TTP Tuesday: APT38 CryptoSpy
2022-06-15 • Prelude •
Prelude’s TTP Tuesday entry builds a defensive emulation chain for APT38 TraderTraitor tradecraft described by CISA, focusing on fake cryptocurrency trading or price-prediction applications used for initial access. The simulated CryptoSpy application is a Go/Fyne GUI that displays Bitcoin and Ethereum prices, then uses an update workflow to download and launch a Pneuma agent, mirroring the malicious update functions reported in TraderTraitor apps. The write-up also covers fallback configuration through config.json or the binary name, callback to a redirector or Operator instance, and follow-on Operator TTPs that wait for the expected agent and collect user and group identity. It matters as an emulation-focused reference for testing detections around APT38-style cryptocurrency lures, malicious update execution, and post-compromise callback validation.