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AI increasingly used to deliver malware

Many organizations’ ongoing enthusiasm for incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) is leaving them open to sophisticated and carefully planned cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity company Mandiant, a Google subsidiary,  has issued an urgent warning for companies to be wary of downloading AI tools from unvetted websites.

macos users targeted by infostealer malware

MacOS users targeted by ‘infostealer’ malware

Apple computer users are suffering a growing number of ‘infostealer’ attacks across multiple regions and industries. These are a form of malicious software created to breach computer systems in order to steal sensitive information. The Palo Alto Networks Unit42 research group has detected a 101 percent increase in macOS infostealers in the last two quarters of 2024. The researchers identified three particularly prevalent macOS infostealers: Poseidon, Atomic, and Cthulhu. The developers of Atomic Stealer sell it as malware as a service (MaaS) in hacker forums and on Telegram. The Atomic Stealer operators usually distribute their malware via malvertising - the use of online advertising to spread malware. This typically involves injecting malicious or malware-laden advertisements into legitimate online advertising networks and webpages. It is capable of stealing notes and documents, browser data such as passwords, and cookies, cryptocurrency wallets, and instant messaging data. Atomic Stealer, also known as AMOS was first discovered in April 2023.

mobile cybercrime rose in the US

US is top target for mobile cybercrime

The US is the top target for cyber-attacks focusing on mobile devices and those connected by the Internet of Things (IoT) plus the operational technology (OT) systems than run facilities such as power plants. According to cybersecurity firm Zscaler’s ThreatLabz 2024 Mobile, IoT, and OT Threat Report, mobile remains a top threat vector, with 111% growth in spyware and 29% growth in banking malware. Technology (18 percent), education (18 percent) and manufacturing (14 percent) continue to be the sectors most targeted by mobile malware. The education sector saw the most dramatic rise in blocked transactions, with a 136 percent increase on the previous year.

TeaBot Malware

TeaBot banking malware infects 70k smartphones

TeaBot, a highly sophisticated type of malware, is increasingly infecting Android smartphones. Cybersecurity firm Zscaler’s ThreatLabz reported a sharp rise in malicious activity leveraging TeaBot this week. TeaBot, also known as “Anatsa,” is designed to impersonate seemingly harmless applications such as PDF and WR code readers. Once installed on an Android smartphone, it acts as a Trojan horse containing numerous financial scams. “[TeaBot] is a known Android banking malware that targets applications from over 650 financial institutions, primarily in Europe. We observed Anatsa actively targeting banking applications in the US and UK. However, recent observations indicate that threat actors have expanded their targets to include banking applications in Germany, Spain, Finland, South Korea, and Singapore,” explains Zscaler ThreatLabz.

Raspberry Robin attacks via Windows

Raspberry Robin, a tough-to-detect worm carrying malware and ransomware, is now being delivered via Windows Shortcut Files and Windows Script Files. Researchers at Hewlett Packard (HP) first began to identify the new trend in March of this year.  Previously, Raspberry Robin was delivered physically by inserting a weaponized USB stick into a targeted device. But now, this highly effective malware is being delivered via Windows Script Files (WSF), which are widely used by administrators and legitimate software to automate tasks within Windows. The WSF file format supports scripting languages, such as JScript and VBScript, that are interpreted by the Windows Script Host component built into the Windows operating system. It can, however, also be abused by attackers. The Windows Script Files are offered for download via various malicious domains and subdomains controlled by the attackers, which can be distributed via spam or fake online advertising campaigns. 

Stolen terrorist smartphones used for cyber attacks

Hamas hijacks dead hostages’ smartphones for cyber-strikes

Terrorist group Hamas, which was responsible for the recent atrocities committed in Israel, is reported to be using the smartphones of dead and captured Israeli hostages as entry points to monitor Israeli citizens in preparation for forthcoming cyber-strikes on Israel.

Malicious Bot Attacks

Beware of Death by a Billion Bots

US corporations lose an average of 4.3 percent of their online revenues to malicious ‘bots,’ malware designed to resemble human communications. Malware attacks of this nature accounts for an average annual loss of $86.5 million a year for corporations with average annual online revenues of $1.9 billion, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Netacea, “Death by a Billion Bots: The Accumulating Business Cost of Malicious Automation”.

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