Proofpoint Threat Research has additional observations to share related to Kaspersky’s CloudSorcerer research (https://securelist.com/cloudsorcerer-new-apt-cloud-actor/113056/). ⤵️
In late May 2024, we observed a campaign against a US-based organization using a freemail account spoofing a well-known US think tank organization using a fake event invitation as a lure.
The activity observed overlaps with the details in the Kaspersky report. We attribute this activity to a cluster currently tracked as UNK_ArbitraryAcrobat.
The malicious emails included a link to a ZIP file hosted on acrobat-inst[.]com.
If the ZIP file is downloaded and opened, a user is presented with a folder and 3 LNK files, all of which can be used to start the chain of malicious activity.
The LNKs will launch either the PDF or Word Document embedded in the folder, rename various components in the folder to new names, and then launch an embedded executable file, cache.tmp.
Upon execution, the loaded process reaches out to GitHub or TechNet profiles to fetch a hex-style blob in the profile with the same CDOY markers referenced in Kaspersky’s research.
The ZIP file contained duplicative components and contained references to MacOS but no logic to execute on such devices. We have not yet been able to find other LNK files with similar metadata or logic.