The India-aligned APT SideWinder is utilizing a wide range of social engineering strategies to focus on Pakistani authorities and navy entities, in accordance with researchers at Group-IB. The menace actor is utilizing phishing emails in addition to a malicious VPN app positioned within the Google Play Retailer.
“The SideWinder APT is believed to be an Indian nation-state menace actor. Of their assaults, SideWinder was seen focusing on authorities, navy, and financial sectors in Southeast Asia: in Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Singapore, and China,” the researchers write. “Nonetheless, for the reason that discovery of the group in 2012, Pakistan has been the first goal of SideWinder. Within the final 12 months alone, a number of SideWinder’s assaults focusing on Pakistan have been detected. SideWinder was notably within the Pakistani navy targets.”
SideWinder is utilizing a phishing area, “pakgov[.]web,” with a view to impersonate a number of Pakistani authorities entities. The menace actor additionally posted hyperlinks on Fb resulting in a malicious web site that purported to supply enrollment for COVID-19 vaccinations.
“As soon as the sufferer clicks on the hyperlink, an archive with a malicious .LNK file or RTF doc is downloaded,” Group-IB says. “Within the case of LNK, the information have a Microsoft Phrase icon, making it seem extra reputable, encouraging folks to open. Whether or not the preliminary vector was a phishing electronic mail or a phishing hyperlink posted on social media, the malicious payload is all the time launched utilizing the DLL side-loading approach, which gives persistence and has RAT performance.”
The menace actor is utilizing a script that deflects customers who don’t have a Pakistani IP tackle, with a view to decrease their footprint.
“[W]hen a shopper visits this hyperlink, which the anti-bot script doesn’t like, the script redirects to a reputable doc situated on a reputable useful resource: finance.gov.pk,” the researchers write. “And, the script will not even work if the shopper’s IP tackle differs from Pakistan’s – the shopper will robotically be redirected to the reputable useful resource. These are widespread strategies which can be used to keep away from detection by menace researchers.”
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