Rewterz Threat Alert – APT Group Gamaredon aka Shuckworm – Active IOCs

Severity

High

Analysis Summary

Shuckworm APT – aka Actinium, Armageddon, Primitive Bear, Gamaredon, and Trident Ursa – is a Russia-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) that has been operating since at least 2013. This cyber-espionage group is known to target government, military, and other high-value targets, primarily in Ukraine and has been linked to several advanced persistent threats (APT) campaigns. The main goal of this APT is to use the malicious document to gain control of the target machine. The exploit document uses the template injection technique to infect the victim’s computer with further malware. When the document is opened, it connects to the hacker’s server and downloads the payload file. Gamaredon’s tools are simple and designed to collect sensitive information from hacked systems and propagate it further. Its information-gathering efforts are nearly comparable to those of a second-tier APT, whose primary purpose is to collect and disseminate information with their units. The Gamaredon APT group’s recent attack leverages a decree document from the Russian Federation government as bait. In July, this APT group targets Ukrainian entities with PowerShell info-stealer malware dubbed GammaLoad.

Gamaredon APT is particularly known for its ability to steal sensitive information from its targets, including intellectual property, confidential documents, and login credentials. In some cases, the group has also been observed exfiltrating large amounts of data from its targets over extended periods of time.

It is important for organizations to be aware of the threat posed by Gamaredon APT and to implement appropriate security measures to protect against this group and other advanced persistent threats. This may include implementing strong security controls, regularly monitoring network activity for signs of compromise, and using advanced threat detection and response technologies.

Impact

• Template Injection
• Exposure of Sensitive Data

Indicators of Compromise

MD5

• 9649d2ddb270bdab62d138fd12d0e3ee
• 258bf5d0cfff27e85b9c5f70082dee04

SHA-256

• 09f3eb18044b75a4a3f8e4f03473fabf9c4200025d2a2d06eec29f1dc4e7b1d9
• 53ff1a9c44571e69d6b7d3f81dca4c91674ecae647693569663971efee41026f

SHA-1

• 3789560d01ae90a2bbc6287a671a8550840c3057
• 13d38cfd3e1836ca5faeaf35c0b5153e5cf09d5e

Remediation

• Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
• Search for Indicators of compromise (IOCs) in your environment utilizing your respective security controls
• Do not download documents attached in emails from unknown sources and strictly refrain from enabling macros when the source isn’t reliable.
• Enable antivirus and anti-malware software and update signature definitions in a timely manner. Using multi-layered protection is necessary to secure vulnerable assets
• Along with network and system hardening, code hardening should be implemented within the organization so that their websites and software are secure. Use testing tools to detect any vulnerabilities in the deployed codes.