The now-defunct Conti ransomware gang has been found to have collaborated with a threat actor likely affiliated with the FIN7 cybercrime group to use a new strain of malware called Domino. This malware is designed to facilitate follow-on exploitation on compromised systems and delivers an information stealer known as Project Nemesis that has been advertised for sale on the dark web since December 2021.
IBM Security X-Force researchers have reported that former members of the TrickBot/Conti syndicate have been using Domino since at least late February 2023 to deliver Project Nemesis or more capable backdoors like Cobalt Strike.
FIN7, also known as Carbanak and ITG14, is a prolific Russian-speaking cybercriminal syndicate that deploys custom malware to deploy additional malware and broaden its monetization methods.
Recent analyses have revealed FIN7’s role as a precursor for Maze and Ryuk ransomware attacks and its connections to Black Basta, DarkSide, REvil, and LockBit families.
Domino’s potential connections to FIN7 comes from source code overlaps with DICELOADER, a malware family attributed to the group. Domino has been active in the wild since at least October 2022, and ex-Conti members have been using it since late February 2023 to install Project Nemesis.
The use of stealer malware by ransomware distributors is not new, and it has raised the possibility that information stealers are deployed during lower priority infections, while those belonging to an Active Directory domain are served with Cobalt Strike.
The use of malware with ties to multiple groups in a single campaign highlights the complexity involved in tracking threat actors and provides insight into how and with whom they operate.
It is important for organizations to stay vigilant and continuously monitor their networks for any signs of compromise to detect and respond to attacks like Domino.
