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| Phishing, Malicious Downloads |
Overview
ShinyHunters is a notorious black-hat hacker group that emerged onto the cybercrime scene in 2020, quickly gaining infamy for its extensive and damaging data breaches. Known for its audacious attacks, ShinyHunters has targeted a wide range of organizations, from major tech companies to popular online platforms. Their name, inspired by the rare and elusive “shiny Pokémon” from the Pokémon video game franchise, reflects their penchant for seeking out and exploiting valuable and hard-to-find vulnerabilities in their targets’ systems.
This threat actor group has made headlines with a series of high-profile data breaches, often involving the theft of millions of user records.
ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for significant breaches at companies such as Tokopedia, Microsoft, and Wattpad, leaking sensitive information including personal details, financial data, and source code. Their operations have had far-reaching consequences, impacting millions of individuals and demonstrating their sophisticated capabilities in penetrating even well-secured systems.
The group’s activities extend beyond mere theft; they are known for selling stolen data on the dark web, adding a commercial dimension to their cybercriminal endeavors. By leveraging vulnerabilities in popular services and exploiting unsecured data storage, ShinyHunters underscores the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and vigilant monitoring to safeguard sensitive information from similar malicious actors.
Common targets
Corporate Enterprises
Attack Vectors
Phishing, Malicious Downloads
How they operate
Once a target is identified, ShinyHunters employs phishing and social engineering tactics to gain initial access. They craft convincing phishing emails or messages to deceive employees into revealing login credentials or installing malware. These phishing attempts are designed to exploit common vulnerabilities and weaknesses in human behavior. Additionally, ShinyHunters may use brute force attacks and credential stuffing techniques to access compromised accounts, leveraging stolen credentials from previous breaches to infiltrate systems.
After gaining access, ShinyHunters often exploits vulnerabilities in public-facing applications or remote services. They use custom tools and scripts to probe for weaknesses, such as unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 buckets or exposed GitHub tokens. Exploiting these vulnerabilities allows them to access sensitive data and maintain persistence within the target’s network. Once inside, they stage the stolen data, preparing it for exfiltration.
Data exfiltration is a critical phase of ShinyHunters’ operations. They use various methods to transfer the stolen data from the victim’s environment to their own infrastructure. This may involve using standard communication protocols for command and control or leveraging custom malware to facilitate data transfer. The stolen data is often sold on dark web forums or hacker communities, making it available to other malicious actors or leveraging it for financial gain.
MITRE Tactics and Techniques
Phishing:
ID: T1566: Phishing involves sending deceptive communications to trick users into divulging sensitive information or installing malware.
Credential Dumping:
ID: T1003: Techniques to obtain and steal credentials from systems, including the use of tools to extract passwords or token data.
Brute Force:
ID: T1110: Automated methods for guessing passwords or encryption keys.
Exploitation of Public-Facing Applications:
ID: T1190: Exploiting vulnerabilities in publicly accessible applications to gain unauthorized access.
Exploitation of Remote Services:
ID: T1210: Exploiting vulnerabilities in remote services or protocols to gain access or control.
Data Staged:
ID: T1074: Staging or preparing stolen data for exfiltration.
Data Exfiltration:
ID: T1041: Techniques used to transfer stolen data from the victim’s network to the attacker’s infrastructure.
Command and Control:
ID: T1071: Using standard protocols for command and control communication between the attacker and the compromised system.
Software Deployment Tools:
ID: T1072: Using tools and software designed for deployment to facilitate attacks or data exfiltration.
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