. Black Basta, which emerged in April 2022, follows the tried-and-tested approach of double extortion to steal sensitive data from targeted companies and use it as a leverage to extort cryptocurrency payments by threatening to release the stolen information. This is not the first time the ransomware crew has been observed using Qakbot (aka QBot, QuackBot, or Pinkslipbot). Last month, Trend Micro  disclosed  similar attacks that entailed the use of Qakbot to deliver the  Brute Ratel C4  framework, which, in turn,
Black Basta Ransomware Hackers Infiltrate Networks via Qakbot to Deploy Brute Ratel C4

Black Basta Ransomware Hackers Infiltrate Networks via Qakbot to Deploy Brute Ratel C4

Oct 17, 2022
The threat actors behind the  Black Basta   ransomware family  have been observed using the Qakbot trojan to deploy the Brute Ratel C4 framework as a second-stage payload in recent attacks. The development marks the first time the  nascent adversary simulation software  is being delivered via a Qakbot infection, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro  said  in a technical analysis released last week. The intrusion, achieved using a phishing email containing a weaponized link pointing to a ZIP archive, further entailed the use of Cobalt Strike for lateral movement. While these legitimate utilities are designed for conducting penetration testing activities, their ability to offer remote access has made them a lucrative tool in the hands of attackers looking to stealthily probe the compromised environment without attracting attention for extended periods of time. This has been compounded by the fact that a  cracked version  of Brute Ratel C4 (BRc4 v1.2.2) began circulating last month across
Hackers Targeting Unpatched Atlassian Confluence Servers to Deploy Crypto Miners

Hackers Targeting Unpatched Atlassian Confluence Servers to Deploy Crypto Miners

Sep 22, 2022
A now-patched critical security flaw affecting Atlassian Confluence Server that came to light a few months ago is being actively exploited for illicit cryptocurrency mining on unpatched installations. "If left unremedied and successfully exploited, this vulnerability could be used for multiple and more malicious attacks, such as a complete domain takeover of the infrastructure and the deployment information stealers, remote access trojans (RATs), and ransomware," Trend Micro threat researcher Sunil Bharti  said  in a report. The issue, tracked as  CVE-2022-26134  (CVSS score: 9.8), was addressed by the Australian software company in June 2022. In one of the infection chains observed by the cybersecurity company, the flaw was leveraged to download and run a shell script ("ro.sh") on the victim's machine, which, in turn, fetched a second shell script ("ap.sh"). The malicious code is designed to update the  PATH variable  to include additional paths
Hackers Targeting WebLogic Servers and Docker APIs for Mining Cryptocurrencies

Hackers Targeting WebLogic Servers and Docker APIs for Mining Cryptocurrencies

Sep 16, 2022
Malicious actors such as Kinsing are taking advantage of both recently disclosed and older security flaws in Oracle WebLogic Server to deliver cryptocurrency-mining malware. Cybersecurity company Trend Micro said it  found  the financially-motivated group leveraging the vulnerability to drop Python scripts with capabilities to disable operating system (OS) security features such as Security-Enhanced Linux ( SELinux ), and others. The operators behind the  Kinsing malware  have a history of scanning for vulnerable servers to co-opt them into a botnet, including that of  Redis ,  SaltStack ,  Log4Shell ,  Spring4Shell , and the Atlassian Confluence flaw ( CVE-2022-26134 ). The Kinsing actors have also been involved in campaigns against container environments via  misconfigured open Docker Daemon API ports  to launch a crypto miner and subsequently spread the malware to other containers and hosts. The latest wave of attacks entails the actor weaponizing  CVE-2020-14882  (CVSS score:
Ransomware Attackers Abuse Genshin Impact Anti-Cheat System to Disable Antivirus

Ransomware Attackers Abuse Genshin Impact Anti-Cheat System to Disable Antivirus

Sep 05, 2022
A vulnerable anti-cheat driver for the Genshin Impact video game has been leveraged by a cybercrime actor to disable antivirus programs to facilitate the deployment of ransomware, according to findings from Trend Micro. The ransomware infection, which was triggered in the last week of July 2022, banked on the fact that the driver in question ("mhyprot2.sys") is signed with a valid certificate, thereby making it possible to circumvent privileges and terminate services associated with endpoint protection applications. Genshin Impact is a popular action role-playing game that was developed and published by Shanghai-based developer miHoYo in September 2020. The driver used in the attack chain is said to have been built in August 2020, with the existence of the flaw in the module  discussed  after the release of the game, and leading to  exploits   demonstrating  the ability to kill any arbitrary process and escalate to kernel mode. The idea, in a nutshell, is to use the leg
Chinese Hackers Backdoored MiMi Chat App to Target Windows, Linux, macOS Users

Chinese Hackers Backdoored MiMi Chat App to Target Windows, Linux, macOS Users

Aug 13, 2022
A pair of reports from cybersecurity firms  SEKOIA  and  Trend Micro  sheds light on a new campaign undertaken by a Chinese threat actor named Lucky Mouse that involves leveraging a trojanized version of a cross-platform messaging app to backdoor systems. Infection chains leverage a chat application called MiMi, with its installer files compromised to download and install HyperBro samples for the Windows operating system and rshell artifacts for Linux and macOS. As many as 13 different entities located in Taiwan and the Philippines have been at the receiving end of the attacks, eight of whom have been hit with rshell. The first victim of rshell was reported in mid-July 2021. Lucky Mouse, also called  APT27 , Bronze Union, Emissary Panda, and Iron Tiger, is known to be active since 2013 and has a history of gaining access to targeted networks in pursuit of its political and military intelligence-collection objectives aligned with China. The advanced persistent threat actor (APT)
Gootkit Loader Resurfaces with Updated Tactic to Compromise Targeted Computers

Gootkit Loader Resurfaces with Updated Tactic to Compromise Targeted Computers

Aug 01, 2022
The operators of the Gootkit access-as-a-service ( AaaS ) malware have resurfaced with updated techniques to compromise unsuspecting victims. "In the past, Gootkit used freeware installers to mask malicious files; now it uses legal documents to trick users into downloading these files," Trend Micro researchers Buddy Tancio and Jed Valderama  said  in a write-up last week. The findings build on a previous report from eSentire, which  disclosed  in January of widespread attacks aimed at employees of accounting and law firms to deploy malware on infected systems. Gootkit is part of the proliferating underground ecosystem of access brokers, who are known to provide other malicious actors a pathway into corporate networks for a price, paving the way for actual damaging attacks such as ransomware. The loader utilizes malicious search engine results, a technique called  SEO poisoning , to lure unsuspecting users into visiting compromised websites hosting malware-laced ZIP pac
New Variant of Russian Cyclops Blink Botnet Targeting ASUS Routers

New Variant of Russian Cyclops Blink Botnet Targeting ASUS Routers

Mar 18, 2022
ASUS routers have emerged as the target of a nascent botnet called Cyclops Blink , almost a month after it was revealed the malware abused WatchGuard firewall appliances as a stepping stone to gain remote access to breached networks. According to a  new report  published by Trend Micro, the botnet's "main purpose is to build an infrastructure for further attacks on high-value targets," given that none of the infected hosts "belong to critical organizations, or those that have an evident value on economic, political, or military espionage." Intelligence agencies from the U.K. and the U.S. have  characterized  Cyclops Blink as a replacement framework for  VPNFilter , another malware that has exploited network devices, primarily small office/home office (SOHO) routers, and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Both VPNFilter and Cyclops Blink have been attributed to a Russian state-sponsored actor tracked as Sandworm (aka Voodoo Bear), which has also been li
New CapraRAT Android Malware Targets Indian Government and Military Personnel

New CapraRAT Android Malware Targets Indian Government and Military Personnel

Feb 07, 2022
A politically motivated advanced persistent threat (APT) group has expanded its malware arsenal to include a new remote access trojan (RAT) in its espionage attacks aimed at Indian military and diplomatic entities. Called  CapraRAT  by Trend Micro, the implant is an Android RAT that exhibits a high "degree of crossover" with another Windows malware known as CrimsonRAT that's associated with Earth Karkaddan, a threat actor that's also tracked under the monikers APT36, Operation C-Major, PROJECTM, Mythic Leopard, and Transparent Tribe. The first concrete signs of APT36's existence  appeared  in  2016  as the group began distributing information-stealing malware through phishing emails with malicious PDF attachments targeting Indian military and government personnel. The group is believed to be of  Pakistani origin  and operational since at least 2013. The threat actor is also known to be consistent in its modus operandi, with the attacks predominantly banking o
Hackers Plan Christmas Data Attacks via Social Media Apps

Hackers Plan Christmas Data Attacks via Social Media Apps

Dec 24, 2010
Hackers are planning to increase data security attacks via applications on social networking websites this Christmas, according to an expert. Earlier this month, IT security firm Sophos traced the history of malware and viruses created over the Christmas period from 1987 until 2009. The blog post revealed that, although some were relatively harmless festive pranks, more cyberattacks over the holidays could have serious repercussions for computer users. Rik Ferguson, senior security analyst at Trend Micro, stated that hackers conduct such attacks annually. "Criminals absolutely do, every year without fail, conduct campaigns designed to take advantage of people's willingness to search for and click on links relating to Christmas activity, whether that's through phishing campaigns or sending social engineering emails masquerading as Christmas cards," he said. Mr. Ferguson added that apps on social networking sites had "come of age as an attack platform" and
Expert Insights / Articles Videos
Cybersecurity Resources