• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 

U.S. CISA urges to immediately patch Microsoft SharePoint flaw adding it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Microsoft issues emergency patches for SharePoint zero-days exploited in "ToolShell" attacks

 | 

SharePoint zero-day CVE-2025-53770 actively exploited in the wild

 | 

Singapore warns China-linked group UNC3886 targets its critical infrastructure

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Fortinet FortiWeb flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 54

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • APT
  • Breaking News
  • Intelligence
  • Malware
  • BellaCPP, Charming Kitten’s BellaCiao variant written in C++

BellaCPP, Charming Kitten’s BellaCiao variant written in C++

Pierluigi Paganini December 25, 2024

Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten has been observed using a new variant of the BellaCiao malware dubbed BellaCPP, Kaspersky researchers warn.

The Iran-linked APT group Charming Kitten has been observed using a C++ variant of the BellaCiao malware, dubbed BellaCPP.

BellaCiao, a .NET-based malware, combines webshell persistence with covert tunneling. The malicious code was first spotted in April 2023 by Bitdefender, its PDB paths reveal valuable insights, including a versioning scheme.

Recently Kaspersky discovered a BellaCiao malware sample on a computer in Asia, along with a related C++ reimplementation of an older BellaCiao version.

BellaCiao’s PDB paths revealed key details about the campaign, including target entities and countries. All paths include “MicrosoftAgentServices,” sometimes with versioning integers (e.g., “MicrosoftAgentServices2”), likely used by developers to track updates and maintain an evolving malware arsenal for APT operations.

“BellaCPP was found on the same machine infected with the .NET-based BellaCiao malware. It’s a DLL file named “adhapl.dll”, developed in C++ and located in C:\Windows\System32. It has one export function, named “ServiceMain”.” reads the report published by Kaspersky. “The name and control handler registration indicate that, similar to the original BellaCiao samples, this variant is designed to run as a Windows service.”

The .NET-based BellaCiao malware exhibits behavior similar to earlier versions, including:

  1. Decrypting strings for a DLL path, functions (“SecurityUpdate” and “CheckDNSRecords”) using XOR encryption.
  2. Loading the DLL and resolving function addresses.
  3. Generating a domain in the format <5 random letters><target identifier>.<country code>.systemupdate[.]info.
  4. Validating the domain’s IP against a hardcoded address and invoking the “SecurityUpdate” function with specific arguments.

Despite similarities, differences include domain generation patterns and SSH tunneling workflows in .NET versions. Analysis of the crucial DLL (D3D12_1core.dll) remains incomplete due to its unavailability.

“Based on the passed parameters and known BellaCiao functionality, we assess with medium confidence that the missing DLL creates an SSH tunnel. However, in contrast to the PowerShell webshell that we observed in the older BellaCiao samples, the BellaCPP sample lacks a hardcoded webshell.” continues the report.

BellaCPP is likely linked to the Charming Kitten threat actor, as it mirrors BellaCiao samples in C++ form without webshell functionality, uses domains tied to the actor, employs similar domain generation methods, and was found on a system alongside an older BellaCiao sample.

“Charming Kitten has been improving its arsenal of malware families while making use of publicly available tools.” concludes the report. “The discovery of the BellaCPP sample highlights the importance of conducting a thorough investigation of the network and the machines in it. Attackers can deploy unknown samples which might not be detected by security solutions, thereby retaining a foothold in the network after “known” samples are removed.”

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Iran)


facebook linkedin twitter

APT BellaCPP Charming Kitten Hacking hacking news information security news Iran IT Information Security malware Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 24, 2025
Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 24, 2025
SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

    Security / July 24, 2025

    DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

    Security / July 24, 2025

    Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Hacking / July 24, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT