Threats Tagged 'minifast'

Mirage Kitten, an APT group historically focused on the Middle East and Africa, has deployed two previously undocumented cross-platform remote access trojans: NodeRabbit (Node.js-based) and PollCat (JavaScript-based). Both malware families mark the group's first departure from native malware toward scripting languages compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS. Operators deliver these tools through sophisticated social engineering campaigns involving fake recruiters on LinkedIn who distribute trojanized coding challenges via Amazon S3 buckets. The malicious projects contain backdoored npm packages that silently install persistent implants. NodeRabbit implements comprehensive command-and-control capabilities including file operations, process management, and proxy-aware C2 communications through Azure and Cloudflare infrastructure. PollCat provides similar RAT functionality with specialized developer persistence mechanisms targeting VS Code extensions and Git hooks. Targeted sectors include aviation, aerospa...

The Iranian IRGC-affiliated threat actor Nimbus Manticore launched sophisticated cyber operations during Operation Epic Fury, the US military campaign against Iran beginning February 28, 2026. The campaigns targeted organizations in aviation and software sectors across the United States, Europe, and Middle East using career-themed phishing lures. For the first time, the actor employed SEO poisoning techniques and introduced MiniFast, a previously undocumented backdoor showing signs of AI-assisted development. The operations leveraged AppDomain hijacking and abused legitimate Zoom installer execution flows for malware deployment. The actor demonstrated rapid adaptation capabilities during wartime conditions, maintaining high operational availability while expanding targeting to US-based aviation companies. Multiple campaign waves were observed from February through April 2026, with persistent infrastructure and evolving techniques.

MediumMalwareUnited StatesAustraliaSaudi Arabia+2#operation epic fury#minifast#minijunk