July 2026 Threat Trend Report on Ransomware
Purpose and Scope The July 2026 Threat Trend Report on Ransomware summarizes major Korean & global ransomware issues based on statistics regarding the quantity of new ransomware samples, the number of compromised systems, and statistics on targeted businesses. Statistics on targeted businesses were compiled based on information published on DLS
Beware of phishing emails disguised as requests to review quotes (PhantomStealer)
The AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC) recently identified a phishing email campaign that disguised itself as a request to review a quote. The threat actor impersonated a sales team member at a specific overseas company and, by claiming that a previous quote needed to be revised and product versions verified,
July 2026 Infostealer Trend Report
Content This report summarizes the distribution channels, number of Infostealers, number of detections, and target companies that were disguised as Infostealers collected during the month of July 2026. It was compiled based on results from AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC)’s automated data collection system, email honeypots, and automated C2 analysis,
Attack Cases for Domestic Web Servers Running SoftEther VPN in Korea
The AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC) recently identified attack cases in which attackers targeted web servers in Korea to install SoftEther VPN. Attack cases involving the installation of SoftEther VPN, an open-source VPN, were previously discussed in the 2024 ASEC blog post titled “Analysis of Attack Cases Targeting ERP Servers
Beware of Phishing Emails Disguised as Transaction Receipts
Recently, the AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC) identified instances of phishing emails that were disguised as transaction receipts. The emails impersonated employees of a specific US company. The body of the message stated that a transaction receipt was attached and asked the recipient to review it and confirm whether funds
Security Issues in the Korean & Global Financial Sector in July 2026
Statistics on Malware Distributed to the Financial Sector In Attack Stage 1, phishing (a technique that tricks users into opening malicious links or attachments) had the highest rate at 1.7, Down from 2.3 The previous month. In Attack Stage 2, Dropper/Downloader (a type that downloads additional malware) was the most
Analysis of the Connection Between Xctdoor and Past CRAT Attack Cases (Larva-26005)
1. Overview AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC) recently confirmed that the Larva-26005 threat actor is distributing Xctdoor to users in Korea. Xctdoor was disclosed through the ASEC blog in 2024, and [1] In March 2026, Hauri disclosed an attack case in which the malware was disguised as an integrated security
Analysis of a Phishing Email Attack Case by the Larva-24009 Threat Actor
The Larva-24009 threat actor has been active since at least 2023, carrying out phishing email attacks targeting users both in Korea and globally to install malware. ASEC (AhnLab SEcurity intelligence Center (ASEC) has previously disclosed attack cases by this threat actor in 2024, and [1] [2] [3] Subsequently, Cyble also
![[Joint Cybersecurity Advisory] Operation Double Barrel (The Relationship Between a State-Sponsored Threat Actor and the Gunra Ransomware Group)](https://asec.ahnlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3UldpOr2FtkFXLKiyukxTR2XcxLgvaZoG5QaUPP8.webp)
[Joint Cybersecurity Advisory] Operation Double Barrel (The Relationship Between a State-Sponsored Threat Actor and the Gunra Ransomware Group)
This technical analysis report was prepared as part of the joint cybersecurity advisory titled “Advisory on Cyberattacks Targeting Korean Citizens and Businesses by State-Sponsored Hacking Groups” issued by the Republic of Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), National Police Agency (NPA), Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and Financial Security Institute
Not Every Fox is Silver: Inside an AtlasRAT loader chain
Summary AtlasRAT is a Windows-based remote access malware. This report analyzes a four-stage in-memory loader chain—which begins with a Delphi executable that is disguised as AGE Flash Player—and its final RAT functionality. The final payload performs TLS-based ChaCha20-encrypted C2 communication, executes modular plugins, performs offline keylogging, and injects DLLs into
