ESET Analysis
Closing intrusion vectors pressure cybercriminals to revisit previous assault avenues, but additionally to search for new methods to assault their victims
12 Sep 2023
Sextortion emails and different text-based threats have been on a large improve in H1 2023 and the query stays why. Are criminals simply lazy? Are they making an attempt to earn simple cash throughout their days off? Or is that this part of one thing larger, probably involving generative AI?
And that’s simply scratching the floor of the tendencies noticed within the newest ESET Risk Report, the main target of this episode. One other intrusion vector that has seen elevated consideration from cybercriminals was MS SQL servers that needed to face up to a renewed improve in brute pressure assaults.
Oh, and let’s not neglect the legal apply of usury, showing within the type of malicious Android apps. Looking for victims within the international locations across the equator and within the southern hemisphere, cybercriminals attempt to stress and threaten victims into paying exorbitant rates of interest on short-term loans – which typically, they don’t even present.
But, it wasn’t all dangerous in H1 2023. One piece of excellent information was that infamous Emotet botnet confirmed little exercise, working just a few minor and surprisingly ineffective spam campaigns in March. After these had been over, it went silent. What caught the eye of researchers was a brand new performance resembling a debugging output. This feeds into the rumors that Emotet has been – a minimum of partially – bought to a different menace group that’s uncertain of how issues work.
One other optimistic story got here relating to Redline stealer. This infamous malware-as-a-service (MaaS) utilized by criminals to steal sufferer’s data and ship different malware has been disrupted by ESET researchers and their mates at Flare techniques. The disruption took down a sequence of GitHub repositories essential to run RedLine management panels for the associates. As there was no backup channel, operators behind the MaaS must discover a completely different path to run their “service”.
For all these matters and extra from ESET Risk Report, hearken to the newest episode of ESET Analysis podcast, hosted by Aryeh Goretsky. This time, he directed his inquiries to one of many authors of the report, Safety Consciousness Specialist Ondrej Kubovič.
For the complete report from H1 2023, together with different matters equivalent to adjustments in cryptocurrency threats, malicious OneNote information, the primary double supply-chain assault – courtesy of Lazarus group – or the newest developments within the ransomware scene, click on right here.
Mentioned:
- Sextortion and text-based threats 1:46
- Brute pressure assaults on MS SQL servers 7:10
- Usury on Android apps 9:20
- Emotet exercise 13:25
- RedLine Stealer disruption 16:45
