RATANKBA: Delving into Large-scale Watering Holes
While the URL acts similarly to how eye-watch[.]in:443 delivers payloads, we also saw the URL leveraging and exploiting security flaws in Flash: CVE-2015-8651, CVE-2016-1019, and CVE-2016-4117.
CVE-2016-1019 KEVRansomware Critical · 9.8 EPSS 22.3%
Adobe Flash Player Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability
Adobe · Flash Player
Summary
Adobe Flash Player contains an unspecified vulnerability in the Flash Player component that allows arbitrary code execution and denial of service. An attacker can exploit it remotely over the network without authentication or user interaction, per the attack vector data, to crash the application or possibly execute arbitrary code.
Official description · NVD
Adobe Flash Player 21.0.0.197 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in April 2016.
Priority scorePatchfirst’s 0 to 100 ranking. It adds points for CISA KEV listing, ransomware use, EPSS, threat reports, public exploit code and CVSS. Every CVE page shows the breakdown. Breakdown
83.4 / 100
- Exploited
- Yes, in CISA KEV
- Reports
- 4
- Tactics
- 2/15
How an attack unfolds
Based on MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. mappings. Select a step to see the evidence.Exploitation timelineDated milestones for a CVE: when it was disclosed, when exploit code became public, when exploitation was confirmed, and when threat reports named it.
First seen exploited 5 days before it was disclosed.
- First seen exploitedVulnCheck KEV evidence5 days before
- Disclosedday 0
- Named in a threat reporttrendmicro.com+11 mo
- Added to CISA KEVknown ransomware use; EU database agrees+6 yrs
CISA KEV listing is when exploitation was confirmed, not necessarily the first attack.
MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. techniques
2 TechniqueOne specific attacker behaviour in MITRE ATT&CK, such as T1190 “Exploit Public-Facing Application”. IDs with a dot, like T1059.004, are sub-techniques., grouped by TacticThe attacker’s goal at a stage of an attack in MITRE ATT&CK, such as Initial Access or Persistence. Each technique belongs to one or more tactics. in kill-chain order 2Command and ControlTA0011
Ingress Tool Transfer T1105 Medium Confidence (technique links)How sure Patchfirst is that an ATT&CK technique applies to this CVE. High and medium links are shown by default; low ones come from early or generic mappings, text matching, or contradict the CVE’s details.
MITRE CTID mapping of the KEV entry · primary impact
This vulnerability is exploited by taking advantage of a flaw of Adobe Flash embedded within browsers. In the wild, threat actors have been seen using a browser-based exploit kit to initiate a drive-by compromise of the exploit. After exploit, adversaries can install their own malware or specifically ransomware.
ImpactTA0040
Data Encrypted for Impact T1486 Medium Confidence (technique links)How sure Patchfirst is that an ATT&CK technique applies to this CVE. High and medium links are shown by default; low ones come from early or generic mappings, text matching, or contradict the CVE’s details.
MITRE CTID mapping of the KEV entry · follow-on activity
Lower-confidence links (1)
These come from early or generic mappings, text matching, or contradict this CVE’s details (for example a public-facing technique on a bug that needs a user to open a file). Shown for completeness.
- Drive-by CompromiseT1189 server-side bug exploitable without user interaction; client-execution technique does not fit
Detection
0 rules for this CVE · 104 general rules for its techniquesRules for this CVE
0Sigma ruleAn open, vendor-neutral detection rule for log data. Security teams convert Sigma rules into searches for their own SIEM. that reference CVE-2016-1019 directly.CVE-specific rules are not available in this build. Search SigmaHQ ↗
General rules for this CVE’s techniques
These detect the technique in general, not this specific vulnerability.
Ingress Tool TransferT110587 general rules
- Greenbug Espionage Group Indicatorscriticaltest
- Pandemic Registry Keycriticaltest
- Curl Download And Execute Combinationhightest
- File Download And Execution Via IEExec.EXEhightest
- File Download From IP Based URL Via CertOC.EXEhightest
- File Download Using Notepad++ GUP Utilityhightest
- File Download Via Bitsadmin To A Suspicious Target Folderhightest
- File Download Via Windows Defender MpCmpRun.EXEhightest
Data Encrypted for ImpactT148617 general rules
- LockerGoga Ransomware Activitycriticalstable
- Antivirus - Ransomware Signaturecriticaltest
- Potential Conti Ransomware Activitycriticaltest
- WannaCry Ransomware Activitycriticaltest
- BlueSky Ransomware Artefactshightest
- Load Of RstrtMgr.DLL By A Suspicious Processhightest
- Renamed Gpg.EXE Executionhightest
- Suspicious Reg Add BitLockerhightest
Sigma rules © SigmaHQ, Detection Rule License 1.1; linked, not reproduced.
What security researchers reported
Named in 4 threat reports4 reportsservices.google.com2Trend MicroMicrosoftFeb 2017 · 3 undated
Reports are matched by finding the exact id CVE-2016-1019 in their text; nobody has reviewed the match. One passage is shown per report, at most 320 characters, linked to the original.
The Overlooked North Korean Actor
9] FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB JAN 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 CVE-2013-4979 CVE-2013-4979 CVE-2015-5122 CVE-2016-4117 CVE-2014-8439 CVE-2016-1019…
2 passages name itOriginal (opens in a new tab) ↗
Microsoft Security
11 Genwei Jiang, “CVE-2016-1019: A New Flash Exploit Included in Magnitude Exploit Kit,” FireEye Threat…
5 passages name itOriginal (opens in a new tab) ↗
34273894723094830293843427389472309483029384
Mentions the CVE; no further detail.
Also mentioned in 50 community threat pulses (AlienVault OTX)
Weaker evidencePulses are indicator collections that anyone can publish. A mention is not confirmation of exploitation.
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