Russian APT Hackers Exploiting Exim Vulnerability Since 2019 – NSA Warns

NSA warns that Russian hackers exploiting the Exim vulnerability (CVE-2019-10149) since at least last August. The APT hacker group linked with the attack is Sandworm Team.

Sandworm Team is known to be active since 2009, and the group mainly targets Ukrainian entities associated with energy, industrial control systems, SCADA, government, and media.

Hackers Exploiting Exim Vulnerability

Exim is a popular mail transfer agent (MTA) that comes pre-installed with some Linux distributions such as Debian. Last June, Exim patched critical remote code execution vulnerability that affects versions between Exim 4.87 to 4.91. The vulnerability was fixed with Exim 4.92.

The vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker by sending a specially crafted email to execute commands with root privileges.

NSA observed that threat Russian APT hackers exploiting Exim vulnerability on public-facing MTA by sending a crafted mail in the “MAIL FROM” field of an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) message.

If the vulnerability was exploited successfully then attackers able to install programs, modify data, and create new accounts.

“When Sandwormexploited CVE-2019-10149, the victim machine would subsequently download and execute a shell script from a Sandworm-controlled domain.”

Following are the script that attackers can execute;

  • add privileged users
  • disable network security settings
  • update SSH configurations to enable additional remote access
  • execute an additional script to enable follow-on exploitation

Using a previous version of Exim leaves the system vulnerable. System administrators are recommended to update with the latest version to mitigate the attacks.

Indicators of Compromise (IOC)

95.216.13(.)196
103.94.157(.)5
hostapp(.)be

You can follow us on LinkedinTwitterFacebook for daily Cybersecurity and hacking news updates.

Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

View Comments

  • Majorly, cybersecurity can be categorized into three categories namely- network, application, and information. Our major focus will be on the above three mentioned categories. Others include- operational security, disaster recovery and business continuity, and end-user education. Let us look at the different kinds of cybersecurity.
    Network Security-
    Offices, schools, colleges, and various other institutions are interconnected with many smart technologies including computers. Network security provides these institutions security from the intruders and malicious attacks on their systems.

    Application Security-
    Multiple applications on your smart devices ask for your permission to access your data. Knowingly or unknowingly we use to give them access to many relevant data. Application security helps to restrict targeted attackers enabling software and devices free from any threat.

    Information Security-
    Information security enables protection to the integrity and privacy of data, whether stored in the cloud or the vault.

    To know more, visit http://allicienttechnologies.com/

Recent Posts

Ivanti Fully Patched Connect Secure RCE Vulnerability That Actively Exploited in the Wild

Ivanti has issued an urgent security advisory for CVE-2025-22457, a critical vulnerability impacting Ivanti Connect…

15 hours ago

Beware! Weaponized Job Recruitment Emails Spreading BeaverTail and Tropidoor Malware

A concerning malware campaign was disclosed by the AhnLab Security Intelligence Center (ASEC), revealing how…

19 hours ago

EncryptHub Ransomware Uncovered Through ChatGPT Use and OPSEC Failures

EncryptHub, a rapidly evolving cybercriminal entity, has come under intense scrutiny following revelations of operational…

19 hours ago

PoisonSeed Targets CRM and Bulk Email Providers in New Supply Chain Phishing Attack

A sophisticated phishing campaign, dubbed "PoisonSeed," has been identified targeting customer relationship management (CRM) and…

19 hours ago

Beware! Fake Unpaid Tolls Messages Used in Phishing Attack to Steal Login Credentials

A surge in phishing text messages claiming unpaid tolls has been linked to a massive…

19 hours ago

State Bar of Texas Confirms Data Breach, Begins Notifying Affected Consumers

The State Bar of Texas has confirmed a data breach following the detection of unauthorized…

19 hours ago