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Transparent Tribe Targets Indian Government with Dual-Platform Malware Campaign

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Last updated
2 unique sources, 2 articles

Summary

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APT36, also known as Transparent Tribe, is targeting both Windows and BOSS Linux systems in ongoing attacks against Indian government and defense entities. The campaign, active since August 1, 2025, involves phishing emails delivering malicious .desktop files disguised as PDFs. The malware facilitates data exfiltration, persistent espionage access, and includes anti-debugging and anti-sandbox checks. The malware also targets the Kavach 2FA solution used by Indian government agencies. The attack leverages the .desktop file's 'Exec=' field to execute a sequence of shell commands that download and run a Go-based ELF payload. The payload establishes persistence through cron jobs and systemd services, and communicates with a C2 server via a WebSocket channel. The technique allows APT36 to evade detection by abusing a legitimate Linux feature that is not typically monitored for threats. The campaign demonstrates APT36's evolving tactics, becoming more evasive and sophisticated.

Timeline

  1. 25.08.2025 11:13 1 articles · 1mo ago

    APT36 Targets Indian Entities with Linux .desktop File Malware

    The campaign now targets both Windows and BOSS Linux systems. The malware uses a shell script to download and execute a hex-encoded file from an attacker-controlled server and opens a decoy PDF to deceive the user. The malware performs system reconnaissance and includes anti-debugging and anti-sandbox checks. It deploys a known Transparent Tribe backdoor called Poseidon and targets the Kavach 2FA solution used by Indian government agencies. The campaign uses typo-squatted domains and infrastructure hosted on Pakistan-based servers.

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  2. 22.08.2025 21:35 2 articles · 1mo ago

    APT36 Targets Indian Entities with Linux .desktop File Malware

    The campaign now targets both Windows and BOSS Linux systems. The malware uses a shell script to download and execute a hex-encoded file from an attacker-controlled server and opens a decoy PDF to deceive the user. The malware performs system reconnaissance and includes anti-debugging and anti-sandbox checks. It deploys a known Transparent Tribe backdoor called Poseidon and targets the Kavach 2FA solution used by Indian government agencies. The campaign uses typo-squatted domains and infrastructure hosted on Pakistan-based servers.

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