New Macro Downloaders Serve Up PUB-and-Spam Sandwich to Food and Retail Sectors

New macro downloaders are using Microsoft Publisher (PUB) files and spam emails to serve up network compromise in the food and retail sectors.

According to Trend Micro, the campaign ramped up late last month with over 50 food and retail companies spammed between Nov. 20–27. Targets included food sector companies Starbucks and Taco Del Mar and retailers Harris Teeter and Save Mart Supermarkets. Trend Micro also detected attacks against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the financial sector dating to the first week in November.

Setting this campaign apart is its use of PUB files, which are not commonly associated with macro malware. Combined with socially engineered spam emails from “operations teams,” these PUB invoices appear legitimate. Once opened, they serve up malicious Microsoft Installer (MSI) files that contact command-and-control (C&C) servers to install remote access Trojans (RATs). Given the lack of PUB files used by macro downloaders and the use of MSI files for legitimate installations, infections may go unnoticed by both users and standard antimalware tools.

Spam Is a Recipe for Disaster During the Holidays

Both retail and food companies are gearing up for their busiest quarter of the year, which could increase their likelihood of falling victim to spam attacks. Cybercriminals’ use of PUB files enhances this risk, since employees may not recognize these files as potential threats. Intalled RATs can then hide in plain sight until attackers are ready to conduct reconnaissance or download new malware tools.

The campaign also prioritizes evasion by scheduling the MSI file download rather than completing it immediately after PUB files are opened. This not only delays infection to confound security measures, but assigns “msiexec” to scheduler processes, allowing it to be automatically downloaded and installed.

Address the Threat of Macro Downloaders and PUB Attacks

Seasonal spam campaigns come with a high price: Lurking RATs could target customer data or compromise corporate networks. To avoid sneaky PUB attacks, IBM experts recommend invest in layered email security services that combine perimeter protection, external mail scanning and spam control. Security teams should also segment their networks to separate critical services, point-of-sale (POS) information and consumer financial data and limit the damage caused by successful spam deliveries.

Source: Trend Micro

Douglas Bonderud

Freelance Writer

When ransomware kills: Attacks on healthcare facilities

4 min read - As ransomware attacks continue to escalate, their toll is often measured in data loss and financial strain. But what about the loss of human life? Nowhere is the ransomware threat more acute than in the healthcare sector, where patients’ lives are literally on the line.Since 2015, there has been a staggering increase in ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities. And the impacts are severe: Diverted emergency services, delayed critical treatments and even fatalities. Meanwhile, the pledge some ransomware groups made during…

AI and cloud vulnerabilities aren’t the only threats facing CISOs today

6 min read - With cloud infrastructure and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) systems becoming prime targets for attackers, security leaders are laser-focused on defending these high-profile areas. They’re right to do so, too, as cyber criminals turn to new and emerging technologies to launch and scale ever more sophisticated attacks.However, this heightened attention to emerging threats makes it easy to overlook traditional attack vectors, such as human-driven social engineering and vulnerabilities in physical security.As adversaries exploit an ever-wider range of potential entry points…

4 trends in software supply chain security

4 min read - Some of the biggest and most infamous cyberattacks of the past decade were caused by a security breakdown in the software supply chain. SolarWinds was probably the most well-known, but it was not alone. Incidents against companies like Equifax and tools like MOVEit also wreaked havoc for organizations and customers whose sensitive information was compromised.Expect to see more software supply chain attacks moving forward. According to ReversingLabs' The State of Software Supply Chain Security 2024 study, attacks against the software…

Security Intelligence

{{title}}

{{title}}

{{title}}

Topics

Spam Is a Recipe for Disaster During the Holidays

Address the Threat of Macro Downloaders and PUB Attacks

More from

When ransomware kills: Attacks on healthcare facilities

AI and cloud vulnerabilities aren’t the only threats facing CISOs today

4 trends in software supply chain security

Topic updates