FamousSparrow Deploys New SparroWocky Backdoor Against Latin American Governments
China-aligned APT FamousSparrow deployed a new modular backdoor, SparroWocky, against government entities across eight Latin American countries since August 2025, ESET reports.
ESET reports that China-aligned threat actor FamousSparrow replaced its SparrowDoor implant with SparroWocky, a distinct modular C++ backdoor active against governments in Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Around 90% of the group's targets from mid-2025 into 2026 were in Latin America, which ESET links to regional competition over US influence. The backdoor arrives via a three-component DLL side-loading chain, persists through a Windows service (ProcAuditManager) or Run keys (SnapCart), captures screenshots, and exfiltrates RC4-encrypted data over TLS C2 on ports 443 and 8080. It supports in-memory Beacon Object File execution, API hashing, and SilentMoonwalk-style call-stack spoofing; IOCs for three C2 servers were released.
- SparroWocky is a new family, not a SparrowDoor variant
- Approximately 90% of FamousSparrow targets since mid-2025 are in Latin America
- Uses DLL side-loading, service/Run-key persistence, and screenshot capture
- Supports Beacon Object Files and SilentMoonwalk-style call-stack spoofing
- ESET published IOCs including three C2 IP addresses
- CVEs
- CVE-2021-26855
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2021-26855 | Unauthenticated SSRF/RCE in Microsoft Exchange Server (ProxyLogon) | 9.1 | 100% | KEVRansomwarePoC ×4 | KEV |
From the original article
4 min read at gbhackers.com
China-aligned advanced persistent threat group FamousSparrow has replaced its long-running SparrowDoor implant with a new modular C++ backdoor, SparroWocky, in a sustained cyberespionage campaign against government entities across Latin America. ESET says the malware has been active in the region since at least August 2025, following a sharp shift in the group’s victim targeting that […]
By Mayura Kathir · gbhackers.com
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