Bumblebee Malware Returns in Latest Campaign: What's The New Buzz All About?

Joseph Henry, Tech Times 14 February 2024, 01:02 pm

Bumblebee malware is here! How dangerous is it?

After seemingly disappearing from the internet last October 2023, the notorious Bumblebee malware loader has made a surprising comeback. Originally discovered in 2022 as a potential successor to BazarLoader, Bumblebee was initially associated with prominent ransomware groups, including the Russia-linked Conti.

Bumblebee Uses a Different Approach This Time

Bumblebee Malware Returns in Latest Campaign: What's The New Buzz All About? — (Photo : Proinsias Mac an Bheatha from Unsplash)
After four months, the Bumblebee malware comes back with a more malicious intent of launching phishing campaigns to US-based organizations.

However, its recent resurgence comes with a twist - Bumblebee is now employing a "significantly different" attack strategy, according to Proofpoint. Instead of its previous methods, it relies on malicious VBA macros. This vintage vector suggests a departure from its original creators' modus operandi.

The Latest Campaign

The latest wave of Bumblebee attacks has targeted organizations in the US, utilizing emails with the subject line "Voicemail February" and appearing to originate from info@quarlesaa.com. Notably, the sender domain belongs to a legitimate business, indicating a potential case of email spoofing.

"We cannot say what the follow-on payload would be in this campaign, however historically Proofpoint has previously observed Bumblebee dropping Cobalt Strike, shellcode, and Sliver among other malware," Proofpoint senior threat intelligence analyst Selena Larson told The Register in an emailed statement.

Modus Operandi Behind Bumblebee

Victims receive emails containing links to OneDrive URLs hosting seemingly innocuous Microsoft Word documents. However, these documents contain embedded malicious macros designed to initiate the Bumblebee payload.

Unlike previous Bumblebee campaigns, which predominantly utilized more advanced techniques such as malicious DLLs and HTML smuggling, this resurgence focuses on leveraging outdated attack vectors like VBA macros.

Mitigation and Prevention

While the resurgence of Bumblebee raises concerns, organizations can mitigate the risk by remaining vigilant. This includes educating users to recognize suspicious email activity and ensuring that macros remain disabled across Microsoft Office applications by default.

Despite its apparent disconnect from known threat actors, Bumblebee's return pinpoints a broader trend of heightened threat activity in 2024. Security experts anticipate continued innovation and adaptation from threat actors, emphasizing the need for proactive cybersecurity measures.

Although the recent Bumblebee campaign may seem rudimentary, it is a stark reminder of the evolving nature of cyber threats. Organizations must remain proactive in their defense strategies to mitigate the risk posed by emerging malware variants and tactics.

In another story, another malware arose to attack banks. In its latest blog post, Kaspersky wrote that Coyote malware is on the loose, spotted using NodeJS to bring security risk to people who use online banking systems. The hackers behind the attack reportedly manipulate login pages of bank websites to steal confidential details from their victims.

For more news and updates about cybersecurity, visit our website to learn more.