Google's latest quarterly security report has raised alarms in the cybersecurity community about attackers' increasing use of native cloud tools to hide their malicious activities.
A proof-of-concept exploit has been identified, known as "Google Calendar RAT," which allows the weaponization of Google Calendar events for command-and-control (C2) operations.
Initially posted on GitHub in June, the exploit has been forked multiple times, indicating a growing interest from cybercriminals. While no active attacks have been observed, the sharing of the exploit on cybercriminal forums suggests that attackers are considering its potential.
To counter the threat, Google has released a patch. However, Matt Shelton, Google Cloud's head of threat research and analysis, warns that "every cloud service could be used by an attacker to abuse customers," signaling that this may be the beginning of a new trend in cyberattacks.
The exploit was crafted by IT researcher Valerio Alessandroni and is notable for its simplicity, significantly reducing the amount of infrastructure needed for a C2 hub. The steps to use the exploit are as follows:
credentials.json
file and place it in the same folder as the malicious script.Once deployed on a compromised machine, the RAT checks for commands, executes them, and returns the output within the event description field, effectively using the calendar as a terminal.
The simplicity and reliance on legitimate cloud infrastructure make the Google Calendar RAT particularly dangerous and challenging to identify and mitigate.
In light of these threats, users are urged to take proactive measures to safeguard against RATs and other cyber threats. Recommendations include:
tags
Vlad's love for technology and writing created rich soil for his interest in cybersecurity to sprout into a full-on passion. Before becoming a Security Analyst, he covered tech and security topics.
View all postsNovember 14, 2024
September 06, 2024