Aug 02, 2024Ravie LakshmananCyber Espionage / Malware A Taiwanese government-affiliated research institute that specializes in computing and associated technologies was breached by nation-state threat actors with ties to China, according to new findings from Cisco Talos. The unnamed organization was targeted as early as mid-July 2023 to deliver a variety of backdoors and … [Read more...] about APT41 Hackers Use ShadowPad, Cobalt Strike in Taiwanese Institute Cyber Attack
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Chinese Hackers Target Semiconductor Firms in East Asia with Cobalt Strike
Oct 06, 2023NewsroomCyber Attack / Malware Threat actors have been observed targeting semiconductor companies in East Asia with lures masquerading as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) that are designed to deliver Cobalt Strike beacons. The intrusion set, per EclecticIQ, leverages a backdoor called HyperBro, which is then used as a conduit to deploy the … [Read more...] about Chinese Hackers Target Semiconductor Firms in East Asia with Cobalt Strike
Hackers Using Golang Variant of Cobalt Strike to Target Apple macOS Systems
May 16, 2023Ravie LakshmananEndpoint Security / Cyber Threat A Golang implementation of Cobalt Strike called Geacon is likely to garner the attention of threat actors looking to target Apple macOS systems. The findings come from SentinelOne, which observed an uptick in the number of Geacon payloads appearing on VirusTotal in recent months. "While some of these are likely … [Read more...] about Hackers Using Golang Variant of Cobalt Strike to Target Apple macOS Systems
Microsoft Takes Legal Action to Disrupt Cybercriminals’ Illegal Use of Cobalt Strike Tool
Apr 07, 2023Ravie Lakshmanan Microsoft said it teamed up with Fortra and Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) to tackle the abuse of Cobalt Strike by cybercriminals to distribute malware, including ransomware. To that end, the tech giant's Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) revealed that it secured a court order in the U.S. to "remove illegal, legacy copies of … [Read more...] about Microsoft Takes Legal Action to Disrupt Cybercriminals’ Illegal Use of Cobalt Strike Tool
Nighthawk Likely to Become Hackers’ New Post-Exploitation Tool After Cobalt Strike
A nascent and legitimate penetration testing framework known as Nighthawk is likely to gain threat actors' attention for its Cobalt Strike-like capabilities. Enterprise security firm Proofpoint said it detected the use of the software in mid-September 2022 with a number of test emails sent using generic subject lines such as "Just checking in" and "Hope this works2." However, … [Read more...] about Nighthawk Likely to Become Hackers’ New Post-Exploitation Tool After Cobalt Strike
Google Identifies 34 Cracked Versions of Popular Cobalt Strike Hacking Toolkit in the Wild
Google Cloud last week disclosed that it identified 34 different hacked release versions of the Cobalt Strike tool in the wild, the earliest of which shipped in November 2012. The versions, spanning 1.44 to 4.7, add up to a total of 275 unique JAR files, according to findings from the Google Cloud Threat Intelligence (GCTI) team. The latest version of Cobalt Strike is version … [Read more...] about Google Identifies 34 Cracked Versions of Popular Cobalt Strike Hacking Toolkit in the Wild
Chinese Hackers Using New Manjusaka Hacking Framework Similar to Cobalt Strike
Researchers have disclosed a new offensive framework called Manjusaka that they call a "Chinese sibling of Sliver and Cobalt Strike." "A fully functional version of the command-and-control (C2), written in GoLang with a User Interface in Simplified Chinese, is freely available and can generate new implants with custom configurations with ease, increasing the likelihood of wider … [Read more...] about Chinese Hackers Using New Manjusaka Hacking Framework Similar to Cobalt Strike
Extract and analyze Cobalt Strike beacon payloads with Elastic
Elastic Security engineers have documented a less tedious way to find network beaconing from Cobalt Strike. In their full analysis ([1] [2]), Elastic Security team researchers Andrew Pease, Derek Ditch, and Daniel Stepanic walk users through the Elastic fleet policy, how to collect the beacon, beacon configuration, how to analyze its activity, and how you can set it up in your … [Read more...] about Extract and analyze Cobalt Strike beacon payloads with Elastic
Hackers Using Squirrelwaffle Loader to Deploy Qakbot and Cobalt Strike
A new spam email campaign has emerged as a conduit for a previously undocumented malware loader that enables the attackers to gain an initial foothold into enterprise networks and drop malicious payloads on compromised systems. "These infections are also used to facilitate the delivery of additional malware such as Qakbot and Cobalt Strike, two of the most common threats … [Read more...] about Hackers Using Squirrelwaffle Loader to Deploy Qakbot and Cobalt Strike
Linux Implementation of Cobalt Strike Beacon Targeting Organizations Worldwide
Researchers on Monday took the wraps off a newly discovered Linux and Windows re-implementation of Cobalt Strike Beacon that's actively set its sights on government, telecommunications, information technology, and financial institutions in the wild. The as-yet undetected version of the penetration testing tool — codenamed "Vermilion Strike" — marks one of the rare Linux ports, … [Read more...] about Linux Implementation of Cobalt Strike Beacon Targeting Organizations Worldwide