A sophisticated malware framework known as EagerBee has been actively targeting government agencies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the Middle East. Security analysts from SOCRadar have connected the campaign to the Chinese-aligned APT27 threat group, also known as CoughingDown, through overlaps in command-and-control (C2) infrastructure and code similarities. The malware’s attack sequence involves a multi-stage injection process, starting with the tsvipsrv.dll service injector, which exploits legitimate Windows services via DLL hijacking.
The attack pattern used by EagerBee includes timestamp manipulation to avoid detection, as well as the targeting of four critical services: Themes Service (UXInit), SessionEnv (Remote Desktop Configuration), IKEEXT (IKE/AuthIP Keying Modules), and MSDTC (Distributed Transaction Coordinator). The malware further deploys its core payload, dllloader1x64.dll, through process hollowing, ensuring that it remains resident in memory.
EagerBee also implements a temporal constraint, operating within specific time windows to reduce detection chances.
EagerBee’s modular framework is composed of six core plugins managed by the ssss.dll orchestrator. These plugins include the File System Manipulator, Remote Access Manager, Network Enumerator, Service Controller, Process Explorer, and Data Exfiltrator. This structure allows the malware to perform various functions, such as manipulating files, controlling services, and exfiltrating data. Additionally, EagerBee exploits the ProxyLogon vulnerability (CVE-2021-26855) in Microsoft Exchange servers to deploy web shells, which are then used to download further EagerBee components.
The UAE Cyber Security Council has issued advice on mitigating these threats, such as patching Exchange servers, hunting for modified service DLLs, and monitoring for unusual service configurations. The attack has been observed in countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, with evidence of lateral movement through compromised admin credentials. While ransomware deployment has not been observed, the malware’s backdoor capabilities can enable full system takeover. Cybersecurity authorities recommend immediate review of service configurations and memory analysis for early detection.
