Security News > 2024 > August > Cybercriminals Exploit Popular Software Searches to Spread FakeBat Malware

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a surge in malware infections stemming from malvertising campaigns distributing a loader called FakeBat.

Attack chains propagating the malware make use of drive-by download techniques to push users searching for popular software toward bogus lookalike sites that host booby-trapped MSI installers.

Some of the malware families delivered via FakeBat include IcedID, RedLine Stealer, Lumma Stealer, SectopRAT, and Carbanak, a malware associated with the FIN7 cybercrime group.

"UNC4536's modus operandi involves leveraging malvertising to distribute trojanized MSIX installers disguised as popular software like Brave, KeePass, Notion, Steam, and Zoom," Mandiant said.

UNC4536 is essentially a malware distributor, meaning FakeBat acts as a delivery vehicle for next-stage payloads for their business partners, including FIN7.

The disclosure comes a little over a month after Mandiant also detailed the attack lifecycle associated with anther malware downloader named EMPTYSPACE, which has been used by a financially motivated threat cluster dubbed UNC4990 to facilitate data exfiltration and cryptojacking activities targeting Italian entities.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2024/08/cybercriminals-exploit-popular-software.html