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Rising Sun Trojan

First observed in 2018, Rising Sun is an information stealing trojan created by the Lazarus advanced persistent threat group for use in their global Operation Sharpshooter campaign targeting critical infrastructure.

Threat ID:
CC-2853
Category:
Trojan
Threat Severity:
Low
Threat Vector:
Spear phishing
Published:
20 December 2018 12:00 AM
Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

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This article no longer conforms to NHS Digital's standards for cyber alerts, and may contain outdated or inaccurate information. Use of this information contained in this page is at your own risk

Summary

First observed in 2018, Rising Sun is an information stealing trojan created by the Lazarus advanced persistent threat group for use in their global Operation Sharpshooter campaign targeting critical infrastructure.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

The threat actors behind Operation Sharpshooter masquerade as recruiters to collect information about targeted individuals or organisations for potential exploitation. Initial infection is achieved via a document infected with malicious macros. These macros open a decoy document while downloading and installing Rising Sun. Rising Sun then gathers data from the affected device and sends it to a command and control (C2) server.

Since October 2018 the Rising Sun malware has appeared in dozens of English-speaking organisations, mainly within the defence and public sectors. Operation Sharpshooter has technical similarities to previous attacks conducted by the North Korean HIDDEN COBRA Advanced Persistent Threat group, but at the time of publication it remains uncertain whether HIDDEN COBRA is responsible for distributing Rising Sun.

Remediation steps

Type Step

To prevent and detect a trojan infection, ensure that:

  • A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails.
  • All operating systems, anti-virus and other security products are kept up-to-date.
  • Regular anti-virus and security scans are performed on your organisation’s estate.
  • All day-to-day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts.
  • Strong password policies are in place.
  • Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity.
  • User accounts accessed from affected devices should be reset on a clean computer.
  • Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 1:01 pm