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Stately Taurus Activity in Southeast Asia Links to Bookworm Malware

Unit 42 links Stately Taurus APT activity in ASEAN region and Myanmar to the decade-old Bookworm malware family via infrastructure overlaps.

Unit 42 connected Stately Taurus (aka Mustang Panda) espionage activity targeting ASEAN-affiliated organizations and Myanmar to the Bookworm malware family, first published in 2015. Earlier attacks delivered the PubLoad stager via DLL sideloading, with a PubLoad variant communicating with C2 at 123.253.32[.]15 while mimicking Windows Update URLs. Three previously unreported loader samples from 2021-2022 used UUID-decoded shellcode loaded via heap allocation and API callbacks, ultimately decrypting and loading Bookworm DLLs. A ToneShell backdoor variant shared debug paths with Bookworm loaders, and the January 2024 CSIRT CTI post corroborated the Myanmar attacks.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Threat actor in the wild1

FrostyGoop’s Zoom-In: A Closer Look into the Malware Artifacts, Behaviors and Network Communications

Unit 42 dissects FrostyGoop OT malware, which sent Modbus TCP commands to disrupt heating for 600+ apartment buildings in Ukraine.

Palo Alto Unit 42 analyzed new FrostyGoop/BUSTLEBERM samples, the ninth known ICS-centric malware, first used against a Ukrainian municipal energy company by sending Modbus TCP commands to ENCO control devices. The attack caused a two-day heating outage affecting over 600 apartment buildings during sub-zero temperatures. The Go-compiled malware accepts Modbus register operations and timing parameters via command-line arguments or a JSON configuration file, uses an obscure open-source Modbus library, and checks the Windows BeingDebugged flag to evade debuggers. Unit 42 telemetry recorded over 1 million Modbus TCP devices exposed to the internet between September and October 2024.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 28d agoMalware in the wild

Threat Brief: OWASSRF Vulnerability Exploitation

Unit 42 details active exploitation of Exchange SSRF flaws CVE-2022-41080/CVE-2022-41082 via the OWASSRF method, deploying the SilverArrow PowerShell backdoor.

Unit 42 documents OWASSRF, an exploit chain combining CVE-2022-41080 and CVE-2022-41082 to achieve remote code execution on Microsoft Exchange via Outlook Web Access, bypassing Microsoft's ProxyNotShell mitigations. Active exploitation was observed in late November and early December 2022, affecting at least eight organizations. Attackers authenticated to Exchange, then executed a PowerShell backdoor tracked as SilverArrow to create admin accounts, install AnyDesk, tunnel RDP via PuTTY Link, and dump LSASS memory for credential theft. Exploitation is isolated rather than mass-scale because authentication is required.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Exploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2022-41080CVE-2022-41082CVE-2022-410401

Old Wine in the New Bottle: Mirai Variant Targets Multiple IoT Devices

Unit 42 analyzed the Mirai IZ1H9 botnet variant exploiting Tenda, LB-Link, DCN and Zyxel flaws to build DDoS-capable IoT botnets.

Unit 42 observed the Mirai IZ1H9 variant on April 10, 2023, using a shell script downloader lb.sh from 163.123.143.126 to infect exposed Linux servers and networking devices. Campaigns running since November 2021 share infrastructure, near-identical bot functions and the XOR key 0xBAADF00D. The malware exploits CVE-2023-27076 (Tenda G103), CVE-2023-26801 (LB-Link), CVE-2023-26802 (DCN DCBI-Netlog-LAB) and a Zyxel RCE flaw. Compromised devices join a botnet used for DDoS attacks, and the downloader deletes logs and modifies iptables to block SSH, Telnet and HTTP recovery.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wildCVE-2023-27076CVE-2023-26801CVE-2023-26802

Mirai Variant V3G4 Targets IoT Devices

Unit 42 tracked the Mirai variant V3G4 exploiting 13 vulnerabilities across IoT devices and servers from July-December 2022 to build a DDoS botnet.

From July to December 2022, Unit 42 observed three campaigns spreading V3G4, a Mirai botnet variant, by exploiting 13 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2022-26134 in Atlassian Confluence and CVE-2019-15107 in Webmin. The campaigns shared the same C2 domains containing the string 8xl9, nearly identical shell script downloaders, and the same XOR keys, suggesting a single threat actor. The malware brute-forces telnet and SSH credentials, terminates rival botnet processes via a stop list, and receives DDoS commands from its C2. Compromised servers and networking devices are absorbed into the botnet for further attacks.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wildCVE-2012-4869CVE-2014-9727CVE-2017-5173+6 CVEs

IoT Under Siege: The Anatomy of the Latest Mirai Campaign Leveraging Multiple IoT Exploits

Unit 42 tracks a Mirai botnet campaign exploiting over 20 IoT vulnerabilities in routers, cameras and DVRs to build DDoS botnets since March 2023.

Since March 2023, Unit 42 has tracked threat actors exploiting more than 20 IoT vulnerabilities to spread a Mirai botnet variant, first seen downloading payloads from zvub.us on March 14, 2023. Exploited flaws span CVE-2023-1389 (TP-Link Archer), CVE-2022-30525 (Zyxel), CVE-2022-31499 (Nortek) and many router, camera and DVR bugs. The variant decrypts configuration strings with an XOR key derived from 0xDEADBEEF and lacks built-in credential brute forcing, so spreading relies on manual operator exploitation. Two campaigns observed since October 2022 share infrastructure and near-identical samples.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wildCVE-2019-12725CVE-2019-17621CVE-2019-20500+13 CVEs1

Keys to the Kingdom: Erlang/OTP SSH Vulnerability Analysis and Exploits Observed in the Wild

Attackers actively exploit CVE-2025-32433, a CVSS 10.0 unauthenticated RCE in Erlang/OTP SSH, heavily targeting OT and critical infrastructure networks.

CVE-2025-32433 enables unauthenticated RCE in Erlang/OTP's SSH daemon via SSH connection protocol messages (codes >= 80) processed before authentication, affecting versions before OTP-27.3.3, OTP-26.2.5.11 and OTP-25.3.2.20. Unit 42 recorded a spike in exploitation between May 1-9, 2025, with 70% of detections on firewalls protecting OT networks, disproportionately affecting healthcare, agriculture, media and high technology. Observed payloads bind TCP-connected shells or launch Bash reverse shells to hosts like 146.103.40.203:6667, with randomized DNS lookups under dns.outbound.watchtowr.com indicating OAST-driven blind RCE validation.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Exploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2025-32433

Mirai Variant MooBot Targeting D

Unit 42 observed the MooBot Mirai variant exploiting four D-Link vulnerabilities to compromise unpatched routers for use in DDoS attacks.

Unit 42 captured attacks exploiting four D-Link remote code execution vulnerabilities: CVE-2015-2051, CVE-2018-6530, CVE-2022-26258, and CVE-2022-28958, with three rated critical at CVSS 9.8. The exploits download the MooBot malware, a Mirai botnet variant, from infrastructure at 159.203.15.179 via wget. Compromised devices fall under full attacker control and can be used for distributed denial-of-service attacks. D-Link has published bulletins for all four flaws, but unpatched devices remain exposed.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wildCVE-2015-2051CVE-2018-6530CVE-2022-26258+1 CVEs

A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023

Mirai-like botnet scans exploit TP-Link EOL router flaw CVE-2023-33538 after CISA KEV addition, though observed exploit code is flawed.

Unit 42 observed large-scale automated scans attempting to exploit CVE-2023-33538 in end-of-life TP-Link TL-WR940N, TL-WR740N and TL-WR841N routers after CISA added the flaw to its KEV catalog in June 2025. HTTP GET requests inject commands via the ssid1 parameter at the /userRpm/WlanNetworkRpm endpoint to download and execute an arm7 ELF binary, a Mirai variant related to the Condi IoT botnet. Firmware emulation and reverse engineering showed the observed exploits are flawed and would fail, but the underlying vulnerability is real and successful exploitation requires authentication to the router's web interface. TP-Link confirmed the devices are end-of-life with no patches available and recommends replacing units and eliminating default credentials.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 28d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2023-335381

Attackers Expose Ongoing AI Tool Use Targeting Organizations in Latin America

Unit 42 documents two AI-assisted intrusion campaigns against Latin American government, utility, and financial organizations using LLM-orchestrated tooling.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 tracks two ongoing intrusion clusters, CL-CRI-1131 (Mexican transportation, federal ministries, municipal water utilities) and CL-CRI-1163 (Brazilian financial sector), both using living-off-the-land techniques, SOCKS5 relays, and custom RATs. The attackers appear to orchestrate operations via commercial LLMs like Claude and GPT-4.1, evidenced by iterative batch scripts and AI-generated tunneling tool naming. The Mexican campaign (also reported as Operation Escaneo by CloudSEK) exfiltrated sensitive data via dynamic-DNS infrastructure with rotated multi-SAN TLS certificates between February and June 2026. This signals broader adoption of AI-enhanced operations by diverse threat groups in the region.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 14d agoThreat actor in the wild1

Persistent Attempts at Cyberespionage Against Southeast Asian Government Target Have Links to Alloy Taurus

Alloy Taurus (GALLIUM) compromised Southeast Asian government networks from 2022 to 2023 using Exchange web shells and undocumented .NET backdoors Reshell and Zapoa.

Unit 42 tracked persistent multiwave intrusions at a Southeast Asian government starting in early 2022 and continuing through 2023, attributing the activity with moderate confidence to Alloy Taurus (aka GALLIUM), a Chinese state-aligned espionage group. Attackers exploited Exchange Server vulnerabilities to deploy web shells including China Chopper, then ran reconnaissance with Fscan and WebScan, created administrative accounts, and installed undocumented .NET backdoors named Reshell and Zapoa. They established resilience by installing SoftEther VPN, brute-forced Active Directory credentials with Kerbrute, and dumped credential stores with GoDumpLsass and LsassUnhooker. The campaign reflects long-term espionage tradecraft to maintain a foothold.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Threat actor in the wild1