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-2016-4117 KEVRansomwarePublic exploitEnd of life Critical · 9.8 EPSS 94.3%
Adobe Flash Player Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability
Adobe · Flash Player
End of lifeAdobe Flash Player reached End of lifeThe vendor no longer ships security fixes. Remove or isolate the product instead of waiting for a patch. on 31 Dec 2020. No patch is coming: remove or isolate it.
Summary
Adobe Flash Player, in versions 21.0.0.226 and earlier, contains an arbitrary code execution flaw whose specific vector is not disclosed. A remote attacker can exploit it to run arbitrary code with no authentication or user interaction required and no special configuration needed.
Official description · NVD
Adobe Flash Player 21.0.0.226 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in May 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
72.6 / 100
- Exploited
- Yes, in CISA KEV
- Reports
- 3
- Tactics
- 1/15
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 3 days before it was disclosed. Public exploit code (Metasploit) was available 14 days before disclosure.
- Public exploit codeMetasploit14 days before
- First seen exploitedVulnCheck KEV evidence3 days before
- Disclosedday 0
- Named in a threat reporttrendmicro.com+10 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
1 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 1Command 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
The vulnerability is exploited by a user opening a maliciously-crafted file. Reporting on in-the-wild exploitation indicates threat actor utilize this vulnerability to install command and control software on the target system. Adversaries seen exploiting this vulnerability were also observed to do a version check on the target software before attempting the exploitation.
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.
- Malicious FileT1204.002 server-side bug exploitable without user interaction; client-execution technique does not fit
Detection
0 rules for this CVE · 87 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-2016-4117 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
Sigma rules © SigmaHQ, Detection Rule License 1.1; linked, not reproduced.
What security researchers reported
Named in 3 threat reports3 reportsTrend Microservices.google.comMicrosoftFeb 2017 · 2 undated
Reports are matched by finding the exact id CVE-2016-4117 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
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-2018-4878 (Zero-day vulnerability) CVE-2017-0199 CVE-2015-2387 CVE-2015-2545 CVE-2015-7645 CVE-2016-4117…
Microsoft Security
The NEODYMIUM attack chain shows how the exploit CVE-2016-4117 was used to infect target individuals’ computers…
5 passages name itOriginal (opens in a new tab) ↗
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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- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 202623 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 202622 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 202621 Oct 2026
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