TEARDROP

Malware Profile Updated 3 months ago
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Teardrop is a sophisticated malware used in cyber attacks, often associated with APT29/Cozy Bear, a group known for deploying advanced tactics and techniques. It has been linked to the Solorigate (SUNBURST) backdoor and is part of a suite of tools including Raindrop, GoldMax, and others used by the same threat actor. This malicious software infects systems through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites, often unbeknownst to the user. Once inside, it can disrupt operations, steal personal information, or even hold data hostage for ransom. Teardrop is unique as it does not contain a custom preliminary loader, instead, the loader DLL de-obfuscates and executes the Cobalt Strike Reflective DLL in memory. Microsoft has analyzed two versions of this second-stage custom Cobalt Strike Beacon loader, known as Teardrop. The malware was detected during the Solorigate investigation, where it was likely generated using custom Artifact Kit templates. Notably, Teardrop is a memory-only dropper that runs as a service, spawns a thread, and reads from the file "gracious_truth.jpg," which likely has a fake JPG header. In at least one instance, the attackers deployed Teardrop to execute a customized Cobalt Strike BEACON. The communication with the command and control server (C2) is mainly carried out through rundll32.exe. Mitigation strategies have been provided by FireEye, which includes Yara rules to detect Teardrop. Defenders should look for specific alerts from FireEye HX: MalwareGuard and WindowsDefender. Teardrop does not have code overlap with any previously seen malware, making its detection and mitigation a challenging task. The threat actors also match the hostnames on their command and control infrastructure to legitimate hostnames found within the victim's environment, further complicating the detection process. Despite these challenges, ongoing efforts by cybersecurity firms continue to monitor and mitigate this threat.
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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
SUNBURST
2
Sunburst is a sophisticated malware that has been linked to the Kazuar code, indicating its complexity. It was used in several well-known cyber attack campaigns such as SUNBURST, OilRig, xHunt, DarkHydrus, and Decoy Dog, which employed DNS tunneling techniques for command and control (C2) communicat
Beacon
1
The attack pattern "beacon" refers to a method used by attackers to maintain persistent access to a compromised system. In this case, the red team successfully installed a persistent beacon on Workstation 2 after one user triggered their payload. The attackers utilized an HTTPS Cobalt Strike Beacon,
Cobalt Strike Beacon
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
Solorigate
1
Solorigate, also known as SUNBURST, is a sophisticated malware that was used in a series of cyberattacks in 2021. The malware was discovered to have been implanted into the SolarWinds Orion software through a supply-chain compromise, which Microsoft initially dubbed as "Solorigate". This allowed the
Mamadogs
1
None
Crimsonbox
1
None
Raindrop
1
Raindrop is a type of malware discovered during the Solorigate investigation, along with other malicious software such as TEARDROP, SUNBURST, and various custom loaders for the Cobalt Strike beacon. These malware types, including Raindrop, are likely generated using custom Artifact Kit templates. Ra
Miscellaneous Associations
Other elements of context that could aid in the identification of relevance
Microsoft
Malware
Backdoor
Cobalt Strike
Trojan
Github
Exploit
exploitation
Shellcode
Payload
Beacon
Malwarebytes
Implant
Dropper
Loader
Associated Malware
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IDTypeVotesProfile Description
GoldMaxUnspecified
2
GoldMax is a sophisticated malware, initially discovered to target Windows platforms with the earliest identified timestamp indicating a compilation in May 2020. The malicious software was designed by threat actors to exploit and damage computer systems, often infiltrating without the user's knowled
SibotUnspecified
1
Sibot is a malware that operates as a dual-purpose VBScript, designed to achieve persistence on an infected machine and then download and execute payloads from a remote C2 server. It reaches out to a compromised website to download a DLL to a folder under System32. Malware is harmful software capabl
SUNSPOTUnspecified
1
Sunspot is a sophisticated and novel malware associated with the SolarWinds intrusion that occurred in December 2020. This malicious software, linked to COZY BEAR (also known as APT29 or "The Dukes"), infiltrates systems undetected, often through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites. Once insid
NativeZoneUnspecified
1
NativeZone is a malware identified as a custom Cobalt Strike Beacon loader. This malicious software was dubbed NativeZone by Microsoft and is typically loaded and executed through rundll32.exe to deliver follow-on payloads. The malware uses DLL files, such as Document.dll and NativeCacheSvc.dll, and
trojan:win64/solorigate.sa!dhaUnspecified
1
None
Associated Threat Actors
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IDTypeVotesProfile Description
StellarParticleUnspecified
1
StellarParticle, a threat actor associated with the COZY BEAR adversary group, has been identified as a significant cybersecurity risk by CrowdStrike. StellarParticle is known for its extensive knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, Microsoft Azure, O365, and Active Directory, and it has
APT29Unspecified
1
APT29, also known as Cozy Bear, SVR group, BlueBravo, Nobelium, Midnight Blizzard, and The Dukes, is a threat actor linked to Russia. This group is notorious for its malicious activities in the cybersecurity realm, executing actions with harmful intent. It has been associated with several high-profi
NOBELIUMUnspecified
1
Nobelium, a threat actor linked to Russia's SVR, has been actively targeting French diplomatic entities as part of its cyber-espionage activities. The Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group has utilized sophisticated techniques such as phishing and attempts to install Cobalt Strike, an advanced malw
Associated Vulnerabilities
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IDTypeVotesProfile Description
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Source Document References
Information about the TEARDROP Malware was read from the documents corpus below. This display is limited to 20 results, create a free account to see more
SourceCreatedAtTitle
MITRE
7 months ago
Assembling the Russian Stacking Doll: UNC2452 Merged into APT29
MITRE
7 months ago
SolarStorm Supply Chain Attack Timeline
Malwarebytes
a year ago
Microsoft Teams used in phishing campaign to bypass multi-factor authentication
MITRE
a year ago
New sophisticated email-based attack from NOBELIUM - Microsoft Security Blog
MITRE
a year ago
Highly Evasive Attacker Leverages SolarWinds Supply Chain to Compromise Multiple Global Victims With SUNBURST Backdoor | Mandiant
MITRE
a year ago
SUNSPOT Malware: A Technical Analysis | CrowdStrike
MITRE
a year ago
GoldMax, GoldFinder, and Sibot: Analyzing NOBELIUM’s layered persistence - Microsoft Security Blog
MITRE
a year ago
Breaking down NOBELIUM’s latest early-stage toolset - Microsoft Security Blog
MITRE
a year ago
Deep dive into the Solorigate second-stage activation: From SUNBURST to TEARDROP and Raindrop - Microsoft Security Blog
MITRE
a year ago
Raindrop: New Malware Discovered in SolarWinds Investigation
MITRE
a year ago
FoggyWeb: Targeted NOBELIUM malware leads to persistent backdoor - Microsoft Security Blog
MITRE
a year ago
Security Advisory | SolarWinds
CERT-EU
a year ago
Liaison : la série avec Vincent Cassel et Eva Green est le premier raté d'AppleTV+