Diicot

The Diicot Threat Group, an emerging threat actor with sophisticated technical knowledge, has been identified as a significant cybersecurity concern. They have recently targeted SSH servers with brute-force malware, using a relatively limited username/password list consisting of default and easily-guessed credential pairs. The group's campaigns typically involve a long execution chain, where individual payloads and their outputs form interdependent relationships. The group has also launched a cryptominer on machines with more than four cores, while machines with four or less cores execute the "SlowAndSteady" option. This activity follows a renewed Romanian cryptojacking campaign named Diicot (previously Mexals), which uses a Golang-based Secure Shell (SSH) worm module and a new LAN spreader for propagation. Diicot is a Romanian law enforcement agency that investigates and prosecutes organized crime, cybercrime, terrorism-related offences, drug trafficking, and financial crimes. However, in this context, it appears to be the moniker used by the threat actor group. In June, DIICOT appealed to judges to prolong the house arrest procedure for two brothers implicated in cybercrime activities. These individuals, based in Romania for several years, were arrested in December alongside two women as part of a DIICOT investigation into allegations they had trafficked women into making online webcam pornography through the so-called “loverboy” grooming method. In a recent development, DIICOT conducted raids on six properties in pursuit of a hacktivist group behind a campaign dubbed “Operation Romania.” The raids took place in the cities of Buzau and Vaslui, and in Bistrita-Nasaud county, leading to the arrest of eight people. The accused were charged with forming an organized criminal group, illegal access to a computer system, and unauthorized transfer of computer data. Despite these actions, support for the group seems to be growing, with footage circulating of young men chanting “Free Top G” and using a hand gesture associated with one of the arrested individuals, Andrew Tate, as a symbol of support online.