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Cyber Security

Hive, LockBit and BlackCat Ransomware Gangs Consecutively Attack the Same Network: Sophos

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Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today announced in the Sophos X-Ops Active Adversary whitepaper, “Multiple Attackers: A Clear and Present Danger,” that Hive, LockBit and BlackCat, three prominent ransomware gangs, consecutively attacked the same network. The first two attacks took place within two hours, and the third attack took place two weeks later. Each ransomware gang left its own ransom demand, and some of the files were triple encrypted.

“It’s bad enough to get one ransomware note, let alone three,” said John Shier, senior security advisor at Sophos. “Multiple attackers create a whole new level of complexity for recovery, particularly when network files are triple encrypted. Cybersecurity that includes prevention, detection and response are critical for organizations of any size and type—no business is immune.”

The whitepaper further outlines additional cases of overlapping cyberattacks, including cryptominers, remote access trojans (RATs) and bots. In the past, when multiple attackers targeted the same system, the attacks usually occurred across many months or multiple years. The attacks described in Sophos’ whitepaper took place within days or weeks of each other—and, in one case, simultaneously—often with the different attackers accessing a target’s network through the same vulnerable entry point.

Typically, criminal groups compete for resources, making it more difficult for multiple attackers to operate simultaneously. Cryptominers normally kill their competitors on the same system, and today’s RATs often highlight bot killing as a feature on criminal forums. However, in the attack involving the three ransomware groups, for example, BlackCat—the last ransomware group on the system—not only deleted traces of its own activity but also deleted the activity of LockBit and Hive. In another case, a system was infected by LockBit ransomware. Then, about three months later, members of the Karakurt Team, a group with reported ties to Conti, were able to leverage the backdoor LockBit created to steal data and hold it for ransom.

“On the whole, ransomware groups don’t appear openly antagonistic towards one another. In fact, LockBit explicitly doesn’t forbid affiliates from working with competitors, as indicated in Sophos’ whitepaper,” said Shier. “We don’t have evidence of collaboration, but it’s possible this is due to attackers recognizing that there are a finite number of ‘resources’ in an increasingly competitive market. Or, perhaps they believe the more pressure placed on a target—i.e. multiple attacks—the more likely the victims are to pay. Perhaps they’re having discussions at a high level, agreeing to mutually beneficial agreements, for example, where one group encrypts the data and the other exfiltrates. At some point, these groups will have to decide how they feel about cooperation—whether to further embrace it or become more competitive—but, for now, the playing field is open for multiple attacks by different groups.”

Most of the initial infections for the attacks highlighted in the whitepaper occurred through either an unpatched vulnerability, with some of the most notable being Log4Shell, ProxyLogon, and ProxyShell, or poorly configured unsecured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) servers. In most cases involving multiple attackers, the victims failed to remediate the initial attack effectively, leaving the door open for future cybercriminal activity. In those instances, the same RDP misconfigurations, as well as applications like RDWeb or AnyDesk, became an easily exploitable pathway for follow-up attacks. In fact, exposed RDP and VPN servers are some of the most popular listings sold on the dark web.

“As noted in the latest Active Adversary Playbook, in 2021 Sophos began seeing organizations falling victim to multiple attacks simultaneously and indicated that this may be a growing trend,” said Shier. “While the rise in multiple attackers is still based on anecdotal evidence, the availability of exploitable systems gives cybercriminals ample opportunity to continue heading in this direction.”

Cyber Security

ESET Research Uncovers Iran-Aligned BladedFeline Spying on Iraqi, Kurdish Officials

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The Iran-aligned threat group BladedFeline has targeted Kurdish and Iraqi government officials in a recent cyber-espionage campaign, according to ESET researchers. The group deployed a range of malicious tools discovered within the compromised systems, indicating a continued effort to maintain and expand access to high-ranking officials and government organizations in Iraq and the Kurdish region. The latest campaign highlights BladedFeline’s evolving capabilities, featuring two tunneling tools (Laret and Pinar), various supplementary tools, and, most notably, a custom backdoor Whisper and a malicious Internet Information Services (IIS) module PrimeCache, both identified and named by ESET.

Whisper logs into a compromised webmail account on a Microsoft Exchange server and uses it to communicate with the attackers via email attachments. PrimeCache also serves as a backdoor: it is a malicious IIS module. PrimeCache also bears similarities to the RDAT backdoor used by OilRig Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group.

Based on these code similarities, as well as on further evidence presented in this blogpost, ESET assesses that BladedFeline is a very likely subgroup of OilRig, an Iran-aligned APT group going after governments and businesses in the Middle East. The initial implants in the latest campaign can be traced back to OilRig. These tools reflect the group’s strategic focus on persistence and stealth within targeted networks.

BladedFeline has consistently worked to maintain illicit access to Kurdish diplomatic officials, while simultaneously exploiting a regional telecommunications provider in Uzbekistan, and developing and maintaining access to officials in the government of Iraq.

ESET Research assesses that BladedFeline is targeting the Kurdish and Iraqi governments for cyberespionage purposes, with an eye toward maintaining strategic access to the computers of high-ranking officials in both governmental entities. The Kurdish diplomatic relationship with Western nations, coupled with the oil reserves in the Kurdistan region, makes it an enticing target for Iran-aligned threat actors to spy on and potentially manipulate. In Iraq, these threat actors are most probably trying to counter the influence of Western governments following the US invasion and occupation of the country.

In 2023, ESET Research discovered that BladedFeline targeted Kurdish diplomatic officials with the Shahmaran backdoor, and previously reported on its activities in ESET APT Activity reports. The group has been active since at least 2017, when it compromised officials within the Kurdistan Regional Government, but is not the only subgroup of OilRig that ESET Research is monitoring. ESET has been tracking Lyceum, also known as HEXANE or Storm-0133, as another OilRig subgroup. Lyceum focuses on targeting various Israeli organizations, including governmental and local governmental entities and organizations in healthcare.

ESET expects that BladedFeline will persist with implant development in order to maintain and expand access within its compromised victim set for cyberespionage.

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Cloud

SentinelOne Simplifies Secure Cloud Migrations on AWS

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SentinelOne today announced its participation in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Workload Migration Program. This initiative supports AWS Partner Network (APN) members with SaaS offerings on AWS to accelerate and streamline workload migrations.

Through the program, SentinelOne will provide AWS customers with accelerated, secure cloud migration support, leveraging modern AI-powered CNAPP capabilities to ensure rapid and protected transitions. With access to AWS funding, technical resources, and go-to-market support, SentinelOne will help organizations reduce migration timelines and costs while maintaining robust security.

SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud Security delivers real-time visibility and protection throughout the migration journey—whether from on-premises or another cloud—enabling a secure, seamless transition to AWS.

“Through our participation in the AWS ISV Workload Migration Program, SentinelOne is helping customers accelerate secure cloud migrations with end-to-end protection and visibility,” said Ric Smith, President of Product, Technology, and Operations at SentinelOne. “Whether moving from on-prem or another cloud to AWS, organizations can count on us to deliver the security they need throughout their journey—realizing the performance, speed, agility, and cost benefits of the cloud.”

Singularity Cloud Security combines agentless and agent-based protection for deep visibility, continuous posture management, and real-time threat detection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. By collaborating with AWS and ecosystem partners, SentinelOne ensures seamless integration into migration projects, helping customers move faster, reduce risk, and scale confidently in the cloud.

Availability: SentinelOne’s solutions are available globally.

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Cyber Security

Beyond Blocklists: How Behavioural Intent Analysis Can Safeguard Middle East Businesses from Rising AI-Driven Bot Threats

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The Middle East is facing an unprecedented surge in AI-driven bot attacks, with malicious automation now outpacing traditional defenses. Mohammad Ismail, Vice President for EMEA at Cequence Security, warns that legacy tools like IP blocklists and rate limiting are no match for today’s sophisticated threats (more…)

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