ESET Analysis, Risk Stories
An summary of the actions of chosen APT teams investigated and analyzed by ESET Analysis in This autumn 2023 and Q1 2024
14 Might 2024
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2 min. learn
ESET APT Exercise Report This autumn 2023–Q1 2024 summarizes notable actions of chosen superior persistent menace (APT) teams that had been documented by ESET researchers from October 2023 till the tip of March 2024. The highlighted operations are consultant of the broader panorama of threats we investigated throughout this era, illustrating the important thing tendencies and developments, and comprise solely a fraction of the cybersecurity intelligence knowledge offered to clients of ESET’s personal APT stories.
Within the monitored timeframe, a number of China-aligned menace actors exploited vulnerabilities in public-facing home equipment, resembling VPNs and firewalls, and software program, resembling Confluence and Microsoft Alternate Server, for preliminary entry to targets in a number of verticals. Primarily based on the info leak from I-SOON (Anxun), we are able to affirm that this Chinese language contractor is certainly engaged in cyberespionage. We monitor part of the corporate’s actions beneath the FishMonger group. On this report, we additionally introduce a brand new China-aligned APT group, CeranaKeeper, distinguished by distinctive traits but probably sharing a digital quartermaster with the Mustang Panda group.
Following the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023, we detected a big improve in exercise from Iran-aligned menace teams. Particularly, MuddyWater and Agrius transitioned from their earlier deal with cyberespionage and ransomware, respectively, to extra aggressive methods involving entry brokering and affect assaults. In the meantime, OilRig and Ballistic Bobcat actions noticed a downturn, suggesting a strategic shift towards extra noticeable, “louder” operations aimed toward Israel. North Korea-aligned teams continued to focus on aerospace and protection firms, and the cryptocurrency trade, bettering their tradecraft by conducting supply-chain assaults, growing trojanized software program installers and new malware strains, and exploiting software program vulnerabilities.
Russia-aligned teams have centered their actions on espionage throughout the European Union and assaults on Ukraine. Moreover, the Operation Texonto marketing campaign, a disinformation and psychological operation (PSYOP) uncovered by ESET researchers, has been spreading false details about Russian-election-related protests and the scenario in Ukrainian Kharkiv, fostering uncertainty amongst Ukrainians domestically and overseas.
Moreover, we highlight a marketing campaign within the Center East carried out by SturgeonPhisher, a bunch we consider to be aligned with the pursuits of Kazakhstan. We additionally focus on a watering-hole assault on a regional information web site about Gilgit-Baltistan, a disputed area administered by Pakistan, and lastly, we describe the exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability in Roundcube by Winter Vivern, a bunch we assess to be aligned with the pursuits of Belarus.
Malicious actions described in ESET APT Exercise Report This autumn 2023–Q1 2024 are detected by ESET merchandise; shared intelligence is primarily based on proprietary ESET telemetry knowledge and has been verified by ESET researchers.
ESET APT Exercise Stories comprise solely a fraction of the cybersecurity intelligence knowledge offered in ESET APT Stories PREMIUM. For extra data, go to the ESET Risk Intelligence web site.
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