Anomali Cyber Watch: Iran-Albanian Cyber Conflict, Ransomware Adopts Intermittent Encryption, DLL Side-Loading Provides Variety to PlugX Infections, and More

The various threat intelligence stories in this iteration of the Anomali Cyber Watch discuss the following topics: China, Cyberespionage, Defense evasion, DDoS, Iran, Ransomware, PlugX, and Spearphishing. The IOCs related to these stories are attached to Anomali Cyber Watch and can be used to check your logs for potential malicious activity.



Figure 1 - IOC Summary Charts. These charts summarize the IOCs attached to this magazine and provide a glimpse of the threats discussed.



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Microsoft Investigates Iranian Attacks Against the Albanian Government



(published: September 8, 2022)



Microsoft researchers discovered that groups working under Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS, tracked as OilRig) attacked the government of Albania. The attackers started with initial intrusion in May 2021, proceeded with mailbox exfiltrations between October 2021 and January 2022, organized controlled leaks, and culminated on July 15, 2022, with disruptive ransomware and wiper attacks. This attack is probably a response to the June 2021 Predatory Sparrow’s anti-Iranian cyber operations promoting the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian dissident group largely based in Albania.Analyst Comment: MOIS attack on Albania uses messaging and targeting similar to the previous MEK-associated attack on Iran. It tells us that Iran has chosen to engage in a form of direct and proportional retaliation as it sees it. Still, the attack and its attribution caused Albania to cut diplomatic ties with Iran and expel the country's embassy staff. Organizations should implement multifactor authentication (MFA) for mailbox access and remote connectivity. Anomali platform users advised to block known OilRig network indicators.MITRE ATT&CK: [MITRE ATT&CK] Expl ..

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