All news with #active exploitation tag

Russian ColdRiver Hackers Use Fake CAPTCHA to Deploy Malware

⚠️ Google Cloud’s Threat Intelligence Group attributes a new campaign to Russian state-linked ColdRiver actors who are using fake “I am not a robot” CAPTCHA pages to deliver espionage malware, including NOROBOT, YESROBOT, and MAYBEROBOT. The attackers use a ClickFix social-engineering chain and multi-stage, encrypted payloads with split cryptographic keys to evade detection and rebuild tooling rapidly after exposure. Organizations are urged to emphasize behavioral monitoring, EDR/NDR telemetry, and simulated interactive-phishing tests to detect these user-assisted intrusions.

PassiveNeuron APT Uses Neursite and NeuralExecutor

🧠 Kaspersky researchers have identified a sophisticated cyber-espionage campaign dubbed PassiveNeuron that has targeted government, financial, and industrial organizations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America since late 2024. The operation uses bespoke implants—Neursite (a C++ modular backdoor) and NeuralExecutor (a .NET loader)—alongside Cobalt Strike, leveraging compromised internal servers as intermediate C2s and a plugin architecture to maintain persistence and adapt tooling. Victims include internet-exposed servers; attackers have used SQL-based remote command execution, attempted ASPX web shells, deployed DLL loaders into the System32 directory, and in 2025 adopted a GitHub-based dead-drop resolver to retrieve C2 addresses.

CISA Confirms Exploitation of Oracle E-Business SSRF Flaw

🔒 CISA has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2025-61884, an unauthenticated SSRF in the Oracle Configurator runtime, and added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Federal agencies are required to patch the issue by November 10, 2025. Oracle released a fix on October 11 rated 7.5 and BleepingComputer says the update blocks a leaked exploit tied to ShinyHunters and related extortion activity.

Russian Star Blizzard shifts to 'Robot' malware families

🔐 The Russian state-backed Star Blizzard group (aka ColdRiver/UNC4057) has shifted to modular, evolving malware families — NOROBOT, YESROBOT, and MAYBEROBOT — delivered through deceptive ClickFix pages that coerce victims into executing a fake "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA. NOROBOT is a malicious DLL executed via rundll32 that establishes persistence through registry changes and scheduled tasks, stages components (including a Windows Python 3.8 install), and, after iteration, primarily delivers a PowerShell backdoor. Google Threat Intelligence Group and Zscaler observed the transition from May through September and reported that ColdRiver abandoned the previously exposed LostKeys tooling shortly after disclosure. GTIG has published IoCs and YARA rules to help defenders detect these campaigns.

UK Contractor Breach Exposes Sensitive RAF and Navy Sites

🔒 A ransomware attack on contractor Dodd Group reportedly allowed Russian-linked attackers to exfiltrate hundreds of sensitive Ministry of Defence documents, including details on RAF Lakenheath, RAF Portreath and RAF Predannack. The company confirmed an incident and said it contained access, while the MoD suspects the Lynx group is behind the intrusion. Leaked files published on the dark web allegedly include site plans and personnel data, and the case is now under investigation amid a wider rise in UK cyber incidents.

John Bolton Charged Over Classified Emails Leak After Hack

🔒Former national security adviser John Bolton has been charged with mishandling classified information after prosecutors say he retained and transmitted sensitive documents via a personal AOL account that was later accessed by suspected Iranian hackers. The intruders allegedly downloaded the materials and sent extortion messages to Bolton. The case highlights questions about password strength, the use of two-step verification, and the risks of sending unencrypted, sensitive information to family members. Bolton has pleaded not guilty.

Coldriver Deploys New 'NoRobot' Malware Suite, 2025

🛡️ Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has observed the Russian-linked Coldriver group deploying a new, staged malware ecosystem tracked as NoRobot, YesRobot and MaybeRobot. GTIG's October 20, 2025 report shows the campaign replaces the previously disclosed LostKeys strain and begins with a 'ClickFix-style' ColdCopy phishing lure that tricks victims into running a malicious DLL via rundll32.exe. NoRobot functions as a downloader using split-key cryptography and staged payloads; operators briefly used a Python-based backdoor (YesRobot) before switching to a more flexible PowerShell backdoor (MaybeRobot) to reduce detection.

Reducing Abuse of Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Direct Send

🛡️ Cisco Talos warns that Microsoft 365 Exchange Online’s Direct Send feature, intended for legacy devices and line‑of‑business appliances, is being abused to bypass standard authentication and content inspection. Attackers are leveraging these unauthenticated SMTP flows in phishing and BEC campaigns by impersonating internal users and embedding obfuscated lures such as QR codes and empty‑body messages. Talos recommends a phased approach — inventorying dependencies, migrating devices to authenticated SMTP or partner connectors, and validating mailflows before enabling RejectDirectSend — to reduce risk without disrupting critical workflows.

Snappybee, Citrix Flaw Used to Breach European Telecom

🔒 A European telecommunications organization was targeted in the first week of July 2025, according to Darktrace, with a threat actor linked to the China-associated group Salt Typhoon gaining initial access via a vulnerable Citrix NetScaler Gateway. The intruders pivoted to Citrix VDA hosts in an MCS subnet and used SoftEther VPN to mask their origin. They deployed Snappybee (aka Deed RAT) via DLL side-loading alongside legitimate antivirus executables; the backdoor called home to aar.gandhibludtric[.]com. Darktrace says the activity was detected and remediated before significant escalation.

CISA Adds Five Exploited Bugs Including Oracle EBS SSRF

⚠️ CISA added five vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, confirming CVE-2025-61884 — an SSRF in the Runtime component of Oracle E-Business Suite — is being weaponized in the wild. The agency warns CVE-2025-61884 is remotely exploitable without authentication and follows active exploitation of CVE-2025-61882, a critical RCE bug. The KEV update also includes high-severity issues in Microsoft Windows SMB Client, Kentico Xperience CMS, and Apple JavaScriptCore, and FCEB agencies must remediate them by November 10, 2025.

CISA: Windows SMB Privilege Escalation Actively Exploited

🔒 CISA warns that threat actors are actively exploiting a high-severity Windows SMB vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-33073, which can allow elevation to SYSTEM on unpatched machines. Microsoft patched the flaw in its June 2025 Patch Tuesday release, citing an improper access control weakness that can be abused over a network. The bug affects Windows Server, Windows 10 and Windows 11 up to 24H2. Federal agencies must remediate within three weeks under BOD 22-01, and all organizations are urged to apply the update immediately.

GlassWorm Worm Infects OpenVSX and VS Code Extensions

🛡️ A sophisticated supply-chain campaign called GlassWorm is propagating through OpenVSX and Microsoft VS Code extensions and is estimated to have about 35,800 active installs. The malware conceals malicious scripts using invisible Unicode characters, then steals developer credentials and cryptocurrency wallet data while deploying SOCKS proxies and hidden VNC clients for covert access. Operators rely on the Solana blockchain for resilient C2, with Google Calendar and direct-IP fallbacks.

New Russian COLDRIVER Malware: NOROBOT and ROBOTs Variants

🤖 Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) attributes a rapid malware retooling to the Russia-aligned COLDRIVER group after the May 2025 LOSTKEYS disclosure. The campaign uses a COLDCOPY “ClickFix” lure that coerces users to run a malicious DLL via rundll32; the DLL family is tracked as NOROBOT. Early NOROBOT variants fetched a noisy Python backdoor named YESROBOT, which was quickly replaced by a lighter, extensible PowerShell backdoor called MAYBEROBOT. GTIG published IOCs, YARA rules, and protective measures including Safe Browsing coverage and targeted alerts.

Salt Typhoon Exploits Citrix NetScaler in Global Attacks

🔒In a global intrusion tracked by Darktrace, the China-linked group Salt Typhoon exploited a Citrix NetScaler Gateway vulnerability to gain access and maintain persistence. Attackers employed DLL sideloading to deploy the SNAPPYBEE (Deed RAT) backdoor alongside legitimate antivirus executables, then moved laterally to Citrix Virtual Delivery Agent hosts while obscuring origin via SoftEther VPN infrastructure. C2 channels used HTTP (with Internet Explorer user-agent headers and URIs like "/17ABE7F017ABE7F0") and unidentified TCP protocols; the domain aar.gandhibludtric[.]com has prior links to the group. Darktrace emphasised the need for anomaly-based behavioural detection to surface such stealthy activity early.

CISA Adds Five CVEs to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

🚨 CISA added five vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog based on evidence of active exploitation: CVE-2022-48503 (Apple), CVE-2025-2746 and CVE-2025-2747 (Kentico Xperience Staging Sync Server), CVE-2025-33073 (Microsoft Windows SMB Client), and CVE-2025-61884 (Oracle E-Business Suite SSRF). These flaws include authentication bypasses, improper access control, and SSRF, which are frequent attack vectors and pose significant risks. Under BOD 22-01, Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies must remediate identified KEV items by the required due dates; CISA strongly urges all organizations to prioritize timely remediation as part of their vulnerability management practice.

China Accuses U.S. of Attacking National Time Authority

🔍 China’s Ministry of State Security has accused the U.S. National Security Agency of conducting cyber intrusions against the National Time Service Center in Xi'an, alleging activity beginning in March 2022. The statement says the campaign initially exploited vulnerabilities in employees’ mobile phones and later affected center computers. Beijing warned that the center’s role in providing official time underpins communications, finance and power systems, and that interference could cause major disruptions. U.S. officials did not immediately respond to the allegation.

Legacy Flaws in Network Edge Devices Threaten Orgs Today

🔒 Enterprises' network edge devices — firewalls, VPNs, routers, and email gateways — are increasingly being exploited due to longstanding 1990s‑era flaws such as buffer overflows, command and SQL injections. Researchers tracked dozens of zero‑day exploits in 2024 and continuing into 2025 that affected vendors including Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, Ivanti, and others. These appliances are attractive targets because they are remotely accessible, often lack endpoint protections and centralized logging, and hold privileged credentials, making them common initial access vectors for state‑affiliated actors and ransomware groups.

SharePoint Flaws Led to Breach at Kansas City Nuclear Plant

🔒 A foreign threat actor exploited unpatched Microsoft SharePoint vulnerabilities to infiltrate the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), which produces most non‑nuclear components for U.S. nuclear weapons. Honeywell FM&T, which manages the site for the NNSA, and the Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment. Federal responders, including the NSA, were onsite in early August after Microsoft issued fixes on July 19. Attribution remains disputed between Chinese-linked groups and possible Russian actors; there is no public evidence that classified information was taken.

China Accuses NSA of Multi-Stage Attack on NTSC Systems

🕒 The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) has accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of a "premeditated" multi-stage cyber intrusion targeting the National Time Service Center (NTSC), which manages Beijing Time. The MSS says the campaign began with SMS-based compromises of staff devices in March 2022 and escalated through credential reuse and a deployed "cyber warfare platform" between August 2023 and June 2024. According to the statement, the platform employed 42 specialized tools, forged digital certificates, and high-strength encryption while routing traffic through VPSes across the U.S., Europe, and Asia; Chinese agencies say they detected, neutralized the activity, and reinforced defenses.

North Korean Hackers Use EtherHiding to Steal Crypto

⚠️ Google Threat Intelligence Group has linked a North Korean threat actor to EtherHiding, a technique that embeds malicious JavaScript inside smart contracts so the blockchain functions as a resilient command-and-control server. Tracked as UNC5342, the actor used EtherHiding within an elaborate social-engineering campaign to deliver JADESNOW and a JavaScript variant of INVISIBLEFERRET, leading to multiple cryptocurrency heists. The campaign targets developers via fake recruiters and deceptive coding tests on Telegram and Discord.