• 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

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

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

 | 
  • 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
  • Cyber warfare
  • Hacking
  • Intelligence
  • Malware
  • North Korea-linked Sun Team APT group targets deflectors with Android Malware

North Korea-linked Sun Team APT group targets deflectors with Android Malware

Pierluigi Paganini May 22, 2018

A North Korea-linked APT group tracked as Sun Team has targeted North Korean deflectors with a malicious app that was published in the official Google Play store.

A North Korea-linked APT group tracked as Sun Team has targeted North Korean deflectors with a malicious app that was published in the official Google Play store.

The campaign, named RedDawn by security experts at McAfee, is the second campaign attributed conducted by the same APT group this year.

Experts noticed that this is the first time the APT abused the legitimate Google Play Store as the distribution channel. In a past campaign spotted in January, a group of North Korean deflectors and journalists was targeted via social networks, email, and chat apps.

Researchers at McAfee discovered that the malware was on Google Play as ‘unreleased’ versions and it accounts for only around 100 infections, they also notified it to Google that has already removed the threat from the store.

Once installed, the malware starts copying sensitive information from the device, including personal photos, contacts, and SMS messages, and then sends them to the threat actors.

McAfee found that the hackers managed to upload three applications to Google Play – based on the email accounts and Android devices used in the previous attack. The apps include Food Ingredients Info, Fast AppLock, and AppLockFree. They stayed in Google Play for about 2 months before being removed.

“Our recent discovery of the campaign we have named RedDawn on Google Play just a few weeks after the release of our report proves that targeted attacks on mobile devices are here to stay.” reads the post published by the security firm.

“We found three apps uploaded by the actor we named Sun Team, based on email accounts and Android devices used in the previous attack.”

The experts discovered three apps in the app store, the first one named 음식궁합 (Food Ingredients Info), provides information about food, the remaining apps, Fast AppLock and AppLockFree, are security applications.

While the 음식궁합 and Fast AppLock apps are data stealer malware that receives commands and additional executable (.dex) files from a cloud control server, the  AppLockFree is a reconnaissance malware that prepares the installations to further payloads.

The malware spread to friends, asking them to install the malicious apps and offer feedback via a Facebook account with a fake profile promoted 음식궁합.

“After infecting a device, the malware uses Dropbox and Yandex to upload data and issue commands, including additional plug-in dex files; this is a similar tactic to earlier Sun Team attacks.” continues the report.  “From these cloud storage sites, we found information logs from the same test Android devices that Sun Team used for the malware campaign we reported in January,”

The logs collected by the malicious apps appear similar to other logs associated with the Sun Team APT group, in an apparently poor opsec the attackers used email addresses for malware’ developers associated with the North Korea group.

Sun Team malware-campaign

Of course, we cannot exclude that this is an intentional false flag to make hard the attribution of the attack.

The malware used in this campaign has been active at least since 2017, researchers observed numerous versions of the same code.

Threat actors are not native South Korean, but familiar with the culture and language.

“In the new malware on Google Play, we again see that the Korean writing in the description is awkward. As in the previous operation, the Dropbox account name follows a similar pattern of using names of celebrities, such as Jack Black, who appeared on Korean TV.” continues the analysis published by McAfee,

“These features are strong evidence that the actors behind these campaigns are not native South Koreans but are familiar with the culture and language. These elements are suggestive though not a confirmation of the nationality of the actors behind these malware campaigns.”

The attackers tested their malware in with mobile devices from several while the exploit code found in a cloud storage revealed modified “versions of publicly available sandbox escape, privilege escalation, code execution exploits.”

Some of the exploits were modified by the attackers, but experts believe that developers are currently not skillful enough to develop their own zero-day exploits,

The Sun Team hackers were observed creating fake accounts using photos from social networks and the identities of South Koreans. In addition to stealing identities, the hackers are using texting and calling services to generate virtual phone numbers that allow them to sign up for online services in South Korea.

[adrotate banner=”9″] [adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Sun Team APT, malware)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

Hacking malware North Korea Sun Team

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

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

    recent articles

    Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

    Intelligence / July 25, 2025

    Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

    Malware / July 25, 2025

    Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

    Malware / 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