Gorgon Group APT

Gorgon Group is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group that has conducted targeted attacks against government organisations in the United Kingdom and other nations since February 2018.

Threat ID:: CC-2568
Category:: Trojan
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:: Email spam
Published:: 6 August 2018 12:00 AM

Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

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Summary

Gorgon Group is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group that has conducted targeted attacks against government organisations in the United Kingdom and other nations since February 2018.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - all versions

Threat details

The group has distributed malware via common URL shortening services, particularly Bitly, in addition to traditional command and control domains. Infection is usually achieved via macros in fake documents and spear phishing emails that link to executable files on remote servers. The initial infection stage also attempts to disable antivirus protection and delete virus definition files. The group's emails often have the appearance of being sent from legitimate individuals and have engaging subject lines such as political topics.

The group has used Remote Access Trojans (RATs) and information stealers such as njRAT, NanoCore, Quasar and LokiBot in its activities. Decoy documents may be automatically opened on affected devices to distract users from what is happening in the background.

Remediation advice

To prevent and detect a trojan infection, ensure that:

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails. All operating systems, anti-virus and other security products are kept up-to-date. All day-to-day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts. Strong password policies are in place. Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity. User accounts accessed from affected devices should be reset on a clean computer. Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Type

Step

A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails.
All operating systems, anti-virus and other security products are kept up-to-date.
All day-to-day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts.
Strong password policies are in place.
Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity.
User accounts accessed from affected devices should be reset on a clean computer.
Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:44 pm