• United States
• Cisco
• Macao Special Administrative Region
• North America
• Technology
• Vicioustrap
• Asia
• Cve-2023-20118
• CVE-2023-20118
• Eastern Asia

Vicioustrap Threat Actor Compromises Thousands of Network Devices

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a threat actor known as Vicioustrap, who has compromised approximately 5,300 network edge devices across 84 countries, primarily in Macau. This actor exploits a critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-20118) in various Cisco routers to redirect traffic to a honeypot-like infrastructure, allowing them to monitor and intercept network flows. The attack chain involves executing a shell script that facilitates adversary-in-the-middle attacks, with indications that the actor may be of Chinese-speaking origin. The ultimate goal of the Vicioustrap operation remains uncertain, although it is believed to be focused on creating a honeypot network.

• Reflective Code Loading
• Process Discovery
• Silver Fox
• File And Directory Discovery
• Powershell
• Disable Or Modify Tools
• Dynamic-Link Library Injection
• Masquerade Task Or Service
• Ingress Tool Transfer
• Eastern Asia
• Asia
• China
• Valleyrat
• Malicious File
• Scheduled Task
• Obfuscated Files Or Information: Encrypted Or Encoded Data
• Web Protocols
• Rundll32
• File Deletion
• Regsvr32

New Malware Campaign Targets Chinese-Speaking Users with Winos 4.0

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a malware campaign that employs fake software installers disguised as popular applications like LetsVPN and QQ Browser to deliver the Winos 4.0 framework. First identified by Rapid7 in February 2025, the campaign utilizes a sophisticated multi-stage loader called Catena, which operates entirely in memory to evade traditional antivirus detection. The malware, attributed to a threat actor known as Silver Fox, specifically targets Chinese-speaking environments and has been active throughout 2025, adapting its tactics to maintain persistence and avoid detection. The campaign leverages trojanized NSIS installers and is characterized by its careful planning and execution.