Pakistani Hackers Target Personnel through .IN Domains & DogeRAT malware

NewsBharati    26-Sep-2023 12:44:52 PM
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Pakistani Hackers Targetting Indian Defence Personnel through .IN Domains &DogeRATMalware
 
The Indian government has issued a cybersecurity warning, warning that Indian defense personnel are increasingly becoming targets for Pakistani cyber-attacks as per a news report in moneycontrol.com.
 
Indian Defence Personeel Pakistani Hackers 
 
These criminal players have adopted a new strategy, registering websites under the.IN domain, India's top-level country code internet domain. This method adds another degree of complication, making it difficult to establish the source and operators of these websites.
 
Sophisticated Strategies Revealed
 
Cybersecurity specialists have been constantly following cyber threat actors' strategies, and this recent finding gives light on their ongoing malicious tactics. These attackers, who are located in Pakistan, have been reaching out to their targets within the Indian military community in a deliberate manner.
 
Among the targets are the Indian Navy and the DRDO.
 
This concerning development comes at a time when several sections of the Indian defense establishment, notably the Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), have been targeted by hackers. Employees of the DRDO, in particular, were targeted with malware disguised as honey trap prevention advice.
 
Notably, the Indian Navy claimed that cybercriminal gangs sought to collect vital information from their families as well. These unwavering efforts highlight the critical need of resolving cybersecurity vulnerabilities in India's defence sector.
 
Suspect Domains Have Been Found
 
The freshly disclosed advice includes a list of websites that the agency says are hosted by Pakistani threat actors. Among the domains under dispute are:
1. coorddesk.in,
2. ksboards.in,
3. coordbranch.in, and
4. ksbpanel.in.
 
These websites are thought to be possible launch pads for phishing attacks against the Armed Forces.
 
Recommendations for Preventive Measures
 
To tackle these new dangers, the government has advised defense troops to take quick action. Employees are first encouraged to limit access to these questionable URLs. Furthermore, workers have been asked to educate themselves and their colleagues on the dangers of such websites.
 
The alert also underlined the necessity of only downloading software from reputable sources, which is a critical step in protecting sensitive data.
 
Malware Circulation Alert for DogeRAT
 
In a related event, another Indian military organization also alerted its personnel about the DogeRAT virus. This software may infect systems, steal vital information, and even capture images from cellphones. Cybercriminals have been disguising this virus as legal applications such as ChatGPT, Opera Mini browser, premium versions of YouTube, and other famous apps and websites and distributing it through multiple channels, including Telegram.
This Java-based Android RAT communicates with Telegram Bot and an infected device over a web socket using relatively basic server-side code written in NodeJs. In this case, the Telegram Bot serves as a command and control interface for the threat actor that constructs the setup and installs the DogeRAT.
 
 cyberattack
 
When the Trojan is first launched, it obtains a variety of rights, including but not limited to access to call logs, audio recording, and reading of SMS messages, media, images, and so on.
 
According to a security report by Cloudsek, DogeRAT has successfully impersonated well known & famous apps like , Opera Mini, Youtube Premium, ChatGPT,NetflixPremium,Instagram& Facebook Lite.
 
This assault targeting Indian military forces is a harsh reminder of the financial incentive that drives fraudsters to constantly change their techniques. They are not just restricted to developing phishing websites, but also to spreading modified RATs or repurposed harmful programs to carry out low-cost, easy-to-setup scam operations with huge returns. As a result, it is essential to be informed of the most recent risks and to take precautions to protect oneself.