Threats Feed
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MacDownloader: Early Iranian Malware Efforts Target Defense and Human Rights Sectors
The MacDownloader malware, initially observed targeting the defense industrial base and a human rights advocate, impersonates legitimate software like Adobe Flash Player and Bitdefender Adware Removal Tool to steal system information and macOS Keychain data. It reflects initial development efforts by possibly amateur Iranian-affiliated actors and is linked to previously documented Iranian operations targeting aerospace and defense employees. The malware, which also gathers user credentials, lacks effective persistence features and uses similar infrastructure as previous campaigns attributed to the Iranian group Charming Kitten.
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NewsBeef APT Revives BeEF for Global Watering Hole Campaigns
In early 2016, the NewsBeef APT (aka Charming Kitten/Newscaster) repurposed the open-source BeEF and Metasploit frameworks in widespread watering hole attacks. These operations targeted visitors to strategically compromised websites, including institutions in Iran, Russia, India, Ukraine, the EU, Turkey, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, and more. Sectors impacted included education, military, diplomacy, manufacturing, and media. The attackers injected malicious JavaScript to hook browsers, track visitor behavior, and fingerprint systems using evercookies and browser enumeration. While full exploitation wasn’t always observed, selective delivery of backdoors or spoofed login prompts was reported. The group’s campaign reflects an evolution from low-tech social engineering to more technically advanced infrastructure attacks using open-source tools.
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