SMOKELOADER

GitHub - tjnel/certgraveyard_yara: Automated YARA rule generation from the Cert Central compromised certificate database. · GitHub

A public project called CertGraveyard has expanded efforts to document abused code-signing certificates used to sign malware, building a shared record of certificate abuse and helping defenders trigger revocations with certificate authorities. The project’s creator said the initiative grew out of years of reporting malicious certificates tied to malware such as SolarMarker, and has helped report more than 2,000 certificates, later growing to roughly 2,400 entries in the database. Supporting tooling includes certReport, which automates abuse reports from malware hashes using sources such as VirusTotal and MalwareBazaar, plus an API, downloadable datasets, feeds, hunting queries, and integrations with platforms including MalwareBazaar, UnpacMe, Malcat, MagicSword.io, and WDAC enforcement workflows. The database reflects a broader pattern in which threat actors repeatedly obtain or abuse valid Authenticode certificates to make malware appear trustworthy, reduce Windows warnings, and sustain delivery campaigns. Prior reporting cited SolarMarker cycling through impostor-issued certificates, FakeBat distributing signed MSI and MSIX installers, Netbounce using valid certificates and fake software branding, Dark Caracal signing Bandook variants with legitimate certificates, and Operation Red Signature abusing a stolen vendor certificate in a supply-chain intrusion. CertGraveyard’s operator said certificate authorities often act on external reports within hours, making revocation a practical disruption measure, though the project has also faced operational pressure including a major DDoS attack while handling heavy daily lookup and download volumes from defenders and malware-analysis integrations.

Exposing FakeBat loader: distribution methods and adversary infrastructure

How an Infostealer Infection Led to a Sophisticated ClickFix Campaign at Artlist | Community Portal | Gurucul

Attackers compromised the Artlist WordPress subdomain new-blog.artlist[.]io and used it to deliver a sophisticated ClickFix malware campaign that presented visitors with a fake CAPTCHA and tricked them into running PowerShell. The injected JavaScript used an EtherHiding technique, querying a Polygon smart contract to dynamically retrieve the next-stage host auth-code-check[.]info, then downloaded a multi-stage infection chain from the attacker-controlled backend. Researchers traced the intrusion to WordPress credentials stolen from an Israeli freelance developer whose machine had been infected by an infostealer after downloading a pirated copy of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC in 2023. The payload chain reportedly used a password-protected archive, a signed StruSoft/FEM-Design updater, and DLL side-loading to decode shellcode and load a final native RAT that supported encrypted and Tor-backed C2, browser credential theft, keylogging, clipboard and screen access, hidden desktop interaction, file transfer, shell and process control, SOCKS proxying, service installation, and in-memory PE delivery.

Artlist ClickFix Page Dropped a Native Windows RAT

How an Infostealer Infection Led to a Sophisticated ClickFix Campaign at Artlist | InfoStealers

How an Infostealer Infection Led to a Sophisticated ClickFix Campaign at Artlist - Malware Analysis - Malware Analysis, News and Indicators

ClickFix: Exploiting Compromised WordPress Sites with a Polygon-Based C2 Infrastructure | Community Portal | Gurucul

From EtherHiding to a native RAT: ClickFix on new-blog.artlist[.]io | Derp