malicious activities Archives

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

Decentralized Messenger Session Goes Live on Arbitrum With $SESH Token Launch

The decentralized encrypted messenger app, Session, is launching its token, $SESH, on May 21st, 2025, coinciding with the mainnet launch of the new Session Network after a testing phase. Session has over one million monthly active users and operates on a specialized DePIN network with more than 2,000 nodes, ensuring user privacy and anonymity. The total supply of $SESH is capped at 240 million, with an initial release of up to 80 million tokens at the Token Generation Event (TGE). Users can stake 25,000 $SESH tokens to operate a Session Node, ensuring network integrity. The application emphasizes minimal metadata collection and offers features like emoji reactions, voice calls, and group chats. Session is now managed by the nonprofit Session Technology Foundation based in Zug, Switzerland.

Tech Optimizer

May 21, 2025

Lumma Stealer: Breaking down the delivery techniques and capabilities of a prolific infostealer

Microsoft has monitored Lumma Stealer, an infostealer malware used by financially motivated threat actors. Lumma Stealer, also known as LummaC2, functions as a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) solution that extracts data from browsers and applications, including cryptocurrency wallets. The entity behind Lumma is identified as Storm-2477, which maintains the malware and its command-and-control (C2) infrastructure. Affiliates can create malware binaries and manage C2 communications through a panel provided by Storm-2477. Ransomware groups have integrated Lumma Stealer into their operations. Lumma Stealer employs various delivery techniques, including phishing emails, malvertising, drive-by downloads, Trojanized applications, and abuse of legitimate services. Specific campaigns have been identified, such as one in April 2025 that used EtherHiding and ClickFix techniques to deliver Lumma Stealer via compromised websites. Another campaign on April 7, 2025, targeted Canadian organizations with emails containing invoice lures that led to malicious downloads. The malware is developed using C++ and ASM, employing advanced obfuscation techniques to evade detection. It can extract a wide range of user data, including browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet information, and user documents. Lumma Stealer maintains a robust C2 infrastructure with multiple hardcoded and fallback C2 servers, utilizing encryption methods to secure communications. Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit has disrupted Lumma Stealer's infrastructure by blocking approximately 2,300 malicious domains. Recommendations to mitigate the impact of Lumma Stealer include strengthening Microsoft Defender configurations, implementing multifactor authentication, and utilizing phishing-resistant authentication methods. Microsoft Defender products can detect and block activities associated with Lumma Stealer, providing alerts and insights for incident response.

AppWizard

May 21, 2025

Google Play adds topic pages, audio previews, and new subscription tools for developers

Google is enhancing its Play Store with upgrades for Android app developers, including a robust toolset for managing subscription-based applications, allowing developers to pause live app releases. New "topic browse" pages will help users discover apps related to over 100,000 media and entertainment titles, and the "Where to Watch" feature will expand to the U.K., Korea, Indonesia, and Mexico. Developers can integrate new visual content options, such as a hero content carousel and audio samples, which have increased app installs for Health & Wellness developers. Curated spaces for user interests will expand, particularly in Japan. The Play Console will feature a new asset library for organizing visual assets and provide new metrics for app listing performance. Subscription management tools will allow multi-product checkout and enhanced reminders about subscription benefits, reducing voluntary churn by 3%. Developers can offer a grace period of up to 30 days or a 60-day account hold for declined payments. The Engage SDK will support additional categories and markets, while the Play Integrity API will improve security with enhanced abuse detection and device security update checks.

AppWizard

May 14, 2025

Marbled Dust leverages zero-day in Output Messenger for regional espionage

Since April 2024, the threat actor Marbled Dust has been exploiting a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-27920) in the Output Messenger chat application, targeting user accounts that have not applied necessary fixes. This exploitation has resulted in the collection of sensitive data from users in Iraq, specifically linked to the Kurdish military. Microsoft has high confidence in this assessment and notes that Marbled Dust conducts reconnaissance to identify potential targets using Output Messenger. Marbled Dust has successfully utilized this vulnerability to deploy malicious files and exfiltrate data. Microsoft notified the application’s developer, Srimax, about the vulnerability, leading to the release of a software update. A second vulnerability (CVE-2025-27921) was also found, but no exploitation of this second flaw has been observed. The zero-day vulnerability allows an authenticated user to upload malicious files to the server's startup directory. Marbled Dust has exploited this flaw to place a backdoor file, OMServerService.vbs, in the startup folder, enabling them to access communications and sensitive data indiscriminately. The attack chain begins with Marbled Dust gaining access to the Output Messenger Server Manager, likely through DNS hijacking or other credential interception techniques. Once inside, they exploit the vulnerability to drop malicious files, including a GoLang backdoor, which connects to a Marbled Dust command-and-control domain for data exfiltration. To mitigate this threat, Microsoft recommends updating to the latest version of Output Messenger, activating various security protections, and implementing rigorous vulnerability management strategies. Microsoft Defender XDR customers can identify potential threat activity through specific alerts related to Marbled Dust and utilize advanced hunting queries for detection. Indicators of compromise include traffic to the domain api.wordinfos[.]com, associated with Marbled Dust activities.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Turkish spies caught exploiting zero-day for over a year

Microsoft reported that Turkish espionage operatives have been exploiting a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-27920) in the Output Messenger app to gather intelligence on the Kurdish military in Iraq. This operation, attributed to the group Marbled Dust, began in April 2024. The vulnerability is a directory traversal flaw in version 2.0.62 of the app, and many users have not yet updated to the patched version released in December. Marbled Dust has used this flaw to access sensitive user data and deploy malicious files within the Output Messenger server. The group has a history of targeting entities opposing Turkish interests and has evolved its tactics by leveraging this vulnerability for unauthorized access. Srimax and Microsoft are advising users to upgrade to version V2.0.63 to mitigate the risks associated with the exploit.

Winsage

May 10, 2025

Hackers Using Windows Remote Management to Stealthily Navigate Active Directory Network

Threat actors are exploiting Windows Remote Management (WinRM) to navigate through Active Directory environments stealthily, allowing them to bypass detection systems, escalate privileges, and deploy malicious payloads. WinRM operates on HTTP port 5985 and HTTPS port 5986, enabling remote command execution and management tasks. Attackers can gain access through compromised credentials and use WinRM-enabled PowerShell commands for reconnaissance, deploying payloads while evading detection. The attack chain includes initial access, reconnaissance, payload deployment, persistence, and lateral movement, often utilizing techniques that obfuscate malicious activities. Detecting such attacks is challenging due to the use of built-in Windows functionalities and encrypted channels. Recommended mitigation strategies include monitoring for unusual activity, restricting WinRM access, enforcing credential hygiene, and implementing advanced monitoring solutions.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

Google’s Play Store App Deletion—What You Do Now On Your Phone

Google's Play Store has undergone a significant overhaul, resulting in a reduction of apps from approximately 3.4 million to around 1.8 million, a decline of nearly 47% since the beginning of 2024. This change was prompted by an increase in threats to mobile devices and stricter criteria for app inclusion and retention. Google is targeting the removal of static apps without specific functionalities, apps with minimal content, and applications that lack functional value. Removed apps will no longer be available for download, but users with the app already installed can continue to use it without updates. If uninstalled, users cannot redownload the app unless republished by the developer. Users are advised to manage their app collections to mitigate risks associated with low-quality apps. Subscriptions linked to removed apps will also be terminated.

Winsage

April 17, 2025

Hackers Exploiting NTLM Spoofing Vulnerability in Wild to Compromise Systems

Cybercriminals are exploiting a vulnerability in Windows systems known as CVE-2025-24054, which involves NTLM hash disclosure through spoofing techniques. This flaw allows attackers to leak NTLM hashes, leading to privilege escalation and lateral movement within networks. It is triggered when a user extracts a ZIP archive containing a malicious .library-ms file, causing Windows Explorer to initiate SMB authentication requests that expose NTLMv2-SSP hashes. Exploitation of this vulnerability began shortly after a security patch was released on March 11, 2025, with campaigns targeting government and private institutions in Poland and Romania. These campaigns utilized spear-phishing emails containing malicious ZIP archives, which, when interacted with, leaked NTLM hashes. The malicious files included various types designed to initiate SMB connections to attacker-controlled servers, allowing for pass-the-hash attacks and privilege escalation. The stolen hashes were sent to servers in several countries, indicating potential links to state-sponsored groups. One campaign involved Dropbox links that exploited the vulnerability upon user interaction. Microsoft has recommended immediate patching, enhancing network defenses, user education, network segmentation, and regular security audits to mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability.

Tech Optimizer

April 2, 2025

Thousands of PostgreSQL servers are being hijacked to mine crypto

Researchers at Wiz have identified a cryptojacking campaign by a group called JINX-0126, targeting over 1,500 misconfigured PostgreSQL servers by exploiting weak login credentials. The attackers deploy the XMRig-C3 miner to mine Monero, consuming nearly all computing resources and increasing electricity usage for victims. Each compromised device is assigned a unique mining worker for tracking. The campaign has evolved to include defensive measures and fileless deployment to evade detection. Nearly 90% of cloud environments host PostgreSQL instances, with about one-third publicly accessible, highlighting security vulnerabilities.

AppWizard

April 1, 2025

Google’s Play Store Warning—Do Not Update This Setting

A sophisticated trojan named TsarBot is targeting over 750 legitimate banking and shopping applications on Android devices. It overlays a counterfeit login screen on real apps to capture user credentials. TsarBot is believed to have Russian origins and can remotely control the device's screen, simulating user interactions and capturing device lock credentials through a deceptive lock screen. The trojan is typically installed from phishing websites, where a dropper application delivers the TsarBot APK file. Once installed, it disguises itself as the Google Play Services app and urges users to enable Accessibility services. Users are advised to avoid installing apps from outside the Google Play Store, ensure Play Protect is enabled, and only enable Accessibility Services when necessary to mitigate risks.