A recent cybersecurity report by Huntress has revealed that a non-profit organization advocating for human rights in Vietnam has been subjected to a multi-year cyber-espionage campaign attributed to the threat group known as APT32, also referred to as OceanLotus. This group has been active since at least 2012 and has a track record of targeting networks in East Asian countries, particularly Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia. Their primary motivations are cyber espionage and the theft of intellectual property. Huntress’s analysis indicates that the intrusion may have persisted for over four years, highlighting the group’s sustained interest in compromising this particular non-profit.
The report notes that the attack vectors commonly employed by APT32 include spear-phishing campaigns, which serve as the initial entry point for delivering various forms of malware, including backdoors that facilitate the execution of arbitrary shellcode. Researchers Jai Minton and Craig Sweeney emphasized the overlaps between the techniques utilized in the current attack and those previously associated with APT32, reaffirming the group’s established methods. The group’s approach is designed to infiltrate systems and gather sensitive data, reflecting their strategic targeting of organizations involved in human rights advocacy.
In the latest wave of attacks identified by Huntress, four hosts were compromised, enabling the attackers to establish a persistent presence on the network. The compromised systems were configured to create scheduled tasks and Windows Registry keys that initiate Cobalt Strike Beacons. These beacons serve as backdoors, allowing the adversaries to steal sensitive information, such as Google Chrome cookies, which can lead to further credential theft and exploitation of user accounts. This aspect of the attack underscores the sophistication of APT32’s operations and their capability to manipulate compromised systems effectively.
The ongoing threat posed by APT32 is further illustrated by concurrent campaigns targeting South Korean users, which likely involve similar tactics, including spear-phishing and exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange servers. Such activities aim to deliver reverse shells, backdoors, and other malware types to gain control over infected machines, allowing for the extraction of stored credentials from web browsers. This multi-faceted approach to cyber attacks not only illustrates the group’s persistence but also its adaptability in targeting diverse organizations across various regions, raising significant concerns about the security of human rights organizations and their ability to operate without fear of intrusion.
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