HyperBro

Malware Profile Updated 3 months ago
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HyperBro is a malicious software (malware) that has been utilized in a sophisticated cyber espionage campaign targeting semiconductor industries primarily in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This malware was discovered being used in conjunction with a lure purporting to be from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The scheme involves the HyperBro loader variant using a digitally signed CyberArk binary for a DLL-Side Loading attack, resulting in the in-memory execution of a Cobalt Strike beacon. The Cobalt Strike beacon was then installed on victims' computers using the HyperBro loader. This campaign has been attributed to China by Dutch cybersecurity firm EclecticIQ due to the use of the HyperBro loader, which is associated with a state-backed group labeled Budworm or APT27. The deployment of HyperBro was observed to occur through spear-phishing emails, which delivered the HyperBro loader that displayed a file purportedly from TSMC while deploying a Cobalt Strike beacon via DLL side-loading. In March, Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors installed HyperBro on the Exchange Server and two other systems. The entire scheme, including the legitimate component IntgStat.exe, pcalocalresloader.dll library, and the encrypted file thumb.db, was used solely to download the HyperBro backdoor. Notably, shikata_ga_nai obfuscation was not applied in the case of Able Desktop. EclecticIQ analysts have expressed high confidence that the analyzed HyperBro Loader, the malware downloader, and the GO backdoor are very likely operated and developed by a People's Republic of China (PRC) backed nation-state threat actor. This assessment is based on victimology, observed infrastructure, malware code, and resemblance with previously reported activity clusters. To protect against such vulnerabilities, it is recommended to use Patch Manager Plus to quickly patch over 850 third-party applications.
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Possible Aliases / Cluster overlaps
It's hard to track cluster overlaps and naming conventions between vendors, so here are some possible overlapping names / profiles you also may want to look at.
IDVotesProfile Description
Budworm
1
Budworm, also known as LuckyMouse or APT 27, is a threat actor that has been associated with various high-profile cyber attacks. This group has been found to utilize tools such as the Korplug backdoor, which is commonly used by multiple Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) including Budworm and APT41,
APT27
1
APT27, also known as Iron Taurus, is a Chinese threat actor group that primarily engages in cyber operations with the goal of intellectual property theft. The group targets multiple organizations worldwide, including those in North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. APT27 utilizes vario
Miscellaneous Associations
Other elements of context that could aid in the identification of relevance
Malware
Apt
Trojan
Payload
Webshell
Backdoor
exploitation
Reconnaissance
Rat
Exploit
Espionage
Loader
TSMC
State Sponso...
Phishing
Downloader
CISA
Sharepoint
Associated Malware
To see the evidence that has resulted in this association, create a free account
IDTypeVotesProfile Description
EmissaryUnspecified
1
Emissary is a malicious software (malware) known for its damaging and exploitative characteristics. The malware operates as a Trojan, named Emissary, that infiltrates systems through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites without the user's knowledge. Once inside a system, it can disrupt operatio
Cobalt Strike BeaconUnspecified
1
Cobalt Strike Beacon is a type of malware known for its harmful capabilities, including stealing personal information, disrupting operations, and potentially holding data hostage for ransom. The malware has been loaded by HUI Loader through various files such as mpc.tmp, dlp.ini, vmtools.ini, and an
ChargeweaponUnspecified
1
ChargeWeapon is a malicious software (malware) that exploits compromised web servers to gain unauthorized access and gather sensitive data from infected systems. The malware was first identified on the Cobra DocGuard web server, where it was deployed as a previously unknown Go-based backdoor. This b
KorplugUnspecified
1
Korplug, also known as PlugX, is a type of malware developed and utilized by the China-aligned Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group, Mustang Panda. This malicious software is designed to infiltrate computer systems without detection, often through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites. Once in
PlugXUnspecified
1
PlugX is a notorious malware, typically associated with Chinese threat actors, that has been used in various cyberattacks. This malicious software infiltrates systems through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites and can steal personal information, disrupt operations, or hold data for ransom. It
ShadowPadUnspecified
1
ShadowPad is a modular backdoor malware that has been utilized by several Chinese threat groups since at least 2017. Notably, it was used as the payload in supply chain attacks targeting South Asian governments, as reported in the VB2023 paper. ShadowPad provides near-administrative capabilities in
Associated Threat Actors
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IDTypeVotesProfile Description
Emissary PandaUnspecified
1
Emissary Panda, also known as Iron Tiger, APT27, Budworm, Bronze Union, Lucky Mouse, and Red Phoenix, is a threat actor group associated with malicious cyber activities. The group has been active since at least 2013, targeting various industry verticals across Europe, North and South America, Africa
Iron TigerUnspecified
1
Iron Tiger, also known as Iron Taurus or APT27, is a threat actor group known for executing malicious actions with the intent of espionage. The group became prominent after its involvement in Operation Iron Tiger, which was reported in 2015. This operation was a series of Chinese cyber-espionage att
BRONZE UNIONUnspecified
1
Bronze Union, also known as APT27, Emissary Panda, Lucky Mouse, Iron Tiger, and Red Phoenix, is a threat actor with alleged connections to the Chinese government. The group has been observed targeting organizations across Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific
Associated Vulnerabilities
To see the evidence that has resulted in this association, create a free account
IDTypeVotesProfile Description
Korplug PlugxUnspecified
1
None
Source Document References
Information about the HyperBro Malware was read from the documents corpus below. This display is limited to 20 results, create a free account to see more
SourceCreatedAtTitle
CERT-EU
10 months ago
Chinese Hackers Attacking Semiconductor Industries using Cobalt Strike beacon
CERT-EU
10 months ago
L’hebdo cybersécurité (8 octobre 2023) • Cybersécurité
CERT-EU
10 months ago
China-based spies are hacking East Asian semiconductor companies, report says | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker | National Cyber Security Consulting
CERT-EU
10 months ago
Semiconductor firms targeted by Chinese hackers
CERT-EU
10 months ago
Cyber Security Week in Review: October 6, 2023
CERT-EU
10 months ago
China-linked cyberspies backdoor semiconductor firms with Cobalt Strike
CERT-EU
10 months ago
Chinese State-Sponsored Cyber Espionage Activity Targeting Semiconductor Industry in East Asia
MITRE
a year ago
Iron Tiger APT Updates Toolkit With Evolved SysUpdate Malware
MITRE
a year ago
Emissary Panda Attacks Middle East Government SharePoint Servers
MITRE
a year ago
LuckyMouse hits national data center to organize country-level waterholing campaign
MITRE
a year ago
Chinese Hackers Carried Out Country-Level Watering Hole Attack
CISA
a year ago
Impacket and Exfiltration Tool Used to Steal Sensitive Information from Defense Industrial Base Organization | CISA
CISA
a year ago
MAR-10365227-2.v1 HyperBro | CISA
CISA
a year ago
Impacket and Exfiltration Tool Used to Steal Sensitive Information from Defense Industrial Base Organization | CISA
Trend Micro
a year ago
Iron Tiger’s SysUpdate Reappears, Adds Linux Targeting
CERT-EU
a year ago
Space Pirates: analyzing the tools and connections of a new hacker group