دسته: هسته اصلی سیستم‌عامل

  • Closing the Compliance Gap with Data Discovery

    Closing the Compliance Gap with Data Discovery


    In today’s regulatory climate, compliance is no longer a box-ticking exercise. It is a strategic necessity. Organizations across industries are under pressure to secure sensitive data, meet privacy obligations, and avoid hefty penalties. Yet, despite all the talk about “data visibility” and “compliance readiness,” one fundamental gap remains: unseen data—the information your business holds but doesn’t know about.

    Unseen data isn’t just a blind spot—it’s a compliance time bomb waiting to trigger regulatory and reputational damage.

    The Myth: Sensitive Data Lives Only in Databases

    Many businesses operate under the dangerous assumption that sensitive information exists only in structured repositories like databases, ERP platforms, or CRM systems. While it’s true these systems hold vast amounts of personal and financial information, they’re far from the whole picture.

    Reality check: Sensitive data is often scattered across endpoints, collaboration platforms, and forgotten storage locations. Think of HR documents on a laptop, customer details in a shared folder, or financial reports in someone’s email archive. These are prime targets for breaches—and they often escape compliance audits because they live outside the “official” data sources.

    Myth vs Reality: Why Structured Data is Not the Whole Story

    Yes, structured sources like SQL databases allow centralized access control and auditing. But compliance risks aren’t limited to structured data. Unstructured and endpoint data can be far more dangerous because:

    • They are harder to track.
    • They often bypass IT policies.
    • They get replicated in multiple places without oversight.

    When organizations focus solely on structured data, they risk overlooking up to 50–70% of their sensitive information footprint.

    The Challenge Without Complete Discovery

    Without full-spectrum data discovery—covering structured, unstructured, and endpoint environments—organizations face several challenges:

    1. Compliance Gaps – Regulations like GDPR, DPDPA, HIPAA, and CCPA require knowing all locations of personal data. If data is missed, compliance reports will be incomplete.
    2. Increased Breach Risk – Cybercriminals exploit the easiest entry points, often targeting endpoints and poorly secured file shares.
    3. Inefficient Remediation – Without knowing where data lives, security teams can’t effectively remove, encrypt, or mask it.
    4. Costly Investigations – Post-breach forensics becomes slower and more expensive when data locations are unknown.

    The Importance of Discovering Data Everywhere

    A truly compliant organization knows where every piece of sensitive data resides, no matter the format or location. That means extending discovery capabilities to:

    1. Structured Data
    • Where it lives: Databases, ERP, CRM, and transactional systems.
    • Why it matters: It holds core business-critical records, such as customer PII, payment data, and medical records.
    • Risks if ignored: Non-compliance with data subject rights requests; inaccurate reporting.
    1. Unstructured Data
    • Where it lives: File servers, SharePoint, Teams, Slack, email archives, cloud storage.
    • Why it matters: Contains contracts, scanned IDs, reports, and sensitive documents in freeform formats.
    • Risks if ignored: Harder to monitor, control, and protect due to scattered storage.
    1. Endpoint Data
    • Where it lives: Laptops, desktops, mobile devices (Windows, Mac, Linux).
    • Why it matters: Employees often store working copies of sensitive files locally.
    • Risks if ignored: Theft, loss, or compromise of devices can expose critical information.

    Real-World Examples of Compliance Risks from Unseen Data

    1. Healthcare Sector: A hospital’s breach investigation revealed patient records stored on a doctor’s laptop, which was never logged into official systems. GDPR fines followed.
    2. Banking & Finance: An audit found loan application forms with customer PII on a shared drive, accessible to interns.
    3. Retail: During a PCI DSS assessment, old CSV exports containing cardholder data were discovered in an unused cloud folder.
    4. Government: Sensitive citizen records are emailed between departments, bypassing secure document transfer systems, and are later exposed to a phishing attack.

    Closing the Gap: A Proactive Approach to Data Discovery

    The only way to eliminate unseen data risks is to deploy comprehensive data discovery and classification tools that scan across servers, cloud platforms, and endpoints—automatically detecting sensitive content wherever it resides.

    This proactive approach supports regulatory compliance, improves breach resilience, reduces audit stress, and ensures that data governance policies are meaningful in practice, not just on paper.

    Bottom Line

    Compliance isn’t just about protecting data you know exists—it’s about uncovering the data you don’t. From servers to endpoints, organizations need end-to-end visibility to safeguard against unseen risks and meet today’s stringent data protection laws.

    Seqrite empowers organizations to achieve full-spectrum data visibility — from servers to endpoints — ensuring compliance and reducing risk. Learn how we can help you discover what matters most.



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  • Exploring SOAP Web Services – From Browser Console to Python – Useful code

    Exploring SOAP Web Services – From Browser Console to Python – Useful code


    SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) might sound intimidating (or funny) but it is actually a straightforward way for systems to exchange structured messages using XML. In this article, I am introducing SOAP through YouTube video, where it is explored through 2 different angles – first in the Chrome browser console, then with Python and Jupyter Notebook.

    The SOAP Exchange Mechanism uses requests and response.

    Part 1 – Soap in the Chrome Browser Console

    We start by sending SOAP requests directly from the browser’s JS console. This is a quick way to see the raw XML
    <soap>  envelopes in action. Using a public integer calculator web service, we perform basic operations – additions, subtraction, multiplication, division – and observe how the requests and responses happen in real time!

    For the browser, the entire SOAP journey looks like that:

    Chrome Browser -> HTTP POST -> SOAP XML -> Server (http://www.dneonline.com/calculator.asmx?WSDL) -> SOAP XML -> Chrome Browser

    A simple way to call it is with constants, to avoid the strings:

    Like that:

    Part 2 – Soap with Python and Jupyter Notebook

    Here we jump into Python. With the help of libaries, we load the the WSDL (Web Services Description Language) file, inspect the available operations, and call the same calculator service programmatically.





    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr0r1GmiyZg
    Github code – https://github.com/Vitosh/Python_personal/tree/master/YouTube/038_Python-SOAP-Basics!

    Enjoy it! 🙂



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  • How to Choose the Top XDR Vendor for Your Cybersecurity Future

    How to Choose the Top XDR Vendor for Your Cybersecurity Future


    Cyberattacks aren’t slowing down—they’re getting bolder and smarter. From phishing scams to ransomware outbreaks, the number of incidents has doubled or even tripled year over year. In today’s hybrid, multi-vendor IT landscape, protecting your organization’s digital assets requires choosing the top XDR vendor that can see and stop threats across every possible entry point.

    Over the last five years, XDR (Extended Detection and Response) has emerged as one of the most promising cybersecurity innovations. Leading IT analysts agree: XDR solutions will play a central role in the future of cyber defense. But not all XDR platforms are created equal. Success depends on how well an XDR vendor integrates Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to detect, analyze, and neutralize threats in real time.

    This guide will explain what makes a great XDR vendor and how Seqrite XDR compares to industry benchmarks. It also includes a practical checklist for confidently evaluating your next security investment.

    Why Choosing the Right XDR Vendor Matters

    Your XDR platform isn’t just another security tool; it’s the nerve center of your threat detection and response strategy. The best solutions act as a central brain, collecting security telemetry from:

    • Endpoints
    • Networks
    • Firewalls
    • Email
    • Identity systems
    • DNS

    They don’t just collect this data, they correlate it intelligently, filter out the noise, and give your security team actionable insights to respond faster.

    According to industry reports, over 80% of IT and cybersecurity professionals are increasing budgets for threat detection and response. If you choose the wrong vendor, you risk fragmented visibility, alert fatigue, and missed attacks.

    Key Capabilities Every Top XDR Vendor Should Offer

    When shortlisting top XDR vendors, here’s what to look for:

    1. Advanced Threat Detection – Identify sophisticated, multi-layer attack patterns that bypass traditional tools.
    2. Risk-Based Prioritization – Assign scores (1–1000) so you know which threats truly matter.
    3. Unified Visibility – A centralized console to eliminate security silos.
    4. Integration Flexibility – Native and third-party integrations to protect existing investments.
    5. Automation & Orchestration – Automate repetitive workflows to respond in seconds, not hours.
    6. MITRE ATT&CK Mapping – Know exactly which attacker tactics and techniques you can detect.

    Remember, it’s the integration of EPP and EDR that makes or breaks an XDR solution’s effectiveness.

    Your Unified Detection & Response Checklist

    Use this checklist to compare vendors on a like-for-like basis:

    • Full telemetry coverage: Endpoints, networks, firewalls, email, identity, and DNS.
    • Native integration strength: Smooth backend-to-frontend integration for consistent coverage.
    • Real-time threat correlation: Remove false positives, detect real attacks faster.
    • Proactive security posture: Shift from reactive to predictive threat hunting.
    • MITRE ATT&CK alignment: Validate protection capabilities against industry-recognized standards.

    Why Automation Is the Game-Changer

    The top XDR vendors go beyond detection, they optimize your entire security operation. Automated playbooks can instantly execute containment actions when a threat is detected. Intelligent alert grouping cuts down on noise, preventing analyst burnout.

    Automation isn’t just about speed; it’s about cost savings. A report by IBM Security shows that organizations with full automation save over ₹31 crore annually and detect/respond to breaches much faster than those relying on manual processes.

    The Seqrite XDR Advantage

    Seqrite XDR combines advanced detection, rich telemetry, and AI-driven automation into a single, unified platform. It offers:

    • Seamless integration with Seqrite Endpoint Protection (EPP) and Seqrite Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) and third party telemetry sources.
    • MITRE ATT&CK-aligned visibility to stay ahead of attackers.
    • Automated playbooks to slash response times and reduce manual workload.
    • Unified console for complete visibility across your IT ecosystem.
    • GenAI-powered SIA (Seqrite Intelligent Assistant) – Your AI-Powered Virtual Security Analyst. SIA offers predefined prompts and conversational access to incident and alert data, streamlining investigations and making it faster for analysts to understand, prioritize, and respond to threats.

    In a market crowded with XDR solutions, Seqrite delivers a future-ready, AI-augmented platform designed for today’s threats and tomorrow’s unknowns.

    If you’re evaluating your next security investment, start with a vendor who understands the evolving threat landscape and backs it up with a platform built for speed, intelligence, and resilience.



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  • RBI Emphasizes Adopting Zero Trust Approaches for Banking Institutions

    RBI Emphasizes Adopting Zero Trust Approaches for Banking Institutions


    In a significant move to bolster cybersecurity in India’s financial ecosystem, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has underscored the urgent need for regulated entities—especially banks—to adopt Zero Trust approaches as part of a broader strategy to curb cyber fraud. In its latest Financial Stability Report (June 2025), RBI highlighted Zero Trust as a foundational pillar for risk-based supervision, AI-aware defenses, and proactive cyber risk management.

    The directive comes amid growing concerns about the digital attack surface, vendor lock-in risks, and the systemic threats posed by overreliance on a few IT infrastructure providers. RBI has clarified that traditional perimeter-based security is no longer enough, and financial institutions must transition to continuous verification models where no user or device is inherently trusted.

    What is Zero Trust?

    Zero Trust is a modern security framework built on the principle: “Never trust, always verify.”

    Unlike legacy models that grant broad access to anyone inside the network, Zero Trust requires every user, device, and application to be verified continuously, regardless of location—inside or outside the organization’s perimeter.

    Key principles of Zero Trust include:

    • Least-privilege access: Users only get access to what they need—nothing more.
    • Micro-segmentation: Breaking down networks and applications into smaller zones to isolate threats.
    • Continuous verification: Access is granted based on multiple dynamic factors, including identity, device posture, location, time, and behavior.
    • Assume breach: Security models assume threats are already inside the network and act accordingly.

    In short, Zero Trust ensures that access is never implicit, and every request is assessed with context and caution.

    Seqrite ZTNA: Zero Trust in Action for Indian Banking

    To help banks and financial institutions meet RBI’s Zero Trust directive, Seqrite ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) offers a modern, scalable, and India-ready solution that aligns seamlessly with RBI’s vision.

    Key Capabilities of Seqrite ZTNA

    • Granular access control
      It allows access only to specific applications based on role, user identity, device health, and risk level, eliminating broad network exposure.
    • Continuous risk-based verification
      Each access request is evaluated in real time using contextual signals like location, device posture, login time, and behavior.
    • No VPN dependency
      Removes the risks of traditional VPNs that grant excessive access. Seqrite ZTNA gives just-in-time access to authorized resources.
    • Built-in analytics and audit readiness
      Detailed logs of every session help organizations meet RBI’s incident reporting and risk-based supervision requirements.
    • Easy integration with identity systems
      Works seamlessly with Azure AD, Google Workspace, and other Identity Providers to enforce secure authentication.
    • Supports hybrid and remote workforces
      Agent-based or agent-less deployment suits internal employees, third-party vendors, and remote users.

    How Seqrite ZTNA Supports RBI’s Zero Trust Mandate

    RBI’s recommendations aren’t just about better firewalls but about shifting the cybersecurity posture entirely. Seqrite ZTNA helps financial institutions adopt this shift with:

    • Risk-Based Supervision Alignment
    • Policies can be tailored based on user risk, job function, device posture, or geography.
    • Enables graded monitoring, as RBI emphasizes, with intelligent access decisions based on risk level.
    • CART and AI-Aware Defenses
    • Behavior analytics and real-time monitoring help institutions detect anomalies and conduct Continuous Assessment-Based Red Teaming (CART) simulations.
    • Uniform Incident Reporting
    • Seqrite’s detailed session logs and access histories simplify compliance with RBI’s call for standardized incident reporting frameworks.
    • Vendor Lock-In Mitigation
    • Unlike global cloud-only vendors, Seqrite ZTNA is designed with data sovereignty and local compliance in mind, offering full control to Indian enterprises.

    Sample Use Case: A Mid-Sized Regional Bank

    Challenge: The bank must secure access to its core banking applications for remote employees and third-party vendors without relying on VPNs.

    With Seqrite ZTNA:

    • Users access only assigned applications, not the entire network.
    • Device posture is verified before every session.
    • Behavior is monitored continuously to detect anomalies.
    • Detailed logs assist compliance with RBI audits.
    • Risk-based policies automatically adjust based on context (e.g., denying access from unknown locations or outdated devices).

    Result: A Zero Trust-aligned access model with reduced attack surface, better visibility, and continuous compliance readiness.

    Conclusion: Future-Proofing Banking Security with Zero Trust

    RBI’s directive isn’t just another compliance checklist, it’s a wake-up call. As India’s financial institutions expand digitally, adopting Zero Trust is essential for staying resilient, secure, and compliant.

    Seqrite ZTNA empowers banks to implement Zero Trust in a practical, scalable way aligned with national cybersecurity priorities. With granular access control, continuous monitoring, and compliance-ready visibility, Seqrite ZTNA is the right step forward in securing India’s digital financial infrastructure.



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  • How Hackers Use Vector Graphics for Phishing Attacks

    How Hackers Use Vector Graphics for Phishing Attacks


    Introduction

    In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, attackers constantly seek new ways to bypass traditional defences. One of the latest and most insidious methods involves using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)—a file format typically associated with clean, scalable images for websites and applications. But beneath their seemingly harmless appearance, SVGs can harbour threatening scripts capable of executing sophisticated phishing attacks.

    This blog explores how SVGs are weaponized, why they often evade detection, and what organizations can do to protect themselves.

    SVGs: More Than Just Images

    SVG files differ fundamentally from standard image formats like JPEG or PNG. Instead of storing pixel data, SVGs use XML-based code to define vector paths, shapes, and text. This makes them ideal for responsive design, as they scale without losing quality. However, this same structure allows SVGs to contain embedded JavaScript, which can execute when the file is opened in a browser—something that happens by default on many Windows systems.

     Delivery

    • Email Attachments: Sent via spear-phishing emails with convincing subject lines and sender impersonation.
    • Cloud Storage Links: Shared through Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc., often bypassing email filters.
    Fig:1 Attack chain of SVG campaign

    The image illustrates the SVG phishing attack chain in four distinct stages: it begins with an email containing a seemingly harmless SVG attachment, which, when opened, triggers JavaScript execution in the browser, ultimately redirecting the user to a phishing site designed to steal credentials.

    How the attack works:

    When a target receives an SVG attachment and opens an email, the file typically launches in their default web browser—unless they have a specific application set to handle SVG files—allowing any embedded scripts to execute immediately.

    Fig2: Phishing Email of SVG campaign

    Attackers commonly send phishing emails with deceptive subject lines like “Reminder for your Scheduled Event 7212025.msg” or “Meeting-Reminder-7152025.msg”, paired with innocuous-looking attachments named “Upcoming Meeting.svg” or “Your-to-do-List.svg” to avoid raising suspicion. Once opened, the embedded JavaScript within the SVG file silently redirects the victim to a phishing site that closely mimics trusted services like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. As shown in fig.

    Fig3: Malicious SVG code.

    In the analyzed SVG sample, the attacker embeds a <script> tag within the SVG, using a CDATA section to hide malicious logic. The code includes a long hex-encoded string (Y) and a short XOR key (q), which decodes into a JavaScript payload when processed. This decoded payload is then executed using window.location = ‘javascript:’ + v;, effectively redirecting the victim to a phishing site upon opening the file. An unused email address variable (g.rume@mse-filterpressen.de) is likely a decoy or part of targeted delivery.

    Upon decryption, we found the c2c phishing link as

    hxxps://hju[.]yxfbynit[.]es/koRfAEHVFeQZ!bM9

    Fig4: Cloudflare CAPTCHA gate

    The link directs to a phishing site protected by a Cloudflare CAPTCHA gate. After you check the box to verify, you’re human then you’re redirected to a malicious page controlled by the attackers.

    Fig5: Office 365 login form

    This page embeds a genuine-looking Office 365 login form, allowing the phishing group to capture and validate your email and password credentials simultaneously.

    Conclusion: Staying Ahead of SVG-Based Threats

    As attackers continue to innovate, organizations must recognize the hidden risks in seemingly benign file formats like SVG. Security teams should:

    • Implement deep content inspection for SVG files.
    • Disable automatic browser rendering of SVGs from untrusted sources.
    • Educate employees about the risks of opening unfamiliar attachments.
    • Monitor for unusual redirects and script activity in email and web traffic.

    SVGs may be powerful tools for developers, but in the wrong hands, they can become potent weapons for cybercriminals. Awareness and proactive defense are key to staying ahead of this emerging threat.

    IOCs

    c78a99a4e6c04ae3c8d49c8351818090

    f68e333c9310af3503942e066f8c9ed1

    2ecce89fa1e5de9f94d038744fc34219

    6b51979ffae37fa27f0ed13e2bbcf37e

    4aea855cde4c963016ed36566ae113b7

    84ca41529259a2cea825403363074538

     

    Authors:

    Soumen Burma

    Rumana Siddiqui



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  • Shortest route between points in a city – with Python and OpenStreetMap – Useful code

    Shortest route between points in a city – with Python and OpenStreetMap – Useful code


    After the article for introduction to Graphs in Python, I have decided to put the graph theory into practice and start looking for the shortest points between points in a city. Parts of the code are inspired from the book Optimization Algorithms by Alaa Khamis, other parts are mine 🙂

    The idea is to go from the monument to the church with a car. The flag marks the middle, between the two points.

    The solution uses several powerful Python libraries:

    • OSMnx to download and work with real road networks from OpenStreetMap
    • NetworkX to model the road system as a graph and calculate the shortest path using Dijkstra’s algorithm
    • Folium for interactive map visualization

    We start by geocoding the two landmarks to get their latitude and longitude. Then we build a drivable street network centered around the Levski Monument using ox.graph_from_address. After snapping both points to the nearest graph nodes, we compute the shortest route by distance. Finally, we visualize everything both in an interactive map and in a clean black-on-white static graph where the path is drawn in yellow.


    Nodes and edges in radius of 1000 meters around the center point


    Red and green are the nodes, that are the closest to the start and end points.


    The closest driving route between the two points is in blue.

    The full code is implemented in a Jupyter Notebook in GitHub and explained in the video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQIK2P7erAA

    GitHub link:

    Enjoy the rest of your day! 🙂



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  • Introduction to Graphs in Python – Useful code

    Introduction to Graphs in Python – Useful code


    Lately, I am reading the book Optimization Algorithms by Alaa Khamis and the chapter 3 – Blind Search Algorithms, has caught my attention. The chapter starts with explaining what graphs are how these are displayed in python and I have decided to make a YT video, presenting the code of the book with Jupyter Notebook.

    Trees are different, when we talk about graphs in python

    Why graphs? Because they are everywhere:

    • A road map is a graph
    • Your social-media friends form a graph
    • Tasks in a to-do list, with dependables on each other, can be a graph

    With Python we can build and draw these structures in just a few lines of code.

    Setup

    Undirected graph

    • Edges have no arrows
    • Use it for two‑way streets or mutual friendships.

    Undirected graph

    Directed graph

    • Arrowheads show direction.
    • Good for “A follows B” but not the other way around.

    Directed graph

    Multigraph

    • Allows two or more edges between the same nodes.
    • Think of two train lines that join the same pair of cities.

    Multigraph

    Directed Acyclic Graph (Tree)

    • No cycles = no way to loop back.
    • Used in task schedulers and Git histories.

    Directed Acyclic Graph (Tree)

    Hypergraph

    • One “edge” can touch many nodes.
    • We simulate it with a bipartite graph: red squares = hyper‑edges.

    Hypergraph

    Weighted Graph

    • Graph with weights on the edges
    • Idea for mapping distances between cities on a map

    Weighted Graph

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vnu_5QRC74

    🙂



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  • What is a Zero-Day Attack? Zero Day Attacks 2025


    What is a Zero-Day Attack?

    A zero-day attack is defined as a cyber attack that happens when the vendor is unaware of any flaw or security vulnerability in the software, hardware, or firmware. The unknown or unaddressed vulnerability used in a zero-day attack is calledzero-day vulnerability.

    What makes a Zero Day Attack lethal for organizations is

    -They are often targeted attacks before the vendor can release the fix for the security vulnerability

    – The malicious actor uses a zero-day exploit to plant malware, steal data, or exploit the users, organizations, or systems as part of cyber espionage or warfare.

    – They take days to contain, as the fix is yet to be released by the vendors

    Examples of Zero-Day Attacks in 2025

    As per the India Cyber Threat Report 2025, these are the top zero day attacks identified in 2024, detailing their nature, potential impacts, and associated CVE identifiers.

    Ivanti Connect Secure Command Injection (CVE-2024-21887)

    A severe remote command execution vulnerability that allows attackers to execute unauthorized shell commands due to improper input validation. While authentication is typically required, an associated authentication flaw enables attackers to bypass this requirement, facilitating full system compromise.

    Microsoft Windows Shortcut Handler (CVE-2024-21412)

    A critical security bypass vulnerability in Windows’ shortcut file processing. It enables remote code execution through specially crafted shortcut (.lnk) files, circumventing established security controls when users interact with these malicious shortcuts.

    Ivanti Connect Secure Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (CVE-2024-21893)

    This Server-Side request forgery vulnerability in the SAML component allows attackers to initiate unauthorized requests through the application. Successful exploitation grants access to internal network resources and enables the forwarding of malicious requests, leading to broader network compromise.

    Mozilla Firefox Animation Timeline Use-After-Free (CVE-2024-9680)

    A use-after-free vulnerability in Firefox’s animation timeline component permits remote code execution when users visit specially crafted websites. This vulnerability can lead to full system compromise, posing significant security risks to users.

    How a Zero-day Attack Works?

    Step 1: A software code creates a vulnerability without the developer realizing it.

    Step 2:  A malicious actor discovers this vulnerability and launches a targeted attack to exploit the code.

    Step 3: The developer reliazes a security vulnerability in the software yet does not have a patch ready to fix it.

    Step 4: The developers release a security patch to close the security vulnerability.

    Step 5: The developers deploy the security patch.

    The gap between the zero-day attack and the developers deploying a security patch is enough for a successful attack and may lead to a ransomware demand, system infiltration, and sensitive data leak. So how do we protect against

    How to Protect Against Zero-Day Attacks?

    1. Use behavior-based detection tools such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) or Extended Detection and Response ( XDR)
    2. Keep software updated regularly
    3. Employ threat intelligence and zero-trust security models
    4. Partner with cybersecurity vendors that offer zero-day protection, such as Seqrite.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     



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  • Can Python or Ruby Feel First-Class in the Browser?



    Can Python or Ruby Feel First-Class in the Browser?



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  • Spear Phishing Campaign Delivers VIP Keylogger via Email Attachment

    Spear Phishing Campaign Delivers VIP Keylogger via Email Attachment


    Introduction

    Earlier this year, we published a white paper detailing the VIP keylogger, a sophisticated malware strain leveraging spear-phishing and steganography to infiltrate victims’ systems. The keylogger is known for its data theft capabilities, particularly targeting web browsers and user credentials.

    In a recently identified campaign, the threat actors have once again employed spear-phishing tactics to distribute the malware. However, unlike the previous iteration, this campaign uses an Auto-It-based injector to deploy the final payload VIP keylogger.

    The malware is typically delivered through phishing emails containing malicious attachments or embedded links. Once executed, it installs the VIP keylogger, which is specifically designed to steal sensitive information by logging keystrokes, capturing credentials from widely used web browsers like Chrome, MS Edge, and Mozilla, and monitoring clipboard activity.

    In this campaign, the AutoIt script is utilized to deliver and execute the malicious payload. Threat actors often leverage AutoIt due to its ease of obfuscation and ability to compile scripts into executables, which evade traditional AV solutions.

    Infection chain and Process tree:

    The campaign begins with a spear-phishing email carrying a ZIP file named “payment receipt_USD 86,780.00.pdf.pdf.z.”. This archive contains a malicious executable disguised as “payment receipt_USD 86,780.00 pdf.exe”, tricking users into believing it’s a harmless document. Once executed, the executable runs an embedded AutoIt script and drops two encrypted files leucoryx and avenes into the temp folder. These files are decrypted at runtime, and the final payload, VIP Keylogger, is injected into RegSvcs.exe using process hollowing techniques, as shown in the figures below.

    Fig.: Infection chain

     

    Fig.: Process Tree

    Infiltration:

    The campaign begins with a spear-phishing email carrying a ZIP file named “payment receipt_USD 86,780.00 pdf.pdf.z.” This archive contains a malicious executable disguised as “payment receipt_USD 86,780.00 pdf.exe,” tricking users into thinking it’s a harmless document. Once executed, the embedded AutoIt script runs and drops the VIP Keylogger onto the system, as shown in the images below.

    Fig.: Email

     

    Zip Attachments which further contains the executable.

     

    Fig:Attachment

    During execution, two files named leucorynx and aveness are dropped in the system’s Temp directory, as shown in the figure below.

    AutoIt Script:

     

    Fig.: AutoIt Script

     

    This AutoIt script decrypts and executes the dropped payload in memory. It first checks the encrypted file leucoryx in the temp directory, reads its content, and decrypts it using a custom XOR function (KHIXTKVLO). The decrypted data is stored in a memory structure.
    It retrieves the pointer to the decrypted payload and uses DllCall to allocate executable memory and copy the payload into the allocated memory. A second DllCall triggers the execution and runs the payload in the memory.

    The leucorynx contains the key to the decode file, as shown in the figure below.

    Fig.: leucorynx

    The malware drops a .vbs script in the Startup folder to maintain persistence. This script executes the primary payload located in the “AppData\Local” directory.
    The VB script ensures that the payload (definitiveness.exe) located in the “AppData\Local\Dunlop” directory is executed every time the user logs in, it to operate silently in the background after each reboot.

    Fig.: Persistence

    The dropped file avness is loaded into memory, as shown in the figures below. Once loaded, its contents are passed to a custom decryption routine, which is responsible for unpacking or decoding the embedded payload.

    The figure below Shows the decryption function, which is takes the address of the encrypted payload and the XOR key as arguments.

     

    Fig.:Decryption Function

     

     

    The figure below highlights the decryption loop, where the payload is iteratively decoded. The memory dump shows the decrypted content of the payload.

    Fig.: Decryption Loop

    Decrypted payload is .NET VIP keylogger;

    Process Hollowing:

    The figure below demonstrates the use of process hollowing, where RegSvcs.exe is spawned in a suspended state using CreateProcess. This enables the malware to unmap the original code and inject its own payload into the process memory before resuming execution.

    Fig: Targeted process RegSvcs.exe

    As shown in the figures below, the decrypted payload is mapped into the address space of regsvc.exe. The memory dump has strings associated with the payload.

    Fig: Injected code in RegSvcs.exe

     

    Fig: Strings related to VIP Keylogger

     

    Payload: VIP Keylogger

    Fig. Exfiltrate data through SMTP

     

    Fig. Exfiltrate data to c2

     

    The final payload delivered in this campaign is VIP Keylogger, for which we have already provided a comprehensive analysis of its functionality, capabilities, and behaviour in our technical paper on VIP Keylogger.

    IOCs:

    MD5 Filename
    F0AD3189FE9076DDD632D304E6BEE9E8 payment receipt_USD 86,780.00 pdf.exe
    0B0AE173FABFCE0C5FBA521D71895726 VIP Keylogger
    Domain/IP
    hxxp[:]//51.38.247.67:8081

     

    Protection:

    Trojan.AgentCiR

    Trojan.YakbeexMSIL.ZZ4

     

    MITRE ATT&CK:

     

    Tactic Technique ID Name
    Obfuscation T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information
    Execution T1204.002
    Execution T1059.006 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python
    Screen Capture T1113 Screen Capture
    Gather Victim Host Information T1592 Collects system info
    Input Capture T1056 Keylogging
    Defense Evasion T1055.002 Process Injection: Portable Executable Injection
    Content Injection T1659 Injecting malicious code into systems
    Command and Control T1071.001 Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols

     

     

    Author:

    Vaibhav Billade

    Rumana Siddiqui

     



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