Rewterz Threat Alert – Lazarus (aka Hidden Cobra) APT Group – Active IOCs

Severity

High

Analysis Summary

Lazarus APT is one of North Korea’s most sophisticated threat actors, operating since at least 2009. Initially, they concentrated on South Korea. It has recently shifted its focus to worldwide targets and began initiating attacks for monetary gain. This actor has been linked to attacks in South Korea, the United States, Japan, and a number of other nations. Lazarus APT is suspected of being behind a number of diverse efforts, including cyber espionage, and attacks on financial institutions, government agencies, and the military.

The Lazarus group has been known to use a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in their operations, including spear-phishing, malware, and social engineering. One of their recent campaigns, known as “Dream Job,” specifically targets cryptocurrency-adjacent entities by impersonating legitimate job recruiters and tricking individuals into downloading malware.

The Lazarus Group is a highly sophisticated and well-funded organization and is considered to be one of the most significant threats to organizations and individuals in the cyber security landscape. This APT group has been associated with other threat actor groups, including Bluenoroff and Andariel, believed to be subgroups or closely aligned with Lazarus. The group has been also linked to other cybercriminal activities, such as cryptocurrency thefts and ransomware campaigns, suggesting potential collaboration with non-state actors for financial gain.

To protect against Lazarus APT and similar threats, it is important to regularly update software and security patches, implement multi-factor authentication, be cautious when opening emails and attachments, and regularly back up important data.

Impact

• Information Theft and Espionage
• Exposure to Sensitive Data

Indicators of Compromise

MD5

• d8a8cc25bf5ef5b96ff7a64f663cbd29
• 420a13202d271babc32bf8259cdaddf3

SHA-256

• aec915753612bb003330ce7ffc67cfa9d7e3c12310f0ecfd0b7e50abf427989a
• 00433ebf3b21c1c055d4ab8a599d3e84f03b328496236b54e56042cef2146b1c

SHA-1

• d1e5e29c162566ce1d8a3d9c1a758fdbfef74174
• 7221445c823d67f03b438a3c83583f9364a7f0b4

Remediation

• Always be suspicious about emails sent by unknown senders.
• Never click on links/attachments sent by unknown senders.
• Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
• Search for Indicators of compromise (IOCs) in your environment utilizing your respective security controls
• Ensure that general security policies are employed including: implementing strong passwords, correct configurations, and proper administration security policies
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Enable antivirus and anti-malware software and update signature definitions in a timely manner. Using multi-layered protection is necessary to secure vulnerable assets