An identical fake Amnesty Anti Pegasus antivirus has just recently been discovered to actually be Sarwent malware! Malware was able to hide in plain sight!
Cisco Talos Malware Campaign Discovery
Security researchers coming from Cisco Talos have just recently discovered a brand new malware campaign in which cybercriminals are actually impersonating the human rights group known as Amnesty International. According to a brand new blog post, the campaign is now targeting those that are concerned about falling victim to this Pegasus spyware which was reportedly created by the NSO Group.
This was reportedly distributed to authoritarian governments that revolve around the world in order to keep tabs on international journalists as well as activists. As of the moment, cybercriminals have actually created a fake website that was impersonating the official site of Amnesty International.
How Does Sarwent Malware Work?
According to the story by TechRadar, this reportedly provides an antivirus tool that they reportedly claim can be used in order to protect against Pegasus. The Sarwent malware can reportedly create a type of backdoor directly on a victim's system. It can also be used in order to activate remote desktop protocol.
This would then allow a certain attacker to access a user's desktop directly. Due to the recent headlines that were talking about the Pegasus spyware, Cisco Talos now believes that this campaign has the potential to be able to infect a number of users. Other clever attacks like the GiftHorse Android Trojan were able to affect 10 million mobile users! This spread throughout a whopping 200 infected apps that bypassed Google Play Store itself.
Sarwent Malware Dangers
In fact, even Apple has recently pushed out a certain security update intended for iOS that had patched a particular vulnerability that attackers had been exploiting. This was in order for them to install Pegasus which then led even more people to become aware of the whole spyware's existence.
Sarwent reportedly differs from other information stealers. This is due to the fact that it actually has a look and feels that is very similar to other specific antivirus software. It is reportedly also capable of exfiltrating any kind of data coming from a victim's own computer. This would also provide an attacker with the main means to upload and even execute some of the other malicious tools used as well.
Read Also: New Google Chrome Zero-Day Exploit Affects Windows, MacOS, Linux Users! Do This To Prevent Hacking
Amnesty Anti Pegasus AVPegasus
Thankfully enough, Cisco Talos has not yet observed any particular malicious advertisements or other phishing campaigns that are being used in order to promote the said fake Amnesty International website that is responsible for distributing Sarwent. Users, however, have to be on the lookout for the whole "Amnesty Anti Pegasus" software known as AVPegasus.
As always, users should also avoid downloading and installing certain software that comes from unknown sources online. Stalkerware has also become a largely growing problem that is starting to gain recognition. Learn how to identify stalkerware and prevent yourself from being attacked.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
