Research Saturday

This week, we are joined by Tom Hegel, Principal Threat Researcher from SentinelLabs research team, to discuss their work on "Ghostwriter | New Campaign Targets Ukrainian Government and Belarusian Opposition." The latest Ghostwriter campaign, linked to Belarusian government espionage, is actively targeting Ukrainian military and government entities as well as Belarusian opposition activists using weaponized Excel documents.

SentinelLabs identified new malware variants and tactics, including obfuscated VBA macros that deploy malware via DLL files, with payload delivery seemingly controlled based on a target’s location and system profile. The campaign, which began preparation in mid-2024 and became active by late 2024, appears to be an evolution of previous Ghostwriter operations, combining disinformation with cyberattacks to further political and military objectives.

• Ghostwriter | New Campaign Targets Ukrainian Government and Belarusian Opposition

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Walter, Senior Threat Researcher on SentinelLabs research team, to discuss their work on "HellCat and Morpheus | Two Brands, One Payload as Ransomware Affiliates Drop Identical Code." Over the past six months, new ransomware groups like FunkSec, Nitrogen, and Termite have emerged, while established threats such as Cl0p and LockBit 4.0 have resurfaced. Two prominent Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operations, HellCat and Morpheus, have gained traction, with research indicating that affiliates of both are using nearly identical ransomware payloads.

Despite similarities in their encryption techniques and ransom notes, there is no conclusive evidence linking HellCat and Morpheus to the Underground Team, though shared tools or affiliates may be involved.

• HellCat and Morpheus | Two Brands, One Payload as Ransomware Affiliates Drop Identical Code

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are joined by Silas Cutler, Principal Security Researcher at Censys, asking the important question of "Will the Real Volt Typhoon Please Stand Up?" The FBI's disruption of the KV Botnet in December 2023, attributed to the Chinese threat group Volt Typhoon, targeted infected systems but did not affect the botnet's control infrastructure.

Despite law enforcement efforts and technical exposure, the botnet's infrastructure has remained largely stable, with only changes in hosting providers, raising questions about whether another party operates the botnet. Censys scanning data from 2024 shows a shift in the botnet's control servers, indicating a response to disruption attempts, while the botnet's operators have shown limited efforts to obscure their infrastructure.

• Will the Real Volt Typhoon Please Stand Up?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are joined by Phil Stokes, threat researcher at SentinelOne's SentinelLabs, discussing their work on "macOS FlexibleFerret | Further Variants of DPRK Malware Family Unearthed." Apple recently pushed an update to its XProtect tool, blocking several variants of the DPRK-linked Ferret malware family, which targets victims through the "Contagious Interview" campaign.

The malware uses fake job interview processes to trick users into installing malicious software, and new variants, including FlexibleFerret, remain undetected by XProtect. SentinelOne's research reveals a deeper investigation into this malware, which uses social engineering to expand its attack vectors, including targeting developers through platforms like GitHub.

• macOS FlexibleFerret | Further Variants of DPRK Malware Family Unearthed

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we are joined by Selena Larson from Proofpoint, and co-host of the "Only Malware in the Building" podcast, as she discusses the research on "Why Biasing Advanced Persistent Threats over Cybercrime is a Security Risk." The cybersecurity industry has historically prioritized Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) from nation-state actors over cybercrime, but this distinction is outdated as cybercriminals now employ equally sophisticated tactics.

Financially motivated threat actors, especially ransomware groups, have evolved to the point where they rival state-backed hackers in technical capability and impact, disrupting businesses, infrastructure, and individuals on a massive scale. To enhance security, defenders must shift focus from an APT-centric mindset to a broader approach that equally prioritizes combating cybercrime, which poses an immediate and tangible risk to global stability.

• Why Biasing Advanced Persistent Threats over Cybercrime is a Security Risk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nati Tal, Head of Guardio Labs, discussing their work on "“DeceptionAds” — Fake Captcha Driving Infostealer Infections and a Glimpse to the Dark Side of Internet Advertising." Guardio has uncovered a large-scale malvertising campaign dubbed “DeceptionAds,” which tricks users into running a malicious PowerShell command under the guise of proving they’re human. This fake CAPTCHA scheme delivers Lumma info-stealer malware while bypassing security measures like Google’s Safe Browsing.

Even after disclosure and takedown efforts, the campaign resurfaced—raising concerns about the effectiveness of existing defenses against ad-driven cyber threats.

• “DeceptionAds” — Fake Captcha Driving Infostealer Infections and a Glimpse to the Dark Side of Internet Advertising

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Manglicmot, SVP of Security Services from Arctic Wolf, is sharing their research on "Cleopatra’s Shadow: A Mass Exploitation Campaign Deploying a Java Backdoor Through Zero-Day Exploitation of Cleo MFT Software." Arctic Wolf Labs discovered an ongoing exploitation campaign targeting Cleo Managed File Transfer (MFT) products, beginning on December 7, 2024. Threat actors used a malicious PowerShell stager to deploy a Java-based backdoor, dubbed Cleopatra, which features in-memory file storage and cross-platform compatibility across Windows and Linux.

Despite Cleo's previous patch for CVE-2024-50623, attackers appear to have leveraged an alternative access method, exploiting the software's autorun feature to execute payloads and establish persistent access.

• Cleopatra’s Shadow: A Mass Exploitation Campaign Deploying a Java Backdoor Through Zero-Day Exploitation of Cleo MFT Software

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Dave Bittner is joined by Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (JAGS) from SentinelOne's SentinelLabs to discuss the work his team and Tinexta Cyber did on "Operation Digital Eye | Chinese APT Compromises Critical Digital Infrastructure via Visual Studio Code Tunnels."

Tinexta Cyber and SentinelLabs have been tracking threat activities targeting business-to-business IT service providers in Southern Europe. Based on the malware, infrastructure, techniques used, victimology, and the timing of the activities, we assess that it is highly likely these attacks were conducted by a China-nexus threat actor with cyberespionage motivations.

The relationships between European countries and China are complex, characterized by cooperation, competition, and underlying tensions in areas such as trade, investment, and technology. Suspected China-linked cyberespionage groups frequently target public and private organizations across Europe to gather strategic intelligence, gain competitive advantages, and advance geopolitical, economic, and technological interests.

• Operation Digital Eye | Chinese APT Compromises Critical Digital Infrastructure via Visual Studio Code Tunnels

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we are joined by Ismael Valenzuela, VP of Threat Research & Intelligence, and Jacob Faires, Principal Threat Researcher, from Blackberry discussing the team's work on "LightSpy: APT41 Deploys Advanced DeepData Framework In Targeted Southern Asia Espionage Campaign." In April 2024, BlackBerry uncovered a significant evolution of the LightSpy malware campaign, attributed to Chinese cyber-espionage group APT41.

The newly introduced DeepData framework, a modular Windows-based surveillance tool, expands data theft capabilities with 12 specialized plugins for tasks like communication surveillance, credential theft, and system intelligence gathering. The campaign targets a wide range of communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal, and WeChat, with advanced techniques for monitoring and stealing sensitive information from victims across the Asia-Pacific region.

The research can be found here:

• LightSpy: APT41 Deploys Advanced DeepData Framework In Targeted Southern Asia Espionage Campaign

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nati Tal, Head of Guardio Labs, sits down to share their work on “CrossBarking” — Exploiting a 0-Day Opera Vulnerability with a Cross-Browser Extension Store Attack. Guardio Labs has uncovered a critical vulnerability in the Opera browser, enabling malicious extensions to exploit Private APIs for actions like screen capturing, browser setting changes, and account hijacking.

Highlighting the ease of bypassing extension store security, researchers demonstrated how a puppy-themed extension exploiting this flaw could infiltrate both Chrome and Opera's extension stores, potentially reaching millions of users. This case underscores the delicate balance between enhancing browser productivity and ensuring robust security measures, revealing the alarming tactics modern threat actors employ to exploit trusted platforms.

The research can be found here:

• “CrossBarking” — Exploiting a 0-Day Opera Vulnerability with a Cross-Browser Extension Store Attack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices