Financially motivated group Hive0117 is known for phishing campaigns delivering the fileless malware DarkWatchman.
Analyst brief
Hive0117 is a financially motivated cybercriminal group. They target individuals in the energy, finance, transport, and software security sectors across Russia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Estonia. The group conducts phishing campaigns to deliver the fileless malware DarkWatchman, which is capable of keylogging and collecting system information. Defenders should heighten vigilance against suspicious email attachments, look for signs of fileless loading, and monitor for anomalous system behavior like queries for smartcard readers.
Hive0117
unknown
Hive0117 is a financially motivated cybercriminal group that conducts phishing campaigns to deliver the fileless malware DarkWatchman, which is capable of keylogging and collecting system information. The group targets individuals in the energy, finance, transport, and software security sectors across Russia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Estonia, often imitating official Russian government communications to induce urgency. Their operations leverage emergent policies related to conscription and utilize a UID string for identification, with malware capable of querying for smartcard readers, indicating a focus on higher security targets. The malware's fileless nature and ability to erase traces of its presence suggest moderate sophistication in their TTPs.