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Microsoft recently released their findings after a lengthy investigation into activity conducted by the Russian state-sponsored APT28 group using a unique tool for privilege escalation and credential harvesting on victim networks. Microsoft refers to the custom tool as GooseEgg and claim that the group has been observed leveraging this tool since at least June 2020.

GooseEgg

The custom toolset leverages CVE-2023-38208 in the Windows Print Spooler service which changes a JavaScript constraints file and executes it with SYSTEM permissions. Based on their findings, Microsoft believes GooseEgg is deployed after initial access to elevate access to targeted systems with the end goal of harvesting credentials and data. Unsurprisingly, targeting includes Ukrainian, Western European and North American entities across several sectors including government, non-government, education and transportation.

After initial access of victim device, researchers observed APT28 deploying GooseEgg to escalate privileges on the target environment via a batch script.
  • execute[.]bat
  • doit[.]bat

The script writes a file servtask[.]bat which contains the commands used for saving off and compressing registry hives.




Microsoft also states GooseEgg was also used to drop an embedded malicious DLL, typically including the phrase "wayzgoose", that is deployed to one of several subdirectories under C:\ProgramData. Microsoft includes the following observed subdirectories:
  • Microsoft
  • Adobe
  • Comms
  • Intel
  • Kaspersky Labs
  • Bitdefender
  • ESET
  • NVIDIA
  • UbiSoft
  • Steam
The DLL is a launcher capable of executing additional payloads with SYSTEM permissions and allows the threat actors to deploy backdoors, rune remote code and facilitate lateral movement across victim networks.

See the original Microsoft blog here: 

Additional APT28 resources listed here:

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