Threat Intelligence Alert Details
Alert ID: TI-CAPABILITY-DEV-7842
Alert Time: 2024-02-10 08:15:22 EST
Severity: MEDIUM (68/100)
Source: Recorded Future Threat Intelligence
Rule: “New Malware Targeting Industry Sector”
MITRE ATT&CK: T1587 – Develop Capabilities
Alert Details:
Threat Intelligence Finding: New malware variant under development targeting our industry
Source: Underground Russian Forum “exploit[.]in”
Post Date: 2024-02-09
Thread: “Developing custom payload for [Industry] sector – Need testers”
User: “dev_sec_7842”
Reputation: Established member (joined 2023, 147 posts)
Thread Content:
“Working on a new crypter/loader specifically for [Industry] companies. Features:
– Bypasses CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Defender
– Custom C2 protocol with domain fronting
– Steals credentials from [Specific Software] used in industry
– Lateral movement via SMB and WMI
– Looking for testers with access to [Industry] environments
DM me if interested. Payment in BTC.”
Code Snippets Posted (Sanitized):
function Bypass-AMSI { $a=[Ref].Assembly.GetTypes();Foreach($b in $a) {if ($b.Name -like “*iUtils”) {$c=$b}};$d=$c.GetFields(‘NonPublic,Static’);Foreach($e in $d) {if ($e.Name -like “*Context”) {$f=$e}};$g=$f.GetValue($null);[IntPtr]$ptr=$g;[Int32[]]$buf=@(0);[System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::Copy($buf,0,$ptr,1) }
Threat Intelligence Context:
– User “dev_sec_7842” previously developed similar tools targeting financial sector
– Code snippets match known techniques for AMSI bypass
– Industry-specific targeting suggests reconnaissance completed (T159x)
– No evidence of tool deployment yet – still in development
SOC Investigation Process
| Step | Action | Tools Used | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alert Validation | Verify threat intelligence findings | Recorded Future, Flashpoint | Confirmed legitimate development thread |
| 2. Actor Profiling | Investigate threat actor | ThreatConnect, Intel 471 | Actor known for developing custom malware |
| 3. Capability Analysis | Analyze posted code snippets | Sandbox, Reverse Engineering | AMSI bypass technique effective against some EDR |
| 4. Defensive Preparation | Update detection signatures | CrowdStrike, Defender | Created YARA rules for identified patterns |
| 5. Hunting | Check for pre-deployment activity | EDR Logs, SIEM | No evidence of tool usage in environment |
| 6. Information Sharing | Share intelligence with peers | ISAC, Industry Partners | Alerted other companies in sector |
Jira Incident Report
Ticket: SOC-2024-054
Summary: T1587 – Threat Actor Developing Custom Malware Targeting Industry
Status: RESOLVED
Resolution: INTELLIGENCE – Monitoring Enhanced
Priority: P3 – LOW
Labels: T1587, develop-capabilities, malware-development, threat-intel, recordered-future
Components: Threat-Intelligence, Detection-Engineering
INCIDENT ANALYSIS REPORT
1. Initial Context:
- Detection Source: Recorded Future Threat Intelligence.
- Alert: “New Malware Targeting Industry Sector”.
- Source: Russian underground forum “exploit[.]in”.
- Time: 2024-02-10 08:15 EST.
- Technique: MITRE ATT&CK T1587 – Develop Capabilities.
2. Technical Analysis:
- Threat Actor Details:
- Username: “dev_sec_7842”
- Join Date: 2023
- Reputation: 147 posts, established member
- Previous Work: Tools targeting financial sector
- Current Project: Industry-specific malware
- Malware Capabilities (Based on Post):
- Evasion: Bypasses CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Defender
- C2: Custom protocol with domain fronting
- Credential Theft: Targets industry-specific software
- Lateral Movement: SMB and WMI-based
- Persistence: Not specified, likely multiple methods
- Code Analysis:
- AMSI bypass technique using reflection
- Effective against some EDR configurations
- Similar to techniques used by recent ransomware groups
- Code quality suggests experienced developer
- Targeting Rationale:
- Industry-specific software suggests prior reconnaissance
- Attackers likely have specific targets in mind
- Custom development indicates high-value targets
3. Investigation Findings:
- Timeline:
2024-02-09: Forum post created
2024-02-10 08:15: Recorded Future detects and alerts
2024-02-10 08:30: SOC investigation begins
2024-02-10 09:00: Actor profiling complete
2024-02-10 10:00: YARA rules created
2024-02-10 11:00: Intelligence shared with ISAC
- Defensive Preparation:
- YARA rules created for code patterns
- EDR signatures enhanced for AMSI bypass techniques
- Hunting queries developed for lateral movement indicators
- No evidence of tool deployment in environment
4. Containment Actions:
- Detection Enhancements:
- Created custom CrowdStrike IOA rules for AMSI bypass attempts.
- Enhanced PowerShell logging to capture similar techniques.
- Deployed YARA rules to endpoints via CrowdStrike.
- Updated SIEM correlation for lateral movement patterns.
- Proactive Hunting:
- Searched for AMSI bypass attempts in last 30 days.
- No matches found.
- Searched for SMB/WMI lateral movement patterns.
- Normal administrative activity only.
- Information Sharing:
- Shared intelligence with industry ISAC.
- Alerted peer companies in sector.
- Contributed indicators to threat intelligence platforms.
5. Root Cause Analysis:
- Primary Cause: Threat actor developing targeted capabilities against our industry.
- Contributing Factors: Industry is high-value target for cybercriminals.
6. Business Impact:
- Current Impact: None (tool still in development).
- Potential Impact: If deployed, could bypass existing controls.
- Risk Level: Elevated due to targeted development.
7. Remediation & Prevention:
Completed Actions:
Detection signatures created.
Proactive hunting completed.
Intelligence shared with peers.
Monitoring enhanced.
8. Conclusion:
This incident involves a threat actor developing custom malware specifically targeting our industry. While no deployment has been observed, the development indicates elevated threat level. Detection signatures have been created and proactive hunting completed.
Closure Rationale: Intelligence gathered; defenses enhanced; monitoring active.
Analyst: [Walter White], SOC Analyst
Date: 2024-02-10 12:00 EST