Analysis Summary

Shuckworm APT - aka Actinium, Armageddon, Primitive Bear, Gamaredon, and Trident Ursa - has been a Russia-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) since at least 2013. This cyber-espionage group is known to target government, military, and other high-value targets, primarily in Ukraine, and has been linked to several advanced persistent threats (APT) campaigns. The main goal of this APT is to use the malicious document to gain control of the target machine. The exploit document uses the template injection to infect the victim's computer with further malware. When the document is opened, it connects to the hacker's server and downloads the payload file. Gamaredon's tools are simple and designed to collect sensitive information from hacked systems and propagate it further. Its information-gathering efforts are nearly comparable to those of a second-tier APT, whose primary purpose is to collect and disseminate information with their units. The Gamaredon APT group's recent attack leverages a decree document from the Russian Federation government as bait. In July, this APT group targeted Ukrainian entities with PowerShell info-stealer malware dubbed GammaLoad.

Gamaredon APT is particularly known for its ability to steal sensitive information from its targets, including intellectual property, confidential documents, and login credentials. In some cases, the group has also been observed exfiltrating large amounts of data from its targets over extended periods.

It is important for organizations to be aware of the threat posed by Gamaredon APT and to implement appropriate security measures to protect against this group and other advanced persistent threats. This may include implementing strong security controls, regularly monitoring network activity for signs of compromise, and using advanced threat detection and response technologies.

Impact

• Template Injection
• Exposure of Sensitive Data

Indicators of Compromise

SHA-256

• e4a37b32cf293db17ba9869113bdb06853018ad7777f0b57f8fb705cd218a9ba
• c1560a09b54dc14dc27093c3319d4b84f7aaf27a586b054ae84e240aa7d8bb91

SHA1

• d6a92680f038321abc8c59c5d61c0c5f44fc5f3c
• f07004e9ec320b6a93a4a827035a0bb51306ada9

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 promptly. Using multi-layered protection is necessary to secure vulnerable assets.
• Along with network and system hardening, code hardening should be implemented within the organization to secure its websites and software. Test tools are used to detect any vulnerabilities in the deployed codes.