Category: Unit 42

Why Threat Intelligence: A Conversation With Unit 42 Interns

Discover what it’s like to be a Threat Intelligence intern at Unit 42, from diving into research to tackling real-world cyber threats. The post Why Threat Intelligence: A Conversation With Unit 42 Interns appeared first on Unit 42. This article…

Why Threat Intelligence: A Conversation With Unit 42 Interns

Discover what it’s like to be a Threat Intelligence intern at Unit 42, from diving into research to tackling real-world cyber threats. The post Why Threat Intelligence: A Conversation With Unit 42 Interns appeared first on Unit 42. This article…

Data Is the New Diamond: Heists in the Digital Age

Unit 42 explores the similarities between the social engineering and reconnaissance tactics used by financially motivated criminals. The post Data Is the New Diamond: Heists in the Digital Age appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Data Is the New Diamond: Heists in the Digital Age

Unit 42 explores the similarities between the social engineering and reconnaissance tactics used by financially motivated criminals. The post Data Is the New Diamond: Heists in the Digital Age appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Insights: Telling You What We Really Think

Unit 42 introduces Insights, a new space for fresh thinking and varied content built on trusted expertise. The post Insights: Telling You What We Really Think appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42 Read…

Fashionable Phishing Bait: GenAI on the Hook

GenAI-created phishing campaigns misuse tools ranging from website builders to text generators in order to create more convincing and scalable attacks. The post Fashionable Phishing Bait: GenAI on the Hook appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed…

A Mega Malware Analysis Tutorial Featuring Donut-Generated Shellcode

A beginner-friendly tutorial on analyzing .NET malware teaches you how to use common tools, recognize techniques and understand infection chains. The post A Mega Malware Analysis Tutorial Featuring Donut-Generated Shellcode appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed…

Muddled Libra’s Strike Teams: Amalgamated Evil

A look at the variance within Muddled Libra (aka Scattered Spider, Octo Tempest). Its lack of structure creates multiple teams with distinct skill sets. The post Muddled Libra’s Strike Teams: Amalgamated Evil appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

Muddled Libra: Why Are We So Obsessed With You?

Muddled Libra gets media attention due to its consistent playbook and unique use of vishing. The group’s English fluency is another major factor. The post Muddled Libra: Why Are We So Obsessed With You? appeared first on Unit 42. This…

Introducing Unit 42’s Attribution Framework

Peel back the layers on Unit 42’s Attribution Framework. We offer a rare inside view into the system used to ultimately assign attribution to threat groups. The post Introducing Unit 42’s Attribution Framework appeared first on Unit 42. This article…

The Ηоmоgraph Illusion: Not Everything Is As It Seems

A subtle yet dangerous email attack vector: homograph attacks. Threat actors are using visually similar, non-Latin characters to bypass security filters. The post The Ηоmоgraph Illusion: Not Everything Is As It Seems appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

Cloud Logging for Security and Beyond

Cloud logging is essential for security and compliance. Learn best practices when navigating AWS, Azure or GCP for comprehensive visibility into your environment. The post Cloud Logging for Security and Beyond appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been…

Fix the Click: Preventing the ClickFix Attack Vector

ClickFix campaigns are on the rise. We highlight three that distributed NetSupport RAT, Latrodectus, and Lumma Stealer malware. The post Fix the Click: Preventing the ClickFix Attack Vector appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit…

Windows Shortcut (LNK) Malware Strategies

Our telemetry shows a surge in Windows shortcut (LNK) malware use. We explain how attackers exploit LNK files for malware delivery. The post Windows Shortcut (LNK) Malware Strategies appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit…

Threat Brief: Escalation of Cyber Risk Related to Iran

Unit 42 details recent Iranian cyberattack activity, sharing direct observations. Tactical and strategic recommendations are provided for defenders. The post Threat Brief: Escalation of Cyber Risk Related to Iran appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Resurgence of the Prometei Botnet

We identified a resurgence of the Prometei botnet’s Linux variant. Our analysis tracks the activity of this cryptominer and its new features. The post Resurgence of the Prometei Botnet appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Serverless Tokens in the Cloud: Exploitation and Detections

Understand the mechanics of serverless authentication: three simulated attacks across major CSPs offer effective approaches for application developers. The post Serverless Tokens in the Cloud: Exploitation and Detections appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit…

The Evolution of Linux Binaries in Targeted Cloud Operations

Using data from machine learning tools, we predict a surge in cloud attacks leveraging reworked Linux Executable and Linkage Format (ELF) files. The post The Evolution of Linux Binaries in Targeted Cloud Operations appeared first on Unit 42. This article…

Lost in Resolution: Azure OpenAI’s DNS Resolution Issue

We discovered an Azure OpenAI misconfiguration allowing shared domains, potentially leading to data leaks. Microsoft quickly resolved the issue. The post Lost in Resolution: Azure OpenAI's DNS Resolution Issue appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Threat Brief: CVE-2025-31324 (Updated May 23)

CVE-2025-31324 impacts SAP NetWeaver’s Visual Composer Framework. We share our observations on this vulnerability using incident response cases and telemetry. The post Threat Brief: CVE-2025-31324 (Updated May 23) appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit…

Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra (Updated May 16, 2025)

Muddled Libra continues to evolve. From social engineering to adaptation of new technologies, significant time is spent breaking down organizational defenses. The post Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra (Updated May 16, 2025) appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

Threat Brief: CVE-2025-31324

CVE-2025-31324 impacts SAP NetWeaver’s Visual Composer Framework. We share our observations on this vulnerability using incident response cases and telemetry. The post Threat Brief: CVE-2025-31324 appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42 Read the…

Stealthy .NET Malware: Hiding Malicious Payloads as Bitmap Resources

Unit 42 details a new malware obfuscation technique where threat actors hide malware in bitmap resources within .NET applications. These deliver payloads like Agent Tesla or XLoader. The post Stealthy .NET Malware: Hiding Malicious Payloads as Bitmap Resources appeared first…

Lampion Is Back With ClickFix Lures

Lampion malware distributors are now using the social engineering method ClickFix. Read our analysis of a recent campaign. The post Lampion Is Back With ClickFix Lures appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42 Read…

AI Agents Are Here. So Are the Threats.

Programs leveraging AI agents are increasingly popular. Nine attack scenarios using open-source agent frameworks show how bad actors target these applications. The post AI Agents Are Here. So Are the Threats. appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been…

Gremlin Stealer: New Stealer on Sale in Underground Forum

Advertised on Telegram, Gremlin Stealer is new malware active since March 2025 written in C#. Data stolen is uploaded to a server for publication. The post Gremlin Stealer: New Stealer on Sale in Underground Forum appeared first on Unit 42.…

Extortion and Ransomware Trends January-March 2025

Ransomware leak site data and Unit 42 case studies reveal new trends from Q1 2025, including the most active groups, targeted industries and novel extortion tactics. The post Extortion and Ransomware Trends January-March 2025 appeared first on Unit 42. This…

Extortion and Ransomware Trends January-March 2025

Ransomware leak site data and Unit 42 case studies reveal new trends from Q1 2025, including the most active groups, targeted industries and novel extortion tactics. The post Extortion and Ransomware Trends January-March 2025 appeared first on Unit 42. This…

How Prompt Attacks Exploit GenAI and How to Fight Back

GenAI boosts productivity but also poses security risks. Palo Alto Networks has a new whitepaper about prompt-based threats and how to defend against them. The post How Prompt Attacks Exploit GenAI and How to Fight Back appeared first on Unit…

OH-MY-DC: OIDC Misconfigurations in CI/CD

We found three key attack vectors in OpenID Connect (OIDC) implementation and usage. Bad actors could exploit these to access restricted resources. The post OH-MY-DC: OIDC Misconfigurations in CI/CD appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from…

Evolution of Sophisticated Phishing Tactics: The QR Code Phenomenon

Phishing with QR codes: New tactics described here include concealing links with redirects and using Cloudflare Turnstile to evade security crawlers. The post Evolution of Sophisticated Phishing Tactics: The QR Code Phenomenon appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

GitHub Actions Supply Chain Attack: A Targeted Attack on Coinbase Expanded to the Widespread tj-actions/changed-files Incident: Threat Assessment (Updated 3/21)

A compromise of the GitHub action tj-actions/changed-files highlights how attackers could exploit vulnerabilities in third-party actions to compromise supply chains. The post GitHub Actions Supply Chain Attack: A Targeted Attack on Coinbase Expanded to the Widespread tj-actions/changed-files Incident: Threat Assessment…

GitHub Actions Supply Chain Attack: A Targeted Attack on Coinbase Expanded to the Widespread tj-actions/changed-files Incident: Threat Assessment

A compromise of the GitHub action tj-actions/changed-files highlights how attackers could exploit vulnerabilities in third-party actions to compromise supply chains. The post GitHub Actions Supply Chain Attack: A Targeted Attack on Coinbase Expanded to the Widespread tj-actions/changed-files Incident: Threat Assessment…

Off the Beaten Path: Recent Unusual Malware

Three unusual malware samples analyzed here include an ISS backdoor developed in a rare language, a bootkit and a Windows implant of a post-exploit framework. The post Off the Beaten Path: Recent Unusual Malware appeared first on Unit 42. This…

Multiple Vulnerabilities Discovered in a SCADA System

We identified multiple vulnerabilities in ICONICS Suite, SCADA software used in numerous OT applications. This article offers a technical analysis of our findings. The post Multiple Vulnerabilities Discovered in a SCADA System appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

The Next Level: Typo DGAs Used in Malicious Redirection Chains

A graph intelligence-based pipeline and WHOIS data are among the tools we used to identify this campaign, which introduced a variant of domain generation algorithms. The post The Next Level: Typo DGAs Used in Malicious Redirection Chains appeared first on…

JavaGhost’s Persistent Phishing Attacks From the Cloud

Unit 42 reports on phishing activity linked to the threat group JavaGhost. These attacks target organizations’ AWS environments. The post JavaGhost’s Persistent Phishing Attacks From the Cloud appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42…

Auto-Color: An Emerging and Evasive Linux Backdoor

The new Linux malware named Auto-color uses advanced evasion tactics. Discovered by Unit 42, this article cover its installation, evasion features and more. The post Auto-Color: An Emerging and Evasive Linux Backdoor appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

Investigating LLM Jailbreaking of Popular Generative AI Web Products

We discuss vulnerabilities in popular GenAI web products to LLM jailbreaks. Single-turn strategies remain effective, but multi-turn approaches show greater success. The post Investigating LLM Jailbreaking of Popular Generative AI Web Products appeared first on Unit 42. This article has…

Stately Taurus Activity in Southeast Asia Links to Bookworm Malware

Unit 42 details the just-discovered connection between threat group Stately Taurus (aka Mustang Panda) and the malware Bookworm, found during analysis of the group’s infrastructure. The post Stately Taurus Activity in Southeast Asia Links to Bookworm Malware appeared first on…

Multiple Vulnerabilities Discovered in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit

Unit 42 researchers detail nine vulnerabilities discovered in NVIDIA’s CUDA-based toolkit. The affected utilities help analyze cubin (binary) files. The post Multiple Vulnerabilities Discovered in NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit…

Stealers on the Rise: A Closer Look at a Growing macOS Threat

Atomic Stealer, Poseidon Stealer and Cthulhu Stealer target macOS. We discuss their various properties and examine leverage of the AppleScript framework. The post Stealers on the Rise: A Closer Look at a Growing macOS Threat appeared first on Unit 42.…

Recent Jailbreaks Demonstrate Emerging Threat to DeepSeek

Evaluation of three jailbreaking techniques on DeepSeek shows risks of generating prohibited content. The post Recent Jailbreaks Demonstrate Emerging Threat to DeepSeek appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42 Read the original article: Recent…

Threat Brief: CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 (Updated Jan. 17)

CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 affect multiple Ivanti products. This threat brief covers attack scope, including details from an incident response case. The post Threat Brief: CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 (Updated Jan. 17) appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed…

Threat Brief: CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283

CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 affect multiple Ivanti products. This threat brief covers attack scope, including details from an incident response case. The post Threat Brief: CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been indexed from Unit 42…

Crypted Hearts: Exposing the HeartCrypt Packer-as-a-Service Operation

Analysis of packer-as-a-service (PaaS) HeartCrypt reveals its use in over 2k malicious payloads across 45 malware families since its early 2024 appearance. The post Crypted Hearts: Exposing the HeartCrypt Packer-as-a-Service Operation appeared first on Unit 42. This article has been…