The North Korean Kimsuky APT keeps threatening South Korea evolving its TTPs
2020-03-03 • Yoroi •
Yoroi analyzed a Kimsuky-attributed infection chain that began with a Windows screensaver-style .scr loader and delivered a second-stage DLL disguised with a .tmp.db extension. The malware copied itself as AutoUpdate.dll under a Windows Defender-themed path, set HKCU RunOnce persistence, and used a temporary batch file to remove the initial artifact while displaying a legitimate Korean CV-form HWP document as a decoy. AutoUpdate.dll injected components into explorer.exe using process enumeration, VirtualAllocEx, WriteProcessMemory, and CreateRemoteThread, helping the operation blend into a trusted process. The implant contacted suzuki.datastore.pe.hu every 15 minutes with multiple HTTP requests and user-agent values, sending compromised-host information back to the C2. The report ties the sample to Kimsuky based on similarities with previously documented TTPs while noting differences in embedded resources.
Indicators of Compromise
| Type | Value | First Seen | Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| YARA | injectedDLL | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| YARA | AutoUpdate_dll | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| YARA | loader | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| HASH | 817ef0d9d3584977d1114b7e92012b6… | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| HASH | 757dfeacabf4c2f771147159d261178… | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| HASH | caa24c46089c8953b2a5465457a6c20… | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| HASH | bbad65136d73cbd5262bc88571677b5… | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |
| HASH | d21523b7b8f6584305a0a6a83cd65c8… | 2020-03-03 | 2020-03-03 |