malware

It has been 10 years since the discovery of Skimer, first malware specifically designed to attack automated teller machines (ATMs). At the time, the learning curve for understanding its functionality was rather steep and analysis required specific knowledge of a manufacturer’s ATM API function…

One year ago, Cisco Talos first disclosed the existence of VPNFilter on May 23, 2018. The malware made headlines across the globe, as it was a sophisticated piece of malware developed by a nation state, infecting half a million devices, and poised to cause havoc. Yet the attack was averted. This is…

This blog was authored by Danny Adamitis, David Maynor, and Kendall McKay Executive summary Cisco Talos assesses with moderate confidence that a campaign we recently discovered called “BlackWater” is associated with suspected persistent threat actor MuddyWater. Newly associated samples…

To protect your data, you must understand the traffic on your network.  This task has become even more challenging with widespread use of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, which inhibits traditional network security monitoring techniques.  The good news is that TLS fingerprinting can help…

Nick Biasini and Edmund Brumaghin authored this blog post with contributions from Andrew Williams. Introduction to JasperLoader Malware loaders are playing an increasingly important role in malware distribution. They give adversaries the ability to gain an initial foothold on a system and are typica…

In November 2018, Cisco Talos discovered an attack campaign, called DNSpionage, in which threat actors created a new remote administrative tool that supports HTTP and DNS communication with the attackers’ command and control(C2). Since then, there have been several other public reports of addi…

How a revolutionary technology was usurped for evil, and what we can do about it Since its inception, email has gone from a novelty, to a necessity, to at times a nuisance, and now, to downright nefarious. “You’ve got mail” has somehow turned into “You’ve got malware.” Email has become and remains…

Executive Summary Ransomware attacks have been in the news with increased frequency over the past few years. This type of malware can be extremely disruptive and even cause operational impacts in critical systems that may be infected. LockerGoga is yet another example of this sort of malware. Locker…

Warren Mercer and Paul Rascagneres authored this post with contributions from Ben Baker. Executive summary Point-of-sale malware is popular among attackers, as it usually leads to them obtaining credit card numbers and immediately use that information for financial gain. This type of malware is gene…