Recent OTX pulse data indicates a coordinated surge in high-profile ransomware and extortion campaigns targeting the United States. The intelligence identifies three distinct but equally concerning threat actors: Hive0163 (Interlock) and Rhysida, DragonForce, and UNC6240 (ShinyHunters).
Collectively, these groups demonstrate a shift towards sophisticated "living-off-the-land" techniques and zero-day exploitation to bypass traditional defenses. Hive0163 and Rhysida are utilizing an ecosystem of custom malware, including NodeSnake and InterlockRAT, delivered via trojanized installers. Simultaneously, DragonForce has pioneered a novel technique abusing Microsoft Teams relay infrastructure to hide C2 traffic within trusted corporate environments. Lastly, UNC6240 is actively exploiting a critical zero-day (CVE-2026-35273) in Oracle PeopleSoft to breach the education sector.
Primary Objectives:
- Data Extortion & Ransomware: Encryption of critical assets for financial leverage.
- Stealth & Persistence: Using trusted applications (Teams) and legitimate software vulnerabilities (PeopleSoft) to remain undetected.
- Lateral Movement: Establishing footholds via custom RATs (MeshCentral, InterlockRAT) to move laterally across networks.
Threat Actor / Malware Profile
1. Hive0163 (Interlock) & Rhysida
- Distribution: Trojanized software installers and SEO-poisoned downloads.
- Payload Behavior: Utilizes a complex malware chain involving NodeSnake (modular backdoor), InterlockRAT (remote access), and Supper (downloader). They also employ JunkFiction and Tomb crypter to obfuscate payloads.
- C2 Communication: Encrypted HTTP/HTTPS channels to bespoke infrastructure; abuse of cloud storage for staging.
- Persistence: Scheduled tasks and registry run keys; service registration.
- Anti-Analysis: Heavy use of custom crypters (Tomb) and junk code to evade static analysis.
2. DragonForce
- Distribution: Initial access via credential theft or exploitation of vulnerable drivers (BYOVD).
- Payload Behavior: Deploys Backdoor.Turn, a Go-based RAT, designed to tunnel traffic through legitimate protocols.
- C2 Communication: Abuses Microsoft Teams TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) servers to mask malicious traffic as legitimate Microsoft collaboration data.
- Persistence: DLL side-loading technique using legitimate applications to load malicious payloads.
- Anti-Analysis: Uses drivers (CVE-2025-61155) to terminate security processes (EDR killing).
3. UNC6240 (ShinyHunters)
- Distribution: Exploitation of web-facing applications (Oracle PeopleSoft).
- Payload Behavior: Deploys MeshCentral, a legitimate remote administration tool, for command and control and lateral movement.
- C2 Communication: Standard web protocols (HTTP/HTTPS) to domains like
azurenetfiles.net. - Persistence: Web shells planted on compromised servers; scheduled tasks for MeshCentral agents.
- Anti-Analysis: Uses legitimate tools (MeshCentral) to blend in with normal administrative traffic.
IOC Analysis
The provided indicators include a mix of network infrastructure, file artifacts, and vulnerability identifiers:
- Domains & URLs:
leadslaw.com,azurenetfiles.net. These are likely C2 servers or payload distribution points. SOC teams should immediately block these at the proxy/DNS level. - IP Addresses:
185.196.9.234,176.120.22.24. Operationalize by implementing firewall blocks and searching firewall/SIEM logs for any historical connections. - File Hashes (SHA256/MD5): A significant number of hashes (e.g.,
333903c7...,8a403342...) correspond to the Droppers, RATs (NodeSnake), and Encryptors. Use EDR endpoint search capabilities to hunt for these specific hashes on disk or in memory. - CVEs:
CVE-2026-35273(Oracle PeopleSoft RCE),CVE-2025-61155(Vulnerable Driver),CVE-2023-36036. These indicate the specific attack vectors. Patching is the primary remediation, but detection of exploitation attempts is critical.
Tooling for Decoding:
- VirusTotal / Hybrid Analysis: For file hash detonation.
- Cortex / MISP: For IOC enrichment and management.
- Wireshark: To analyze network traffic patterns for Teams relay anomalies.
Detection Engineering
---
title: Potential Exploitation of CVE-2026-35273 Oracle PeopleSoft
id: d17d4e9a-1234-5678-9101-1234567890ab
description: Detects potential exploitation of Oracle PeopleSoft Environment Management component via suspicious process spawning patterns.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/17
author: Security Arsenal
references:
- https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/666e5b1b92f23856301234ab
tags:
- attack.initial_access
- attack.t1190
- cve.2026.35273
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection:
ParentImage|endswith: '\psadmin.exe'
Image|endswith:
- '\cmd.exe'
- '\powershell.exe'
- '\wscript.exe'
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Legitimate administrative tasks by IT staff
level: high
---
title: Suspicious Microsoft Teams Relay Traffic (DragonForce)
id: b29c5f8b-9876-5432-1098-7654321098cd
description: Detects suspicious child processes spawned by Microsoft Teams or connections to non-Microsoft infrastructure from Teams context, indicating potential relay abuse.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/17
author: Security Arsenal
references:
- https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/666e5b1b92f23856301234ac
tags:
- attack.command_and_control
- attack.t1071.001
logsource:
category: network_connection
product: windows
detection:
selection_img:
Image|endswith: '\Microsoft\Teams\current\Teams.exe'
selection_conn:
DestinationPort: 443
Initiated: 'true'
filter_legit_msft:
DestinationHostname|contains:
- '.microsoft.com'
- '.office.com'
- '.skype.com'
- '.azure.net'
condition: selection_img and selection_conn and not filter_legit_msft
falsepositives:
- Rare legitimate plugins interacting with external APIs directly
level: critical
---
title: Rhysida InterlockRAT Execution Pattern
id: a30d6g9c-8765-4321-0987-6543210987ba
description: Detects execution patterns associated with InterlockRAT and JunkFiction downloader often used by Rhysida/Hive0163.
status: experimental
date: 2026/06/17
author: Security Arsenal
references:
- https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/666e5b1b92f23856301234aa
tags:
- attack.execution
- attack.t1059.001
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_parent:
ParentImage|endswith:
- '\msiexec.exe'
- '\7zFM.exe'
- '\winrar.exe'
selection_child:
Image|endswith:
- '\rundll32.exe'
- '\regsvr32.exe'
CommandLine|contains:
- 'http://'
- '.dll'
condition: selection_parent and selection_child
falsepositives:
- Software installation using archived DLLs
level: high
kql
// Hunt for DragonForce and UNC6240 Network Artifacts
DeviceNetworkEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(7d)
| where RemoteUrl in ("leadslaw.com", "azurenetfiles.net") or RemoteIP in ("185.196.9.234", "176.120.22.24")
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountName, RemoteUrl, RemoteIP, RemotePort
| extend IOCType = iff(RemoteUrl in ("leadslaw.com", "azurenetfiles.net"), "Malicious Domain", "Malicious IP")
// Hunt for Malicious File Hashes (Rhysida & DragonForce)
DeviceFileEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(30d)
| where SHA256 in ("333903c7d22a27098e45fc64b77a264aa220605cfbd3e329c200d7e4b42c881c", "8a4033425d36cd99fe23e6faef9764fbf555f362ebdb5b72379342fbbe4c5531", "c7e9332731b06644fc73e0046a2a89eaa59b09f54250e9bd622467187351711f", "048e18416177de2ead251abdf4d89837f6807c6aba4d5b7debe49adfdecbf05c")
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, FolderPath, SHA256, InitiatingProcessAccountName
powershell
# IOC Hunt Script for Active Threats (Rhysida, DragonForce, ShinyHunters)
# Requires Administrative Privileges
Write-Host "[*] Initiating Hunt for Active Threats..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
# 1. Check for Network Connections to Malicious IPs/Domains
$MaliciousIPs = @("185.196.9.234", "176.120.22.24")
$MaliciousDomains = @("leadslaw.com", "azurenetfiles.net")
Write-Host "[*] Checking Active Network Connections..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$connections = Get-NetTCPConnection -State Established -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
foreach ($conn in $connections) {
$process = Get-Process -Id $conn.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($process) {
$remoteIP = (Get-NetIPAddress -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.Address -eq $conn.RemoteAddress })
if ($MaliciousIPs -contains $conn.RemoteAddress) {
Write-Host "[!] ALERT: Connection to Malicious IP $($conn.RemoteAddress) detected via process $($process.ProcessName)" -ForegroundColor Red
}
}
}
# 2. Check for File Presence (Limited Sample)
$TargetHashes = @(
"333903c7d22a27098e45fc64b77a264aa220605cfbd3e329c200d7e4b42c881c",
"8a4033425d36cd99fe23e6faef9764fbf555f362ebdb5b72379342fbbe4c5531"
)
Write-Host "[*] Scanning common payload directories..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$paths = @("$env:TEMP", "$env:APPDATA", "C:\Windows\Temp")
foreach ($path in $paths) {
if (Test-Path $path) {
Get-ChildItem -Path $path -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object {
$fileHash = (Get-FileHash -Path $_.FullName -Algorithm SHA256 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Hash
if ($TargetHashes -contains $fileHash) {
Write-Host "[!] ALERT: Malicious file found at $($_.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Red
}
}
}
}
# 3. Check for MeshCentral Persistence (UNC6240)
Write-Host "[*] Checking for MeshCentral Persistence..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$services = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Service | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*mesh*" -or $_.PathName -like "*meshcentral*" }
if ($services) {
Write-Host "[!] ALERT: Suspicious MeshCentral service detected: $($services.Name)" -ForegroundColor Red
}
Write-Host "[*] Hunt Complete." -ForegroundColor Green
# Response Priorities
**Immediate (0-24h):**
* **Block IOCs:** Immediately block all listed IP addresses (`185.196.9.234`, `176.120.22.24`) and domains (`leadslaw.com`, `azurenetfiles.net`) at network edge and proxy levels.
* **Hunt for MeshCentral:** Scan environment for unauthorized installations of MeshCentral, particularly on servers exposed to the internet.
* **Patch CVE-2026-35273:** Identify all Oracle PeopleSoft instances and apply the patch released on June 10, 2026, immediately.
**24h - 48h:**
* **Credential Reset:** If indicators of DragonForce (Backdoor.Turn) or Rhysida are found, force a password reset for affected accounts and rotate service account credentials.
* **Teams Traffic Analysis:** Review Microsoft Teams logs for anomalous login activity or unusual traffic patterns originating from non-corporate IP ranges.
**1 Week:**
* **Architecture Hardening:** Implement strict allow-listing for Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools to prevent relay abuse.
* **Vulnerability Management:** Conduct a rescan of internet-facing assets to ensure no other instances of the Oracle PeopleSoft vulnerability remain.
* **EDR Tuning:** Update EDR detection rules to specifically flag the process chains identified in the Sigma rules (e.g., signed binaries spawning shells).
Related Resources
Security Arsenal Incident Response Managed SOC & MDR Services AlertMonitor Threat Detection From The Dark Side Intel Hub
Is your security operations ready?
Get a free SOC assessment or see how AlertMonitor cuts through alert noise with automated triage.