ESET Analysis, Risk Studies
An summary of the actions of chosen APT teams investigated and analyzed by ESET Analysis in This fall 2023 and Q1 2024
14 Might 2024
•
,
2 min. learn
ESET APT Exercise Report This fall 2023–Q1 2024 summarizes notable actions of chosen superior persistent menace (APT) teams that have been documented by ESET researchers from October 2023 till the top of March 2024. The highlighted operations are consultant of the broader panorama of threats we investigated throughout this era, illustrating the important thing developments and developments, and include solely a fraction of the cybersecurity intelligence knowledge offered to prospects of ESET’s non-public APT experiences.
Within the monitored timeframe, a number of China-aligned menace actors exploited vulnerabilities in public-facing home equipment, equivalent to VPNs and firewalls, and software program, equivalent to Confluence and Microsoft Alternate Server, for preliminary entry to targets in a number of verticals. Based mostly on the info leak from I-SOON (Anxun), we are able to verify that this Chinese language contractor is certainly engaged in cyberespionage. We monitor part of the corporate’s actions underneath 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 major improve in exercise from Iran-aligned menace teams. Particularly, MuddyWater and Agrius transitioned from their earlier concentrate on 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 business, enhancing 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 inside 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 gaggle we consider to be aligned with the pursuits of Kazakhstan. We additionally talk about 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 gaggle we assess to be aligned with the pursuits of Belarus.
Malicious actions described in ESET APT Exercise Report This fall 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 Studies include solely a fraction of the cybersecurity intelligence knowledge offered in ESET APT Studies PREMIUM. For extra data, go to the ESET Threat Intelligence web site.
Observe ESET research on X for normal updates on key developments and high threats.
