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LevelBlue SpiderLabs traced a multi-stage malware campaign to attacker-controlled open directories on news4me[.]xyz after SentinelOne quarantined a suspicious Name_File.vbs file on a compromised endpoint. The initial VBS launcher was heavily obfuscated with Unicode tricks and decoded a Base64 PowerShell command that fetched a seemingly benign PNG from Internet Archive, extracted an embedded .NET assembly dubbed PhantomVAI, and executed it directly in memory via Reflection.Assembly::Load, leaving little on disk. PhantomVAI then pulled additional components from the same infrastructure, including an obfuscated Remcos RAT payload and a PNG carrying a UAC bypass DLL for privilege escalation.
Researchers said the same infrastructure exposed a broader reusable malware framework with multiple delivery paths and rotating payloads. Open directories hosted additional obfuscated VBS files, XWorm variants, ScorpioRAT, and a separate /invoice/ infection chain that used a fake PDF ZIP, Internet Shortcut files, WebDAV, batch scripts, Cloudflare-backed domains, and Python-based payloads identified as Kramer malware. The campaign used nontraditional staging formats including PNG, TXT, ZIP, and shortcut-style files to support modular delivery, prompting recommendations to restrict VBS and BAT execution from user-writable directories, enforce constrained PowerShell with in-memory execution logging, and block WebDAV and suspicious .xyz domains tied to the operation.
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After assessing the activity as a broader reusable malware framework rather than an isolated incident, LevelBlue implemented custom detections for the VBS loaders, PNG-embedded payload staging, and related infrastructure, then publicly reported the campaign.
SpiderLabs also identified a distinct /invoice/ infection path on the same infrastructure that used a fake PDF ZIP, Internet Shortcut, WebDAV, batch scripts, Cloudflare-backed domains, and Python-based Kramer malware, showing the operation supported multiple delivery chains.
Investigation of the attacker-controlled infrastructure revealed open directories and a reusable multi-vector delivery framework hosting additional obfuscated VBS files, XWorm and ScorpioRAT variants, and rotating payloads across formats such as PNG, TXT, ZIP, and shortcut-style files.
SpiderLabs analysis found the VBS file was a heavily obfuscated launcher that decoded a Base64 PowerShell command, downloaded a PNG from Internet Archive, extracted the PhantomVAI .NET assembly, and executed it in memory before retrieving a UAC-bypass DLL and Remcos RAT from news4me[.]xyz.
The campaign first came to light after SentinelOne detected and quarantined a suspicious file named Name_File.vbs on a single compromised endpoint, triggering further investigation into the intrusion.
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Multiple campaigns are using phishing emails and archive-based lures to deliver remote access malware through stealthy, multi-stage infection chains. Point Wild documented **Remcos RAT**, **DesckVB RAT**, and a Rust-based **COVERT RAT** being delivered through ZIP attachments, weaponized `LNK` files, obfuscated JavaScript droppers, and hidden PowerShell execution, often with decoy documents to mask activity. The payloads were loaded filelessly through .NET reflection and in-memory execution, with operators abusing legitimate binaries and services such as `aspnet_compiler.exe`, GitHub, and paste or web-hosting platforms to stage malware while evading detection. Reported command-and-control infrastructure included `192.3.27.141:8087`, `172.245.246.77:8080`, and `181.231.253.69:4444`, while observed artifacts included `C:\ProgramData\remcos\logs.dat`, `C:\ProgramData\colors\logs.dat`, and payload names such as `ALTERNATE.dll`, `ClassLibrary3.dll`, `Keylogger.dll`, and `msedge_proxy.exe`. Separate reporting showed the same tradecraft extending beyond custom RATs to commodity remote-access software and credential theft. A campaign targeting Russian aerospace and aviation organizations used invoice-themed phishing and spoofed domains to install a portable **AnyDesk** instance for unattended access, maintain persistence with a scheduled task, minimize visibility with Tray Minimizer, and exfiltrate configuration data through a command-line SMTP mailer; Seqrite linked the activity to **Rare Werewolf (Librarian Ghouls)**. Securonix research cited by Trojan Killer described **VEIL#DROP** using fake document-style JavaScript files, Blogspot-hosted staging, PowerShell download cradles, XOR decoding, and in-memory .NET loading to deploy **PureLog Stealer**, which targets browser credentials, cookies, session tokens, wallet data, and host information. Across the campaigns, the common pattern is phishing-led initial access followed by LOLBins, PowerShell, staged downloads, persistence, and covert data theft or long-term remote control.
Jul 12, 2026
Researchers detailed a phishing campaign that used an **SVG attachment** to launch JavaScript in the victim’s browser, drop an HTM file, and abuse the Windows `search-ms` handler with a **WebDAV** path to fetch additional stages. The infection chain pulled a VBScript, an obfuscated batch file, and Python-based payloads protected with **Pyarmor 9**, which analysts reverse engineered by unpacking the runtime’s AES-GCM and marshal customizations. The unpacked Python code decrypted **RC4-protected shellcode**, allocated executable memory, and launched a multi-stage sequence that included a **laZzzy-generated injector** targeting `notepad.exe`, more shellcode, and final **.NET malware** delivering **DcRat, AsyncRAT, XWorm RAT, and PureHVNC**. The tradecraft closely matches activity previously attributed to **DDGroup**, a long-running cybercrime actor tied to phishing campaigns that weaponize `search-ms` and WebDAV to present attacker-hosted files as local search results. Prior reporting linked the group to commodity malware including **XWorm, AsyncRAT, QuasarRAT, BitRat, Remcos, NetWire, Warzone RAT/AveMaria RAT, and ModiLoader/DBatLoader**, along with dynamic DNS infrastructure, open-source tooling such as **Freeze.rs** and **dufs**, and repeated process injection into `notepad.exe`. Researchers said the actor’s infrastructure spans more than 110 dynamic DNS domains and 94 IP addresses since 2019, and that observed domains and URLs from the newer campaign were reported to **URLhaus** to speed blocking.
Aug 15, 2026
Researchers documented two separate but related **LNK-driven intrusion chains** that used shortcut files as the initial lure to fetch additional malware from attacker-controlled infrastructure. In one campaign targeting organizations in the **Arabian Gulf region**, a China-nexus threat actor used a Middle East conflict-themed ZIP archive containing an LNK file that downloaded a malicious CHM file and ultimately deployed a **PlugX** backdoor. The infection chain progressed through a second LNK, a TAR archive, DLL sideloading, and a shellcode loader before installing PlugX with persistence under a fake Microsoft Display Broker path and service name. The malware used RC4-encrypted components, API hooking, reflective DLL loading, corrupted PE headers, and support for **TCP, HTTPS, UDP, and DoH** communications, with a decrypted command-and-control endpoint at `91.193.17[.]117:443` and plugins for keylogging, shell access, screen capture, registry, service, and network operations. A second investigation exposed a live **LNK-to-DLL-to-.NET RAT** operation staged from an open Apache directory on `wildishadventure[.]com/secure9/` and `171.22.182[.]231/secure9/`, where researchers recovered weaponized LNK files, custom DLL downloaders, backup files, and a final payload named `RemoteMgmt.Agent.exe`. That chain abused the legacy `ActiveXObject('htmlfile')` technique to force Windows to retrieve DLLs over UNC paths, then delivered a custom .NET 4.8 remote access trojan that supported command execution, token-based authentication, JSON-over-raw-TCP C2 over port 443, reconnect-based persistence, and logging to `%TEMP%\rmgmt_agent.log`. Operational security failures including exposed directory indexing, `.old` backups, test builds, and unstripped internal names allowed investigators to reconstruct the malware’s development workflow and identify infrastructure spanning **BlueVPS**, **Namecheap**, and **Cloudflare**.
Jun 29, 2026