DarkCasino [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8], an APT group that emerged in 2021, has recently been classified as an economically motivated advanced persistent threat (APT). They exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the WinRAR software [3] [5] [8], known as CVE-202338831, to launch malicious payloads [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8]. This vulnerability has been utilized by other threat actors as well, including APT28 [5] [8], APT40 [2] [4] [5] [8], Dark Pink [2] [4] [5], Ghostwriter [2] [4] [5], Konni [2] [4] [5], and Sandworm [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8]. The widespread exploitation of this vulnerability has raised concerns among cybersecurity experts [5], particularly regarding APT attacks in the second half of 2023, with a focus on critical entities like governments.
Description
DarkCasino’s malware [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8], called DarkMe [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [8], is a Visual Basic trojan that can collect host information [2] [5], take screenshots [2] [4] [5] [8], manipulate files and Windows Registry [2] [4] [5] [8], execute commands [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8], and self-update [2] [4] [5] [8]. The CVE-202338831 vulnerability has allowed various APT groups to bypass protection systems and target critical entities, such as governments [1] [5] [8], in their attempts to infiltrate networks.
Conclusion
The exploitation of the CVE-202338831 vulnerability poses a significant threat to cybersecurity. It has been used by multiple APT groups, including DarkCasino [7], to target critical entities [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8]. The widespread exploitation of this vulnerability raises concerns about APT attacks in the second half of 2023 [3], particularly against governments. Cybersecurity experts [5], such as NSFOCUS, have warned about the uncertainties brought by this vulnerability and its potential impact on APT attacks [7]. Mitigating measures should be taken to address this vulnerability and protect critical entities from infiltration attempts in the future.
References
[1] https://www.443news.com/2023/11/new-emerging-apt-threat-exploiting-winrar-flaw/
[2] https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/experts-uncover-darkcasino-new-emerging-apt-threat-exploiting-winrar-flaw/
[3] https://thehackernews.com/2023/11/experts-uncover-darkcasino-new-emerging.html
[4] https://vulners.com/thn/THN:72FF36275D0C1A99B673E3D8A347FB2C
[5] https://ciso2ciso.com/experts-uncover-darkcasino-new-emerging-apt-threat-exploiting-winrar-flaw-sourcethehackernews-com/
[6] https://beker.uk/2023/11/16/experts-uncover-darkcasino-new-emerging-apt-threat-exploiting-winrar-flaw/
[7] https://vulnera.com/newswire/darkcasino-a-new-apt-threat-leveraging-winrar-vulnerability/
[8] https://patabook.com/technology/2023/11/17/experts-uncover-darkcasino-new-emerging-apt-threat-exploiting-winrar-flaw/
