Malware

Neutrino EK

0 mentions in 7 days · 3 in 30 days · 3 total · first seen Aug 17, 2026 · last 29d ago

Timeline3 articles

Locky Ransomware Installed Through Nuclear EK

Unit 42 reports Locky ransomware delivered through the Nuclear exploit kit using Flash exploits, adding a drive-by path to existing malspam distribution.

Unit 42 observed Locky ransomware being delivered by the Nuclear exploit kit in March 2016 via Flash exploits, following February reports of Neutrino EK distributing Locky. Infections follow a drive-by chain through a gate to the Nuclear EK, which either installs Locky directly or drops a downloader that retrieves it from another domain. Locky retains two distribution paths: malspam with malicious Office macros or JavaScript attachments and exploit kit traffic triggered by casual web browsing.

Palo Alto Unit 42Aug 17, 09:53 UTC · 29d agoRansomware in the wild1

Campaign Evolution: Darkleech to Pseudo

Unit 42 traces the pseudo-Darkleech campaign, which compromises websites to inject scripts redirecting visitors to exploit kits delivering ransomware.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 analyzed the evolution of the pseudo-Darkleech campaign, which injects malicious script into compromised Apache, IIS and WordPress sites to redirect visitors to exploit kits such as Angler and Neutrino. The original Darkleech Apache module infected thousands of servers starting in 2012 and delivered Blackhole EK until that kit disappeared after Paunch's 2013 arrest. From 2015 onward, pseudo-Darkleech delivered ransomware families like CryptoWall and TeslaCrypt, and by early 2016 its injected scripts added obfuscated numeric blocks with frequently changing separator characters. Unit 42 tracks these patterns to help defenders identify compromised websites.

Palo Alto Unit 42Aug 17, 09:53 UTC · 29d agoThreat actor in the wild

EITest Campaign Evolution: From Angler EK to Neutrino and Rig

Unit 42 details the EITest campaign's shift from Angler to Neutrino and Rig exploit kits while distributing ransomware, downloaders, and banking trojans.

Unit 42 updated its tracking of the EITest campaign, first identified in October 2014, which compromises websites with injected scripts that redirect victims through a gate to exploit kits. After Angler EK disappeared in June 2016, EITest switched to Neutrino and then primarily used Rig EK by August 2016. In September 2016 the campaign began using hex-obfuscated JavaScript and simplified gate URLs, while continuing to distribute payloads including Gootkit, Cerber, Bart, CryptFile2, Vawtrak, Ursnif, and Tinba. Gate infrastructure consistently reused IP blocks such as 85.93.0.0/24 even as domain names changed.

Palo Alto Unit 42Aug 17, 09:52 UTC · 29d agoThreat actor in the wild

Appears with

vendor Palo Alto Networks 3 malware Angler EK 2 malware Rig EK 2 organization Unit 42 2 malware Blackhole EK 1 malware Cerber 1 malware CryptFile2 1 malware CryptoWall 1 malware Gootkit 1 malware Locky 1 malware Nuclear EK 1 malware TeslaCrypt 1 malware Tinba 1 malware Ursnif 1 malware Vawtrak 1 organization Palo Alto Networks 1

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