Hacktivist group Twelve is back and targets Russian entities
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-21972 | Unauthenticated RCE in VMware vCenter Server vSphere Client Plugin CVE-2021-21972 is a remote code execution vulnerability in a plugin of the vSphere Client in VMware vCenter Server, underpinned by a path traversal flaw (CWE-23) in the plugin's file-upload functionality. It is triggered over the network through port 443: an attacker who can reach the vCenter web interface can submit crafted file-upload requests, traverse to arbitrary filesystem paths, and plant executable files on the underlying operating system. Successful exploitation yields unrestricted privileges on the vCenter host OS, giving attackers control of the central management platform for an organization's entire VMware vSphere virtualized estate. Any organization running an affected vCenter Server release whose port 443 is reachable from untrusted networks is exposed. The flaw is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03) with known ransomware use and a 99.9% EPSS score (100th percentile), indicating active, widespread exploitation in the wild, though no public PoC is recorded in this data. Do: Apply the vCenter Server updates published in VMware's advisory for CVE-2021-21972 as soon as possible, prioritizing internet-facing or partner-reachable vCenter instances. Until patched, restrict access to vCenter on port 443 to trusted management networks and review access logs for unauthenticated file-upload activity against the vSphere Client upload endpoint. Because ransomware operators have actively exploited this bug, hunt for signs of compromise such as webshells or unexpected new local accounts on vCenter appliances. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC ×3 |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed vCenter servers, with hundreds of thousands of deployments overall | |
| CVE-2021-22005 | Path Traversal File Upload RCE in VMware vCenter Server (Analytics Service) CVE-2021-22005 is a path-traversal (CWE-23) file upload flaw in the Analytics service of VMware vCenter Server, the central management platform for VMware vSphere environments. An attacker with network access to the server's HTTPS port (443) can send crafted upload requests that traverse directories and write arbitrary files, achieving critical remote code execution on the vCenter host (VMware rated the flaw critical; this dataset's CVSS field was still pending). Successful exploitation gives attackers control of the vSphere management plane and, in practice, the ESXi hosts and virtual machines it manages, making it a high-value target for ransomware operators. All on-premises vCenter Server deployments of the affected versions are exposed, with internet-reachable instances at greatest risk since network access to port 443 is the only prerequisite. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03 with known ransomware use, EPSS assigns a ~100% (100th percentile) probability of exploitation within 30 days, and no public proof-of-concept was known at the time of this dataset. Do: Upgrade to the fixed releases in VMware advisory VMSA-2021-0020 (vCenter Server 7.0 U2c, 6.7 U3o, or 6.5 U3q), or apply the vendor workaround of disabling the Analytics service if patching must be delayed. Restrict exposure of port 443 to untrusted networks, and hunt exposed vCenter servers for compromise indicators (webshells, unexpected accounts or processes) since exploitation is confirmed and ransomware campaigns are known to use this flaw. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed vCenter servers (hundreds of thousands of deployments overall) |
Full article462 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
Pierluigi Paganini
September 23, 2024
Hacktivist group Twelve is back and targets Russian entities to destroy critical assets and disrupt their operations.
The hacktivist group Twelve has been active since at least April 2023, it was formed in the wake of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The threat actor focuses on destroying critical assets, disrupting target business, and stealing sensitive data.
In spring 2024, the Telegram channel -=TWELVE=- was blocked for posting personal data in violation of Telegram’s terms. Although the hacktivist group disappeared for several months, in June 2024, Kaspersky observed an attack using identical techniques and C2 servers, suggesting that the Twelve group is still active and likely to reemerge soon.
Interestingly, the group’s infrastructure and TTPs are the same as the DARKSTAR ransomware group, formerly known as Shadow or COMET, which suggests that the two actors might belong to the same syndicate or activity cluster. However, the motivation behind Twelve’s operations is the hacktivism.
The group targets Russian entities, it encrypts victims’ data without demanding a ransom and then destroy their infrastructure with a wiper to destroy its operations.
The group relies on publicly available tools and malware, making it possible to detect and prevent Twelve’s attacks in due time. In the arsenal of the group, there are tools for credential theft, network discovery, and privilege escalation. Some of the tools used by the group are Cobalt Strike, mimikatz, chisel, BloodHound, PowerView, adPEAS, CrackMapExec, Advanced IP Scanner and PsExec.
The threat actor gains initial access by abusing valid local or domain accounts, VPN or SSH certificates. Then the threat actor relies on the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to facilitate lateral movement.
The attackers also compromised the victim’s infrastructure targeting some of its contractors. Once compromised the contractor’s infrastructure, the attackers used its certificate to connect to its customer’s VPN.
The Twelve group deploys web shells to the compromised web servers to carry out malicious activities, including executing arbitrary commands, lateral movements, data exfiltration, and creating and sending email.
Kaspersky investigated an attack involving the FaceFish backdoor, attackers exploited the VMware vCenter server flaws CVE-2021-21972 and CVE-2021-22005 to deploy the webshell used to load their implant.
The group maintains persistence using PowerShell to add domain users and groups, and to modify ACLs (Access Control Lists) for Active Directory objects.
“Twelve is mainly driven by hacktivism rather than financial gain. This shows in their modus operandi: rather than demand a ransom for decrypting data, Twelve prefers to encrypt victims’ data and then destroy their infrastructure with a wiper to prevent recovery. The approach is indicative of a desire to cause maximum damage to target organizations without deriving direct financial benefit.” concludes the report.
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