N. Korean Hackers 'Mixing' macOS Malware Tactics to Evade Detection
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-46604 | Unauthenticated RCE in Apache ActiveMQ via OpenWire Deserialization CVE-2023-46604 is a critical deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the Java OpenWire protocol marshaller of Apache ActiveMQ that permits unauthenticated remote code execution (CVSS 9.8). An attacker with network access to either a Java-based OpenWire broker or client can manipulate serialized class types in the OpenWire protocol, causing the peer to instantiate arbitrary classes on the classpath and execute arbitrary shell commands. Successful exploitation yields full command execution on the target broker or client, with no authentication or user interaction required. Affected parties include anyone running ActiveMQ broker or Java client versions prior to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3, as well as NetApp E-Series products and Debian packages that ship affected ActiveMQ/OpenWire components. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2023-11-02 with known ransomware use (RansomHub), and has been used to drop Kinsing malware, Godzilla web shells, and the DripDropper implant, in some cases with attackers patching the flaw post-exploitation to lock out competing intruders. Do: Upgrade all ActiveMQ brokers and Java OpenWire clients to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3 (or later), and apply the relevant NetApp E-Series and Debian updates for bundled components; restrict the OpenWire port (default TCP 61616) from untrusted networks. Hunt for indicators of the documented campaigns (Godzilla web shells, Kinsing malware, DripDropper, RansomHub) and verify the broker's current version, since attackers have been observed patching the flaw post-exploitation to hide from defenders. The CISA KEV listing means federal agencies must apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed OpenWire brokers (order of 10,000–100,000 by public scans), plus uncounted internal deployments and bundled NetApp/Debian… |
Full article475 words · extracted from thehackernews.com · click to collapse
Ravie LakshmananNov 28, 2023Malware / Cyber Espionage
The North Korean threat actors behind macOS malware strains such as RustBucket and KANDYKORN have been observed "mixing and matching" different elements of the two disparate attack chains, leveraging RustBucket droppers to deliver KANDYKORN.
The findings come from cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, which also tied a third macOS-specific malware called ObjCShellz to the RustBucket campaign.
RustBucket refers to an activity cluster linked to the Lazarus Group in which a backdoored version of a PDF reader app, dubbed SwiftLoader, is used as a conduit to load a next-stage malware written in Rust upon viewing a specially crafted lure document.
The KANDYKORN campaign, on the other hand, refers to a malicious cyber operation in which blockchain engineers of an unnamed crypto exchange platform were targeted via Discord to initiate a sophisticated multi-stage attack sequence that led to the deployment of the eponymous full-featured memory resident remote access trojan.
The third piece of the attack puzzle is ObjCShellz, which Jamf Threat Labs revealed earlier this month as a later-stage payload that acts as a remote shell that executes shell commands sent from the attacker server.
Further analysis of these campaigns by SentinelOne has now shown that the Lazarus Group is utilizing SwiftLoader to distribute KANDYKORN, corroborating a recent report from Google-owned Mandiant about how different hacker groups from North Korea are increasingly borrowing each other's tactics and tools.
"The DPRK's cyber landscape has evolved to a streamlined organization with shared tooling and targeting efforts," Mandiant noted. "This flexible approach to tasking makes it difficult for defenders to track, attribute, and thwart malicious activities, while enabling this now collaborative adversary to move stealthily with greater speed and adaptability."
This includes the use of new variants of the SwiftLoader stager that purports to be an executable named EdoneViewer but, in reality, contacts an actor-controlled domain to likely retrieve the KANDYKORN RAT based on overlaps in infrastructure and the tactics employed.
The disclosure comes as the AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center (ASEC) implicated Andariel – a subgroup within Lazarus – to cyber attacks exploiting a security flaw in Apache ActiveMQ (CVE-2023-46604, CVSS score: 10.0) to install NukeSped and TigerRAT backdoors.
Update
Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, in an independent analysis published on December 5, corroborated the findings from SentinelOne, linking it to the BlueNoroff APT gang and its RustBucket campaign.
"The threat actor is known to attack financial organizations, particularly companies, whose activity is in any way related to cryptocurrency, as well as individuals who hold crypto assets or take an interest in the subject," security researcher Sergey Puzan said.
(The story was updated after publication to include technical details from Kaspersky on the RustBucket campaign.)
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