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COLDRIVER APT Group Uses ClickFix Tactics to Deliver BAITSWITCH and SIMPLEFIX Malware

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4 unique sources, 8 articles

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The COLDRIVER APT group, also known as Star Blizzard, has intensified its operations since May 2025, rapidly developing and refining its malware arsenal. The group has launched a new campaign using ClickFix tactics to deliver three new malware families: NOROBOT, YESROBOT, and MAYBEROBOT. These malware families are connected via a delivery chain and target individuals and organizations connected to Russia, including NGOs, human rights defenders, and think tanks. The attack chain involves tricking victims into running a malicious DLL via a fake CAPTCHA check, leading to the deployment of the SIMPLEFIX backdoor. The malware exfiltrates specific file types and establishes communication with a command-and-control server. The campaign aligns with COLDRIVER's known victimology, focusing on civil society members connected to Russia. The group has been active since 2019, using spear-phishing and custom tools like SPICA and LOSTKEYS. The latest campaign demonstrates the group's continued use of effective infection vectors, despite their lack of technical sophistication. The malware families NOROBOT and MAYBEROBOT are tracked by Zscaler ThreatLabz under the names BAITSWITCH and SIMPLEFIX, respectively. The COLDRIVER group has been deploying the new malware set more aggressively than any previous campaigns. The new malware set replaces the previous primary malware LOSTKEYS, which has not been observed since its public disclosure in May 2025. The attack starts with a 'ClickFix-style' phishing lure, a fake CAPTCHA page designed to trick the victim into thinking they must verify they’re 'not a robot'. The malware uses a split-key cryptography scheme, with parts of the decryption key hidden in downloaded files and the Windows Registry. The malware fetches a self-extracting Python 3.8 installer, two encrypted Python scripts, and a scheduled task to ensure persistence. The Python scripts are combined to decrypt and launch a minimal Python-based first-stage backdoor that communicates with a hardcoded command-and-control (C2) server. The COLDRIVER group abandoned YESROBOT after just two weeks due to its cumbersome and easily detectable nature. The COLDRIVER group switched to MAYBEROBOT, a more flexible PowerShell-based backdoor, around June 2025. MAYBEROBOT uses a custom C2 protocol with commands to download and execute files, run commands via cmd.exe, and execute PowerShell blocks. The COLDRIVER group has been constantly evolving the NOROBOT malware to evade detection systems. The group has been using the NOROBOT and MAYBEROBOT malware families on targets previously compromised through phishing to acquire additional intelligence value from information on their devices directly. The PhantomCaptcha campaign targeted Ukrainian regional government administration and organizations critical for the war relief effort, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and various NGOs. The campaign began on October 8, 2025, and used a malicious "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA challenge to execute a PowerShell command, installing malware on victims' systems. The malware operated in three stages: a downloader script, a reconnaissance module, and a WebSocket-based RAT. The campaign's infrastructure was active for just one day, with backend servers remaining online to manage infected devices. The PhantomCaptcha campaign is linked to a wider operation involving malicious Android apps disguised as adult entertainment or cloud storage services. The latest incidents were reported in May and June 2025 by two organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The group is known for impersonating trusted contacts and prompting targets to request missing or malfunctioning attachments. In one case involving RSF in March 2025, a ProtonMail address mimicking a legitimate contact sent a French-language email asking a core member to review a document. No file was attached. When the member requested it, the operators replied in English with a link routed through a compromised website to a ProtonDrive URL. However, the file itself could not be retrieved because ProtonMail had blocked the associated account. A second victim received a file labeled as a PDF that was actually a ZIP archive disguised with a .pdf extension. The final stage of the attack used a typical Calisto decoy PDF that claimed to be encrypted and instructed the user to open it in ProtonDrive. The link again sent the target through a redirector hosted on a compromised website. The phishing kit analyzed by TDR, located on account.simpleasip[.]org, appeared to be custom built. It targeted ProtonMail accounts using an Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) setup that relays two-factor authentication (2FA). Analysts found injected JavaScript designed to keep the cursor locked to the password field and to interact with an attacker-controlled API for handling CAPTCHA and 2FA prompts. Star Blizzard's infrastructure included servers hosting phishing pages and others serving as API endpoints. Many domains were tied to Namecheap services, while some earlier ones were registered via Regway to help analysts track the cluster over time.

Timeline

  1. 21.10.2025 10:29 4 articles · 1mo ago

    COLDRIVER Develops and Deploys YESROBOT and MAYBEROBOT Malware

    The COLDRIVER group abandoned YESROBOT after just two weeks due to its cumbersome and easily detectable nature. The COLDRIVER group switched to MAYBEROBOT, a more flexible PowerShell-based backdoor, around June 2025. MAYBEROBOT uses a custom C2 protocol with commands to download and execute files, run commands via cmd.exe, and execute PowerShell blocks. The COLDRIVER group has been using the NOROBOT and MAYBEROBOT malware families on targets previously compromised through phishing to acquire additional intelligence value from information on their devices directly. The COLDRIVER group initially used a Python backdoor dubbed YesRobot, which had limited functionality and made typical backdoor functionality cumbersome to implement. The COLDRIVER group abandoned YesRobot in favor of a new backdoor, MaybeRobot, also deployed via NoRobot. The COLDRIVER group has been making multiple changes to NoRobot, mainly focused on evading detection, and updating its infection chain as it transitioned to deploying MaybeRobot as the final stage.

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  2. 26.09.2025 15:45 8 articles · 2mo ago

    COLDRIVER Launches New Campaign Using BAITSWITCH and SIMPLEFIX Malware

    The PhantomCaptcha campaign began on October 8, 2025, targeting Ukrainian relief organizations with phishing emails containing a malicious PDF. The PDF directed victims to a fake Zoom site hosted on Russian infrastructure, which executed a PowerShell command to install malware. The malware operated in three stages: a downloader script, a reconnaissance module, and a WebSocket-based RAT. The campaign's infrastructure was active for just one day, with backend servers remaining online to manage infected devices. The operation is linked to a wider campaign involving malicious Android apps. The latest incidents were reported in May and June 2025 by two organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The group is known for impersonating trusted contacts and prompting targets to request missing or malfunctioning attachments. In one case involving RSF in March 2025, a ProtonMail address mimicking a legitimate contact sent a French-language email asking a core member to review a document. No file was attached. When the member requested it, the operators replied in English with a link routed through a compromised website to a ProtonDrive URL. However, the file itself could not be retrieved because ProtonMail had blocked the associated account. A second victim received a file labeled as a PDF that was actually a ZIP archive disguised with a .pdf extension. The final stage of the attack used a typical Calisto decoy PDF that claimed to be encrypted and instructed the user to open it in ProtonDrive. The link again sent the target through a redirector hosted on a compromised website. The phishing kit analyzed by TDR, located on account.simpleasip[.]org, appeared to be custom built. It targeted ProtonMail accounts using an Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) setup that relays two-factor authentication (2FA). Analysts found injected JavaScript designed to keep the cursor locked to the password field and to interact with an attacker-controlled API for handling CAPTCHA and 2FA prompts. Star Blizzard's infrastructure included servers hosting phishing pages and others serving as API endpoints. Many domains were tied to Namecheap services, while some earlier ones were registered via Regway to help analysts track the cluster over time.

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