Subj : Hackers are increasingly using ad tools and marketing gimmicks to
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Feb 16 2024 11:15:05

Hackers are increasingly using ad tools and marketing gimmicks to sell their 
work

Date:
Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:05:50 +0000

Description:
Cybercriminals also want to know who interacts with their copy and who 
ignores the messages.

FULL STORY
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Hackers are increasingly using ad tools and marketing gimmicks to try and 
stand out from the crowd, new research from HP Wolf Security has claimed. 

In the marketing and advertising world, user interaction is one of the key 
performance indicators, and professionals use different tools to see which 
ads people click on more, and which ads they ignore - allowing them to 
optimize their messages and campaigns for maximum impact. 

Now, according to HP Wolf Securitys latest Threat Insights Report, hackers 
are doing something similar. Observing the DarkGate campaign, the researchers 
saw threat actors using malicious PDF attachments, posing as OneDrive error 
messages, which direct users to sponsored content hosted on popular ad 
networks. Delivering DarkGate 

The end-goal for this campaign is to deliver DarkGate, a piece of malware 
first spotted in 2018, that now comes with a wide variety of tools. Generally 
speaking, DarkGate is a loader, allowing threat actors to deploy more 
dangerous malware in later stages of the compromise. However, some 
researchers pointed out that DarkGate is also capable of stealing credentials 
from the target endpoints, and granting remote access. 

By using ad services, the researchers further explain, threat actors can also 
analyze which of their lures generate most interest among their targets, 
helping them hone their campaigns and improve their efficiency. 

Theyre also using CAPTCHA tools, preventing sandboxes from scanning their 
malware and making sure only actual humans click. 

Elsewhere in the report, HP Wolf Security says the trend of moving away from 
macro-enabled Office attacks is still ongoing. However, this type of attacks 
still has its place, particularly for attacks leveraging cheap commodity 
malware like Agent Tesla and XWorm. 

Finally, PDF malware is on the rise, with 11% of malware analyzed in Q4 2023 
using PDFs to deliver the payload, up from just 4% in Q1 and Q2 of the same 
year. A notable example, the researchers said, was a WikiLoader campaign 
using a fake parcel delivery PDF to trick users into installing Ursnif 
malware . More from TechRadar Pro This growing malware threat actor is set to 
unleash a surge of attacks, experts warn Here's a list of the best firewalls 
around today These are the best endpoint security tools right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/hackers-are-increasingly-using-ad-tools
-and-marketing-gimmicks-to-sell-their-work


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