Operation Celestial Force employs mobile and desktop malware to target Indian entities
Cisco Talos is disclosing a new malware campaign called “Operation Celestial Force” running since at least 2018. It is still active today, employing the use of GravityRAT, an Android-based malware, along with a Windows-based malware loader we track as “HeavyLift.”
DarkGate switches up its tactics with new payload, email templates
DarkGate has been observed distributing malware through Microsoft Teams and even via malvertising campaigns.
New banking trojan “CarnavalHeist” targets Brazil with overlay attacks
Since February 2024, Cisco Talos has been observing an active campaign targeting Brazilian users with a new banking trojan called “CarnavalHeist.” Many of the observed tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) are common among other banking trojans coming out of Brazil.
New Generative AI category added to Talos reputation services
Generative AI applies to any site “whose primary purpose is to use artificial intelligence models to generate output in the form of text, audio, video or images based on user-supplied prompts.”
ArcaneDoor - New espionage-focused campaign found targeting perimeter network devices
Cisco is aware of new activity targeting certain Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500-X Series and has released three CVEs related to the event. We assess with high confidence this activity is related to same threat actor as ArcaneDoor in 2024.
Suspected CoralRaider continues to expand victimology using three information stealers
Talos also discovered a new PowerShell command-line argument embedded in the LNK file to bypass anti-virus products and download the final payload into the victims’ host.
Large-scale brute-force activity targeting VPNs, SSH services with commonly used login credentials
Cisco Talos would like to acknowledge Anna Bennett and Brandon White of Cisco Talos and Phillip Schafer, Mike Moran, and Becca Lynch of the Duo Security Research team for their research that led to the identification of these attacks. Cisco Talos is actively monitoring a global
Starry Addax targets human rights defenders in North Africa with new malware
Cisco Talos is disclosing a new threat actor we deemed “Starry Addax” targeting mostly human rights activists, associated with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) cause with a novel mobile malware.
New Zardoor backdoor used in long-term cyber espionage operation targeting an Islamic organization
Talos discovered a new, stealthy espionage campaign that has likely persisted since at least March 2021. The observed activity affects an Islamic non-profit organization using backdoors for a previously unreported malware family we have named “Zardoor.”