As a part of our Kaspersky APT Intelligence Reporting subscription, customers received an update in mid-February 2017 on some interesting APT activity that we called WhiteBear. Much of the contents of that report are reproduced here. WhiteBear is a parallel project or second stage of the Skipper Turla cluster of activity documented in another private intelligence report “Skipper Turla – the White Atlas framework” from mid-2016. Like previous Turla activity, WhiteBear leverages compromised websites and hijacked satellite connections for command and control (C2) infrastructure. As a matter of fact, WhiteBear infrastructure has overlap with other Turla campaigns, like those deploying Kopiluwak, as documented in “KopiLuwak – A New JavaScript Payload from Turla” in December 2016. WhiteBear infected systems maintained a dropper (which was typically signed) as well as a complex malicious platform which was always preceded by WhiteAtlas module deployment attempts. However, despite the similarities to previous Turla campaigns, we believe that WhiteBear is a distinct project with a separate focus. We note that this observation of delineated target focus, tooling, and project context is an interesting one that also can be repeated across broadly labeled Turla and Sofacy activity.
From February to September 2016, WhiteBear activity was narrowly focused on embassies and consular operations around the world. All of these early WhiteBear targets were related to embassies and diplomatic/foreign affair organizations. Continued WhiteBear activity later shifted to include defense-related organizations into June 2017. When compared to WhiteAtlas infections, WhiteBear deployments are relatively rare and represent a departure from the broader Skipper Turla target set. Additionally, a comparison of the WhiteAtlas framework to WhiteBear components indicates that the malware is the product of separate development efforts. WhiteBear infections appear to be preceded by a condensed spearphishing dropper, lack Firefox extension installer payloads, and contain several new components signed with a new code signing digital certificate, unlike WhiteAtlas incidents and modules.


Wildcard is a threat actor that initially targeted Israel's educational sector with the SysJoker malware. They have since expanded their operations and developed additional malware variants, disguised as legitimate software, including one written in the Rust programming language called RustDown. Their precise identity remains unknown, but they have shown advanced capabilities and a focus on critical sectors within Israel.


A corporate espionage group has compromised a string of major corporations over the past three years in order to steal confidential information and intellectual property. The gang, which Symantec calls Butterfly, is not-state sponsored, rather financially motivated. It has attacked multi-billion dollar companies operating in the internet, IT software, pharmaceutical, and commodities sectors. Twitter, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft are among the companies who have publicly acknowledged attacks.
 Butterfly is technically proficient and well resourced. The group has developed a suite of custom malware tools capable of attacking both Windows and Apple computers, and appears to have used at least one zero-day vulnerability in its attacks. It keeps a low profile and maintains good operational security. After successfully compromising a target organization, it cleans up after itself before moving on to its next target.
 This group operates at a much higher level than the average cybercrime gang. It is not interested in stealing credit card details or customer databases and is instead focused on high-level corporate information. Butterfly may be selling this information to the highest bidder or may be operating as hackers for hire. Stolen information could also be used for insider-trading purposes.


WildPressure is a threat actor that targets industrial-related entities in the Middle East. They use a variety of programming languages, including C++, VBScript, and Python, to develop their malware. They have been observed using virtual private servers and compromised servers, particularly WordPress websites, in their infrastructure. While there are some minor similarities with other threat actors in the region, there is not enough evidence to make any attribution.


In August of 2018, DarkMatter released a report entitled “In the Trails of WINDSHIFT APT”, which unveiled a threat actor with TTPs very similar to those of Bahamut. Subsequently, two additional articles were released by Objective-See which provide an analysis of some validated WINDSHIFT samples targeting OSX systems. Pivoting on specific file attributes and infrastructure indicators, Unit 42 was able to identify and correlate additional attacker activity and can now provide specific details on a targeted WINDSHIFT attack as it unfolded at a Middle Eastern government agency.


Winter Vivern is a cyberespionage group first revealed by DomainTools in 2021. It is thought to have been active since at least 2020 and it targets governments in Europe and Central Asia. To compromise its targets, the group uses malicious documents, phishing websites, and a custom PowerShell backdoor.


WIP19 is a Chinese-speaking threat group involved in espionage targeting the Middle East and Asia. They utilize a stolen certificate to sign their malware, including SQLMaggie, ScreenCap, and a credential dumper. The group has been observed targeting telecommunications and IT service providers, using toolsets authored by WinEggDrop. WIP19's activities suggest they are after specific information and are part of the broader Chinese espionage landscape.


WIRTE is a threat actor group that was first discovered in 2018. They are suspected to be part of the Gaza Cybergang, an Arabic politically motivated cyber criminal group. WIRTE has been observed changing their toolkit and operating methods to remain undetected for longer periods of time. They primarily target governmental and political entities, but have also been known to target law firms and financial institutions.


Witchetty was first documented by ESET in April 2022, who concluded that it was one of three sub-groups of TA410, a broad cyber-espionage operation with some links to the Cicada group (aka APT10). Witchetty’s activity was characterized by the use of two pieces of malware, a first-stage backdoor known as X4 and a second-stage payload known as LookBack. ESET reported that the group had targeted governments, diplomatic missions, charities, and industrial/manufacturing organizations.


Wizard Spider is reportedly associated with Grim Spider and Lunar Spider.
The WIZARD SPIDER threat group is the Russia-based operator of the TrickBot banking malware. This group represents a growing criminal enterprise of which GRIM SPIDER appears to be a subset. The LUNAR SPIDER threat group is the Eastern European-based operator and developer of the commodity banking malware called BokBot (aka IcedID), which was first observed in April 2017. The BokBot malware provides LUNAR SPIDER affiliates with a variety of capabilities to enable credential theft and wire fraud, through the use of webinjects and a malware distribution function.
GRIM SPIDER is a sophisticated eCrime group that has been operating the Ryuk ransomware since August 2018, targeting large organizations for a high-ransom return. This methodology, known as “big game hunting,” signals a shift in operations for WIZARD SPIDER, a criminal enterprise of which GRIM SPIDER appears to be a cell. The WIZARD SPIDER threat group, known as the Russia-based operator of the TrickBot banking malware, had focused primarily on wire fraud in the past.


FIN4 is a financially-motivated threat group that has targeted confidential information related to the public financial market, particularly regarding healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, since at least 2013. FIN4 is unique in that they do not infect victims with typical persistent malware, but rather they focus on capturing credentials authorized to access email and other non-public correspondence.


Worok is a cyber espionage group, mostly targeting Central Asia. The group toolset includes a C++ loader named CLRLoad, a PowerShell backdoor named PowHeartBeat, and a C# loader named PNGLoad.


XakNet is a self-proclaimed hacktivist group that has targeted Ukraine. They claim to be comprised of Russian patriotic volunteers and have conducted various threat activities, including DDoS attacks, compromises, data leaks, and website defacements. They coordinate their operations with other hacktivist groups and have connections to APT28, a cyber espionage group sponsored by the GRU.


Cloud security company Lacework says it discovered a threat actor group named Xcatze that uses a Python named AndroxGh0st to take over AWS servers and send out massive email spam campaigns. Lacework says the malware operates by scanning web apps written in the Laravel PHP framework for exposed configuration files to identify and steal server credentials. Researchers said AndroxGh0st specifically searches for AWS, SendGrid, and Twilio credentials, which it uses to take control of email servers and accounts and send out the spam campaigns.


Rare is the APT group that goes largely undetected for nine years, but XDSpy is just that; a previously undocumented espionage group that has been active since 2011. It has attracted very little public attention, with the exception of an advisory from the Belarusian CERT in February 2020. In the interim, the group has compromised many government agencies and private companies in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.


Xiaoqiying is a primarily Chinese-speaking threat group that is most well known for conducting website defacement and data exfiltration attacks on more than a dozen South Korean research and academic institutions in late-January 2023. Research from Recorded Futures Insikt Group has found that the groups affiliated threat actors have signaled a new round of cyberattacks against organizations in Japan and Taiwan. Although it shows no clear ties to the Chinese government, Xiaoqiying is staunchly pro-China and vows to target NATO countries as well as any country or region that is deemed hostile to China.


XinXin is a Chinese-speaking threat actor known for its phishing-as-a-service platform, Lucid, which targets global organizations to steal credit card details and personally identifiable information through smishing campaigns. The group employs advanced techniques such as exploiting Rich Communication Services and Apple's iMessage protocol to bypass traditional SMS filters. XinXin also develops and utilizes other phishing kits like Lighthouse and Darcula, facilitating large-scale phishing operations with automated tools and evasion techniques. The group operates a structured hierarchy and monetizes stolen data while actively supporting the development of similar PhaaS services.


RiskIQ characterizes the Yanbian Gang as a group that targeted South Korean Android mobile banking customers since 2013 with malicious Android apps purporting to be from major banks, namely Shinhan Savings Bank, Saemaul Geumgo, Shinhan Finance, KB Kookmin Bank, and NH Savings Bank.


YoroTrooper’s main targets are government or energy organizations in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and other Commonwealth of Independent States, based on Cisco Talos analysis. YoroTrooper was also observed compromising accounts from at least two international organizations: a critical European Union health care agency and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Successful compromises also included Embassies of European countries including Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.


Z-Pentest Alliance is a pro-Russian hacktivist group known for targeting industrial control systems and operational technology systems, particularly in Italy and Israel. The group has claimed responsibility for various attacks, including gaining control of a water supply management system and disrupting aviation authorities' websites. Z-Pentest Alliance operates within a larger alliance of hacktivist groups, often collaborating on politically motivated operations, including DDoS campaigns. The group has been linked to the GRU and is associated with the NoName057 group, sharing tools and intelligence.


Zarya is a pro-Russian hacktivist group that emerged in March 2022. Initially operating as a special forces unit under the command of Killnet, Zarya has since become an independent entity. The group is primarily known for engaging in Denial-of-Service attacks, website defacement campaigns, and data leaks. Zarya targets government agencies, service providers, critical infrastructure, and civil service employees, both domestically and internationally.


ZeroSevenGroup is a threat actor that claims to have breached a U.S. branch of Toyota, stealing 240GB of sensitive data, including employee and customer information, contracts, and financial details. They have also allegedly gained full network access to critical Israeli infrastructure, with access to 80TB of sensitive data across various sectors. The group has threatened to use the stolen data for malicious activities, including ransomware attacks. Their operations involve exploiting vulnerabilities, as indicated by their reference to manipulating memory through buffer overflow techniques.


On April 7, 2017, Pytor Levashov — who predominantly used the alias Severa or Peter Severa and whom Falcon Intelligence tracks as ZOMBIE SPIDER — was arrested in an international law enforcement operation led by the FBI. ZOMBIE SPIDER’s specialty was large-scale spam distribution, a fundamental component of cybercrime operations. Levashov was the primary threat actor behind a botnet known as Kelihos and its predecessors, Waledac and Storm. In addition to Levashov’s arrest, there was a technical operation conducted by Falcon Intelligence to seize control of the Kelihos botnet.


ZooPark is a cyberespionage operation that has been focusing on Middle Eastern targets since at least June 2015. The threat actors behind ZooPark infect Android devices using several generations of malware we label from v1-v4, with v4 being the most recent version deployed in 2017.


Over the last few weeks, several significant leaks regarding a number of Iranian APTs took place. After analyzing and investigating the documents we conclude that they are authentic. Consequently, this causes considerable harm to the groups and their operation. The identity of the actor behind the leak is currently unknown, however based on the scope and the quality of the exposed documents and information, it appears that they are professional and highly capable. This leak will likely hamstring the groups' operation in the near future. Accordingly, in our assessment this will minimize the risk of potential attacks in the next few months and possibly even year. Note -most of the leaks are posted on Telegram channels that were created specifically for this purpose.
 Below are the three main Telegram groups on which the leaks were posted:
Lab Dookhtegam pseudonym ("The people whose lips are stitched and sealed" –translation from Persian) –In this channel attack tools attributed to the group 'OilRig' were leaked; including a webshell that was inserted into the Technion, various tools that were used for DNS attacks, and more.
Green Leakers–In this channel attack tools attributed to the group 'MuddyWatter' were leaked. The group's name and its symbol are identified with the "green movement", which led the protests in Iran after the Presidential elections in 2009. These protests were heavily repressed by the revolutionary guards (IRGC)
Black Box–Unlike the previous two channels this has been around for a long time. On Friday May 5th, dozens of confidential documents labeled as "secret" (a high confidentiality level in Iran, one before the highest -top secret) were posted on this channel. The documents were related to Iranian attack groups' activity.


An unnamed source leaked almost 10,000 documents describing a large number of 0-day vulnerabilities, methodologies and tools that had been collected by the CIA. This leaking was done through WikiLeaks, since March 2017. In weekly publications, the dumps were said to come from Vault 7 and later Vault 8, until his arrest in 2018.
Most of the published vulnerabilities have since been fixed by the respective vendors, by many have been used by other threat actors. This actor turned out to be a former CIA software engineer.
(WikiLeaks) Today, Tuesday 7 March 2017, WikiLeaks begins its new series of leaks on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Code-named "Vault 7" by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.
The first full part of the series, "Year Zero", comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virgina. It follows an introductory disclosure last month of CIA targeting French political parties and candidates in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election.
Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized "zero day" exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation. This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA. The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.
"Year Zero" introduces the scope and direction of the CIA's global covert hacking program, its malware arsenal and dozens of "zero day" weaponized exploits against a wide range of U.S. and European company products, include Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows and even Samsung TVs, which are turned into covert microphones.


This threat actor targets organizations in the satellite communications, telecommunications, geospatial-imaging, and defense sectors in the United States and Southeast Asia for espionage purposes.