New attack uses MSC files and Windows XSS flaw to breach networks

New attack uses MSC files and Windows XSS flaw to breach networks

June 24, 2024 at 03:14PM

The command execution technique “GrimResource” exploits an unpatched Windows XSS flaw using malicious MSC files to deploy Cobalt Strike malware. This technique was recently found to be actively exploited in the wild, leveraging an old vulnerability in the Microsoft Management Console. The attack can lead to the execution of other commands and remains unaddressed in the latest version of Windows 11.

Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are as follows:

– A novel command execution technique called ‘GrimResource’ utilizes specially crafted MSC files and an unpatched Windows XSS vulnerability to execute code through the Microsoft Management Console.
– Threat actors have been switching file types in phishing attacks in response to Microsoft’s disabling of macros in Office, with GrimResource currently being actively exploited in the wild.
– Attackers have been leveraging the unpatched Windows XSS flaw in the ‘apds.dll’ library to deploy Cobalt Strike through malicious MSC files, which has been confirmed to still be unpatched in the latest version of Windows 11.
– Elastic Security has outlined indicators of compromise for GrimResource and provided YARA rules to help defenders detect suspicious MSC files.
– A complete list of GrimResource indicators has been published on GitHub by Elastic Security.

These takeaways summarize the key points from the meeting notes focusing on the GrimResource attack and its implications. Let me know if you need any further assistance or if there are any other specific points you would like to highlight.

Full Article