Roaming Tiger Hackers targets Russian organizations
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2012-0158 | Remote Code Execution in Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX (Windows Common Controls) CVE-2012-0158 is a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft's MSCOMCTL.OCX, the Windows Common Controls ActiveX component, where improper handling of crafted input allows memory corruption and code execution. It is typically triggered when an application that uses the control (most commonly Microsoft Office) processes specially crafted content, such as a malicious document or file, meaning a victim usually has to open attacker-supplied content. Successful exploitation lets an attacker run arbitrary code and take complete control of the affected system with the privileges of the current user. Any Windows system carrying a vulnerable copy of MSCOMCTL.OCX — including systems where the control was redistributed by legacy applications — is affected, which makes the potential population very large. Exploitation is confirmed and ongoing: the flaw is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03) with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns it the maximum reported probability of exploitation within 30 days. Do: Apply the Microsoft security update for MSCOMCTL.OCX (per vendor instructions, per CISA's required action) on all systems, prioritizing endpoints and servers that open Office documents. Because exploitation commonly arrives via malicious documents, treat unsolicited Office/RTF attachments with suspicion and verify that applications that redistribute MSCOMCTL.OCX have installed a patched copy. Scan the estate for the presence and version of MSCOMCTL.OCX, especially on legacy Windows/Office installations that may be missed by routine patching. | — | 100% | KEV ransomware |
| masshundreds of millions of Windows systems potentially affected | |
| CVE-2014-1761 | Memory Corruption RCE in Microsoft Word CVE-2014-1761 is a memory corruption vulnerability (CWE-119) in Microsoft Word that can be triggered by processing a maliciously crafted document, such as one delivered as an email attachment. Successful exploitation corrupts memory in a way that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system with the privileges of the current user. Anyone running an affected Microsoft Word installation is exposed, which in practice spans a very large share of business and consumer desktops given Word's ubiquity. The flaw is confirmed as exploited in the wild: it was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on 2022-02-15, and EPSS assigns it a 77.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (100th percentile). No public proof-of-concept is known, but the KEV listing and high EPSS indicate real-world attacker activity, and Word document flaws of this kind have historically featured in targeted APT and spear-phishing campaigns. Do: Apply Microsoft's security update for CVE-2014-1761 to every Word installation per vendor instructions, treating it as an actively exploited, high-priority patch. Until patched, be alert for unsolicited Word documents arriving by email, and consider file-blocking policies for documents from untrusted sources. Check that legacy Word editions within your estate are covered, since older builds that no longer receive routine updates are the most likely to remain exposed. | — | 77% | KEV |
| masshundreds of millions of Word installations worldwide (Word is the dominant word processor across enterprise desktops) |
Full article511 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
Pierluigi Paganini
December 24, 2015
Security researchers from ESET uncovered the Roaming Tiger hacking campaign, bad actors in the wild are targeting Russian organizations.
Roaming Tiger is the name of a cyber espionage campaign targeting high profile organizations in Russia and former Soviet Union countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The Roaming Tiger campaign was discovered by experts at ESET in 2014, the researcher Anton Cherepanov presented the findings of their investigation at the 2014 ZeroNights security conference.
According to the experts, the threat actors behind the Roaming Tiger relied on RTF exploits and the PlugX RAT, the analysis of the command and control (C&C) infrastructure suggests the involvement of Chinese hackers.
This summer, experts at Palo Alto Networks uncovered another hacking campaign having many similarities with the Roaming Tiger. The attacks targeted organizations in the same counties, but instead of PlugX, the hackers used a new tool dubbed BBSRAT.
” Based on data collected from Palo Alto Networks AutoFocus threat intelligence, we discovered continued operations of activity very similar to the Roaming Tiger attack campaign that began in the August 2015 timeframe, with a concentration of attacks in late October and continuing into December.” states a blog post published by PaloAlto Networks.
At least in one attack, the threat actors used spear phishing emails with a malicious Word document in attachment.
The Word document designed to exploit an old Microsoft Office vulnerability (CVE-2012-0158) to deliver the BBSRAT malware.
This flaw was also exploited in the attacks observed by ESET last year. Curiously the BBSRAT was using the same C&C architecture as in the Roaming Tiger campaign.
The experts at Palo Alto analyzed a malicious message trying to compromise the Vigstar company that specializes in the development of special-purpose wireless devices and satellite communications systems used by Russian defense and many security agencies.
Interestingly, experts pointed out that BBSRAT uses the same C&C domains as in the Roaming Tiger operation detailed by ESET. However, in the recent attacks, it appears the malicious actors deployed different malware variants and separate infrastructure for each of the targeted entities.
Summarizing the characteristics of the Roaming tiger campaign are
- High profile victims in Russia
- Use of RTF vulnerabilities (CVE-2012-0158 and CVE-2014-1761)
- Win32/Korplug (aka PlugX RAT) • Win32/Farfli.BEK (aka Gh0st RAT)
Once again a threat actor is continuing to run espionage campaigns despite security researchers have discovered their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) .
“As in many of the previous articles regarding espionage-motivated adversaries and possible nation-state campaigns, what is being observed in this attack campaign is a continued operation and evolution by the adversary even after its tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) have become public knowledge,” wrote Palo Alto Networks researchers in a blog post. “Despite the fact that the information about these attackers has been public for over a year, including a listing of many of the command and control servers, they continue to reuse much of their exposed playbook.”
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(Security Affairs – Roaming Tiger espionage campaign, Russia)
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Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://securityaffairs.com/43004/cyber-crime/roaming-tiger-hacking-campaign.html