Tag Archive for: Silver

Syrian group Anonymous Arabic distributes stealthy malware Silver RAT

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Syrian group Anonymous Arabic distributes stealthy malware Silver RAT

Pierluigi Paganini
January 09, 2024

A hacker group that calls itself Anonymous Arabic is distributing a stealthy remote access trojan called Silver RAT.

Cyfirma researchers observed threat actors called ‘Anonymous Arabic’ distributing a C# remote access trojan called Silver RAT. The malware supports multiple capabilities, including bypassing anti-viruses and covertly launching hidden applications, browsers, and keyloggers.

The hacker group is active on multiple hacker forums (XSS, Darkforum, TurkHackTeam, and others) and runs a Telegram channel offering a range of services including the distribution of cracked RATs, leaked databases, carding activities, and the sale of social media bots. Another malware developed by the same group is called S500 RAT.

The current version of the RAT, Silver RAT v1.0, is a Windows-based threat, but experts believe that the developers are going to launch also an Android variant. Silver RAT v1.0 also supports destructive features such as data encryption using ransomware, and functions to destroy system restore points.

“The developer of Silver RAT is, known as ‘noradlb1,’ and is active on prominent hacking forums like XSS, Darkforum, TurkHackTeam, and others, with an arguably respected reputation.” reads the analysis published by Cyfirma. “The RAT first appeared on their Telegram channel and later on Turkhackteam and 1877 forums. Silver RAT was cracked and leaked on Telegram around October, 2023, and now users on Telegram and GitHub are sharing cracked versions of Silver RAT v1.0 to users without the means to purchase RATs (however there is evidence from user conversations that this may not be as effective as other well-known RATs like xworm).”

CYFIRMA reported that the group has been using a well-known Crypto wallet and employ multiple addresses for transactions to manage different crypto currencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT (Tether)).

The Bitcoin wallet was empty at the time of the analysis, but experts recorded approximately 2,275.67 USD of transactions between December 24,2023 and December 25,2023 period.

During the investigation, the researchers…

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Silver Linings: Cybercrime hits older people hardest in 2021

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The FBI’s March 22 cybercrime report breaks down victims by age. AARP Maine

Cyber fraud was up 7% nationwide in 2021, with people older than 60 the most-often targeted, according to an FBI report released recently.

The FBI Internet Crime Report called the rise in cybercrime “unprecedented,” with almost 850,000 reports and losses of more than $6.9 billion.

With 1,402 victims, Maine ranked 46th in the country (including US territories). The state was 52nd in losses, with a total of $7.26 million being swindled, and 42nd in the number of swindlers (507).

But that does not mean it is less of a problem here, said Phil Chin, the volunteer fraud watch spokesman for AARP Maine.

Former CBS news writer Phil Chin is the AARP Maine fraud watch spokesman. Submitted photo

“Sure, there was an increase in Maine,” Chin said in a recent telephone interview. “It might not seem so compared to California (No. 1 in victims, losses and swindlers), but it has in part to do with population.”

Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois were also among the top five states in numbers of victims.

Maine is “doing about the same” as other states considering population density and the high percentage of older people, Chin said.

“Cyber criminals know no boundaries,” he said. “Cybercrime is equal opportunity.”

Chin and his partner, Pam Partridge, hold monthly Zoom seminars titled AARP Maine Fraud Watch Show on the second Thursday of every month. You can go to aarp.org/fraudwatch to register for these sessions.

In March they discussed celebrity scams and IRS scams and took questions from participants.

Other types of scams include email compromise schemes, which for the fourth consecutive year, had the largest dollar losses, more than $2.4 billion nationwide, according to the FBI report. This scheme mostly affects businesses.

“For example, an entity might be asked to conduct a wire transfer of funds under false pretense, with the loot flowing to a crook,” according to a news release from AARP Maine.

Another type of swindle, the “confidence scam,” accounted for the third-highest losses to individual victims. These scams numbered 24,299, with a total of $956 million in…

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Intego VirusBarrier X9 protects your Mac from macOS malware like Silver Sparrow and Xcode Spy [Save 50% on Mac Premium Bundle]

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While you may hear that Macs are not be vulnerable to Windows viruses, the popularity of the Mac means that nefarious parties are actually targeting macOS more than ever before. Fortunately, Intego Mac Security has over two decades of experience protecting Apple users, and 9to5Mac readers can save 50% on Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9.

Intego’s software suite features macOS Big Sur compatible apps for Internet security, removing digital cruft, and backing up your most important data. This includes Intego’s all-new VirusBarrier X9 software so you can have peace of mind when new malware makes headlines.

Silver Sparrow protection

For macOS users, this means you can rely on Intego VirusBarrier X9 to detect the recently discovered Silver Sparrow malware that was found this year.

Silver Sparrow is mysterious malware discovered in the wild that found its way onto at least 40,000 Macs, including both Intel and M1 Macs. The full impact is not yet known of Silver Sparrow nor is its origin, but infected machines check in with a mysterious remote server every hour — seriously invasive.

XcodeSpy infection

Intego VirusBarrier X9 also eliminates XcodeSpy, a piece of malware that affects Apple’s developer environment Xcode. iPhone and iPad apps can only be developed on a Mac using Xcode, and XcodeSpy exploits this requirement by being distributed to Mac users through trojanized Xcode projects that are lightweight in file size and easy to share and download.

Peace of mind

Those are just two examples of how Intego VirusBarrier X9 keeps your Mac safe from creepy and privacy invasive malware that targets macOS. An infected Mac can make that all your data from personal photos and documents to passwords and browser data can be compromised. The worst part about malware like Silver Sparrow and XcodeSpy is that you won’t even know if your Mac is infected without software like VirusBarrier X9.

Intego VirusBarrier X9 actively protects your Mac from malware and phishing attempts with real time scans and automatic updates. You don’t have to be a computer expert to start using VirusBarrier X9 either. Set up is designed to be easy for all users, and configuration is simple enough for…

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The Cybersecurity 202: Security advocates see a possible silver lining in Trump’s election assaults

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“If there’s one positive piece that comes out of this it would be greater oversight of election vendors,” David Levine, elections integrity fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told me. Dominion, along with two other major vendors, control about 80 percent of the U.S. market for election systems. “If there’s a successful cyberattack against one of them, that could have devastating consequences,” he said.

On the other hand, the attacks by Trump and his supporters are basically made up out of whole cloth and contrary to all available evidence. Security pros worry these conspiracy theories that go far beyond any legitimate concerns will corrode public faith in elections and convince people it’s not worth turning out to vote. 

“Unfortunately, there’s a danger that the entire effort to increase cybersecurity in elections will get tarred by the unfounded rantings of a few people,” Lawrence Norden, director of the Election Reform Program at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, told me. “There are legitimate things that need to be done to improve the security of our election systems and they should be done regardless of what some crazy people are alleging.” 

There’s a potential silver lining as election security is likely to remain a hot topic in Washington after 2020. 

The fact that it’s entered the discourse at such a high level among Republicans – even because of dubious circumstances – suggests there could eventually be a more bipartisan focus on ensuring future elections are conducted securely and transparently. 

Election security has improved considerably since 2016 with the addition of paper ballots for millions more voters and a surge in post-election audits  But there’s still a lot more to be done. 

Security advocates now have to thread an important political messaging needle as the debate gets incredibly polarized. The issue was already precarious following the 2016 election when Democrats’ fears about Russian hacking were high – but Trump often reacted to discussion about election security and Russia’s efforts to undermine the 2016 contest as suggesting that his victory over Hillary Clinton was illegitimate. 

That…

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