Daily Brief

A Linux backdoor named GTPDOOR has been discovered targeting mobile operator networks. GTPDOOR is believed to be associated with the threat group LightBasin (UNC1945), known for infiltrating telecommunications systems. The malware infiltrates systems critical to mobile communications like SGSN, GGSN, and P-GW, potentially accessing a telecom’s core network. Using the GPRS Tunnelling Protocol Control Plane, GTPDOOR camouflages its communications to avoid detection. It listens for specific "magic packets" to activate and perform operations, maintaining stealth through encrypted and authenticated packets. Antivirus engines struggle to detect GTPDOOR, as it targets outdated Linux versions and can masquerade its process name. Detection strategies include monitoring for abnormal socket activities and process names, with proposed defenses such as GTP firewalls and GSMA security guidelines.

BleepingComputer has uncovered a content farm operating over 60 websites that impersonate renowned media outlets such as the BBC, CNBC, and The Guardian. These fraudulent news websites, traced back to an operator in India, plagiarize content from legitimate sources without permission to boost their SEO and sell advertising. The fake news websites offer advertorial slots for press releases and product reviews, with prices ranging from $50 to $1000, potentially duping marketers seeking publicity. The syndicate of fake news sites may also be enrolled as a Google News publisher and maintains a social media presence to appear credible. BleepingComputer's ongoing investigation has revealed that while the current goal seems to be SEO optimization and ad sales; there's potential for the operation to spread disinformation in the future. The operation behind these websites is linked to promoting online gambling and betting activities and has been associated with jackpotbetonline.com, based in India. The content farm abuses trademarked media names which raises legal concerns, and the legitimacy of marketed products or services on these sites is questionable.

Hackers are using a new phishing kit named CryptoChameleon to target employees of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and users of cryptocurrency platforms (e.g., Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini). Attackers are employing a sophisticated social engineering strategy involving emails, SMS, and voice calls that mimic legitimate customer support, prompting victims to input sensitive information on fake SSO pages. The phishing campaign includes realistic replicas of Okta login screens and can adapt to request additional authentication, such as MFA codes, in real-time. Leveraging CAPTCHA challenges, the scam adds credibility to the phishing process and screens out non-human traffic. Victims are often redirected to the actual sign-in page or a decoy page claiming an account review to lower suspicion and provide attackers with more time to exploit the stolen data. Lookout's research revealed over 100 successful phishing victims, with many fake sites remaining active and continuing to harvest credentials hourly. Hosting for phishing pages transitioned from Hostwinds and Hostinger to Russia-based RetnNet, likely for prolonged operational capabilities for the scam sites. The identity of the threat actors remains unknown, as it's unclear whether CryptoChameleon is operated by a single group or shared among several cybercriminal entities.

Microsoft patched a serious Windows Kernel bug in February that was exploited as a zero-day since August 2023. The flaw, identified as CVE-2024-21338, affects Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server versions since 2019. North Korean Lazarus hackers used the vulnerability to disable security tools and conduct stealth operations at the kernel level. The exploitation of the bug allows attackers to disrupt security software, hide malware indicators, and manipulate protected processes. Avast researchers linked the flaw to enhanced capabilities of the FudModule rootkit and a new remote access trojan used by Lazarus. Avast will share detailed insights into the attacks at BlackHat Asia in April. Users are urged to apply the latest security updates to protect against these sophisticated attacks by the Lazarus group.

A U.S. federal court has ruled that NSO Group must provide Meta with the source code for Pegasus spyware as part of ongoing litigation. The lawsuit, initiated by Meta in October 2019, accuses NSO Group of exploiting WhatsApp to install Pegasus on roughly 1,400 mobile devices, including those of Indian activists and journalists. NSO Group exploited a critical zero-day vulnerability in WhatsApp for the distribution of the spyware, which did not require call answer to infect the device. Though NSO Group must release details on the spyware, it is not required to disclose its server architecture or the identities of its clients. Amnesty International expressed disappointment that the clientele of NSO Group remains confidential, despite the firm facing U.S. sanctions for supplying cyber tools used in malicious operations against various individuals and entities. The order comes alongside revelations that the Intellexa Alliance's Predator mobile spyware is part of a new, complex delivery infrastructure involving multiple countries, highlighting ongoing concerns around mercenary spyware and its global implications.

The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment against Iranian national Alireza Shafie Nasab for conducting a cyber campaign against U.S. entities. Nasab is accused of targeting over a dozen U.S. organizations, including government departments, defense contractors, and private firms since at least 2016. He purportedly used spear-phishing and custom applications to breach systems, deploy malware, and exfiltrate sensitive data. Techniques included impersonating individuals to gain the victim's confidence and leveraging compromised accounts to conduct further spear-phishing attacks. Nasab faces charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, with a potential sentence of up to 47 years in prison. Despite Nasab's current fugitive status, the U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his identification or location. The indictment links Nasab's activities to Mahak Rayan Afraz, a company with connections to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and involved in previous social engineering campaigns.

Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman, is expected to enter a guilty plea for leaking classified Pentagon documents. Teixeira shared top-secret files through Discord, which were then disseminated on social media. The leaked content suggests an obsession with mass shootings and conspiracy theories, and a possible attempt to impress online gamers. A US Air Force report implicated Teixeira as the sole individual responsible for the leak, but also pointed to oversight failures in his chain of command. Despite previously pleading not guilty, Teixeira has requested a court proceeding to change his plea; the specific charges he will plead guilty to are currently undisclosed. Teixeira's pre-trial arguments for release, drawing a comparison to former President Donald Trump's bail situation, were denied by a judge. The leaked documents contained sensitive information about geopolitical issues, including America's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and espionage developments in China. Following the incident, 15 Air National Guard leaders were disciplined, and the US Air Force has taken measures to strengthen classified data access protocols.

NSO Group, an Israeli company known for its Pegasus surveillance software, has been ordered by a U.S. federal judge to disclose the source code to Meta's WhatsApp, amidst allegations of unauthorized spying on 1,400 users. The court order, stemming from a 2019 lawsuit by WhatsApp, demands NSO Group to provide the source code of Pegasus and other relevant spyware created between April 29, 2018, and May 10, 2020. NSO Group has been accused of leveraging a vulnerability in WhatsApp's VoIP stack to allow remote access to victims' conversations and sensitive information. The legal setback allows NSO to keep its client list and server architecture details confidential. NSO Group declined to comment on the ruling. NSO Group, previously restructured in 2022, faces additional legal challenges from Apple and the Knight First Amendment Institute, with their immunity claims and attempts to dismiss lawsuits being rejected in U.S. courts. The U.S. has sanctioned NSO Group and similar spyware vendors, while the White House has issued an executive order limiting government use of such software, with certain exemptions. Amnesty International declares Pegasus spyware has been used against human rights defenders and journalists worldwide, implicating it in serious abuses, including the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

German authorities took down Crimemarket, the largest German-speaking cybercrime platform, arresting six individuals including one of its main operators. The platform, with over 180,000 users, facilitated the trade of illegal drugs, narcotics, and offered cybercrime services and criminal tutorials. The shutdown is the result of extensive investigations, with evidence gathered through a coordinated operation involving numerous searches. In North Rhine-Westphalia, where the main suspect was arrested, police seized 1 kilogram of marijuana, ecstasy tablets, and nearly 600,000 euros in cash and assets. Police have emphasized that the ongoing investigation targets not only the operators but also the users of the Crimemarket platform. User reports indicated prior accessibility issues on the site, which were later confirmed to be due to law enforcement actions rather than technical problems. The home page of Crimemarket remains online displaying a seizure notice, indicating long-term police monitoring and data confiscation as part of a Europe-wide operation.

Ransomware attacks have severely impacted healthcare institutions in recent months, with Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, facing a significant attack linked to the BlackCat ransomware operation. The attack on Change Healthcare has disrupted billing services for pharmacies and patients, potentially affecting access to medications, with some patients being forced to pay high out-of-pocket costs. BlackCat claims to have stolen 6TB of data from Change Healthcare, putting millions of individuals' personal information at risk. A joint advisory from the FBI, CISA, and HHS warns of BlackCat's targeted attacks on U.S. hospitals, reflecting the seriousness of the threat. Rhysida ransomware operation is attempting to monetize stolen patient data from Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, demanding $3.6 million. Despite LockBit ransomware being hit by a police operation and returning with a reduced capacity and new infrastructure, it could potentially shut down after losing trust and tarnishing its reputation in the cybercrime community. Other ransomware activities include claims by an extortion group claiming to breach Epic Games without evidence of such an attack and multiple ransomware gangs exploiting ScreenConnect RCE vulnerability.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) instructs U.S. agencies to secure Windows systems against a critical Microsoft Streaming Service vulnerability actively exploited by malware. CVE-2023-29360, a significant bug due to an untrusted pointer dereference, allows attackers with local access to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level without user interaction. Security expert Thomas Imbert discovered the vulnerability, which was patched in June 2023, but a proof-of-concept exploit appeared on GitHub by September. CISA confirms no ransomware links but emphasizes the risk to the federal enterprise, adding the bug to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Federal agencies directed to patch the issue by March 21, following the Binding Operational Directive (BOD 22-01), while the private sector is also urged to prioritize the fix. Check Point reveals the Raspberry Robin malware has been exploiting the vulnerability since August 2023, showcasing the quick adoption of the exploit by cybercriminal groups. Raspberry Robin, identified as a worm spreading through USB drives, is associated with cybercriminal factions and has been found on networks across various industries since its 2021 emergence.

The US Department of Justice has indicted Iranian national Alireza Shafie Nasab for leading cyberattacks against US defense contractors and government agencies since 2016. Nasab's operations, under the guise of a cybersecurity company, compromised over 200,000 accounts containing sensitive or classified defense information. Targets included defense contractors with Department of Defense clearance, US State and Treasury Departments, an accounting firm, a hospitality company, and entities of a foreign government. Tactics used by Nasab and his co-conspirators involved spear-phishing, social engineering, in-house software tools, and impersonating female personas to gain victim trust. The DoJ alleges successful account compromises, including an administrator email at a defense contractor, which facilitated further attacks against another contractor and a consulting firm. A parallel legal development cites Russian citizen Maxim Marchenko's guilty plea for smuggling OLED displays for potential military use into Russia, facing a 30-year prison sentence. Facebook previously identified connections between Nasab's firm and the Iranian cybercriminal group "Tortoiseshell," which outsourced malware development with potential ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Nasab remains at large, and a $10 million bounty is offered for information leading to his identification or location, accentuating the US government's drive to counter cross-border cybercriminal activities.

The Düsseldorf Police in Germany have successfully dismantled Crimemarket, the major German-language cybercrime platform, resulting in the arrest of six individuals. The platform was known for trading illegal drugs, narcotics, and cybercrime services, and it also offered tutorials for committing various forms of criminal activity. The police action was the culmination of extensive investigative work, supported by 102 search warrants executed throughout the country in a coordinated operation. The focus of the operation was in North Rhine-Westphalia, where significant evidence, including IT devices and narcotics, was seized alongside almost 600,000 euros in cash and assets. Law enforcement is not only targeting the operators of Crimemarket but also its users, indicating a wider scope to the ongoing investigations. The Crimemarket platform had experienced connectivity issues prior to the police announcement, which had been rumored to be connected to the ChipMixer bust and was confirmed to be due to law enforcement action. Although the homepage is still accessible, other pages display a police seizure notice, and it's been suggested that law enforcement allowed the platform's operation to continue briefly to collect further incriminating evidence.

The quantum computing era presents new challenges to cybersecurity defenses, necessitating quantum-safe encryption measures. Arqit specializes in providing advanced encryption technology that addresses quantum threats, complementing Juniper's SRX Firewall for enhanced VPN security. A webinar on 'Quantum-safe network security for 21st century threats' is scheduled for March 7, featuring key speakers from Arqit and Juniper Networks. The discussion will center around understanding quantum-safe encryption and its role in protecting organizations against both current and future cyber threats. The webinar aims to guide attendees through the landscape of available cybersecurity solutions and the importance of regulatory compliance. Industry experts will address potential internal resistance to adopting new technologies and will share insights on efficient implementation. Strategies for engaging customers in conversations about cybersecurity and the commercial aspects of solutions like Arqit's NetworkSecure Solution will also be discussed. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for the webinar, with reminders sent out to registered participants.

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted Alireza Shafie Nasab, an Iranian national, for hacking U.S. government and defense entities. Nasab is accused of spearheading a cyber-espionage campaign from 2016 to 2021, compromising over 200,000 computers. Targets included the Departments of the Treasury and State, defense contractors, and accounting and hospitality firms in New York. Working for Iranian IT company Mahak Rayan Afraz, Nasab allegedly utilized phishing attacks and malware to infiltrate sensitive systems. Social engineering techniques, such as impersonating women, were used to deceive victims into installing malicious software. Charges against Nasab include conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud, carrying potential prison sentences of 5 to 20 years, plus mandatory two years for identity theft. The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program is offering up to $10 million for information leading to Nasab’s location.