Search: “dll side-loading”

12 stories in the last 30d

Chinese group Silver Fox used new vulnerable drivers and DLL side-loading to deploy ValleyRAT at a Japanese industrial manufacturer.

Cato Networks detailed a Silver Fox campaign against a Japanese industrial manufacturing organization combining new vulnerable-driver abuse (BootRepair.sys and EnPortv.sys alongside wsftprm.sys), DLL side-loading via Zeon Corporation PDF binaries, and NTDLL unhooking to deliver ValleyRAT (Winos 4.0), a Gh0st RAT variant. The chain starts with an invoice-themed phishing lure hosting attacker-controlled content on legitimate QQ and Tencent Cloud services. Shellcode is injected into svchost.exe via thread-context hijacking, and a dual watchdog design pairs payload monitoring with a scheduled-task batch script for persistence. A separate 180-day VirusTotal retrohunt found 146 Atlas RAT samples across six PDB builds, though the Silver Fox link remains circumstantial.

The Hacker NewsAug 27, 10:50 UTC · 20d agoThreat actor in the wild

ClearFake Deploys Crypto Stealer That Uses Vulnerable Driver to Kill EDR Security Tools

Cisco Talos details ClearFake's fake-CAPTCHA chain deploying ZigCryptoStealer with a BYOVD attack that kills EDR processes, observed at a Ukrainian government organization in April 2026.

ClearFake compromises websites, injects JavaScript via a malicious Cloudflare Worker, retrieves instructions from BNB Smart Chain contracts (EtherHiding), and presents a fake Google CAPTCHA that tricks Windows users into pasting a command that loads a remote library over WebDAV via rundll32. The crypto-stealer branch uses DLL side-loading with a signed Chrome component to launch ZigCryptoStealer, which hijacks clipboard cryptocurrency addresses, alongside a signed but vulnerable Windows driver used in a BYOVD attack to terminate EDR processes. A parallel branch delivers Amatera secondary payloads that install a hidden remote-access client providing operator desktop control, with Cisco Talos tracking the remote-loader activity as UAT-10820. Talos observed unusual remote library execution at a Ukrainian government organization in April 2026 and assesses the attacks are part of a broader theft operation rather than a single targeted campaign.

Cyber Security NewsSep 9, 14:26 UTC · 7d agoMalware in the wild1

ClearFake WebDAV infection chain delivers Amatera stealer, ZigCryptoStealer, and NetSupport Manager

Cisco Talos details ClearFake WebDAV chains delivering Amatera stealer to a Ukrainian government organization, with cryptocurrency and credential theft payloads.

Cisco Talos investigated DLL executions named 'verification.google' via WebDAV UNC paths at a Ukrainian government organization, tracking the actor as UAT-10820 and assessing with moderate confidence the activity is Russian and opportunistic rather than targeted. The infection chain uses ClearFake JavaScript injected via a Cloudflare Worker, EtherHiding storage on BNB Smart Chain contracts, and a ClickFix fake Google CAPTCHA prompt to deliver Amatera stealer. Secondary payloads differ by C2: one loader deploys ZigCryptoStealer with a Go reverse TCP proxy and a vulnerable driver that kills EDR, while the other installs an unauthorized NetSupport Manager with a Russia-based C2. Similar Amatera chains were separately documented by Malwarebytes and Blackpoint Cyber, but with no shared infrastructure.

Cisco TalosSep 8, 10:01 UTC · 8d agoMalware in the wild1

DragonForce Hackers Abuse Microsoft Teams Relays to Hide Backdoor.Turn C2 Traffic

Symantec and Carbon Black found DragonForce-linked hackers using Backdoor.Turn, a Go RAT tunneling C2 through Microsoft Teams TURN relays via QUIC.

Broadcom's Symantec and Carbon Black documented Backdoor.Turn, a Go-based RAT associated with the DragonForce ransomware group, deployed at a major U.S. services firm where attackers remained on the network for one to two months. The backdoor obtains an anonymous Teams visitor token from Microsoft's Skype-backed identity services, uses a legitimate Microsoft TURN relay for connection setup, and runs a QUIC session to the attacker's C2 server, so defenders see only outbound traffic to legitimate Teams servers. Initial access is suspected to involve exploiting a SQL/MS-SQL vulnerability or an access broker, followed by a PowerShell-dropped ZIP, DLL side-loading, and BYOVD evasion using a Huawei driver; the RAT is injected into DbgView64.exe after DragonForce ransomware deployment for continued access. First publicly documented TURN abuse by the group, it leverages Praetorian's Ghost Calls technique and supports command execution, network scanning, LDAP/AD search, lateral movement, and browser credential theft.

The Hacker NewsAug 18, 12:13 UTC · 29d agoMalware CVE-2023-52271 CVE-2025-61155 CVE-2025-10551

KREMLIN Banking Malware Infects Over 1,500 Systems With Malicious Chrome Extension

Elastic tracks KREMLIN banking malware that used fake Brazilian bank JavaScript lures to deploy malicious Chrome and Edge extensions on 1,515 systems.

Elastic researchers tracked the KREMLIN banking malware operation across seven campaigns over 15 months, infecting 1,515 systems, 98.75% of them in Brazil. Portuguese-language lures posing as bank records and invoices deploy a hostile 'AVSync' extension into Chrome and Edge profiles that harvests passwords, session cookies, keystrokes and screenshots. Loaders check for sandboxes, create scheduled tasks and fetch fresh infrastructure from an Ethereum smart contract; a network canary takeover temporarily disrupted infections.

Cyber Security News08:12 UTC · 8h agoMalware in the wild

Spark RAT Targets Cambodia, Abuses Vulnerable OPSWAT Driver to Disable Security Tools

Acronis details a Spark RAT campaign against Cambodia abusing the vulnerable OPSWAT ardrv.sys driver (CVE-2026-36425) to disable Microsoft Defender and other security tools.

Acronis TRU analyzed a multi-stage Spark RAT campaign targeting Cambodian individuals and organizations with lures spanning government notices, public health materials, and real estate documents. Attack chains use phishing emails with Inno Setup archives, DLL side-loading via a signed Tencent executable, and BYOVD abuse of the vulnerable OPSWAT ardrv.sys driver (CVE-2026-36425) to terminate security software. Shellcode hidden in PNG files patches AMSI and ETW, establishes scheduled task and service persistence, and injects into vssvc.exe and ctfmon.exe to run the open-source Go-based Spark RAT. Tactics resemble the Silver Fox actor, but Acronis tracks the cluster as unattributed with low confidence.

The Hacker NewsAug 27, 13:22 UTC · 20d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2026-36425

Top 10 Best Application Control & Allowlisting Tools in 2026

Roundup ranks 2026 application allowlisting tools, scoring ThreatLocker 8.8/10, Airlock Digital 8.5/10 and free Microsoft WDAC among top default-deny options.

This is a scored buyer's guide to ten application control and allowlisting tools for 2026, with ThreatLocker ranked first (8.8/10), Airlock Digital second (8.5/10) and Microsoft's built-in WDAC/AppLocker third (7.2/10). It notes ransomware has renewed interest in default-deny execution controls and that CISA and other agencies list application control among the most effective yet under-deployed mitigations. The evaluation is research-based with no lab testing, weighting policy automation at 30% and operability at 25%.

Cyber Security NewsSep 9, 07:59 UTC · 7d agoIndustry1

Cybercriminals Turn GTA VI Leaks Into Malware Bait

Attackers spread fake 113GB GTA VI builds whose 50KB payload whitelists the entire C: drive in Windows Defender, alongside credential phishing and infostealer campaigns.

Researchers found that a 113GB file claiming to be a playable Grand Theft Auto VI build is 99.99% empty data hiding a tiny malicious payload that excludes the entire C:\ drive from Windows Defender and kills security software, preparing systems for follow-on attacks. Related lures include fake GTA 6 Windows installers using DLL side-loading, a fake 'GTA 6 Mobile' app redirecting to infostealer and ransomware infrastructure, and counterfeit Rockstar Social Club login pages harvesting credentials. The fakes ride genuine leak momentum from the leaker CyberLeek, and Kaspersky separately documented over 19 million attempted downloads of game-themed malware in a year, with GTA, Minecraft, and Call of Duty the most abused brands. No legitimate playable GTA VI build is circulating; the game launches November 19 on consoles.

Security AffairsAug 24, 17:27 UTC · 22d agoMalware in the wild

⚡ Weekly Recap: VMware Exploits, Windows 0-Day, MCP Attacks, Browser Hijacks and More

Weekly recap: suspected China-nexus APT exploited VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310, Lazarus used Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820, and macOS flaw dropped Monero miners.

The week's top stories included a suspected China-nexus APT exploiting VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS 9.8), a directory-traversal flaw enabling arbitrary code execution, with backdoors, reverse SSH and Babuk-derived ransomware deployed, per QUIRSO. NCSC-NL reported active exploitation of macOS Screen Sharing flaw CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS 9.8) to install Monero miners on systems with port 5900 exposed. Lazarus Group exploited Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820 (CVSS 7.0) in Operation Dream Job, delivering ForestTiger and Troy backdoors to defense and aerospace targets. GeoServer patched a critical SQL injection flaw exploited within hours of disclosure, and Jamf analyzed the new Amnesia Stealer for macOS with live browser control.

The Hacker NewsAug 17, 17:57 UTC · 29d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-59310 CVE-2026-65400 CVE-2026-688201

New SLEEPWALKER Backdoor Waits for One Crafted Packet, Then Runs Its Own Bytecode

A new Windows backdoor dubbed SLEEPWALKER hides as ESET Management Agent's dpapi.dll, waits for a crafted network packet, then executes custom 23-instruction bytecode.

Researcher Dominik Reichel documented SLEEPWALKER, an unsigned 59,904-byte 64-bit Windows DLL that side-loads into ESET Management Agent's ERAAgent.exe while impersonating dpapi.dll. The implant monitors every network interface indefinitely for a specifically crafted trigger packet, then executes commands written in a custom 23-instruction bytecode language over six transports, including TCP, UDP, ICMP, SMB named pipes, raw promiscuous capture, and VMware VMCI. It has no embedded infrastructure, makes no outbound connections of its own, and requires prior local administrator access to install; no victims, attribution, or in-the-wild deployment are confirmed. Reichel assesses the design as consistent with a targeted, well-resourced operation, while ESET calls the scenario's security relevance negligible since it provides no new access path.

The Hacker NewsSep 4, 04:00 UTC · 12d agoMalware

The extension you never installed: KREMLIN forges Chrome's own integrity checks to steal banking sessions

Elastic details KREMLIN, a Brazilian banking malware whose malicious Chrome/Edge extension forges Chromium integrity checks to steal sessions.

Elastic Security Labs tracked operation REF9334 and its KREMLIN toolkit, a Brazilian banking malware campaign impersonating twelve banks across seven campaigns since May 2025. The infection chain uses multi-stage obfuscated JavaScript loaders with sandbox checks (file and process counting), scheduled-task persistence, and an Ethereum smart contract acting as a dead-drop resolver for C2 and payload URLs, abusing Archive.org for hosting. The malicious browser extension bypasses Chromium integrity mechanisms by manipulating Secure Preferences and regenerating required HMACs and App-Bound encrypted hashes. Threat Command disrupted over 1,500 infections by registering the kill-switch canary domain.

Elastic Security LabsSep 14, 00:00 UTC · 2d agoMalware in the wild

Hackers Abuse YouTube Gaming Channels and SEO Poisoning to Deploy RATs and Chrome Hijacker

Unit 42 exposed CL-CRI-1171, a pay-per-install operation using YouTube gaming channels and SEO poisoning to deliver RATs and a Chrome hijacker.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 identified over 10,000 OfferLoader samples and 11 YouTube channels pushing trojanized installers via gaming lures and SEO-poisoned searches for tools like WinDirStat and Bluetooth drivers. Trojanized Inno Setup installers spawn three payload branches: Insomnia RAT (dual Node.js/Python backdoor that disables Microsoft Defender), ARKTunnel (undocumented RAT hiding its payload in a bitmap image and tunneling TCP/UDP), and Docro Hijacker (alters Chrome protected preferences to hijack search and affiliate links). The pay-per-install model sells each infection to multiple buyers, reaching gamers as well as corporate and government endpoints.

Cyber Security NewsSep 14, 08:01 UTC · 2d agoMalware in the wild1