Indian Defense
Pakistan’s Cyber-Attack Malware Mutates, Adopts Nefarious New Capabilities
Like a real-life biological virus, Pakistan-originated malware that earlier targeted the power sector and government organizations in India and Afghanistan, has now mutated to adopt new cyber-attack capabilities.
As the extremist Taliban threat against Afghanistan government grows, its institutions continue to face growing cyber-attacks originating from Pakistan. While Afghanistan remained the primary target of this campaign, the new research shared by Black Lotus Labs, the threat intelligence arm of US-based Telecommunications Company Lumen Technologies, suggests that India, Iran and Jordan were also targeted.
Evidence shows the attackers used a forged United Nations Meeting platform to lure the government targets. Named after its previous known version, researchers are calling this new program “ReverseRat 2.0”.
New Threat, New Capabilities
One of the capabilities that has caught experts’ eyes is the ability of the improved Remote Access Trojan (RAT) to control the webcam of the compromised device.
“Some of the more prominent modifications allowed for added functionality such as taking remote photos via webcams and retrieving files on USB devices inserted into the compromised machines,” said the Back Lotus Labs report.
The experts have also uncovered an updated version of a component file that allows the malware to avoid detection by some of the popular antivirus solutions available in India. “We also uncovered an updated version of the preBotHta loader file, which included new evasion techniques to counter Kaspersky or Quick Heal antivirus (AV) products, if either were detected on the host machine,” it added. Researchers believe that the threat actor may have run tests with these antivirus solutions and realized that the antivirus identified and blocked certain aspects of their infection chain and that’s why, they added different logic paths to avoid antivirus detection and to ensure the ability to infect the targeted machines.
Forging UN Communication
A decoy communication mimicking The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna was sent to the victim by government officials.
Researchers note that the virtual invitation link in the document was valid but the document itself “seemed fabricated” as the official journal of the UN did not mention any such event.
The suspicious package titled “Agenda” was the likely career of the malware. Use of fabricated UN communication suggests that the campaign was targeted and specific in nature. While the earlier attacks used Allakore, an open-source RAT, a new agent called NightFury was used in the current attacks.
“Metadata from the campaign indicates that it began on June 28, 2021. We observed network telemetry from at least one government entity in addition to other targeted organizations located in Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent, Jordan, India and Iran,” researchers added.
The researchers took measures against the infrastructure used by the campaign actors across the Lumen global IP network and also notified the affected organizations. They have asked other organizations to alert in case a similar campaign is found in their environments.
“Given the nature of the critical sectors the actor is targeting, Black Lotus Labs advises security practitioners to learn the actor’s current tactics, tools and procedures (TTPs) to better defend their organizations against potential attacks,” the cyber security researchers at Black Lotus Labs said.
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
-
Camera3 years agoCharles ‘Chuck’ Geschke, co-founder of Adobe and inventor of the PDF, dies at 81
-
TOP SCEINCE4 days agoInherited predisposition for higher muscle strength may protect against common morbidities
-
TOP SCEINCE4 days ago
Brightest gamma-ray burst of all time came from the collapse of a massive star
-
TOP SCEINCE4 days ago
Stellar winds of three sun-like stars detected for the first time
-
world news3 days ago
Jewish diaspora expresses concern as Iranian drones launch toward Israel
-
world news5 months ago
Gulf, France aid Gaza, Russia evacuates citizens
-
Camera2 years agoSony a7 IV sample gallery
-
world news5 months ago
‘What will your excuse be?’: Gaza hostage’s mother urges world to help
