SideTwist

SideTwist is a malware variant discovered and named by Check Point Research during an investigation into a campaign led by the Iranian threat group APT34 (also known as OilRig). This new backdoor variant was used against what appeared to be a Lebanese target. The SideTwist backdoor, identified via its unique MD5, SHA1, and SHA256 hashes, communicated with a Command and Control (CnC) server at IP address 11.0.188.38:443. The initial discovery of SideTwist dates back to April 2021 when it was documented as an implant used by APT34 capable of file download/upload and command execution. The latest variant of SideTwist is a .NET malware, an improved version of the original C-based SideTwist implant discovered in 2021. It has various features to fingerprint the targeted host, list directories and files, upload selected files from the compromised system, execute shell commands, and download files to the system. This version also includes enhanced traffic hashing for increased stealth and begins with a precise argument check. Another variant, Menorah, based on OilRig's original SideTwist malware, demonstrated similar capabilities along with compromised system file uploading. APT34's recent activities reveal an ongoing development and deployment of SideTwist variants. NSFOCUS uncovered an OilRig phishing attack that resulted in the deployment of a new variant of SideTwist malware. In addition, there are reports of an updated version of SideTwist being delivered as part of a phishing attack likely targeting U.S. businesses. These developments suggest that SideTwist is under continuous enhancement, indicating an evolving threat landscape.