Hackers Target US Defense Firms With Malicious USB Packages

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned US companies in a recently updated flash alert that the financially motivated FIN7 cybercriminals group is targeting the US defense industry with packages containing malicious USB devices. BleepingComputer reports: The attackers are mailing packages containing 'BadUSB' or 'Bad Beetle USB' devices with the LilyGO logo, commonly available for sale on the Internet. The packages have been mailed via the United States Postal Service (USPS) and United Parcel Service (UPS) to businesses in the transportation and insurance industries since August 2021 and defense firms starting with November 2021. FIN7 operators impersonate Amazon and the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to trick the targets into opening the packages and connecting the USB drives to their systems. Since August, reports received by the FBI say that these malicious packages also contain letters about COVID-19 guidelines or counterfeit gift cards and forged thank you notes, depending on the impersonated entity.

After the targets plug the USB drive into their computers, it automatically registers as a Human Interface Device (HID) Keyboard (allowing it to operate even with removable storage devices toggled off). It then starts injecting keystrokes to install malware payloads on the compromised systems. FIN7's end goal in these attacks is to access the victims' networks and deploy ransomware within a compromised network using various tools, including Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, Carbanak malware, the Griffon backdoor, and PowerShell scripts. Companies can defend against such attacks by allowing their employees to connect only USB devices based on their hardware ID or if they're vetted by their security team.

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