Deep and Dark Web Round Up

Deep and Dark Web Round Up

Weekly Highlights

  • For continuing DarkOwl/overall analysis of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and what cyber efforts accompany this ongoing situation, please see the first section titled “Middle East Conflict”
  • Nemesis Market taken offline by German authorities
  • Hackers poison source code of Discord bot, spreading malware
  • US/UK sanction APT31 actors from China who are part of a Chinese front company conducting worldwide operations
  • Multiple Chinese APTs targeted ASEAN conference

Middle East Conflict

There were no notable cyber activities going on this week with the latest Israel-Hamas conflict, but a few developments below will almost certainly influence continued physical and cyber activities and campaign:

  • HAMAS rejected Israeli offer for ceasefire on 25 March 2024
  • 20 IRGC members were killed in Syria, also on 25 March 2024
  • The US and UK imposed sanctions on Hamas-linked organizations

Market Takedowns

Germany takes down Nemesis Market

German authorities, using intelligence from Lithuanian and American agencies and partners, captured infrastructure in both Germany and Lithuania, resulting in the take down of popular dark web Nemesis Market. Authorities seized $100,000 in cash as well as digital infrastructure that supported the illicit goods market. No information was provided regarding the status of the platform’s operators being arrested or contacted as of the time of this writing; DarkOwl will continue to monitor for updates.

Malware/Ransomware

Discord source code poisoned by hackers

Discord bot top[.]gg has been poisoned by a malicious actor who hijacked GitHub accounts, used social engineering tactics, and distributed malicious Python in a supply chain attack against the bot. Researchers assess that the main goal was stealing credentials and other sensitive data to sell using malware that was hidden in legitimate Python packages. The malware targets various browsers such as Chrome and Brave, credit cards, and login credentials. It logs keystrokes and targets Desktop and Download files with certain keywords.

Threat Actor Activity

Chinese actors part of a front company sanctioned by OFAC

The US Treasury Department sanctioned two Chinese nationals who were part of APT31 front company “Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, Limited/Wuhan XRZ. Their activities targeted the US Naval Academy and the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre also sanctioned the actors for targeting the UK Electoral Commission Systems.?

Chinese groups targeting ASEAN region with a focus on espionage

Two Chinese APT groups were targeting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), running a campaign throughout the first quarter of 2024. Phishing emails are used to deliver malware, which had executables containing file names such as “Talking Points for China” – these were curated to have maximum impact due to the early March Australian – ASEAN conference, disguising these files as related to the conference.

Notable Leaks and Breaches

?Suggested Further Reading

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