Polish Government Under Sophisticated Cyber Attack From APT28 Hacker Group

The Polish computer emergency response team CERT.pl has issued a warning about an ongoing cyberattack campaign by the notorious APT28 hacking group, also known as Fancy Bear or Sofacy. The campaign is targeting various Polish government institutions with a new strain of malware.

According to the CERT.pl analysis, the attack begins with spear-phishing emails containing malicious attachments or links.

The malware is deployed once the victim opens the attachment or clicks the link, establishing a foothold in the targeted network.

Subject: I solved your problem

Hello Paweł!
I did a little research and found this mysterious Ukrainian woman.
Now she is in Warsaw.
She runs a rather unusual company that sells used underwear.
also has clients from senior authorities in Poland and Ukraine.
All information on this subject is available at this link - ALINA-BOKLAN (Link)

Threat actors are increasingly using free, commonly-used services like run.mocky.io and webhook.site to deliver malware while evading detection.

This technique involves redirecting through these services to obfuscate the final malicious payload. The link first goes to run.mocky.io, a free API testing service, which then redirects to webhook.site for logging requests.

A ZIP archive disguised as an image file (e.g. IMG-238279780.zip) is downloaded from webhook.site.

With default Windows settings hiding extensions and hidden files, the victim sees the ZIP as an image, potentially leading them to open the malicious payload.

Using free services reduces costs and makes malicious links harder to flag as they blend in with legitimate developer traffic. This stealthy approach is becoming a trend across many APT groups.

“The malware used in this campaign is a new variant of the X-Agent backdoor, which allows the attackers to execute arbitrary commands, exfiltrate data, and move laterally within the compromised network,” explained CERT.pl in their report.

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CERT.pl urges all Polish government agencies and critical infrastructure operators to remain vigilant and implement security measures.

APT28 is a highly sophisticated cyber-espionage group believed to be associated with the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.

The group has been active since at least 2007 and has been linked to numerous high-profile cyberattacks, including the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak and the 2017 NotPetya ransomware outbreak.

This latest campaign highlights the persistent threat posed by state-sponsored hacking groups and the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity measures, especially for critical government and infrastructure systems.

The report details the attack flow, providing indicators of compromise (IOCs) and recommendations for detecting and mitigating the threat.

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IOCs

URLs:

https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=2d07e34c-3dd3-45e8-865c-3888a65ab885
https://webhook.site/2d07e34c-3dd3-45e8-865c-3888a65ab885
https://webhook.site/4ba464d9-0675-4a7a-9966-8f84e93290ba
https://webhook.site/577b82c3-7249-44e9-9353-5eab106fead6
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=127df518-52be-46c5-bbb2-0479f4b9693b
https://webhook.site/127df518-52be-46c5-bbb2-0479f4b9693b
https://webhook.site/0ef0dcf7-f258-4d02-b274-cbf62a2000cf
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=c1112bb3-0e6e-4ba4-abe7-fb31388b47ad
https://webhook.site/c1112bb3-0e6e-4ba4-abe7-fb31388b47ad
https://webhook.site/3f396db1-2016-4b69-9ec3-ffc417d5f3aa
https://webhook.site/66ea3bbc-29dc-4ece-b804-71c6ec7b77b6
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=efb79108-a2b5-4cba-844d-6352bb8fad8c
https://webhook.site/efb79108-a2b5-4cba-844d-6352bb8fad8c
https://webhook.site/9c87649c-220d-425d-8331-ffc8d9b94a38
https://webhook.site/c618ea32-2923-4c12-8151-8d0002b56af0
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=f97bcee0-0d91-4503-a30c-027f1b34820f
https://webhook.site/f97bcee0-0d91-4503-a30c-027f1b34820f
https://webhook.site/9a9cdaf8-120c-4de9-b17a-d6d8e2796a3b
https://webhook.site/e13d23aa-b6f8-4491-9adc-71f7f8c438df
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=5e4c7949-30a2-4477-9e9b-e8828fc76a1b
https://webhook.site/5e4c7949-30a2-4477-9e9b-e8828fc76a1b
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=5100fcc0-f6be-4b09-8c58-5a8a6706ec4f
https://webhook.site/5100fcc0-f6be-4b09-8c58-5a8a6706ec4f
https://webhook.site/7674f06b-e435-4470-a594-6d59578c552d
https://webhook.site/dee016bf-21a2-45dd-86b4-6099747794c4
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=508da0df-7ec9-420e-b1fe-958fbbe699d1
https://webhook.site/508da0df-7ec9-420e-b1fe-958fbbe699d1
https://webhook.site/bec23763-b8d9-4191-99ba-04a4a163b4de
https://webhook.site/90fea98f-fbdb-4847-be03-409d02a43caf
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=bc349b93-b047-42f8-a421-d45e3ec94dc5
https://webhook.site/bc349b93-b047-42f8-a421-d45e3ec94dc5
https://webhook.site/5a8758c6-5702-4fea-9d5e-4fbdb6dd795f
https://webhook.site/b10bd697-1a9f-4ec7-aa2f-1fa84ad916a1
https://run.mocky.io/v3/87f277a5-a081-4976-8e12-351b6c02a903?q=1658772a-4de8-4368-a604-980c90b0a1ed
https://webhook.site/1658772a-4de8-4368-a604-980c90b0a1ed
https://webhook.site/4fe5885c-f2f6-4905-8bc7-aef1a046a134
https://webhook.site/0d2dc90e-2d5e-49f8-8249-d7ab955c387a

SHA256 hashes and filenames:

2bd9591bea6b1f4128e4819e3888b45b193d5a2722672b839ad7ae120bf9af3d IMG-1030873974629655576.zip
52b8bfbd9ef8ecfd54e71c74a7131cb7b3cc61ea01bc6ce17cbe7aef14acc948 WindowsCodecs.dll
4001498463dc8f8010ef1cc803b67ac434ff26d67d132933a187697aa2e88ef1 bcpcn.bat
158d49cce44968ddd028b1ef5ebc2a5183a31f05707f9dc699f0c47741be84db IMG-1030873974629655576.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 kpqsklcrdsonoknaote.css
7c6689f591ce2ccd6713df62d5135820f94bdbf2e035ab70e6b3c6746865a898 IMG-7214532.zip
c968f9dd1f16a435901d2b93a028a0ae2508e943c8f480935a529826deb3dbeb WindowsCodecs.dll
34cabc0ff2f216830ffe217e8f8d0fa4b7d3a167576745aba48b7e62f546207b zdesdyf.bat
e1069c8677d64226f7881e8504ed7a13f79f43f143842ea6c1c8b2cc680ed6c2 IMG-238279780.zip
43ff178e428373512b83f85db32f364fc19c9a4ac7317835bd5089915b8727b5 WindowsCodecs.dll
ca700d44db08ad2ebd52278a3b303f8c13e44847a507fb317ea5dfb6cc924a76 hjpxswjdkayzwfphx.bat
bab7e81395e1e9ee1680c3bb702c44b1b13ee5e67fa893d765284ae168de8369 IMG-238279780.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 vngradn.css
38ae06833528db02cb3a315d96ad2a664b732b5620675028a8c5e059e820514f IMG-810629002957075004.zip
ee433ddd5988ab7325b92378c6d3cb736ddb7f1bad75b939e8c931f417660129 WindowsCodecs.dll
9ddf5561562a62961a6fcac1dc49633cb79f5d3c8cc9b95fd9f87e7be70d2d35 yvrlqpkgngppjp.bat
dfd1f3229f903887f2474f361a26273dc63a6221883e86c5eea2dec9521dc081 IMG-810629002957075004.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 ovhupm.css
949b0bd52a4ed47bc4a342e5a29bff2bcdb0169d2fbf0f052509b65229e19b6e IMG-368912.zip
642315d3091a3dfba6c0ed06f119fc40d21f3d84574b53e045baf8910e1fb38c WindowsCodecs.dll
fb42a4e0f2dd293fd6e7acb8d67d67698a0ae7685bc5462685acf4c2f73d0b44 udkozfnsljmbpjs.bat
07e539373177801e3fc5427bf691c0315a23b527d39e756daad6a9fc48e846bc IMG-368912.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 wrkybdizscvb.css
5d2675572e092ba9aece8c8d0b9404b3adbd27db1312cd659ba561b86301fe73 IMG-451458326.zip
f348a0349fdec136c3ac9eaee9b8761da6bd33df82056e4dd792192731675b00 WindowsCodecs.dll
351f10d7df282afed4558d765aa5018af0711fa4f37fa7eb82716313f4848a2f illgvjrfyevoqxk.bat
85f10d3df079b4db3a83ae3c4620c58a8362df2be449f8ce830d087ab41c7a52 IMG-451458326.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 mzmtfylpywlyurkcd.css
745cfce3e0242d0d5f6765b1f74608e9086d7793b45dbd1747f2d2778dec6587 IMG-0601181.zip
598a8b918d0d2908a756475aee1e9ffaa57b110d8519014a075668b8b1182990 WindowsCodecs.dll
ef67f20ff9184cab46408b27eaf12a5941c9f130be49f1c6ac421b546dac2bac hzjtajjklr.bat
96766dfbf6c661ee3e9f750696803824a04e58402c66f208835a7acebfab1cfc IMG-0601181.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 daukbpnawvkfcjcfzu.css
4f0f9a2076b0fd14124bed08f5fc939bada528e7a8163912a4ad1ec7687029a3 IMG-89848928.zip
ae4e94c5027998f4ce17343e50b935f448e099a89266f9564bd53a069da2ca9a WindowsCodecs.dll
d714fff643d53fdd56cf9dcb3bd265e1920c4b5f34a4668b584a0619703d8a3e jxfgibtfxiewsdvmeg.bat
b3e60909036c4110eb7e3d8c0b1db5be5c164fcc32056885e4f1afe561341afd IMG-89848928.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 cvywrkrhhfzza.css
5883842c87ca6b59236257e15db983cc88d4948cf0d649455f8f393899673fcc IMG-3907894910429.zip
0873a19d278a7a8e8cff2dc2e7edbfddc650d8ea961162a6eb3cb3ea14665983 WindowsCodecs.dll
e826dc4f5c16a1802517881f32f26061a4cbc508c3f7944540a209217078aa11 bmpxjphdzwommblflx.bat
750948489ed5b92750dc254c47b02eb595c6ffcefded6f9d14c3482a96a6e793 IMG-3907894910429.jpg
939e664afa589272c4920b8463d80757afe5b1abd294cd9e59104c04da023364 qseybqanfkus.css