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An unknown Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has been linked to a novel piece of malware aimed at Linux servers. French cybersecurity firm ExaTrack, which found three samples of the previously documented malicious software that date back to early 2022, dubbed it  Mélofée . The newest of the three artifacts is designed to drop a kernel-mode rootkit that's based on an open source project referred to as  Reptile . "According to the vermagic metadata, it is compiled for a kernel version 5.10.112-108.499.amzn2.x86_64," the company  said  in a report. "The rootkit has a limited set of features, mainly installing a hook designed for hiding itself." Both the implant and the rootkit are said to be deployed using shell commands that download an installer and a custom binary package from a remote server. The installer takes the binary package as an argument and then extracts the rootkit as well as a server implant module that's currently under active develop...

However, manual lab setup and configuration can prove to be a laborious and time-consuming process. In this article, we'll look at 4 ways to create a reverse engineering lab, discuss how to save time, and, potentially, improve the detection rate using a  sandbox-as-a-service , and a recommended list of tools for a comprehensive setup. What is a malware analysis lab? In essence, a malware analysis lab provides a safe, isolated space for examining malware. The setup can range from a straightforward virtual machine using VirtualBox to a more intricate network of interconnected machines and actual networking hardware. But in this article, we'll look at building a lab tailored for static analysis, so what we will need is a secure environment where we can run disassemblers, edit binary files and debug. There are a couple of ways we can go about creating it: 1 — Virtualization Perhaps the simplest way to create a secure and isolated environment is by using a virtual machine....

The emergence of smart mobility services and applications has led to a sharp increase in the use of APIs in the automotive industry. However, this increased reliance on APIs has also made them one of the most common attack vectors. According to Gartner, APIs account for 90% of the web application attack surface areas.  With no surprise, similar trends are emerging also in the smart mobility space. A recent  Automotive and Smart Mobility Cybersecurity Report  by Upstream Security indicates that the automotive and smart mobility ecosystem has seen a 380% increase in API-based incidents in 2022, compared to 2021. Additionally, APIs accounted for 12% of total cyber incidents in 2022, up from only 2% in 2021.  When examining smart mobility applications and services, Upstream's threat intelligence team reported that black-hat actors were found to be behind 53% of incidents, indicating malicious intent as the driving force of the majority of API-related attacks. The imp...

I had the honor of hosting the first episode of the Xposure Podcast live from Xposure Summit 2025. And I couldn't have asked for a better kickoff panel: three cybersecurity leaders who don't just talk security, they live it. Let me introduce them. Alex Delay , CISO at IDB Bank, knows what it means to defend a highly regulated environment. Ben Mead , Director of Cybersecurity at Avidity Biosciences, brings a forward-thinking security perspective that reflects the innovation behind Avidity's targeted RNA therapeutics. Last but not least, Michael Francess , Director of Cybersecurity Advanced Threat at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, leads the charge in protecting the franchise. Each brought a unique vantage point to a common challenge: applying Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) to complex production environments. Gartner made waves in 2023 with a bold prediction: organizations that prioritize CTEM will be three times less likely to be breached by 2026. But here's the kicker -...

Trojanized installers for the TOR anonymity browser are being used to target users in Russia and Eastern Europe with  clipper malware  designed to siphon cryptocurrencies since September 2022. "Clipboard injectors [...] can be silent for years, show no network activity or any other signs of presence until the disastrous day when they replace a crypto wallet address," Vitaly Kamluk, director of global research and analysis team (GReAT) for APAC at Kaspersky,  said . Another notable aspect of clipper malware is that its nefarious functions are not triggered unless the clipboard data meets a specific criteria, making it more evasive. It's not immediately clear how the installers are distributed, but evidence points to the use of torrent downloads or some unknown third-party source since the Tor Project's website has been  subjected  to  blockades  in  Russia  in recent years. Regardless of the method used, the installer launches the legiti...

A new North Korean nation-state cyber operator has been attributed to a series of campaigns orchestrated to gather strategic intelligence that aligns with Pyongyang's geopolitical interests since 2018. Google-owned Mandiant, which is tracking the activity cluster under the moniker  APT43 , said the group's motives are both espionage- and financially-motivated, leveraging techniques like  credential harvesting  and social engineering to further its objectives. The monetary angle to its attack campaigns is an attempt on the part of the threat actor to generate funds to meet its "primary mission of collecting strategic intelligence." Victimology patterns suggest that targeting is focused on South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Europe, spanning government, education, research, policy institutes, business services, and manufacturing sectors. The threat actor was also observed straying off course by striking health-related verticals and pharma companies from October 2020 ...

Microsoft on Tuesday  unveiled   Security Copilot  in limited preview, marking its continued quest to embed AI-oriented features in an attempt to offer "end-to-end defense at machine speed and scale." Powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 generative AI and its own security-specific model, it's billed as a  security analysis tool  that enables cybersecurity analysts to quickly respond to threats, process signals, and assess risk exposure. To that end, it collates insights and data from various products like Microsoft Sentinel, Defender, and Intune to help security teams better understand their environment; determine if they are susceptible to known vulnerabilities and exploits; identify ongoing attacks, their scale, and receive remediation instructions; and summarize incidents. Users, for instance, can ask Security Copilot about suspicious user logins over a specific time period, or even employ it to create a PowerPoint presentation outlining an incident and its attack ...

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...

Multiple threat actors have been observed using two new variants of the  IcedID malware  in the wild with more limited functionality that removes functionality related to online banking fraud. IcedID, also known as BokBot, started off as a banking trojan in 2017. It's also capable of delivering additional malware, including ransomware. "The well-known IcedID version consists of an initial loader which contacts a Loader [command-and-control] server, downloads the standard DLL Loader, which then delivers the standard IcedID Bot," Proofpoint  said  in a new report published Monday. One of the new versions is a Lite variant that was  previously highlighted  as being dropped as a follow-on payload by the  Emotet malware  in November 2022. Also newly observed in February 2023 is a Forked variant of IcedID. Both these variants are designed to drop what's called a Forked version of IcedID Bot that leaves out the web injects and backconnect functiona...

Malicious actors are constantly adapting their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to adapt to political, technological, and regulatory changes quickly. A few emerging threats that organizations of all sizes should be aware of include the following: Increased use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning : Malicious actors are increasingly leveraging AI and machine learning to automate their attacks, allowing them to scale their operations faster than ever before. The exploitation of cloud-based technologies:  Cloud-based services are increasingly being targeted by malicious actors due to the lack of visibility and control over these platforms. Increased use of ransomware:  Ransomware is becoming a more popular method of attack, allowing malicious actors to monetize their operations quickly. According to  CompTIA , ransomware attacks grew by 41% in 2022, while identification and remediation for a breach took 49 days longer than average. Phishing attacks...