North Korea-linked Lazarus APT uses Log4J to target VMware servers
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-44228 | JNDI Injection Remote Code Execution in Apache Log4j2 (Log4Shell) Apache Log4j2, an extremely widely used Java logging library, fails to protect its JNDI lookup feature against attacker-controlled JNDI-related endpoints (CWE-20, CWE-502), so crafted text processed by the logger causes the Java runtime to fetch and load attacker-supplied objects, leading to remote code execution. The flaw is triggered whenever attacker-controlled input reaches the logging API and is parsed for JNDI lookups, a pattern common in web servers and enterprise Java applications that log user-supplied fields such as headers or form values. Successful exploitation yields arbitrary code execution under the privileges of the affected application, giving attackers a foothold for lateral movement, data theft, and ransomware deployment. Any Java application or product that ships or bundles an affected Apache Log4j2 release is exposed, making this one of the most broadly deployed vulnerabilities ever disclosed. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-12-10 with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days. Do: Inventory all Java applications and dependencies for Apache Log4j2 and apply the vendor's patched updates, or remove affected assets from the network, as required by CISA's KEV catalog. Where updates are not yet available, use the temporary mitigations in CISA's ED-22-02 recommended-mitigation guidance, such as disabling message lookups, only until patches are applied. Prioritize internet-facing and business-critical systems and hunt for exploitation activity given known ransomware use. | 10.0 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×9 |
| masshundreds of millions of Java applications/devices, with hundreds of thousands of internet-exposed services |
Full article383 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
North Korea-linked Lazarus APT is exploiting the Log4J remote code execution (RCE) in attacks aimed at VMware Horizon servers.
North Korea-linked group Lazarus is exploiting the Log4J RCE vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) to compromise VMware Horizon servers.
Multiple threat actors are exploiting this flaw since January, in January VMware urged customers to patch critical Log4j security vulnerabilities impacting Internet-exposed VMware Horizon servers targeted in ongoing attacks.
Researchers from the Ahnlab ASEC analysis team reported that since April 2022 the Lazarus APT has been exploiting the RCE in attacks against VMware Horizon installs exposed online.
The attack chain starts with the exploitation of the Log4j vulnerability to execute a powershell command on VMware Horizon’s process ‘ws_tomcatservice.exe’. The PowerShell command installs the NukeSped backdoor on the vulnerable server, this backdoor was first analyzed by Fortinet researchers in 2019 that attributed it to the Lazarus APT.
The variant analyzed by the ASEC team is developed with C++, it uses virtual functions and RC4 algorithm for C2 communications.
The NukeSped backdoor can perform keylogging, taking screenshots, and file and shell tasks, the most recent version can dump USB contents and access web camera devices using specific modules.
“The attacker used NukeSped to additionally install infostealer. The 2 malware types discovered are both console types, not saving the leak result in separate files. As such, it is assumed that the attacker remotely controlled the GUI screen of the user PC or leaked data in the pipeline form.” reads the analysis published by the experts.
In some cases, the attackers used exploited the RCE to install the Jin Miner cryptocurrency miner instead of NukeSped.
ASEC researchers published Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) for these attacks.
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