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

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.

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

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.