Cyber Security

Infoblox Reveals Shift in Malware Tactics After Initial Discovery of Decoy Dog

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2023

Infoblox has published a second threat report with critical updates on “Decoy Dog,” the remote access trojan (RAT) toolkit they discovered and disclosed in April 2023. The malware uses DNS to establish command and control (C2) and is suspected as a secret tool used in ongoing nation-state cyber attacks.

The threat actors swiftly responded following Infoblox’s disclosure of the toolkit, adapting their systems to ensure continued operations, indicating that maintaining access to victim devices remains a high priority. The analysis shows that the use of the malware has spread, with at least three actors now operating it. Although based on the open-source RAT Pupy, Decoy Dog is a fundamentally new, previously unknown, malware with many features to persist on a compromised device. Many aspects of Decoy Dog remain a mystery, but all signs point to nation-state hackers. Infoblox released a new data set containing DNS traffic captured from Infoblox’s servers to support further industry investigation of the C2 systems.

The question many in the industry continue to silently ask is: Are we really securing our network if we’re not monitoring our DNS? There is a significant risk that Decoy Dog and its use will continue to grow and impact organizations globally. Currently, the only known means to detect and defend against Decoy Dog/Pupy today is with DNS Detection and Response systems.

“It’s intuitive that DNS should be the first line of defence for organizations to detect and mitigate threats like Decoy Dog. Infoblox is the industry’s best-of-breed DNS Detection and Response solution, providing companies with a turn-key defence that other XDR solutions would miss,” said Scott Harrell, Infoblox President and CEO. “As demonstrated with Decoy Dog, studying and deeply understanding the attacker’s tactics and techniques allows us to block threats before they are even known as malware.”

Through large-scale DNS analysis, Infoblox has learned key features of the malware and the actors who operate it. Directly following the first announcement on social media, every Decoy Dog threat actor responded to Infoblox’s disclosures in different ways. Some of the name servers mentioned in Infoblox’s April 2023 report were taken down, while others migrated their victims to new servers.

Despite their efforts to hide, Infoblox has continued to track the activities and has since learned a great deal more about them. Infoblox has been able to infer the nature of some communications and estimates that the number of compromised devices is relatively small. Infoblox has also been able to distinguish Decoy Dog from Pupy and determine that Decoy Dog has a full suite of powerful, previously unknown capabilities, including the ability to move victims to another controller, allowing them to maintain communication with compromised machines and remain hidden for long periods of time. Some victims have actively communicated with a Decoy Dog server for over a year.

“The lack of insight into underlying victim systems and vulnerabilities being exploited makes Decoy Dog an ongoing and serious threat,” said Dr. Renée Burton, Head of Threat Intelligence at Infoblox. “The best defence against this malware is DNS. Malicious activity often goes unnoticed because DNS is undervalued as a critical component in the security ecosystem. Only enterprises with a strong protective DNS strategy can protect themselves from these types of hidden threats.”

In total, Infoblox is currently monitoring 20 Decoy Dog domains, some of which were registered and deployed within the last month. This toolkit exploits an inherent weakness of the malware-centric intelligence ecosystem that dominates the security industry today. Furthermore, this malware was discovered solely because of DNS threat detection algorithms. Organizations’ best defence against these attacks is protection at the DNS level, within every network.

“We urge the industry to take this research forward, further investigate and share their findings,” added Harrell. Hands-On, Real-Life Experience of Pupy at BlackHat: Dr. Renée Burton will be discussing why “Decoy Dog is No Ordinary Pupy” in detail, along with other key findings at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, August 9 from 1:15 pm-1:35 pm PT.

Throughout the conference, attendees will be able to meet with Infoblox researchers and demonstrate their skills with a series of hands-on challenges using a live Pupy controller via Infoblox’s Double Dog Dare experience. Additional short introductions to Decoy Dog and Pupy will be held at the booth theater both days. This unique experience will allow participants to see firsthand how the DNS traffic is used to relay communications between the client and server to better understand the serious threat this malware poses.

The Hidden Potential of DNS in Security: Decoy Dog and Pupy take advantage of the lack of DNS oversight that often occurs in networks. In fact, over 90% of all malware uses DNS in some way. Infoblox knows it’s imperative that security professionals understand the ways in which malware exploits DNS and how DNS Detection and Response can often thwart these attacks. Experts in the field recently released a new book titled “The Hidden Potential of DNS in Security.” This book gives readers everything they need to know about lookalike domains, domain-generated algorithms (DGAs), DNS tunnelling, data exfiltration over DNS, why hackers use DNS, and how to defend against these attacks.

Cyber Security

Positive Technologies Discovery Leads D-Link to Recommend Router Replacements

Published

15 hours ago

March 19, 2025

Priyan Sampath

Vladimir Razov, an expert from the PT SWARM team, has discovered a vulnerability in several models of D-Link routers. According to Mordor Intelligence, D-Link is one of the top three Wi-Fi router manufacturers in the world. The vendor has been notified of the threat in line with the responsible disclosure policy and recommends that users switch to more recent devices.

The vulnerability, which is registered as BDU:2024-06211 with a CVSS 3.0 score of 8.4, affects the following D-Link models: DIR-878, DIR-882, DIR-2640-US, DIR-1960-US, DIR-2660-US, DIR-3040-US, DIR-3060-US, DIR-867-US, DIR-882-US, DIR-882/RE, DIR-882-CA, and DIR-882-US/RE. At the time of the research, vulnerable routers could be discovered using search engines in the United States, Canada, Sweden, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

According to the manufacturer, these models are no longer supported. D-Link recommends retiring the outdated devices and replacing them with supported devices that receive firmware updates. “If this vulnerability is successfully exploited, a malicious user authorized in the router’s web interface can compromise the entire device and gain access to all traffic passing through it,” says Vladimir Razov, Web Application Security Analyst at PT SWARM, the offensive security department at Positive Technologies.

As a temporary measure to mitigate the threat, Vladimir Razov recommends using OpenWrt (an open-source embedded operating system based on the Linux kernel and designed specifically for routers) or changing the login credentials for accessing the router’s web interface. Previously, Positive Technologies helped address vulnerabilities in Zyxel routers and other Zyxel devices. Positive Technologies also enhanced its PT Industrial Security Incident Manager (PT ISIM) with an additional expertise pack, enabling cybersecurity teams to detect attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in MikroTik routers and Cisco switches.

Cyber Security

Sophos Study: MDR Users Claim 97.5% Less in Cyber Insurance

Published

2 days ago

March 18, 2025

Chris Fernando

Leading cybersecurity provider Sophos has released findings from a new study quantifying the financial impact of various cybersecurity controls on cyber insurance claims. The research compares the effect of endpoint solutions, EDR/XDR technologies, and MDR services on claim amounts, offering valuable insights for both insurers and organizations.

Sally Adam, Senior Director, Solution Marketing at Sophos, said, “Every year, organisations spend huge amounts of money on their cybersecurity. By quantifying the impact of controls on the outcome of cyberattacks, this study enables them to focus their investments on the most cost-effective options. At the same time, insurers have a major influence on cybersecurity spending through the controls they require of organisations wishing to be covered and the discounts they offer when a given scheme is in place. This study enables them to encourage investments that can make a real difference to incident outcomes and the resulting claim amounts.”

The Sophos study reveals a dramatic difference in cyber insurance claims: organizations using MDR services claim a median compensation of just $75,000, a staggering 97.5% less than the $3 million median claimed by organizations relying solely on endpoint solutions. This means that endpoint-only users typically claim 40 times more in the event of an attack. The study attributes this significant reduction to the rapid threat detection and blocking capabilities of MDR services, which can effectively prevent extensive damage.

The study also highlights a clear benefit to combining EDR or XDR with endpoint solutions, as the average insurance claim for users of these tools is just $500,000, which is one-sixth of the $3 million average claim for those using only endpoint solutions.

The Sophos study indicates that the predictability of cyber insurance claims varies significantly depending on the security controls in place. Claims from organizations utilizing MDR services show the highest predictability, suggesting consistent and reliable threat mitigation. This is likely due to the 24/7 expert monitoring, investigation, and response that allows for swift action against threats at any time. Conversely, claims from users of EDR/XDR tools are the least predictable, implying that their effectiveness in preventing major damage heavily depends on the user’s expertise and speed of response.

The Sophos study also reveals significant differences in recovery times from ransomware attacks. Endpoint solution users average a 40-day recovery, while EDR/XDR users take the longest at 55 days. In stark contrast, organizations using MDR services recover the fastest, with an average downtime of just three days. These findings underscore MDR’s effectiveness in minimizing the impact of cyberattacks and highlight the less predictable recovery experiences associated with EDR/XDR tools, whose success is dependent on user expertise.

Adam concludes, “The research confirms what many people instinctively know: the type of security solution used has a significant impact on cyber insurance claims. Cyberattacks are inevitable, but defences are not. These results are a useful tool for organisations wishing to optimise their cyber defence and their return on investment in cybersecurity. They will also be useful for insurers looking to reduce their exposure and offer suitable policies to their customers.”

Cyber Security

Fortinet Strengthens OT Security for Critical Infrastructure

Published

2 days ago

March 18, 2025

Chris Fernando

Fortinet has enhanced its OT Security Platform to better protect critical infrastructure from modern cyberthreats. The upgraded platform offers more than basic OT visibility with the new FortiGuard OT Security Service, expanded hardened solutions for network segmentation and 5G in demanding environments, and an improved OT SecOps portfolio for automated threat response and compliance management.

“Fortinet has been building an industry-leading OT Security Platform for 20-plus years and remains at the forefront of OT security innovation,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “As cyberthreats against critical infrastructure and across industries such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing continue to grow, Fortinet remains committed to delivering comprehensive security solutions tailored for operational technology environments. These latest enhancements give organizations the tools they need to improve their OT security posture and adhere to regulatory requirements—all managed through a single, unified platform.”

The latest Fortinet OT Security Platform enhances OT security with:

Advanced Threat Protection: New FortiGate Rugged NGFWs combined with the enhanced FortiGuard OT Security Service offer superior security enforcement, detecting threats using over 3,300 OT protocol rules, nearly 750 OT IPS rules, and 1,500 virtual patching rules. This protects against known exploited vulnerabilities and provides virtual patching for older OT systems. Secure remote access is also improved with updates to FortiSRA, including enhanced secrets and password management.
Secure Segmentation: The new FortiSwitch Rugged 108F and FortiSwitch Rugged 112F-POE industrial-grade switches enable precise security control at the port level, preventing unauthorized lateral movement within OT networks. Built on Fortinet’s unified FortiOS, these switches simplify network and security management.
Resilient Connectivity: Two new ruggedized 5G solutions are introduced: the IP67-rated FortiExtender Rugged 511G for secure, high-speed connectivity to remote OT sites, and the IP64-rated FortiExtender Vehicle 511G for fleet vehicles. Both feature embedded Wi-Fi 6 and new eSIM capabilities for easier carrier selection.
Enhanced OT SecOps: Fortinet’s AI-driven security operations capabilities are strengthened with updates to FortiAnalyzer 7.6 and FortiDeceptor 6.1, offering deeper threat insights and simplified compliance reporting for OT security teams. FortiNDR Cloud now includes OT protocol support for threat hunting, while FortiNDR (on-premises) adds features like a Purdue Model view and a device inventory covering OT and the Mitre ATT&CK ICS Matrix.

The Fortinet OT Security Platform delivers a unified view and comprehensive security tools to simplify the management of OT and remote site security. It empowers organizations to easily assess, secure, and report on risks, including meeting complex regulatory compliance. Fortinet uniquely offers seamless segmentation and a complete ruggedized portfolio of OT security solutions all managed by a single operating system, FortiOS. Its deep integration within the Fortinet Security Fabric makes it a leading platform in the industry, providing an effective, efficient, and holistic approach to OT security and compliance that surpasses standard offerings.