Back to Intelligence

Operation Endgame, Woodgnat Mistic RAT & JINX-0164: OTX Pulse Analysis — Enterprise Detection Pack

SA
Security Arsenal Team
June 29, 2026
6 min read

The latest OTX pulses paint a complex picture of the current threat landscape, characterized by aggressive law enforcement disruption operations and the rapid emergence of sophisticated financially motivated actors.

The highlight is Operation Endgame, a major coordinated takedown impacting the Amadey and Stealc botnets. While this disruption reduces the immediate threat from these specific MaaS (Malware-as-a-Service) families, it has likely caused threat actors to shift infrastructure and migrate to alternative loaders like Lumma Stealer or Danabot.

Simultaneously, we are tracking the rise of Woodgnat, a dangerous Initial Access Broker (IAB) deploying the new Mistic backdoor and ModeloRAT. This group focuses on ransomware precursors, specifically targeting insurance, education, and technology sectors. In a parallel campaign, JINX-0164 is aggressively targeting cryptocurrency developers via LinkedIn phishing, delivering custom macOS malware (AUDIOFIX, MINIRAT) to hijack CI/CD pipelines. Finally, state-sponsored activity persists with Kimsuky evolving KimJongRAT using legitimate GitHub infrastructure, and a critical new exploit chain targeting AI pipelines (Langflow) has been actively observed in the wild.

Collectively, these pulses indicate a pivot from commodity loaders to bespoke, multi-platform malware designed for persistent access and credential theft.

Threat Actor / Malware Profile

1. Woodgnat & Mistic Backdoor

  • Profile: An Initial Access Broker (IAB) linked to Qilin, Black Basta, and Akira ransomware operations.
  • Distribution: Social engineering and sideloading attacks.
  • Behavior: Deploy Backdoor.Mistic and ModeloRAT. Mistic is stealthy, often used to establish persistence before deploying ransomware payloads. It utilizes DLL sideloading to bypass security controls.
  • Objective: Gain initial access and sell footholds to ransomware affiliates.

2. JINX-0164

  • Profile: Financially motivated actor active since mid-2025.
  • Distribution: LinkedIn recruitment scams and supply chain attacks via compromised npm packages or fake developer tools.
  • Behavior: Delivers AUDIOFIX (Python-based infostealer) and MINIRAT (Go backdoor) targeting macOS users. Capabilities include stealing cryptocurrency keys and hijacking CI/CD workflows.
  • Objective: Intellectual property theft and financial gain via cryptocurrency infrastructure compromise.

3. Kimsuky (KimJongRAT)

  • Profile: North Korean APT group specializing in espionage.
  • Distribution: Phishing emails with shortened URLs leading to malicious GitHub repositories (ZIP files).
  • Behavior: Uses KimJongRAT (stealing + R.A.T.) and MeshAgent for C2. Recent campaigns leverage legitimate services to host payloads, evading network reputation checks.
  • Objective: Intelligence gathering and persistent access to strategic targets.

4. CVE-2026-55255 (Langflow)

  • Profile: Exploitation of AI infrastructure.
  • Vector: A critical CVSS 9.9 vulnerability (IDOR) chained with CVE-2026-33017 (RCE) in the Langflow AI framework.
  • Behavior: Allows attackers to cross tenant boundaries and execute remote code on AI pipelines, potentially leading to model poisoning or data exfiltration.

IOC Analysis

The provided IOCs span multiple infrastructure types, reflecting the diverse attack vectors:

  • IP Addresses (C2 Infrastructure): Numerous IPv4s (e.g., 176.124.199.207, 45.207.216.55) linked to Amadey, Stealc, and active exploit scanning. These should be blocked immediately at the firewall.
  • Domains & Hostnames (Phishing & C2): High volume of suspicious domains (e.g., teamicrosoft.com, driver-updater.net) used for social engineering and payload delivery. Many mimic legitimate services (Microsoft, Teams).
  • File Hashes (Payloads): SHA1 and SHA256 hashes for loaders, backdoors, and RATs.
  • CVEs: CVE-2026-55255 and CVE-2026-33017 for vulnerability scanning.

Operationalization: SOC teams should import these IOCs into their SIEM (e.g., Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk) and EDR solutions. Focus on correlating network connections (to the listed IPs/Domains) with process creation events involving PowerShell or Python.

Detection Engineering

YAML
title: Potential Amadey or Stealc Infostealer Persistence
id: 1a2b3c4d-5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d
description: Detects persistence mechanisms often used by Amadey and Stealc malware families via Run keys.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/29
author: Security Arsenal
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/operation-endgame
tags:
    - attack.persistence
    - attack.t1547.001
logsource:
    product: windows
    registry:
        - add
detection:
    selection:
        EventType: SetValue
        TargetObject|contains:
            - '\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
            - '\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce'
        Details|contains:
            - 'Amadey'
            - 'Stealc'
            - 'Lumma'
            - 'Danabot'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate software installation
level: high

---
title: Suspicious PowerShell Download via GitHub - Kimsuky/JINX-0164 Pattern
id: 2b3c4d5e-6f7a-8b9c-0d1e-2f3a4b5c6d7e
description: Detects PowerShell commands downloading archives or scripts from GitHub, a common vector for Kimsuky KimJongRAT and crypto-targeting malware.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/29
author: Security Arsenal
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/kimjongrat
tags:
    - attack.execution
    - attack.t1059.001
logsource:
    product: windows
    category: process_creation
detection:
    selection_img:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\powershell.exe'
            - '\pwsh.exe'
    selection_cmd:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - 'github.com'
            - 'githubusercontent.com'
            - 'Invoke-WebRequest'
            - 'IEX'
            - 'DownloadString'
    selection_ext:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - '.zip'
            - '.rar'
            - '.7z'
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate developer scripts
level: medium

---
title: Potential Langflow CVE-2026-55255 Exploitation Attempt
id: 3c4d5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f-3a4b5c6d7e8f
description: Detects potential web exploitation attempts against Langflow targeting specific paths associated with CVE-2026-55255.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/29
author: Security Arsenal
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/langflow-cve
tags:
    - attack.initial_access
    - attack.t1190
logsource:
    category: webserver
detection:
    selection_uri:
        c-uri|contains:
            - '/api/v1/components'
            - '/flow/'
    selection_suspicious:
        c-uri|contains:
            - '../'
            - '%2e%2e'
            - 'slt' 
    condition: all of selection_*
falsepositives:
    - Unusual but legitimate API testing
level: critical


kql
// Hunt for network connections to known IOCs from JINX-0164 and Woodgnat
DeviceNetworkEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where RemoteUrl in (
    'teamicrosoft.com', 
    'driver-updater.net', 
    'live.ong', 
    'authorized-logins.net',
    'grande-luna.top',
    'oeannon.com',
    'googleoba.servequake.com'
    )
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, RemoteUrl, RemoteIP

// Hunt for process creation associated with Amadey/Stealc/ModeloRAT
DeviceProcessEvents 
| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where SHA256 in (
    'ff8d2afd9d7f0a828592fee34ca55d1a3542f7ed', // Amadey/Stealc related SHA1 converted context if found, otherwise placeholder for hash logic
    '3f797a639bc855bc6d5471f327924b62d10900ddec49b970eca6604142bbb4be', // Mistic related
    'b6cab0b3aa8e56e2427f486c74588d598ae58bb0cbc0eda6939fe171cb0aed17'  // AUDIOFIX/MINIRAT
    )
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, FileName, ProcessCommandLine, FolderPath, SHA256


powershell
# IOC Hunter: scans processes and specific file paths for known malware hashes

$TargetHashes = @( 
    "3f797a639bc855bc6d5471f327924b62d10900ddec49b970eca6604142bbb4be", # Mistic
    "b6cab0b3aa8e56e2427f486c74588d598ae58bb0cbc0eda6939fe171cb0aed17", # AudioFix
    "9758e76b601798a30d903bf05052a53df80451e5c156548ce9da828f608b6470", # KimJongRAT
    "221a39856b37e3c682f62427f1e6b965b36a2405764689c914672770a01a1fa9"  # KimJongRAT
)

Write-Host "[+] Scanning running processes for known malicious hashes..."
Get-Process | ForEach-Object {
    try {
        $path = $_.Path
        if ($path -and (Test-Path $path)) {
            $hash = (Get-FileHash -Path $path -Algorithm SHA256 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Hash
            if ($TargetHashes -contains $hash) {
                Write-Host "[!] ALERT: Malicious process detected - PID: $($_.Id), Name: $($_.ProcessName), Path: $path, Hash: $hash" -ForegroundColor Red
            }
        }
    } catch {}
}

Write-Host "[+] Checking common download/temp directories for specific payload names..."
$SuspiciousFiles = @("agent.ashx", "install.sh", "*.zip")
$PathsToScan = @("$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads", "$env:TEMP", "C:\ProgramData")

foreach ($p in $PathsToScan) {
    if (Test-Path $p) {
        Get-ChildItem -Path $p -Recurse -Include $SuspiciousFiles -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object {
             Write-Host "[!] Suspicious file found: $($_.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        }
    }
}


# Response Priorities

*   **Immediate:** Block all listed IPv4 addresses and Domains at perimeter firewalls and proxies. Specifically, block domains mimicking Microsoft (`teamicrosoft.com`, `teams.live.us.org`). 
*   **24h:** Initiate credential audits for users who may have interacted with LinkedIn recruitment messages or downloaded files from untrusted GitHub repositories. Scan endpoints for the SHA256 hashes provided in the IOC list.
*   **1 Week:** Harden developer environments. Restrict the use of personal GitHub repositories in corporate pipelines and enforce application control (AppLocker) to prevent the execution of unsigned Python or Go binaries in user directories.

Related Resources

Security Arsenal Incident Response Managed SOC & MDR Services AlertMonitor Threat Detection From The Dark Side Intel Hub

darkwebotx-pulsedarkweb-credentialsoperation-endgamemistic-ratjinx-0164kimsukylangflow

Is your security operations ready?

Get a free SOC assessment or see how AlertMonitor cuts through alert noise with automated triage.