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Lazarus Group Deploys PondRAT, ThemeForestRAT, and RemotePE in DeFi Sector Intrusion

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πŸ“° 1 unique sources, 1 articles

Summary

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The North Korea-linked Lazarus Group targeted a decentralized finance (DeFi) organization in 2024 using a social engineering campaign that distributed three cross-platform malware: PondRAT, ThemeForestRAT, and RemotePE. The attack began with impersonation on Telegram and fake scheduling websites, leading to the compromise of an employee's system. The group used various tools to harvest credentials and proxy connections, eventually deploying more sophisticated malware for stealthier operations. The attack chain involved initial access through a loader called PerfhLoader, which dropped PondRAT. This malware facilitated further discovery and deployment of additional tools, including keyloggers and credential stealers. The group later transitioned to ThemeForestRAT and finally to the more advanced RemotePE for high-value targets. The intrusion highlights the group's evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), including the use of multiple RATs for different stages of the attack.

Timeline

  1. 02.09.2025 19:39 πŸ“° 1 articles Β· ⏱ 14d ago

    Lazarus Group targets DeFi sector with PondRAT, ThemeForestRAT, and RemotePE

    In 2024, the Lazarus Group conducted a social engineering campaign targeting a DeFi organization. The attack began with impersonation on Telegram and fake scheduling websites, leading to the deployment of PondRAT, ThemeForestRAT, and RemotePE. The group used these RATs for different stages of the attack, from initial discovery to more complex tasks and high-value targeting. The intrusion involved multiple tools for credential harvesting and maintaining persistence within the network.

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