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

Hackers Target Governmental Entities

May 11, 2023
Reading Time: 1 min read
in Alerts
Hackers Target Governmental Entities

 

A potentially Russian state hacking group has been identified by Bitdefender as deploying a new backdoor attack against international governmental targets in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. While direct evidence linking the attacks to Russian state hackers is lacking, various indicators suggest a connection to Moscow.

The backdoor, named DownEx by Bitdefender, was developed using multiple programming languages commonly associated with Russian intelligence hacking groups.

DownEx was first discovered by Bitdefender in late 2022, and though the initial infection vector remains unknown, spear phishing is suspected. The attack method involved disguising an executable file as a Microsoft Word document by using an icon file associated with .docx files.

Upon execution, DownEx loads a seemingly inconspicuous Word document while activating an HTML application script.

Once active, DownEx scours local and network drives to gather a wide range of files, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, images, videos, compressed files, and PDFs. The malware also searches for encryption keys and QuickBooks log files.

To exfiltrate the stolen data, DownEx encrypts it into password-protected zip archives, each limited to a size of 30 megabytes.

Kazakhstan, historically aligned with Russia, has experienced strained relations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This backdoor attack raises concerns about the cybersecurity of international governmental entities and further highlights the geopolitical tensions between Kazakhstan and Russia.

Reference:
  • Deep Dive Into DownEx Espionage Operation in Central Asia
Tags: BackdoorBitdefenderCyber AlertCyber Alerts 2023CyberattackGovernmentMay 2023RussiaVulnerabilities
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Glibc Flaw Gives Linux Root Access Risk

Mozilla Urgent Firefox Patch Fixes RCE Flaws

May 19, 2025
Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

ModiLoader Malware Targets Windows Users

May 19, 2025
Glibc Flaw Gives Linux Root Access Risk

Glibc Flaw Gives Linux Root Access Risk

May 19, 2025
Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

APT28 RoundPress Webmail Hack Steals Emails

May 16, 2025
Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

FBI Warns of AI Voice Phishing Scams

May 16, 2025
Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

May 16, 2025

Latest Alerts

Mozilla Urgent Firefox Patch Fixes RCE Flaws

ModiLoader Malware Targets Windows Users

Glibc Flaw Gives Linux Root Access Risk

Fileless Remcos RAT Delivery Via LNK Files

FBI Warns of AI Voice Phishing Scams

APT28 RoundPress Webmail Hack Steals Emails

Subscribe to our newsletter

    Latest Incidents

    Massive DDoS Hits Poland’s Civic Platform

    Arla Plant Cyberattack Halts Operations

    Georgia’s Harbin Clinic Hit by Data Breach

    Hackers Target Swiss Reserve Power Plant

    Coinbase Insider Attack Exposed User Data

    Cyberattack Hits J Batista Group

    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