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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.
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Akira Affiliate Crashes Ransomware After Attempting EDR Evasion
Huntress documented an Akira ransomware affiliate attack that failed after its anti-EDR tool crashed legitimate software and stopped encryption before completion.
Infosecurity Magazine reports on Huntress research into a failed Akira ransomware affiliate attack. The affiliate attempted EDR evasion using an anti-EDR tool, but the tool interfered with legitimate software on the client's system. The interference crashed the ransomware before encryption completed, sabotaging the attack; no completed encryption was reported.
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Akira Hits Safe Mode: Ransomware Rebooting Around EDR
Huntress documents an Akira ransomware affiliate rebooting endpoints into Windows Safe Mode to evade EDR and Defender, though Safe Mode broke the ransomware.
Huntress observed an Akira ransomware affiliate rebooting victim machines into Windows Safe Mode to disable EDR and Microsoft Defender before deploying ransomware. In an ironic twist, Safe Mode also prevented the ransomware from executing properly. The post walks through the full attack chain and the defensive lessons.
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UAT-10147 Uses AI to Scale Server Attacks, Deploys SPECTRE With EDR Bypass and Linux Rootkit
Cisco Talos exposes UAT-10147, a Chinese-speaking group using AI tools to automate intrusions, deploy SPECTRE, BadIIS, and rootkits against web servers worldwide.
Cisco Talos detailed UAT-10147, a Chinese-speaking cybercrime group conducting SEO fraud and data theft against Windows and Linux web servers in education, media, technology, and gaming sectors, with most victims in Brazil, Bolivia, China, Canada, and Vietnam. The actor exploits publicly disclosed vulnerabilities for initial access, including Zimbra (CVE-2022-27925) and Alibaba Nacos (CVE-2021-29441), and abuses Linux LPE flaws like CVE-2022-0847 and CVE-2021-3156 for root. Its toolset includes AI-assisted frameworks DeepAudit and PentestGPT, plus implants such as SPECTRE, BadIIS, Quasar RAT, Gh0stCringe, and Noodle RAT. An exposed directory contained a target list of roughly 170,000 URLs, with the US, India, UK, Germany, and Netherlands as top destinations.
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UAT-10147 deploys SPECTRE: A cross-platform implant with Linux rootkit and BYOVD capabilities
Cisco Talos identifies UAT-10147 deploying the SPECTRE implant with cross-platform C2, credential theft, and kernel-level EDR bypass.
Cisco Talos reports that the tracked threat actor UAT-10147 is deploying a newly identified implant named SPECTRE. SPECTRE supports cross-platform command-and-control, process injection, credential theft, and anti-analysis protections. It also includes a Linux rootkit and BYOVD (bring your own vulnerable driver) capability enabling kernel-level EDR bypass, marking an evolution in commodity intrusion tooling.
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