VIP clients of cryptocurrency exchanges, notably cryptocurrency funding firms, have change into targets of a extremely refined phishing assault, Microsoft is warning. 

In a current report (opens in new tab), Microsoft stated it noticed an unknown menace actor, labeled as DEV-0139, shifting into Telegram teams “used to facilitate communication between VIP purchasers and cryptocurrency alternate platforms”.

After figuring out potential victims, the group would then method these customers, assuming the identification of a peer – one other cryptocurrency funding firm – and ask for suggestions on the price construction completely different cryptocurrency alternate platforms use. One such incident was noticed on October 19 2022.

Attackers within the know

In response to Microsoft, the group has a “broader information” of this a part of the trade, suggesting that the price construction it shared with the victims might be correct. The construction itself was introduced in a Microsoft Excel file, and that’s when the actual hassle begins.

The file, titled “OKX Binance & Huobi VIP price comparision.xls”, is protected with a “password dragon” which means the sufferer must allow macros with the intention to view the contents. 

Enabling macros additionally allows an entire load of hassle: the file has a second, embedded spreadsheet, which downloads and parses a PNG file, which extracts a malicious DLL, an XOR-encoded backdoor, and a clear Home windows executable file that may later be used to sideload the malicious DLL. 

In spite of everything is claimed and performed, the attackers find yourself with distant entry to the goal’s endpoint (opens in new tab).

Whereas Microsoft doesn’t hyperlink this group with any identified menace actor and retains the label DEV-0139 (the DEV label is normally used for menace actors not but linked to any identified teams), a separate report from menace intelligence specialists Volexity claims that is, in actual fact, Lazarus Group, an notorious North Korean state-sponsored menace actor, BleepingComputer has discovered.

Apparently, Lazarus used the cryptocurrency price comparability spreadsheet up to now, to contaminate its targets with the AppleJeus malware.

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Through: BleepingComputer (opens in new tab)