Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

In 2023, Remote Access Trojans (RATs) and Trojan Stealers were some of the most prevalent types of malware in the cybersecurity landscape. RATs and Trojan Stealer malware represent significant cybersecurity threats, as they’re often employed to conduct espionage, surveillance, and data theft, which emphasizes the critical need for robust defenses.

During an Advanced Continual Threat Hunt (ACTH) investigation that took place in early December 2023, Trustwave SpiderLabs discovered Ov3r_Stealer, an infostealer distributed using Facebook advertising and phishing emails. SpiderLabs’ “Facebook Advertising Spreads Novel Malware Variant,” is an in-depth dive into Ov3r_Stealer, exposing what the Threat Hunt team learned about the threat actors, their techniques, tactics, and procedures and how the malware functions.

Cybercriminals can spread malware through phishing attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, exploit kits and drive-by downloads. Cybercriminals typically use social engineering tactics to trick people into downloading malware or exploit security vulnerabilities to install malware without the victim knowing. Continue reading to learn more about malware, how cybercriminals spread it, how to detect if your device is infected and how to stay protected against malware.

Zloader returns from hiatus, VexTrio brokers malware for over 60 affiliates, and Kasseika ransomware launches BYOVD attacks.

New data for Q4 of 2023 reveals a sizable shift in the cyber threat landscape, with serious implications regarding ransomware and social engineering attacks targeting both the largest and smallest organizations worldwide. The good news is that ransoms continue to decline – according to the most recent Quarterly Ransomware Report from ransomware response vendor Coveware.

While most end users are well-acquainted with the dangers of traditional phishing attacks, such as those delivered via email or other media, a large proportion are likely unaware that Microsoft Teams chats could be a phishing vector. Most Teams activity is intra-organizational, but Microsoft enables External Access by default, which allows members of one organization to add users outside the organization to their Teams chats.

The Play ransomware group is one of the most successful ransomware syndicates today. All it takes is a quick peek with a disassembler to know why this group has become infamous. This is because reverse engineering the malware would be a Sisyphean task full of anti-analysis techniques. That said, it might come as a surprise that the malware crashes quite frequently when running.

Check Point’s review of ransomware shows that the percent of organizations worldwide hit by this greatest of cyberthreats rose by a whopping 33% in 2023. In 2022, 1 in 13 organizations globally had been the victim of a ransomware attack. According to the latest Check Point Research, that ratio worsened to just 1 in 10 in 2023. That represents 60,000 attempted attacks per organization throughout the year.

When it comes to the evolving cybersecurity landscape of 2024, ransomware presents a unique challenge for professionals. Emerging threats underscore the need to revisit defense strategies and grasp the legal ramifications of successful ransomware attacks.

Researchers at Malwarebytes warn that a malvertising campaign is targeting Chinese-speaking users with phony ads for encrypted messaging apps. The ads impersonate apps that are restricted in China, such as Telegram or LINE. “The threat actor is abusing Google advertiser accounts to create malicious ads and pointing them to pages where unsuspecting users will download Remote Administration Trojan (RATs) instead,” Malwarebytes says.