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A New AiTM Phishing Campaign Targeting Institution/Organization Personnel Has Been Detected

A large-scale phishing campaign using advanced AiTM techniques has been detected. AiTM attacks are newer and more advanced phishing attacks.

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adversary in the middle phishing campaign

This phishing campaign uses adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) tricks to steal logins and session cookies, which lets attackers get past MFA. It targets staff who use a popular cloud email service, with fake invoice emails. The post lists the sectors hit, the kits used and the steps organizations can take. It concerns security teams and email users in finance, insurance and energy.

A large-scale phishing campaign using advanced AiTM (Adversary in the Middle) techniques has been detected. AiTM attacks are newer and more advanced phishing attacks in which user login and session cookies are compromised, and MFA/2FA authentication processes are circumvented. The detected new campaign targets end users in organizations using Microsoft’s e-mail services.

How does this phishing campaign work?

A phishing campaign begins with the delivery of e-mails containing a malicious link to targets. Threat actors create newly registered phishing domains to target users of Microsoft mail services. An HTML page is opened in the user’s browser when users open the malicious phishing URL in the phishing e-mail, which allegedly contains details about an incoming invoice. The HTML page uses the window.location.replace() function to redirect visitors to phishing pages controlled by threat actors. Using multiple URL redirection methods helps avoid the campaign’s detection by corporate e-mail URL analysis solutions. On phishing pages that appear as a Microsoft Office login page, the visitors’ MFA/2FA authentication processes are bypassed with advanced AiTM techniques, and user credentials are captured. There are three main open source AiTM phishing kits used in such attacks;
  • Evilginx2
  • Muraena
  • Modlishka
How the AiTM campaign runs, as the post describes it
  1. Invoice e-mailA message with a malicious link, said to hold details of an incoming invoice
  2. HTML page opensIt redirects visitors with window.location.replace() to pages the attackers control
  3. Fake login pageA page that looks like a Microsoft Office login
  4. MFA bypassedAiTM techniques get past MFA and 2FA
  5. Credentials capturedThe user’s credentials are taken
In addition, abuse of legitimate online code editing services such as CodeSandbox and Glitch has also been observed to ensure the longevity of the campaign process. The campaign targets the FinTech, Finance, Insurance, Accounting, and Energy sectors, which generally provide services in the USA, England, New Zealand, and Australia. In addition, it has been observed that threat actors register domain names impersonating Federal Credit Unions outside of Microsoft.

How can organizations protect themselves?

Business e-mail security (BEC) remains an ever-present threat to organizations. The campaign underlines the importance of the need to protect against similar attacks, which are increasing day by day. In order not to be the target of similar advanced phishing attacks that may be carried out in this context, it is recommended to implement the following security measures.
  • E-mails, attachments, and links from unknown and suspicious parties should not be respected,
  • Sensitive information should not be used on platforms that are not sure of its reliability,
  • Comprehensive Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware security solutions should be used,
  • Institution/organization personnel should be made aware of potential phishing/social engineering attacks,
  • Detected IOC findings related to the campaign should be blocked from security solutions.

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Frequently Asked Questions.

What is an AiTM phishing attack?

In an AiTM attack, the attacker sits between the user and the real service. The user types login details on a fake page, and the attacker captures the credentials and session cookies, which can bypass MFA.

Which sectors does this phishing campaign target?

The post names FinTech, finance, insurance, accounting and energy. Targets generally provide services in the USA, England, New Zealand and Australia.

Why do the phishing emails use several redirects?

The link opens an HTML page that sends the visitor on to pages the attackers control. The post says using several redirect methods helps the campaign avoid detection by corporate email URL analysis.

How can organizations reduce the risk of phishing like this?

The post advises distrusting unknown emails and links, using anti-malware tools, training staff and blocking the published IOCs. Common phishing defenses also include email authentication and user training.

Sources

  1. 1 MITRE ATT&CK: Adversary-in-the-Middle (T1557)
  2. 2 MITRE ATT&CK: Steal Web Session Cookie (T1539)
  3. 3 CISA: Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks

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    #AiTM #Evilginx2 #Modlishka #Muraena #phishing
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    In This Article

    Malware and toolsEvilginx TechniquesPhishing (T1566): ATT&CK Technique TermsAdversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) TermsSession cookie TermsPhishing TermsThreat actor TermsSocial engineering

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