Rewterz Threat Alert – APT-C-35 aka Donot Team – Active IOCs

Severity

High

Analysis Summary

APT-C-35 (also known as “Donot APT Group”) is a cyber espionage group that has been active since at least 2013. The group is known for conducting cyber espionage and intellectual property theft, targeting government and military organizations, as well as companies in the aerospace, defense, and high-tech industries. Their activities have been observed in several countries, including the United States, Europe, and Asia.

They previously targeted Pakistani users with android malware named (StealJob) which was used to target Pakistani android mobile users by Phishing under the name of “Kashmiri Voice”. The attackers hunt for confidential information and intellectual property. The hackers’ targets include countries in South Asia, in particular, the state sector of Pakistan. Also, in July 2022, the threat actor of this APT group used Comodo’s certificate to sign its spyware. The group is known for using a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in their attacks, which include the use of spear-phishing emails, malware, and custom-developed tools. Donot APT group is known to be a well-funded and well-resourced group, with a high level of technical skill. They are also known to use techniques to evade detection, such as using encryption and fileless malware.

Previously, the DoNot APT group has targeted individuals in South Asia using Android malware. The group seems to be using third-party file-sharing websites, as well as potentially their own file-sharing online platform, as a delivery mechanism for their malware.

In another campaign, the group was observed using a lure related to CVE-2023-2033 to entice their victims into downloading a malicious file disguised as an updated version of Google Chrome. 

It is important for organizations to be aware of the threat posed by Donot APT group and to take steps to protect themselves from their attacks. This includes implementing security best practices, such as regular software updates and patching, and providing employee training on how to spot and avoid phishing emails. Additionally, organizations should also consider implementing security tools such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), endpoint protection platforms (EPP), and advanced threat intelligence (ATI) to detect and respond to Donot APT group’s activities.

Impact

• Information Theft and Espionage

Indicators of Compromise

MD5

• d7519b822434fb89fb3643bc2f450e23
• 2cacf99569c85091ea987a02dc1e6bec

SHA-256

• 732cfacaafe15f55c177d929eeb4b129dc5a44ce04c8d6d83da236d74c50979f
• 40e43aac9888c433d796e106c03846f48a1422d0950f27e0a2b793261e9f9e08

SHA-1

• 4fcf10a8fe9db80c3eaf172636a602f95b64b0fc
• b7bf707938cc0cef3d3e24be0c8748ee699beb15

Remediation

• Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
• Search for Indicators of compromise (IOCs) in your environment utilizing your respective security controls
• Do not download documents attached in emails from unknown sources and strictly refrain from enabling macros when the source isn’t reliable.
• Enable antivirus and anti-malware software and update signature definitions in a timely manner. Using multi-layered protection is necessary to secure vulnerable assets
• Along with network and system hardening, code hardening should be implemented within the organization so that their websites and software are secure. Use testing tools to detect any vulnerabilities in the deployed codes.
• Maintain daily backups of all computer networks and servers.