Category Archives: IBM X-Force Research

BlotchyQuasar: X-Force Hive0129 targeting financial intuitions in LATAM with a custom banking trojan

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In late April through May 2023, IBM Security X-Force found several phishing emails leading to packed executable files delivering malware we have named BlotchyQuasar, likely developed by a group X-Force tracks as Hive0129. BlotchyQuasar is hardcoded to collect credentials from multiple Latin American-based banking applications and websites used within public and private environments. Similar operations […]

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The Trickbot/Conti Crypters: Where Are They Now?

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Despite Conti shutdown, operators remain active and collaborative in new factions In IBM Security X-Force, we have been following the crypters used by the Trickbot/Conti syndicate, who we refer to as ITG23, since 2021 and demonstrated the intelligence that can be revealed through tracking their use in a blog we published last May. One year […]

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ITG10 Likely Targeting South Korean Entities of Interest to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

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In late April 2023, IBM Security X-Force uncovered documents that are most likely part of a phishing campaign mimicking credible senders, orchestrated by a group X-Force refers to as ITG10, and aimed at delivering RokRAT malware, similar to what has been observed by others. ITG10’s tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) overlap with APT37 and ScarCruft. […]

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BlackCat (ALPHV) Ransomware Levels Up for Stealth, Speed and Exfiltration

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  This blog was made possible through contributions from Kat Metrick, Kevin Henson, Agnes Ramos-Beauchamp, Thanassis Diogos, and Diego Matos Martins. BlackCat ransomware, which was among the top ransomware families observed by IBM Security X-Force in 2022, according to the 2023 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, continues to wreak havoc across organizations globally this year. BlackCat (a.k.a. […]

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Ex-Conti and FIN7 Actors Collaborate with New Backdoor

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Former Conti syndicate and FIN7 members have collaborated to use a new backdoor dubbed “Minodo” to deliver the Project Nemesis infostealer. Explore the intricate nature of cooperation among cybercriminal groups and their members with in-depth analysis from IBM Security X-Force experts.

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X-Force Identifies Vulnerability in IoT Platform

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The last decade has seen an explosion of IoT devices across a multitude of industries. With that rise has come the need for centralized systems to perform data collection and device management, commonly called IoT Platforms. One such platform, ThingsBoard, was the recent subject of research by IBM Security X-Force. While there has been a […]

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X-Force Prevents Zero Day from Going Anywhere

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This blog was made possible through contributions from Fred Chidsey and Joseph Lozowski. The X-Force Vulnerability and Exploit Database shows that the number of zero days being released each year is on the rise, but X-Force has observed that only a few of these zero days are rapidly adopted by cyber criminals each year. While […]

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Patch Tuesday -> Exploit Wednesday: Pwning Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (afd.sys) in 24 Hours

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‘Patch Tuesday, Exploit Wednesday’ is an old hacker adage that refers to the weaponization of vulnerabilities the day after monthly security patches become publicly available. As security improves and exploit mitigations become more sophisticated, the amount of research and development required to craft a weaponized exploit has increased. This is especially relevant for memory corruption […]

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When the Absence of Noise Becomes Signal: Defensive Considerations for Lazarus FudModule

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In February 2023, X-Force posted a blog entitled “Direct Kernel Object Manipulation (DKOM) Attacks on ETW Providers” that details the capabilities of a sample attributed to the Lazarus group leveraged to impair visibility of the malware’s operations. This blog will not rehash analysis of the Lazarus malware sample or Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) as […]

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Defining the Cobalt Strike Reflective Loader

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The Challenge with Using Cobalt Strike for Advanced Red Team Exercises While next-generation AI and machine-learning components of security solutions continue to enhance behavioral-based detection capabilities, at their core many still rely on signature-based detections. Cobalt Strike being a popular red team Command and Control (C2) framework used by both threat actors and red teams […]

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