Menu

  • Alerts
  • Incidents
  • News
  • APTs
  • Cyber Decoded
  • Cyber Hygiene
  • Cyber Review
  • Cyber Tips
  • Definitions
  • Malware
  • Threat Actors
  • Tutorials

Useful Tools

  • Password generator
  • Report an incident
  • Report to authorities
No Result
View All Result
CTF Hack Havoc
CyberMaterial
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
Hall of Hacks
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Hall of Hacks
CyberMaterial
No Result
View All Result
Home Alerts

SmokeLoader Malware Campaign Targets Taiwan

December 3, 2024
Reading Time: 2 mins read
in Alerts
SmokeLoader Malware Campaign Targets Taiwan

SmokeLoader malware has resurfaced, once again posing a significant threat to Taiwanese industries, particularly those in manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology. First introduced in 2011, SmokeLoader has built a reputation as a versatile and evasive malware. Initially designed as a downloader to deliver secondary payloads, the malware has evolved to carry out attacks directly, downloading plugins from its command-and-control (C2) servers. This shift in functionality highlights SmokeLoader’s ability to adapt to changing security environments and its increasing sophistication in bypassing traditional defenses.

The malware operates with a modular architecture that allows it to expand its capabilities through plugins. These plugins enable SmokeLoader to steal sensitive data, launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and mine cryptocurrency. In addition to these core functions, SmokeLoader is equipped with advanced evasion techniques, such as generating fake network traffic, detecting analysis environments, and obfuscating its code. These features help it avoid detection, making it a particularly challenging threat for cybersecurity professionals to analyze and mitigate.

Despite a major decline in activity following Operation Endgame in May 2024, which dismantled much of SmokeLoader’s infrastructure, the malware has remained resilient. Cracked versions of the malware continue to circulate on the dark web, providing threat actors with the tools to rebuild and distribute SmokeLoader using new C2 infrastructure. Recent campaigns targeting Taiwanese organizations have been traced back to phishing emails that exploit older vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2017-0199 and CVE-2017-11882. These emails contain malicious Microsoft Excel attachments, which drop a malware loader called Ande Loader to deploy SmokeLoader onto compromised systems.

Once inside a system, SmokeLoader operates in two stages. The first stage involves a “stager” that decrypts, decompresses, and injects the main module into the explorer.exe process. The second stage is the main module, which establishes persistence on the system and communicates with the C2 server to receive and execute commands. SmokeLoader is capable of downloading additional plugins that target web browsers, email clients like Outlook and Thunderbird, and FTP applications to steal login credentials, cookies, and other sensitive data. Given the malware’s flexibility and the increasing sophistication of its tactics, it is crucial for organizations to maintain vigilance and employ robust security measures to defend against this persistent threat.

Reference:

  • SmokeLoader Malware Resurfaces Targeting Manufacturing and IT Sectors in Taiwan
Tags: Cyber AlertsCyber Alerts 2024Cyber threatsDecember 2024HealthcareInformation TechnologyMalwaremanufacturingSmokeLoaderTaiwan
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Fake Firms Push Malware on Crypto Users

Fake Sites Push Investment Scams

July 11, 2025
Fake Firms Push Malware on Crypto Users

Severe WordPress Flaw 200K Sites at Risk

July 11, 2025
Fake Firms Push Malware on Crypto Users

Fake Firms Push Malware on Crypto Users

July 11, 2025
Hackers Revive SEO Poisoning

Hackers Revive SEO Poisoning

July 10, 2025
Hackers Revive SEO Poisoning

RondoDox Botnet Exploits Router Flaws

July 10, 2025
Hackers Revive SEO Poisoning

ServiceNow Data Exposure via ACLs

July 10, 2025

Latest Alerts

Fake Sites Push Investment Scams

Fake Firms Push Malware on Crypto Users

Severe WordPress Flaw 200K Sites at Risk

RondoDox Botnet Exploits Router Flaws

ServiceNow Data Exposure via ACLs

Hackers Revive SEO Poisoning

Subscribe to our newsletter

    Latest Incidents

    Microsoft’s Outlook Long Outage

    Avantic Lab Affected By Ransomware

    $40M+ Stolen from GMX Crypto Platform

    Bitcoin Depot Breach Exposes Data

    McDonald’s AI Hiring Bot Exposes Data

    Nippon Steel Solutions Data Breach

    CyberMaterial Logo
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Legal and Privacy Policy
    • Site Map

    © 2025 | CyberMaterial | All rights reserved

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In

    Add New Playlist

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Definitions
    • Malware
    • Cyber Tips
    • Tutorials
    • Advanced Persistent Threats
    • Threat Actors
    • Report an incident
    • Password Generator
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us

    Copyright © 2025 CyberMaterial