Primary threat research from Elastic Security Labs
19 September 2023
Using LLMs and ESRE to find similar user sessions
In our previous article, we explored using the GPT-4 Large Language Model (LLM) to condense Linux user sessions. In the context of the same experiment, we dedicated some time to examine sessions that shared similarities. These similar sessions can subsequently aid the analysts in identifying related suspicious activities.
Featured
Security Research
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Inside Microsoft's plan to kill PPLFault
In this research publication, we'll learn about upcoming improvements to the Windows Code Integrity subsystem that will make it harder for malware to tamper with Anti-Malware processes and other important security features.
Peeling back the curtain with call stacks
In this article, we'll show you how we contextualize rules and events, and how you can leverage call stacks to better understand any alerts you encounter in your environment.
Into The Weeds: How We Run Detonate
Explore the technical implementation of the Detonate system, including sandbox creation, the supporting technology, telemetry collection, and how to blow stuff up.
Upping the Ante: Detecting In-Memory Threats with Kernel Call Stacks
We aim to out-innovate adversaries and maintain protections against the cutting edge of attacker tradecraft. With Elastic Security 8.8, we added new kernel call stack based detections which provide us with improved efficacy against in-memory threats.
Malware Analysis
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Revisiting BLISTER: New development of the BLISTER loader
Elastic Security Labs dives deep into the recent evolution of the BLISTER loader malware family.
NAPLISTENER: more bad dreams from developers of SIESTAGRAPH
Elastic Security Labs observes that the threat behind SIESTAGRAPH has shifted priorities from data theft to persistent access, deploying new malware like NAPLISTENER to evade detection.
Elastic charms SPECTRALVIPER
Elastic Security Labs has discovered the P8LOADER, POWERSEAL, and SPECTRALVIPER malware families targeting a national Vietnamese agribusiness. REF2754 shares malware and motivational elements of the REF4322 and APT32 activity groups.
Elastic Security Labs steps through the r77 rootkit
Elastic Security Labs explores a campaign leveraging the r77 rootkit and has been observed deploying the XMRIG crypto miner. The research highlights the different modules of the rootkit and how they’re used to deploy additional malicious payloads.
Campaign
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Initial research exposing JOKERSPY
Explore JOKERSPY, a recently discovered campaign that targets financial institutions with Python backdoors. This article covers reconnaissance, attack patterns, and methods of identifying JOKERSPY in your network.
Elastic charms SPECTRALVIPER
Elastic Security Labs has discovered the P8LOADER, POWERSEAL, and SPECTRALVIPER malware families targeting a national Vietnamese agribusiness. REF2754 shares malware and motivational elements of the REF4322 and APT32 activity groups.
PHOREAL Malware Targets the Southeast Asian Financial Sector
Elastic Security discovered PHOREAL malware, which is targeting Southeast Asia financial organizations, particularly those in the Vietnamese financial sector.
Exploring the REF2731 Intrusion Set
The Elastic Security Labs team has been tracking REF2731, an 5-stage intrusion set involving the PARALLAX loader and the NETWIRE RAT.
Groups & Tactics
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The DPRK strikes using a new variant of RUSTBUCKET
Watch out! We’ve recently discovered a variant of RUSTBUCKET. Read this article to understand the new capabilities we’ve observed, as well as how to identify it in your own network.
Initial research exposing JOKERSPY
Explore JOKERSPY, a recently discovered campaign that targets financial institutions with Python backdoors. This article covers reconnaissance, attack patterns, and methods of identifying JOKERSPY in your network.
Attack chain leads to XWORM and AGENTTESLA
Our team has recently observed a new malware campaign that employs a well-developed process with multiple stages. The campaign is designed to trick unsuspecting users into clicking on the documents, which appear to be legitimate.
REF2924: how to maintain persistence as an (advanced?) threat
Elastic Security Labs describes new persistence techniques used by the group behind SIESTAGRAPH, NAPLISTENER, and SOMNIRECORD.
Perspectives
Tools
View allInto The Weeds: How We Run Detonate
Explore the technical implementation of the Detonate system, including sandbox creation, the supporting technology, telemetry collection, and how to blow stuff up.
Click, Click… Boom! Automating Protections Testing with Detonate
To automate this process and test our protections at scale, we built Detonate, a system that is used by security research engineers to measure the efficacy of our Elastic Security solution in an automated fashion.
Unpacking ICEDID
ICEDID is known to pack its payloads using custom file formats and a custom encryption scheme. We are releasing a set of tools to automate the unpacking process and help analysts and the community respond to ICEDID.
NETWIRE Configuration Extractor
Python script to extract the configuration from NETWIRE samples.