New phishing campaign disguised as Ukraine’s Security Service targeting government computers

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Security Service of Ukraine phishing emails hit government targets

Ukrainian cloud encrypted
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A new phishing campaign has been discovered targeting the computers of Ukraine’s government disguising itself as the Security Service of Ukraine.

The campaign was brought to light by the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA), in a warning that disclosed that, if successful, the attack could deploy malware enabling remote desktop access.

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ANONVNC malware

CERT-UA has labelled the activity as UAC-0198, with the malware in use by the attackers being a modification of the MeshAgent remote management system. The attackers will send an email that appears to be from the Security Service of Ukraine which contains a ZIP file containing an MSI installer which is loaded with the malware named ANONVNC.

CERT-UA also warned that an additional threat actor tracked as UAC-0057 has been distributing PicassoLoader malware via phishing attacks, which eventually leads to the deployment of Cobalt Strike Beacon software.

In a statement on the attacks, CERT-UA warned, “It is reasonable to assume that the objects of interest of UAC-0057 could be both specialists of project offices and their 'contractors' from among the employees of the relevant local governments of Ukraine.”

A further threat actor, UAC-0102 has been running a campaign using phishing emails containing HTML attachments that appear to be the UKR.NET login page, but any credentials entered are stolen by the attackers.

Ukraine has been increasingly targeted by cyber attacks since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, with several attempts to knock out key infrastructure such as mobile networks and internet service providers proving successful.

Via TheHackerNews

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.