Rewterz Threat Alert – South Asian Espionage Bitter APT Group – Active IOCs

Severity

High

Analysis Summary

APT-17, also known as “Bitter APT” or “DeputyDog” is a state-sponsored cyber espionage group that is believed to operate out of China. They have been active since at least 2012 and have primarily targeted organizations in the aerospace, defense, and technology industries. They are known for targeting China, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia and have expanded to set their sights on Bangladeshi government agencies. The group is known for using a wide range of custom malware and tools to carry out their operations, including Remote Access Trojans (RATs), keyloggers, and backdoors. The group’s malware is known to be complex, and multi-stage and used a range of techniques to evade detection, such as code signing, the use of legitimate tools and third-party tools, and the use of encrypted communications. They are also known to use spear-phishing campaigns to gain initial access to targeted systems. They have been active for more than a decade and are known to use a wide range of custom malware and tools to carry out their operations. Organizations in these sectors should be aware of the threat actors and take appropriate measures to protect against their attacks. This includes implementing robust security measures, such as advanced threat detection and response capabilities, as well as employee training on how to identify and respond to spear-phishing campaigns. The group was observed using Powershell and curl instead of msiexe in one of the latest campaigns.

In the most recent campaign conducted by this state-sponsored cyber espionage group, the attackers have employed a malicious document named “Proposed Deliveries for JCC 11th and High-Level Visit.rar.” This document serves as a crucial component of their cyber attack strategy.

The attackers have carefully designed the document to give the impression that it pertains to proposed deliveries related to the 11th session of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) and a high-level visit. The purpose is to entice unsuspecting individuals, particularly those involved in the targeted organizations, into opening the file.

Once the document is opened, it initiates the deployment of customized malware or exploits vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to the victim’s system. This enables the attackers to carry out their malicious activities and potentially extract sensitive information or perform further intrusion into the victim’s network.

Impact

• Information Theft and Espionage

Indicators of Compromise

MD5

• 513b13ec23c08becdde6befb2cba0de7
• 86b57b0ec360f45331fc5e4eb5c99611

SHA-256

• 14a7ce724d197231aafd60a00aaf70aedfd5c9adb006614a1f4bd1bc6efbe8d3
• a2e3f464e1c39909f47f0b837b04e1256061f4a9698678e097b4dd09aa4de9c1

SHA-1

• 618b145297e8dd6f68c2b7ba4769465b3ad9a676
• 8d8fd0dd072608167ec777300f6a644c08b6b904

URL

http://daveonenewtestpanel.com/axis/cone.php?rad=%25computername%25*%25username%25

Remediation

• Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
• Search for Indicators of compromise (IOCs) in your environment utilizing your respective security controls
• Emails from unknown senders should always be treated with caution.
• Never trust or open links and attachments received from unknown sources/senders.
• Enable antivirus and anti-malware software and update signature definitions in a timely manner. Using multi-layered protection is necessary to secure vulnerable assets
• Patch and upgrade any platforms and software timely and make it into a standard security policy. Prioritize patching known exploited vulnerabilities and zero-days.