Discover the latest trends on Command and Control in cyber security, your hub for infosec insights, threats, and defense strategies.
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Background for this topic.
Command and Control (C2) describes the communication channels attackers use to remotely manage compromised systems within a target network. These channels allow adversaries to send instructions to malware, enabling actions like data theft, lateral movement, or launching attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). C2 infrastructure often involves covert protocols or encrypted traffic to evade detection.
Effective defense requires monitoring network traffic for unusual patterns or connections to known malicious domains and blocking or isolating suspected C2 communications. Disrupting these channels can prevent attackers from controlling infected devices, limiting the scope and impact of an intrusion. Understanding C2 techniques is essential for prioritizing network segmentation, threat intelligence integration, and timely response to contain active compromises.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
DragonForce ransomware used a custom malware named 'Backdoor.Turn' to hide command-and-control traffic inside Microsoft Teams relay infrastructure. [...]
Nearly 2,000 WordPress websites were infected with malware that relies on Steam Community profile comments to hide command-and-control (C2) data. [...]
The Glassworm botnet targeting developers in software supply-chain attacks has been disrupted after researchers took down its resilient command-and-control infrastructure relying on Solana blockchain transactions and the BitTorrent DHT network. [...]
A new variant of the TrickMo Android banking malware, delivered in campaigns targeting users across Europe, introduces new commands and uses The Open Network (TON) for stealthy command-and-control communications. [...]
Authorities from the United States, Germany, and Canada have taken down Command and Control (C2) infrastructure used by the Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid, and Mossad botnets to infect Internet of Things (IoT) devices. [...]
AI assistants like Grok and Microsoft Copilot with web browsing and URL-fetching capabilities can be abused to intermediate command-and-control (C2) activity. [...]
A newly documented Linux botnet named SSHStalker is using the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) communication protocol for command-and-control (C2) operations. [...]
Microsoft security researchers have discovered a new backdoor malware that uses the OpenAI Assistants API as a covert command-and-control channel. [...]
A new post-exploitation command-and-control (C2) evasion method called 'Ghost Calls' abuses TURN servers used by conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to tunnel traffic through trusted infrastructure. [...]
The Chinese APT41 hacking group uses a new malware named 'ToughProgress' that abuses Google Calendar for command-and-control (C2) operations, hiding malicious activity behind a trusted cloud service. [...]
A malicious package in the Node Package Manager index uses invisible Unicode characters to hide malicious code and Google Calendar links to host the URL for the command-and-control location. [...]
A new malware called FinalDraft has been using Outlook email drafts for command-and-control communication in attacks against a ministry in a South American country. [...]
Mandiant has identified a novel method to bypass contemporary browser isolation technology and achieve command-and-control C2 operations. [...]
Forty new variants of the TrickMo Android banking trojan have been identified in the wild, linked to 16 droppers and 22 distinct command and control (C2) infrastructures, with new features designed to steal Android PINs. [...]
Researchers have sinkholed a command and control server for a variant of the PlugX malware and observed in six months more than 2.5 million connections from unique IP addresses. [...]
An international law enforcement operation code-named 'Synergia' has taken down over 1,300 command and control servers used in ransomware, phishing, and malware campaigns. [...]
Ukraine is warning of a wave of attacks targeting state organizations using 'Merlin,' an open-source post-exploitation and command and control framework. [...]
New details have emerged about Decoy Dog, a largely undetected sophisticated toolkit likely used for at least a year in cyber intelligence operations, relying on the domain name system (DNS) for command and control activity. [...]
A new Magecart credit card stealing campaign hijacks legitimate sites to act as "makeshift" command and control (C2) servers to inject and hide the skimmers on targeted eCommerce sites. [...]
The Chinese state-sponsored hacking group APT41 was found abusing the GC2 (Google Command and Control) red teaming tool in data theft attacks against a Taiwanese media and an Italian job search company. [...]