Description

Microsoft has addressed a zero-day vulnerability in Windows Defender SmartScreen, CVE-2024-21412, exploited by a financially motivated threat group to distribute the DarkMe remote access trojan (RAT). Trend Micro researchers identified the hacking group, known as Water Hydra and DarkCasino, using this flaw in attacks observed on New Year's Eve. The vulnerability allows an attacker to send a specially crafted file to the targeted user, bypassing security checks, but relies on user interaction to execute. Peter Girnus, from Trend Micro, reported this zero-day, noting that it circumvents a previous SmartScreen vulnerability, CVE-2023-36025, patched in November 2023. Water Hydra targeted forex traders with spear phishing attacks, distributing malicious stock charts via Telegram channels and forex trading forums. These charts linked to a compromised trading information site, impersonating a legitimate forex broker platform. The attackers exploited other zero-day vulnerabilities in the past, such as CVE-2023-38831 in WinRAR software. This incident underscores the ongoing threat posed by financially motivated groups exploiting software vulnerabilities. In response, Microsoft also addressed another SmartScreen zero-day, CVE-2024-21351, allowing attackers to inject code into SmartScreen for code execution. Users are advised to update their systems promptly to mitigate these risks.