Multiple RAT Delivery Campaigns Using Phishing and Trojanized Software
Security researchers reported several unrelated remote access trojan (RAT) delivery campaigns using different initial access vectors and lures. Seqrite Labs described “Operation Covert Access,” a spear‑phishing operation targeting Argentina’s judiciary with a ZIP attachment containing a convincing court-resolution decoy; execution is triggered by a malicious LNK masquerading as a PDF, which launches hidden PowerShell to fetch additional stages from a GitHub repository, culminating in a custom Rust-based RAT that attempts to blend in by renaming itself (e.g., msedge_proxy.exe).
Separately, AhnLab Security Intelligence Center reported South Korea-focused activity distributing RemcosRAT through illegal online gambling-related tools and trojanized VeraCrypt installers, using embedded malicious VBS scripts and a multi-stage chain that ultimately deploys a RAT capable of surveillance and data theft (e.g., keylogging, screenshot/webcam/mic capture, credential/data harvesting). Another campaign documented by ReliaQuest abused LinkedIn private messages to deliver a bundled legitimate application alongside a malicious DLL for DLL sideloading, enabling RAT deployment under the guise of a trusted process; the reporting emphasized that social platforms can serve as effective phishing channels beyond email and that the technique is portable to other commonly used business messaging platforms.
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