Security News > 2021 > February > New 'Hildegard' Malware Targets Kubernetes Systems
The hacking group referred to as TeamTNT has been employing a new piece of malware in a recently started campaign targeting Kubernetes environments, security researchers with Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 reveal.
During the summer of 2020, TeamTNT was targeting Docker and Kubernetes systems with a crypto-mining worm capable of stealing local credentials, including Amazon Web Services login details.
In a brand new campaign that started in January 2021, but which appears to be only in its early stages, the hacking group has targeted Kubernetes environments with a piece of malware called Hildegard, which is both stealthy and persistent.
In addition to abusing the processing power of Kubernetes clusters for cryptojacking, the malware might also be leveraged for the exfiltration of sensitive data from the applications running in the targeted environments.
The Hildegard malware gathers various types of information on the host and also searches for credentials on the host, including cloud access keys and tokens, SSH keys, Docker credentials, and Kubernetes service tokens.
All credentials files discovered are sent to the C&C. "This new TeamTNT malware campaign is one of the most complicated attacks targeting Kubernetes. This is also the most feature-rich malware we have seen from TeamTNT so far. In particular, the threat actor has developed more sophisticated tactics for initial access, execution, defense evasion and C&C," Palo Alto Networks concludes.