LODEINFO Fileless Malware Evolves with Anti-Analysis and Remote Code Tricks
Jan 25, 2024
Fileless Malware / Endpoint Security
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered an updated version of a backdoor called LODEINFO that's distributed via spear-phishing attacks. The findings come from Japanese company ITOCHU Cyber & Intelligence, which said the malware "has been updated with new features, as well as changes to the anti-analysis (analysis avoidance) techniques." LODEINFO (versions 0.6.6 and 0.6.7) was first documented by Kaspersky in November 2022, detailing its capabilities to execute arbitrary shellcode, take screenshots, and exfiltrate files back to an actor-controlled server. A month later, ESET disclosed attacks targeting Japanese political establishments that led to the deployment of LODEINFO. The backdoor is the work of a Chinese nation-state actor known as Stone Panda (aka APT10, Bronze Riverside, Cicada, Earth Tengshe, MirrorFace, and Potassium), which has a history of orchestrating attacks targeting Japan since 2021. Attack chains commence with phishing emails bearing