Microsoft Warns of ClickFix Attack Abusing DNS Lookups
Attackers are using DNS requests to deliver a RAT named ModeloRAT to targeted users.
The post Microsoft Warns of ClickFix Attack Abusing DNS Lookups appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Attackers are using DNS requests to deliver a RAT named ModeloRAT to targeted users.
The post Microsoft Warns of ClickFix Attack Abusing DNS Lookups appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Cybercriminals behind a campaign dubbed DEAD#VAX are taking phishing one step further by delivering malware inside virtual hard disks that pretend to be ordinary PDF documents. Open the wrong βinvoiceβ or βpurchase orderβ and you wonβt see a document at all. Instead, Windows mounts a virtual drive that quietly installs AsyncRAT, a backdoor Trojan that allows attackers to remotely monitor and control your computer.
Itβs a remote access tool, which means attackers gain remote handsβonβkeyboard control, while traditional fileβbased defenses see almost nothing suspicious on disk.
From a high-level view, the infection chain is long, but every step looks just legitimate enough on its own to slip past casual checks.
Victims receive phishing emails that look like routine business messages, often referencingΒ purchase ordersΒ or invoices and sometimes impersonating real companies. The email doesnβt attach a document directly. Instead, it links to a file hosted onΒ IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), a decentralized storage network increasingly abused in phishing campaigns because content is harder to take down and can be accessed through normal web gateways.
The linked file is named as a PDF and has the PDF icon, but is actually a virtual hard disk (VHD)Β file. When the user doubleβclicks it, WindowsΒ mounts it as a new driveΒ (for example, drive E:) instead of opening a document viewer. Mounting VHDs is perfectly legitimate Windows behavior, which makes this step less likely to ring alarm bells.
Inside the mounted drive is what appears to be the expected document, but itβs actually aΒ Windows Script File (WSF). When the user opens it, Windows executes the code in the file instead of displaying a PDF.
After some checks to avoid analysis and detection, the script injects the payloadβAsyncRAT shellcodeβinto trusted, Microsoftβsigned processes such as RuntimeBroker.exe, OneDrive.exe, taskhostw.exe, or sihost.exe. The malware never writes an actual executable file to disk. It lives and runs entirely in memory inside these legitimate processes, making detection and eventually at a later stage, forensics much harder. It also avoids sudden spikes in activity or memory usage that could draw attention.
For an individual user, falling for this phishing email can result in:
Because detection can be hard, it is crucial that users apply certain checks:
invoice.pdf.vhd the user would only see invoice.pdf. To find out how to do this, see below.To show file extensions in Windows 10 and 11:
Alternatively, search for File Explorer Options to uncheck Hide extensions for known file types.
For older versions of Windows, refer to this article.
We donβt just report on threatsβwe remove them
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices byΒ downloading Malwarebytes today.
Cybercriminals behind a campaign dubbed DEAD#VAX are taking phishing one step further by delivering malware inside virtual hard disks that pretend to be ordinary PDF documents. Open the wrong βinvoiceβ or βpurchase orderβ and you wonβt see a document at all. Instead, Windows mounts a virtual drive that quietly installs AsyncRAT, a backdoor Trojan that allows attackers to remotely monitor and control your computer.
Itβs a remote access tool, which means attackers gain remote handsβonβkeyboard control, while traditional fileβbased defenses see almost nothing suspicious on disk.
From a high-level view, the infection chain is long, but every step looks just legitimate enough on its own to slip past casual checks.
Victims receive phishing emails that look like routine business messages, often referencingΒ purchase ordersΒ or invoices and sometimes impersonating real companies. The email doesnβt attach a document directly. Instead, it links to a file hosted onΒ IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), a decentralized storage network increasingly abused in phishing campaigns because content is harder to take down and can be accessed through normal web gateways.
The linked file is named as a PDF and has the PDF icon, but is actually a virtual hard disk (VHD)Β file. When the user doubleβclicks it, WindowsΒ mounts it as a new driveΒ (for example, drive E:) instead of opening a document viewer. Mounting VHDs is perfectly legitimate Windows behavior, which makes this step less likely to ring alarm bells.
Inside the mounted drive is what appears to be the expected document, but itβs actually aΒ Windows Script File (WSF). When the user opens it, Windows executes the code in the file instead of displaying a PDF.
After some checks to avoid analysis and detection, the script injects the payloadβAsyncRAT shellcodeβinto trusted, Microsoftβsigned processes such as RuntimeBroker.exe, OneDrive.exe, taskhostw.exe, or sihost.exe. The malware never writes an actual executable file to disk. It lives and runs entirely in memory inside these legitimate processes, making detection and eventually at a later stage, forensics much harder. It also avoids sudden spikes in activity or memory usage that could draw attention.
For an individual user, falling for this phishing email can result in:
Because detection can be hard, it is crucial that users apply certain checks:
invoice.pdf.vhd the user would only see invoice.pdf. To find out how to do this, see below.To show file extensions in Windows 10 and 11:
Alternatively, search for File Explorer Options to uncheck Hide extensions for known file types.
For older versions of Windows, refer to this article.
We donβt just report on threatsβwe remove them
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices byΒ downloading Malwarebytes today.

Stan Ghouls (also known as Bloody Wolf) is an cybercriminal group that has been launching targeted attacks against organizations in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan since at least 2023. These attackers primarily have their sights set on the manufacturing, finance, and IT sectors. Their campaigns are meticulously prepared and tailored to specific victims, featuring a signature toolkit of custom Java-based malware loaders and a sprawling infrastructure with resources dedicated to specific campaigns.
We continuously track Stan Ghoulsβ activity, providing our clients with intel on their tactics, techniques, procedures, and latest campaigns. In this post, we share the results of our most recent deep dive into a campaign targeting Uzbekistan, where we identified roughly 50 victims. About 10Β devices in Russia were also hit, with a handful of others scattered across Kazakhstan, Turkey, Serbia, and Belarus (though those last three were likely just collateral damage).
During our investigation, we spotted shifts in the attackersβ infrastructure β specifically, a batch of new domains. We also uncovered evidence suggesting that Stan Ghouls may have added IoT-focused malware to their arsenal.
Stan Ghouls relies on phishing emails packed with malicious PDF attachments as their initial entry point. Historically, the groupβs weapon of choice was the remote access Trojan (RAT) STRRAT, also known as Strigoi Master. Last year, however, they switched strategies, opting to misuse legitimate software, NetSupport, to maintain control over infected machines.
Given Stan Ghoulsβ targeting of financial institutions, we believe their primary motive is financial gain. That said, their heavy use of RATs may also hint at cyberespionage.
Like any other organized cybercrime groups, Stan Ghouls frequently refreshes its infrastructure. To track their campaigns effectively, you have to continuously analyze their activity.
As weβve mentioned, Stan Ghoulsβ primary β and currently only β delivery method is spear phishing. Specifically, they favor emails loaded with malicious PDF attachments. This has been backed up by research from several of our industry peers (1, 2, 3). Interestingly, the attackers prefer to use local languages rather than opting for international mainstays like Russian or English. Below is an example of an email spotted in a previous campaign targeting users in Kyrgyzstan.
The email is written in Kyrgyz and translates to: βThe service has contacted you. Materials for review are attached. Sincerelyβ.
The attachment was a malicious PDF file titled βΠΠΎΡΡΠ°Π½ΠΎΠ²Π»Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅_Π Π°ΠΉΠΎΠ½Π½ΡΠΉ_ΡΡΠ΄_ΠΡΡΠΌ_3566_28-01-25_OL4_scan.pdfβ (the title, written in Russian, posed it as an order of district court).
During the most recent campaign, which primarily targeted victims in Uzbekistan, the attackers deployed spear-phishing emails written in Uzbek:
The email text can be translated as follows:
[redacted] AKMALZHON IBROHIMOVICH You will receive a court notice. Application for retrial. The case is under review by the district court. Judicial Service. Mustaqillik Street, 147 Uraboshi Village, Quva District.
The attachment, named E-SUD_705306256_ljro_varaqasi.pdf (MD5: 7556e2f5a8f7d7531f28508f718cb83d), is a standard one-page decoy PDF:
Notice that the attackers claim that the βcase materialsβ (which are actually the malicious loader) can only be opened using the Java Runtime Environment.
They even helpfully provide a link for the victim to download and install it from the official website.
The decoy document contains identical text in both Russian and Uzbek, featuring two links that point to the malicious loader:
Both links lead to the exact same JAR file (MD5: 95db93454ec1d581311c832122d21b20).
Itβs worth noting that these attackers are constantly updating their infrastructure, registering new domains for every new campaign. In the relatively short history of this threat, weβve already mapped out over 35 domains tied to Stan Ghouls.
The malicious loader handles three main tasks:
The loader fetches the following files, which make up the components of the NetSupport RAT: PCICHEK.DLL, client32.exe, advpack.dll, msvcr100.dll, remcmdstub.exe, ir50_qcx.dll, client32.ini, AudioCapture.dll, kbdlk41a.dll, KBDSF.DLL, tcctl32.dll, HTCTL32.DLL, kbdibm02.DLL, kbd101c.DLL, kbd106n.dll, ir50_32.dll, nskbfltr.inf, NSM.lic, pcicapi.dll, PCICL32.dll, qwave.dll. This list is hardcoded in the malicious loaderβs body. To ensure the download was successful, it checks for the presence of the client32.exe executable. If the file is found, the loader generates a NetSupport launch script (run.bat), drops it into the folder with the other files, and executes it:

The createBatAndRun procedure for creating and executing the run.bat file, which then launches the NetSupport RAT
The loader also ensures NetSupport persistence by adding it to startup using the following three methods:
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup):
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\malicious_key_name).
schtasks Create /TN "[malicious_task_name]" /TR "[path_to_run.bat]" /SC ONLOGON /RL LIMITED /F /RU "[%USERNAME%]"
Once the NetSupport RAT is downloaded, installed, and executed, the attackers gain total control over the victimβs machine. While we donβt have enough telemetry to say with 100% certainty what they do once theyβre in, the heavy focus on finance-related organizations suggests that the group is primarily after its victimsβ money. That said, we canβt rule out cyberespionage either.
Previous Stan Ghouls attacks targeting organizations in Kyrgyzstan, as documented by Group-IB researchers, featured a NetSupport RAT configuration file client32.ini with the MD5 hash cb9c28a4c6657ae5ea810020cb214ff0. While reports mention the Kyrgyzstan campaign kicked off in June 2025, Kaspersky solutions first flagged this exact config file on May 16, 2025. At that time, it contained the following NetSupport RAT command-and-control server info:
... [HTTP] CMPI=60 GatewayAddress=hgame33[.]com:443 GSK=FN:L?ADAFI:F?BCPGD;N>IAO9J>J@N Port=443 SecondaryGateway=ravinads[.]com:443 SecondaryPort=443
At the time of our January 2026 investigation, our telemetry showed that the domain specified in that config, hgame33[.]com, was also hosting the following files:
All of these files belong to the infamous IoT malware named Mirai. Since they are sitting on a server tied to the Stan Ghoulsβ campaign targeting Kyrgyzstan, we can hypothesize β with a low degree of confidence β that the group has expanded its toolkit to include IoT-based threats. However, itβs also possible it simply shared its infrastructure with other threat actors who were the ones actually wielding Mirai. This theory is backed up by the fact that the domainβs registration info was last updated on July 4, 2025, at 11:46:11 β well after Stan Ghoulsβ activity in May and June.
We attribute this campaign to the Stan Ghouls (Bloody Wolf) group with a high degree of confidence, based on the following similarities to the attackersβ previous campaigns:
We identified approximately 50Β victims of this campaign in Uzbekistan, alongside 10 in Russia and a handful of others in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Serbia, and Belarus (we suspect the infections in these last three countries were accidental). Nearly all phishing emails and decoy files in this campaign were written in Uzbek, which aligns with the groupβs track record of leveraging the native languages of their target countries.
Most of the victims are tied to industrial manufacturing, finance, and IT. Furthermore, we observed infection attempts on devices within government organizations, logistics companies, medical facilities, and educational institutions.
It is worth noting that over 60Β victims is quite a high headcount for a sophisticated campaign. This suggests the attackers have enough resources to maintain manual remote control over dozens of infected devices simultaneously.
In this post, weβve broken down the recent campaign by the Stan Ghouls group. The attackers set their sights on organizations in industrial manufacturing, IT, and finance, primarily located in Uzbekistan. However, the ripple effect also reached Russia, Kazakhstan, and a few, likely accidental, victims elsewhere.
With over 60Β targets hit, this is a remarkably high volume for a sophisticated targeted campaign. It points to the significant resources these actors are willing to pour into their operations. Interestingly, despite this, the group sticks to a familiar toolkit including the legitimate NetSupport remote management utility and their signature custom Java-based loader. The only thing they seem to keep updating is their infrastructure. For this specific campaign, they employed two new domains to house their malicious loader and one new domain dedicated to hosting NetSupport RAT files.
One curious discovery was the presence of Mirai files on a domain linked to the groupβs previous campaigns. This might suggest Stan Ghouls are branching out into IoT malware, though itβs still too early to call it with total certainty.
Weβre keeping a close watch on Stan Ghouls and will continue to keep our customers in the loop regarding the groupβs latest moves. Kaspersky products provide robust protection against this threat at every stage of the attack lifecycle.
* Additional IoCs and a YARA rule for detecting Stan Ghouls activity are available to customers of our Threat Intelligence Reporting service. For more details, contact us at crimewareintel@kaspersky.com.
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mysoliq-uz[.]com
my-xb[.]com
xarid-uz[.]com
ach-uz[.]com
soliq-uz[.]com
minjust-kg[.]com
esf-kg[.]com
taxnotice-kg[.]com
notice-kg[.]com
proauditkg[.]com
kgauditcheck[.]com
servicedoc-kg[.]com
auditnotice-kg[.]com
tax-kg[.]com
rouming-uz[.]com
audit-kg[.]com
kyrgyzstanreview[.]com
salyk-notofocations[.]com





Stan Ghouls (also known as Bloody Wolf) is an cybercriminal group that has been launching targeted attacks against organizations in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan since at least 2023. These attackers primarily have their sights set on the manufacturing, finance, and IT sectors. Their campaigns are meticulously prepared and tailored to specific victims, featuring a signature toolkit of custom Java-based malware loaders and a sprawling infrastructure with resources dedicated to specific campaigns.
We continuously track Stan Ghoulsβ activity, providing our clients with intel on their tactics, techniques, procedures, and latest campaigns. In this post, we share the results of our most recent deep dive into a campaign targeting Uzbekistan, where we identified roughly 50 victims. About 10Β devices in Russia were also hit, with a handful of others scattered across Kazakhstan, Turkey, Serbia, and Belarus (though those last three were likely just collateral damage).
During our investigation, we spotted shifts in the attackersβ infrastructure β specifically, a batch of new domains. We also uncovered evidence suggesting that Stan Ghouls may have added IoT-focused malware to their arsenal.
Stan Ghouls relies on phishing emails packed with malicious PDF attachments as their initial entry point. Historically, the groupβs weapon of choice was the remote access Trojan (RAT) STRRAT, also known as Strigoi Master. Last year, however, they switched strategies, opting to misuse legitimate software, NetSupport, to maintain control over infected machines.
Given Stan Ghoulsβ targeting of financial institutions, we believe their primary motive is financial gain. That said, their heavy use of RATs may also hint at cyberespionage.
Like any other organized cybercrime groups, Stan Ghouls frequently refreshes its infrastructure. To track their campaigns effectively, you have to continuously analyze their activity.
As weβve mentioned, Stan Ghoulsβ primary β and currently only β delivery method is spear phishing. Specifically, they favor emails loaded with malicious PDF attachments. This has been backed up by research from several of our industry peers (1, 2, 3). Interestingly, the attackers prefer to use local languages rather than opting for international mainstays like Russian or English. Below is an example of an email spotted in a previous campaign targeting users in Kyrgyzstan.
The email is written in Kyrgyz and translates to: βThe service has contacted you. Materials for review are attached. Sincerelyβ.
The attachment was a malicious PDF file titled βΠΠΎΡΡΠ°Π½ΠΎΠ²Π»Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅_Π Π°ΠΉΠΎΠ½Π½ΡΠΉ_ΡΡΠ΄_ΠΡΡΠΌ_3566_28-01-25_OL4_scan.pdfβ (the title, written in Russian, posed it as an order of district court).
During the most recent campaign, which primarily targeted victims in Uzbekistan, the attackers deployed spear-phishing emails written in Uzbek:
The email text can be translated as follows:
[redacted] AKMALZHON IBROHIMOVICH You will receive a court notice. Application for retrial. The case is under review by the district court. Judicial Service. Mustaqillik Street, 147 Uraboshi Village, Quva District.
The attachment, named E-SUD_705306256_ljro_varaqasi.pdf (MD5: 7556e2f5a8f7d7531f28508f718cb83d), is a standard one-page decoy PDF:
Notice that the attackers claim that the βcase materialsβ (which are actually the malicious loader) can only be opened using the Java Runtime Environment.
They even helpfully provide a link for the victim to download and install it from the official website.
The decoy document contains identical text in both Russian and Uzbek, featuring two links that point to the malicious loader:
Both links lead to the exact same JAR file (MD5: 95db93454ec1d581311c832122d21b20).
Itβs worth noting that these attackers are constantly updating their infrastructure, registering new domains for every new campaign. In the relatively short history of this threat, weβve already mapped out over 35 domains tied to Stan Ghouls.
The malicious loader handles three main tasks:
The loader fetches the following files, which make up the components of the NetSupport RAT: PCICHEK.DLL, client32.exe, advpack.dll, msvcr100.dll, remcmdstub.exe, ir50_qcx.dll, client32.ini, AudioCapture.dll, kbdlk41a.dll, KBDSF.DLL, tcctl32.dll, HTCTL32.DLL, kbdibm02.DLL, kbd101c.DLL, kbd106n.dll, ir50_32.dll, nskbfltr.inf, NSM.lic, pcicapi.dll, PCICL32.dll, qwave.dll. This list is hardcoded in the malicious loaderβs body. To ensure the download was successful, it checks for the presence of the client32.exe executable. If the file is found, the loader generates a NetSupport launch script (run.bat), drops it into the folder with the other files, and executes it:

The createBatAndRun procedure for creating and executing the run.bat file, which then launches the NetSupport RAT
The loader also ensures NetSupport persistence by adding it to startup using the following three methods:
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup):
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\malicious_key_name).
schtasks Create /TN "[malicious_task_name]" /TR "[path_to_run.bat]" /SC ONLOGON /RL LIMITED /F /RU "[%USERNAME%]"
Once the NetSupport RAT is downloaded, installed, and executed, the attackers gain total control over the victimβs machine. While we donβt have enough telemetry to say with 100% certainty what they do once theyβre in, the heavy focus on finance-related organizations suggests that the group is primarily after its victimsβ money. That said, we canβt rule out cyberespionage either.
Previous Stan Ghouls attacks targeting organizations in Kyrgyzstan, as documented by Group-IB researchers, featured a NetSupport RAT configuration file client32.ini with the MD5 hash cb9c28a4c6657ae5ea810020cb214ff0. While reports mention the Kyrgyzstan campaign kicked off in June 2025, Kaspersky solutions first flagged this exact config file on May 16, 2025. At that time, it contained the following NetSupport RAT command-and-control server info:
... [HTTP] CMPI=60 GatewayAddress=hgame33[.]com:443 GSK=FN:L?ADAFI:F?BCPGD;N>IAO9J>J@N Port=443 SecondaryGateway=ravinads[.]com:443 SecondaryPort=443
At the time of our January 2026 investigation, our telemetry showed that the domain specified in that config, hgame33[.]com, was also hosting the following files:
All of these files belong to the infamous IoT malware named Mirai. Since they are sitting on a server tied to the Stan Ghoulsβ campaign targeting Kyrgyzstan, we can hypothesize β with a low degree of confidence β that the group has expanded its toolkit to include IoT-based threats. However, itβs also possible it simply shared its infrastructure with other threat actors who were the ones actually wielding Mirai. This theory is backed up by the fact that the domainβs registration info was last updated on July 4, 2025, at 11:46:11 β well after Stan Ghoulsβ activity in May and June.
We attribute this campaign to the Stan Ghouls (Bloody Wolf) group with a high degree of confidence, based on the following similarities to the attackersβ previous campaigns:
We identified approximately 50Β victims of this campaign in Uzbekistan, alongside 10 in Russia and a handful of others in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Serbia, and Belarus (we suspect the infections in these last three countries were accidental). Nearly all phishing emails and decoy files in this campaign were written in Uzbek, which aligns with the groupβs track record of leveraging the native languages of their target countries.
Most of the victims are tied to industrial manufacturing, finance, and IT. Furthermore, we observed infection attempts on devices within government organizations, logistics companies, medical facilities, and educational institutions.
It is worth noting that over 60Β victims is quite a high headcount for a sophisticated campaign. This suggests the attackers have enough resources to maintain manual remote control over dozens of infected devices simultaneously.
In this post, weβve broken down the recent campaign by the Stan Ghouls group. The attackers set their sights on organizations in industrial manufacturing, IT, and finance, primarily located in Uzbekistan. However, the ripple effect also reached Russia, Kazakhstan, and a few, likely accidental, victims elsewhere.
With over 60Β targets hit, this is a remarkably high volume for a sophisticated targeted campaign. It points to the significant resources these actors are willing to pour into their operations. Interestingly, despite this, the group sticks to a familiar toolkit including the legitimate NetSupport remote management utility and their signature custom Java-based loader. The only thing they seem to keep updating is their infrastructure. For this specific campaign, they employed two new domains to house their malicious loader and one new domain dedicated to hosting NetSupport RAT files.
One curious discovery was the presence of Mirai files on a domain linked to the groupβs previous campaigns. This might suggest Stan Ghouls are branching out into IoT malware, though itβs still too early to call it with total certainty.
Weβre keeping a close watch on Stan Ghouls and will continue to keep our customers in the loop regarding the groupβs latest moves. Kaspersky products provide robust protection against this threat at every stage of the attack lifecycle.
* Additional IoCs and a YARA rule for detecting Stan Ghouls activity are available to customers of our Threat Intelligence Reporting service. For more details, contact us at crimewareintel@kaspersky.com.
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mysoliq-uz[.]com
my-xb[.]com
xarid-uz[.]com
ach-uz[.]com
soliq-uz[.]com
minjust-kg[.]com
esf-kg[.]com
taxnotice-kg[.]com
notice-kg[.]com
proauditkg[.]com
kgauditcheck[.]com
servicedoc-kg[.]com
auditnotice-kg[.]com
tax-kg[.]com
rouming-uz[.]com
audit-kg[.]com
kyrgyzstanreview[.]com
salyk-notofocations[.]com




Android users were lured to applications that served a malicious payload hosted in a Hugging Face repository.
The post Hugging Face Abused to Deploy Android RAT appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Posing as an ad blocker, the malicious extension crashes the browser to lure victims into installing malware.
The post Malicious Chrome Extension Crashes Browser in ClickFix Variant βCrashFixβ appeared first on SecurityWeek.

In early 2025, security researchers uncovered a new malware family named Webrat. Initially, the Trojan targeted regular users by disguising itself as cheats for popular games like Rust, Counter-Strike, and Roblox, or as cracked software. In September, the attackers decided to widen their net: alongside gamers and users of pirated software, they are now targeting inexperienced professionals and students in the information security field.
In October, we uncovered a campaign that had been distributing Webrat via GitHub repositories since at least September. To lure in victims, the attackers leveraged vulnerabilities frequently mentioned in security advisories and industry news. Specifically, they disguised their malware as exploits for the following vulnerabilities with high CVSSv3 scores:
| CVE | CVSSv3 |
| CVE-2025-59295 | 8.8 |
| CVE-2025-10294 | 9.8 |
| CVE-2025-59230 | 7.8 |
This is not the first time threat actors have tried to lure security researchers with exploits. Last year, they similarly took advantage of the high-profile RegreSSHion vulnerability, which lacked a working PoC at the time.
In the Webrat campaign, the attackers bait their traps with both vulnerabilities lacking a working exploit and those which already have one. To build trust, they carefully prepared the repositories, incorporating detailed vulnerability information into the descriptions. The information is presented in the form of structured sections, which include:
In all the repositories we investigated, the descriptions share a similar structure, characteristic of AI-generated vulnerability reports, and offer nearly identical risk mitigation advice, with only minor variations in wording. This strongly suggests that the text was machine-generated.
The Download Exploit ZIP link in the Download & Install section leads to a password-protected archive hosted in the same repository. The password is hidden within the name of a file inside the archive.
The archive downloaded from the repository includes four files:
Webrat is a backdoor that allows the attackers to control the infected system. Furthermore, it can steal data from cryptocurrency wallets, Telegram, Discord and Steam accounts, while also performing spyware functions such as screen recording, surveillance via a webcam and microphone, and keylogging. The version of Webrat discovered in this campaign is no different from those documented previously.
Previously, Webrat spread alongside game cheats, software cracks, and patches for legitimate applications. In this campaign, however, the Trojan disguises itself as exploits and PoCs. This suggests that the threat actor is attempting to infect information security specialists and other users interested in this topic. It bears mentioning that any competent security professional analyzes exploits and other malware within a controlled, isolated environment, which has no access to sensitive data, physical webcams, or microphones. Furthermore, an experienced researcher would easily recognize Webrat, as itβs well-documented and the current version is no different from previous ones. Therefore, we believe the bait is aimed at students and inexperienced security professionals.
The threat actor behind Webrat is now disguising the backdoor not only as game cheats and cracked software, but also as exploits and PoCs. This indicates they are targeting researchers who frequently rely on open sources to find and analyze code related to new vulnerabilities.
However, Webrat itself has not changed significantly from past campaigns. These attacks clearly target users who would run the βexploitβ directly on their machines β bypassing basic safety protocols. This serves as a reminder that cybersecurity professionals, especially inexperienced researchers and students, must remain vigilant when handling exploits and any potentially malicious files. To prevent potential damage to work and personal devices containing sensitive information, we recommend analyzing these exploits and files within isolated environments like virtual machines or sandboxes.
We also recommend exercising general caution when working with code from open sources, always using reliable security solutions, and never adding software to exclusions without a justified reason.
Kaspersky solutions effectively detect this threat with the following verdicts:
Malicious GitHub repositories
https://github[.]com/RedFoxNxploits/CVE-2025-10294-Poc
https://github[.]com/FixingPhantom/CVE-2025-10294
https://github[.]com/h4xnz/CVE-2025-10294-POC
https://github[.]com/usjnx72726w/CVE-2025-59295/tree/main
https://github[.]com/stalker110119/CVE-2025-59230/tree/main
https://github[.]com/moegameka/CVE-2025-59230
https://github[.]com/DebugFrag/CVE-2025-12596-Exploit
https://github[.]com/themaxlpalfaboy/CVE-2025-54897-LAB
https://github[.]com/DExplo1ted/CVE-2025-54106-POC
https://github[.]com/h4xnz/CVE-2025-55234-POC
https://github[.]com/Hazelooks/CVE-2025-11499-Exploit
https://github[.]com/usjnx72726w/CVE-2025-11499-LAB
https://github[.]com/modhopmarrow1973/CVE-2025-11833-LAB
https://github[.]com/rootreapers/CVE-2025-11499
https://github[.]com/lagerhaker539/CVE-2025-12595-POC
Webrat C2
http://ezc5510min[.]temp[.]swtest[.]ru
http://shopsleta[.]ru
MD5
28a741e9fcd57bd607255d3a4690c82f
a13c3d863e8e2bd7596bac5d41581f6a
61b1fc6ab327e6d3ff5fd3e82b430315





In early 2025, security researchers uncovered a new malware family named Webrat. Initially, the Trojan targeted regular users by disguising itself as cheats for popular games like Rust, Counter-Strike, and Roblox, or as cracked software. In September, the attackers decided to widen their net: alongside gamers and users of pirated software, they are now targeting inexperienced professionals and students in the information security field.
In October, we uncovered a campaign that had been distributing Webrat via GitHub repositories since at least September. To lure in victims, the attackers leveraged vulnerabilities frequently mentioned in security advisories and industry news. Specifically, they disguised their malware as exploits for the following vulnerabilities with high CVSSv3 scores:
| CVE | CVSSv3 |
| CVE-2025-59295 | 8.8 |
| CVE-2025-10294 | 9.8 |
| CVE-2025-59230 | 7.8 |
This is not the first time threat actors have tried to lure security researchers with exploits. Last year, they similarly took advantage of the high-profile RegreSSHion vulnerability, which lacked a working PoC at the time.
In the Webrat campaign, the attackers bait their traps with both vulnerabilities lacking a working exploit and those which already have one. To build trust, they carefully prepared the repositories, incorporating detailed vulnerability information into the descriptions. The information is presented in the form of structured sections, which include:
In all the repositories we investigated, the descriptions share a similar structure, characteristic of AI-generated vulnerability reports, and offer nearly identical risk mitigation advice, with only minor variations in wording. This strongly suggests that the text was machine-generated.
The Download Exploit ZIP link in the Download & Install section leads to a password-protected archive hosted in the same repository. The password is hidden within the name of a file inside the archive.
The archive downloaded from the repository includes four files:
Webrat is a backdoor that allows the attackers to control the infected system. Furthermore, it can steal data from cryptocurrency wallets, Telegram, Discord and Steam accounts, while also performing spyware functions such as screen recording, surveillance via a webcam and microphone, and keylogging. The version of Webrat discovered in this campaign is no different from those documented previously.
Previously, Webrat spread alongside game cheats, software cracks, and patches for legitimate applications. In this campaign, however, the Trojan disguises itself as exploits and PoCs. This suggests that the threat actor is attempting to infect information security specialists and other users interested in this topic. It bears mentioning that any competent security professional analyzes exploits and other malware within a controlled, isolated environment, which has no access to sensitive data, physical webcams, or microphones. Furthermore, an experienced researcher would easily recognize Webrat, as itβs well-documented and the current version is no different from previous ones. Therefore, we believe the bait is aimed at students and inexperienced security professionals.
The threat actor behind Webrat is now disguising the backdoor not only as game cheats and cracked software, but also as exploits and PoCs. This indicates they are targeting researchers who frequently rely on open sources to find and analyze code related to new vulnerabilities.
However, Webrat itself has not changed significantly from past campaigns. These attacks clearly target users who would run the βexploitβ directly on their machines β bypassing basic safety protocols. This serves as a reminder that cybersecurity professionals, especially inexperienced researchers and students, must remain vigilant when handling exploits and any potentially malicious files. To prevent potential damage to work and personal devices containing sensitive information, we recommend analyzing these exploits and files within isolated environments like virtual machines or sandboxes.
We also recommend exercising general caution when working with code from open sources, always using reliable security solutions, and never adding software to exclusions without a justified reason.
Kaspersky solutions effectively detect this threat with the following verdicts:
Malicious GitHub repositories
https://github[.]com/RedFoxNxploits/CVE-2025-10294-Poc
https://github[.]com/FixingPhantom/CVE-2025-10294
https://github[.]com/h4xnz/CVE-2025-10294-POC
https://github[.]com/usjnx72726w/CVE-2025-59295/tree/main
https://github[.]com/stalker110119/CVE-2025-59230/tree/main
https://github[.]com/moegameka/CVE-2025-59230
https://github[.]com/DebugFrag/CVE-2025-12596-Exploit
https://github[.]com/themaxlpalfaboy/CVE-2025-54897-LAB
https://github[.]com/DExplo1ted/CVE-2025-54106-POC
https://github[.]com/h4xnz/CVE-2025-55234-POC
https://github[.]com/Hazelooks/CVE-2025-11499-Exploit
https://github[.]com/usjnx72726w/CVE-2025-11499-LAB
https://github[.]com/modhopmarrow1973/CVE-2025-11833-LAB
https://github[.]com/rootreapers/CVE-2025-11499
https://github[.]com/lagerhaker539/CVE-2025-12595-POC
Webrat C2
http://ezc5510min[.]temp[.]swtest[.]ru
http://shopsleta[.]ru
MD5
28a741e9fcd57bd607255d3a4690c82f
a13c3d863e8e2bd7596bac5d41581f6a
61b1fc6ab327e6d3ff5fd3e82b430315




Two campaigns delivering Gh0st RAT to Chinese speakers show a deep understanding of the target population's virtual environment and online behavior.
The post Digital Doppelgangers: Anatomy of Evolving Impersonation Campaigns Distributing Gh0st RAT appeared first on Unit 42.
