An ongoing campaign to infect supply chain software firms with the Kwampirs malware has led the FBI to issue a formal warning to the private sector, according to published reports.
Targets for the remote-access Trojan (RAT) include organizations that run industrial control systems (ICS), financial services firms, energy companies and healthcare institutions, according to ZDNet.
The businesses targeted by the attacks so far weren’t called out by name, but the FBI statement suggested hackers are attempting to use the malware to get access to their ecosystem of partners and customers.
How Hackers Use Kwampirs Malware
This isn’t the first time experts have identified cybercriminals using Kwampirs to strike at a wide range of organizations.
Almost two years ago, for example, researchers from Symantec noticed that the malware was being used by a group dubbed Orangeworm to infect companies across several seemingly unrelated industries. This included firms in IT, logistics, manufacturing and even agriculture.
Such organizations often serve healthcare providers, which means that by penetrating their defenses with Kwampirs, hackers could steal personal healthcare data or do other damage. The FBI alert suggests that rogue actors are now using a similar approach to attack organizations involved in energy transmission and distribution.
Keep Kwampirs Out of Your Environment
Companies can prevent threats such as Kwampirs by using an advanced malware detection system to regularly scan their networks for potential attacks. In fact, the FBI recommended that organizations run a scan as part of its alert.
Individuals need to stay vigilant for malware attacks too. Some of the most common tactics could include phishing emails with malicious links, or even including links in text messages.
Make sure you don’t click on anything that doesn’t come from a trusted sender and be wary of visiting and clicking through websites that haven’t been whitelisted by your employer.