Security researchers from SentinelLabs have uncovered a social engineering campaign conducted by the North Korea-linked Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group, Kimsuky. The campaign specifically targets experts in North Korean affairs and is part of a broader cyber espionage effort disclosed in a joint advisory by US intelligence. Kimsuky’s objective is to steal Google and subscription credentials from a reputable news and analysis service focusing on North Korea, while also deploying reconnaissance malware.
The APT group primarily targets think tanks and organizations in South Korea, with additional victims in the United States, Europe, and Russia. The campaign involves extensive email correspondence, spoofed URLs, mimicked websites, and weaponized documents to deceive victims.
This campaign has caught the attention of security experts due to Kimsuky’s focus on building a relationship and establishing trust with their targets before launching malicious activities.
Impersonating Chad O’Carroll, the founder of NK News, the attackers use a fake domain closely resembling the legitimate one to initiate contact. The initial phishing email requests the target’s review of a draft article analyzing the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
If the recipient engages in conversation, the APT group sends a follow-up email containing a URL to a Google document, which is spoofed to redirect victims to a malicious website under Kimsuky’s control. The researchers have also observed the distribution of password-protected weaponized Office documents during conversations, deploying the ReconShark reconnaissance tool.
SentinelLabs emphasizes the need for heightened awareness and understanding of Kimsuky’s tactics among potential targets, stressing the group’s persistence in targeted social engineering attacks. Ongoing monitoring of Kimsuky’s activities and the implementation of effective security measures are crucial to mitigate the risks posed by this persistent threat actor.
