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ERMAC Android malware source code leak exposes banking trojan infrastructure

The source code for version 3 of the ERMAC Android banking trojan has been leaked online, exposing the internals of the malware-as-a-service platform and the operator’s infrastructure.

The code base was discovered in an open directory by Hunt.io researchers while scanning for exposed resources in March 2024.

They located an archive named Ermac 3.0.zip, which contained the malware’s code, including backend, frontend (panel), exfiltration server, deployment configurations, and the trojan’s builder and obfuscator.

Charon Ransomware Hits Middle East Sectors Using APT-Level Evasion Tactics

The threat actor behind the activity, according to Trend Micro, exhibited tactics mirroring those of advanced persistent threat (APT) groups, such as DLL side-loading, process injection, and the ability to evade endpoint detection and response (EDR) software.

The DLL side-loading techniques resemble those previously documented as part of attacks orchestrated by a China-linked hacking group called Earth Baxia, which was flagged by the cybersecurity company as targeting government entities in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region to deliver a backdoor known as EAGLEDOOR following the exploitation of a now-patched security flaw affecting OSGeo GeoServer GeoTools.

“The attack chain leveraged a legitimate browser-related file, Edge.exe (originally named cookie_exporter.exe), to sideload a malicious msedge.dll (SWORDLDR), which subsequently deployed the Charon ransomware payload,” researchers Jacob Santos, Ted Lee, Ahmed Kamal, and Don Ovid Ladore said.

Cybercrime Groups ShinyHunters, Scattered Spider Join Forces in Extortion Attacks on Businesses

An ongoing data extortion campaign targeting Salesforce customers may soon turn its attention to financial services and technology service providers, as ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider appear to be working hand in hand, new findings show.

“This latest wave of ShinyHunters-attributed attacks reveals a dramatic shift in tactics, moving beyond the group’s previous credential theft and database exploitation,” ReliaQuest said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

These include the use of adoption of tactics that mirror those of Scattered Spider, such as highly-targeted vishing (aka voice phishing) and social engineering attacks, leveraging apps that masquerade as legitimate tools, employing Okta-themed phishing pages to trick victims into entering credentials during vishing, and VPN obfuscation for data exfiltration.

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