Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Japan's CERT coordination center (JPCERT/CC) on Thursday revealed it observed incidents that involved the use of a command-and-control (C2) framework called CrossC2, which is designed to extend the functionality of Cobalt Strike to other platforms like Linux and Apple macOS for cross-platform system control

A coordinated law enforcement operation codenamed MORPHEUS has felled close to 600 servers that were used by cybercriminal groups and were part of an attack infrastructure associated with the Cobalt Strike tool.  The crackdown targeted older, unlicensed versions of the Cobalt Strike red teaming framework between June 24 and 28, according to Europol

The framework-as-a-service signals an intensification of the cat-and-mouse game between defenders detecting lateral movement, and cybercriminals looking to go unnoticed.

An open source command-and-control (C2) framework known as Havoc is being adopted by threat actors as an alternative to other well-known legitimate toolkits like Cobalt Strike, Sliver, and Brute Ratel

ThreatLabz finds free alternative to Cobalt Strike and other tools used in the wild There's a fresh open-source command-and-control (C2) framework on the loose, dubbed Havoc, as an alternative to the popular Cobalt Strike, and other mostly legitimate tools, that have been abused to spread malware.…

Security researchers are seeing threat actors switching to a new and open-source command and control (C2) framework known as Havoc as an alternative to paid options such as Cobalt Strike and Brute Ratel. [...]

The legitimate command-and-control (C2) framework known as Sliver is gaining more traction from threat actors as it emerges as an open source alternative to Cobalt Strike and Metasploit

A nascent and legitimate penetration testing framework known as Nighthawk is likely to gain threat actors' attention for its Cobalt Strike-like capabilities

C2 framework could be the next Cobalt Strike, says Proofpoint

HelpSystems, the company behind the Cobalt Strike software platform, has released an out-of-band security update to address a remote code execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take control of targeted systems

The comprehensive, multiplatform framework comes loaded with weapons, and it is likely another effort by a China-based threat group to develop an alternative to Cobalt Strike and Sliver.

Nation-state threat actors are increasingly adopting and integrating the Sliver command-and-control (C2) framework in their intrusion campaigns as a replacement for Cobalt Strike

Threat actors are dumping the Cobalt Strike penetration testing suite in favor of similar frameworks that are less known. After Brute Ratel, the open-source, cross-platform kit called Sliver is becoming an attractive alternative. [...]

Threat actors are dumping the Cobalt Strike penetration testing suite in favor of similar frameworks that are less known. After Brute Ratel, the open-source, cross-platform kit called Sliver is becoming an attractive alternative. [...]

Researchers have observed a new post-exploitation attack framework used in the wild, named Manjusaka, which can be deployed as an alternative to the widely abused Cobalt Strike toolset or parallel to it for redundancy. [...]

Researchers have disclosed a new offensive framework called Manjusaka that they call a "Chinese sibling of Sliver and Cobalt Strike." "A fully functional version of the command-and-control (C2), written in GoLang with a User Interface in Simplified Chinese, is freely available and can generate new implants with custom configurations with ease, increasing the likelihood of wider adoption of this

A malware-as-a-service (Maas) dubbed Matanbuchus has been observed spreading through phishing campaigns, ultimately dropping the Cobalt Strike post-exploitation framework on compromised machines