“This attack highlights not just the creativity and sophistication of attackers but also the danger of trusted system functionality being weaponized to evade traditional detection,” the researchers noted. “It’s not just about spotting malicious activity; it’s about recognizing how legitimate tools and processes can be manipulated and turned against you.”
ReliaQuest told The Hacker News it cannot share any further details regarding when the attack commenced other than noting that the attackers had access to the system for over a year.
“The threat actor likely resorted to this method over an N-day flaw for a simple reason: why use an exploit if they didn’t have to?,” it pointed out. “They likely gained initial access through a weak administrator password and then repurposed a software component into a backdoor.”