Sidewinder APT group’s sophisticated threat landscape reveals a skilled and persistent threat targeting the Nepalese Government entities.
Their focus extends to South Asian governments, with researchers also identifying a recent complex attack on Bhutan.
Cybersecurity researchers at Cyfirma recently identified that the operators of the Sidewinder hacker group are actively using weaponized documents to deliver backdoors.
Here below we have mentioned all the other names of the Sidewinder APT group:-
Rattlesnake
Hardcore Nationalist
HN2
APT Q4
RAZOR Tiger
APT Q39
BabyElephant
GroupA21
Sidewinder Hacker Group
Using decoy documents resembling Nepalese Prime Minister’s Office communications, the group employs advanced tactics like email spear-phishing and malicious macros.
That’s why urgent attention and coordinated action from the stakeholders are crucial.
In the main payload “conhost.exe” (Nim Backdoor), all the URLs are hardcoded, and they are settled to the following IP address:-
213[.]109[.]192[.]93
Here below, we have mentioned all the URLs:-
http[:]//mail[.]mofa[.]govnp[.]org/mail/AFA/
http[:]//nitc[.]govnp[.]org/mail/AFA/
http[:]//dns[.]govnp[.]org/mail/AFA/
http[:]//mx1[.]Nepal[.]govnp[.]org/mail/AFA/
Spear-phished email delivers a malicious document, triggering an embedded macro upon opening. The victim is manipulated as the document prompts them to enable editing.
Malicious document (Source – Cyfirma)
The deceptive content hints at targeting Nepalese government officials. The document’s embedded macro, part of a multi-stage attack, establishes persistence and executes payloads.
The opening of the document triggers the macro and creates a VBScript file for persistence. It introduces delays and checks internet connectivity before executing encoded batch files.
The batch script directs the execution of VBScript and other batch files, creating scheduled tasks and self-deleting files. Functions like read_shell write binary data to a file, while hide_cons hide the console window.
The vb_chain function coordinates various actions, including creating and executing scripts and scheduling tasks to establish a chain of events on the infected system.
The VBScript file unzFile.vbs extracts contents from conhost.zip. The following batch file executes scripts, creates tasks, and handles cleanup:-
2L7uuZQboJBhTERK.bat
2BYretPBD4iSQKYS.bat
d.bat
e.bat
The macro exhibits advanced evasion with obfuscation by leveraging the following elements:-
VBScript
Batch files
Scheduled tasks
Besides this, its multi-stage execution makes the complete analysis more challenging and complex.
Enabling macros triggers the deployment of scripts and the Nim backdoor-like conhost.exe. This executable aims to connect to the threat actors’ C2 server for unauthorized access, indicating an ongoing campaign since September.
The reverse shell sample enables threat actor access through a reverse shell, providing control over the compromised system. Trojan.khalesi obstructs dynamic analysis, detecting and exiting if tools are found.
The binary targets various monitoring and analysis tools. The process tree reveals the periodic use of cmd.exe to execute tasklist.exe, which is likely for information gathering or system monitoring.
.exe files (Source – Cyfirma)
Recommendations
Here below, we have mentioned all the recommendations provided by the security analysts:-
Use robust endpoint security.
Employ reputable antivirus and anti-malware.
Regularly update OS, applications, and security software.
Segregate the network into segments.
Educate and train employees on phishing and social engineering dangers.
Configure firewalls to block outbound communication.
Deploy behavior-based monitoring.
Establish application whitelisting policies.
Monitor network traffic closely.
Create a comprehensive incident response plan.
Stay updated on threat intelligence and IOCs.
Maintain regular backups of critical data.
Implement safeguarding measures.
Restrict user permissions.
IOCs
IOCs (Source – Cyfirma) The post Sidewinder Hacker Group Using Weaponized Documents to Deliver Malware appeared first on GBHackers on Security | #1 Globally Trusted Cyber Security News Platform .
Top News
-
U.K. Hacker Linked to Notorious Scattered Spider Group Arrested in Spain
Law enforcement authorities have allegedly arrested a key member of the notorious cybercrime group called Scattered Spider. The individual, a...
-
Lừa đảo đánh cắp mã OTP tinh vi, tấn công mạng tận dụng lỗ hổng mới
Xuất hiện lừa đảo đánh cắp mã OTP tinh vi; Hacker gia tăng tốc độ tận dụng các lỗ hổng mới,... là những thông tin công nghệ trong nước nổi bật...
-
Lừa đảo mạo danh ‘nở rộ’ trên không gian mạng và ngày càng tinh vi
Dù hình thức không mới song lừa đảo mạo danh hiện vẫn đang khiến nhiều người dân tại Việt Nam và trên thế giới sập bẫy, bị chiếm đoạt tài sản.
-
Sleepy Pickle Exploit Let Attackers Exploit ML Models And Attack End-Users
Hackers are targeting, attacking, and exploiting ML models. They want to hack into these systems to steal sensitive data, interrupt services, or...
-
Sleepy Pickle - Kỹ thuật tấn công mới nhắm vào các mô hình học máy
Sleepy Pickle là một kỹ thuật tấn công mới lạ và bí mật nhắm vào chính mô hình ML (Machine Learning) thay vì hệ thống cơ bản. {...