Introduction

Since early March 2025, our systems have recorded an increase in detections of similar files with names like договор-2025-5.vbe, приложение.vbe, and dogovor.vbe (translation: contract, attachment) among employees at various Russian organizations. The targeted attack begins with bait emails containing malicious links, sent under the pretext of signing a contract. The campaign began in July 2024 and is still ongoing at the time of publication. The main goal of the attack is to infect organizations with the previously unknown Batavia spyware, which then proceeds to steal internal documents. The malware consists of the following malicious components: a VBA script and two executable files, which we will describe in this article. Kaspersky solutions detect these components as HEUR:Trojan.VBS.Batavia.gen and HEUR:Trojan-Spy.Win32.Batavia.gen.

First stage of infection: VBS script

As an example, we examined one of the emails users received in February. According to our research, the theme of these emails has remained largely unchanged since the start of the campaign.

Example of an email with a malicious link

In this email, the employee is asked to download a contract file supposedly attached to the message. In reality, the attached file is actually a malicious link: https://oblast-ru[.]com/oblast_download/?file=hc1-[redacted].

Notably, the sender’s address belongs to the same domain – oblast-ru[.]com, which is owned by the attackers. We also observed that the file=hc1-[redacted] argument is unique for each email and is used in subsequent stages of the infection, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

When the link is clicked, an archive is downloaded to the user’s device, containing just one file: the script Договор-2025-2.vbe, encrypted using Microsoft’s proprietary algorithm (MD5: 2963FB4980127ADB7E045A0F743EAD05).

Snippet of the malicious script after decryption

The script is a downloader that retrieves a specially crafted string of 12 comma-separated parameters from the hardcoded URL [strong]https://oblast-ru[.]com/oblast_download/?file=hc1-[redacted][/strong]&vput2. These parameters are arguments for various malicious functions. For example, the script identifies the OS version of the infected device and sends it to the attackers’ C2 server.

By accessing the address [strong]https://oblast-ru[.]com/oblast_download/?file=hc1-[redacted][/strong]&dd=d, the script downloads the file WebView.exe (MD5: 5CFA142D1B912F31C9F761DDEFB3C288) and saves it to the %TEMP% directory, then executes it. If the OS version cannot be retrieved or does not match the one obtained from the C2 server, the downloader uses the Navigate() method; otherwise, it uses Run().

Second stage of infection: WebView.exe

WebView.exe is an executable file written in Delphi, with a size of 3,235,328 bytes. When launched, the malware downloads content from the link [strong]https://oblast-ru[.]com/oblast_download/?file=[/strong]1[strong]hc1-[redacted]&view[/strong] and saves it to the directory C:\Users[username]\AppData\Local\Temp\WebView, after which it displays the downloaded content in its window. At the time of analysis, the link was no longer active, but we assume it originally hosted the fake contract mentioned in the malicious email.

At the same time as displaying the window, the malware begins collecting information from the infected computer and sends it to an address with a different domain, but the same infection ID: [strong]https://ru-exchange[.]com/mexchange/?file=[/strong]1[strong]hc1-[redacted][/strong]. The only difference from the ID used in the VBS script is the addition of the digit 1 at the beginning of the argument, which may indicate the next stage of infection.

The spyware collects several types of files, including various system logs and office documents found on the computer and removable media. Additionally, the malicious module periodically takes screenshots, which are also sent to the C2 server. To avoid sending the same files repeatedly, the malware creates a file named h12 in the %TEMP% directory and writes a 4-byte FNV-1a_32 hash of the first 40,000 bytes of each uploaded file. If the hash of any subsequent file matches a value in h12, that file is not sent again.

In addition, WebView.exe downloads the next-stage executable from [strong]https://oblast-ru[.]com/oblast_download/?file=[/strong]1[strong]hc1-[redacted][/strong]&de and saves it to %PROGRAMDATA%\jre_22.3\javav.exe. To execute this file, the malware creates a shortcut in the system startup folder: %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp\Jre22.3.lnk. This shortcut is triggered upon the first device reboot after infection, initiating the next stage of malicious activity.

Third stage of infection: javav.exe

The executable file javav.exe (MD5: 03B728A6F6AAB25A65F189857580E0BD) is written in C++, unlike WebView.exe. The malicious capabilities of the two files are largely similar; however, javav.exe includes several new functions.

For example, javav.exe collects files using the same masks as WebView.exe, but the list of targeted file extensions is expanded to include these formats:

• Image and vector graphic: *.jpeg, *.jpg, *.cdr
• Spreadsheets: *.csv
• Emails: *.eml
• Presentations: *.ppt, *.pptx, *.odp
• Archives: *.rar, *.zip
• Other text documents: *.rtf, *.txt

Like its predecessor, the third-stage module compares the hash sums of the obtained files to the contents of the h12 file. The newly collected data is sent to [strong]https://ru-exchange[.]com/mexchange/?file=[/strong]2[strong]hc1-[redacted][/strong].
Note that at this stage, the digit 2 has been added to the infection ID.

Additionally, two new commands appear in the malware’s code: set to change the C2 server and exa/exb to download and execute additional files.

In a separate thread, the malware regularly sends requests to [strong]https://ru-exchange[.]com/mexchange/?[/strong]set[strong]&file=[/strong]2[strong]hc1-[redacted]&data=[xxxx][/strong], where [xxxx] is a randomly generated 4-character string. In response, javav.exe receives a new C2 address, encrypted with a 232-byte XOR key, which is saved to a file named settrn.txt.

In another thread, the malware periodically connects to [strong]https://ru-exchange[.]com/mexchange/?[/strong]exa[strong]&file=[/strong]2[strong]hc1-[redacted]&data=[xxxx][/strong] (where [xxxx] is also a string of four random characters). The server responds with a binary executable file, encrypted using a one-byte XOR key 7A and encoded using Base64. After decoding and decryption, the file is saved as %TEMP%\windowsmsg.exe. In addition to this, javav.exe sends requests to [strong]https://ru-exchange[.]com/mexchange/?[/strong]exb[strong]&file=[/strong]2[strong]hc1-[redacted]&data=[xxxx][/strong], asking for a command-line argument to pass to windowsmsg.exe.

To launch windowsmsg.exe, the malware uses a UAC bypass technique (T1548.002) involving the built-in Windows utility computerdefaults.exe, along with modification of two registry keys using the reg.exe utility.
add HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-settings\Shell\Open\command /v DelegateExecute /t REG_SZ /d "" /f

add HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-settings\Shell\Open\command /f /ve /t REG_SZ /d "%temp%\windowsmsg.exe <arg>"
At the time of analysis, downloading windowsmsg.exe from the C2 server was no longer possible. However, we assume that this file serves as the payload for the next stage – most likely containing additional malicious functionality.

Victims

The victims of the Batavia spyware campaign were Russian industrial enterprises. According to our telemetry data, more than 100 users across several dozen organizations received the bait emails.

Number of infections via VBS scripts, August 2024 – June 2025 (download)

Conclusion

Batavia is a new spyware that emerged in July 2024, targeting organizations in Russia. It spreads through malicious emails: by clicking a link disguised as an official document, unsuspecting users download a script that initiates a three-stage infection process on their device. As a result of the attack, Batavia exfiltrates the victim’s documents, as well as information such as a list of installed programs, drivers, and operating system components.

To avoid falling victim to such attacks, organizations must take a comprehensive approach to infrastructure protection, employing a suite of security tools that include threat hunting, incident detection, and response capabilities. Kaspersky Next XDR Expert is a solution for organizations of all sizes that enables flexible, effective workplace security. It’s also worth noting that the initial infection vector in this campaign is bait emails. This highlights the importance of regular employee training and raising awareness of corporate cybersecurity practices. We recommend specialized courses available on the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform, which help reduce employees’ susceptibility to email-based cyberattacks.

Indicators of compromise

Hashes of malicious files
Договор-2025-2.vbe
2963FB4980127ADB7E045A0F743EAD05
webview.exe
5CFA142D1B912F31C9F761DDEFB3C288
javav.exe
03B728A6F6AAB25A65F189857580E0BD

C2 addresses
oblast-ru[.]com
ru-exchange[.]com

securelist.com/batavia-spyware…

X-ray crystallography, like mass spectroscopy and nuclear spectroscopy, is an extremely useful material characterization technique that is unfortunately hard for amateurs to perform. The physical operation isn’t too complicated, however, and as [Farben-X] shows, it’s entirely possible to build an X-ray diffractometer if you’re willing to deal with high voltages, ancient X-ray tubes, and soft X-rays.

[Farben-X] based his diffractometer around an old Soviet BSV-29 structural analysis X-ray tube, which emits X-rays through four beryllium windows. Two ZVS drivers power the tube: one to drive the electron gun’s filament, and one to feed a flyback transformer and Cockroft-Walton voltage multiplier which generate a potential across the tube. The most important part of the imaging system is the X-ray collimator, which [Farben-X] made out of a lead disk with a copper tube mounted in it. A 3D printer nozzle screws into each end of the tube, creating a very narrow path for X-rays, and thus a thin, mostly collimated beam.

To get good diffraction patterns from a crystal, it needed to be a single crystal, and to actually let the X-ray beam pass through, it needed to be a thin crystal. For this, [Farben-X] selected a sodium chloride crystal, a menthol crystal, and a thin sheet of mica. To grow large salt crystals, he used solvent vapor diffusion, which slowly dissolves a suitable solvent vapor in a salt solution, which decreases the salt’s solubility, leading to very slow, fine crystal growth. Afterwards, he redissolved portions of the resulting crystal to make it thinner.
The diffraction pattern generated by a sodium chloride crystal.
For the actual experiment, [Farben-X] passed the X-ray beam through the crystals, then recorded the diffraction patterns formed on a slide of X-ray sensitive film. This created a pattern of dots around the central beam, indicating diffracted beams. The mathematics for reverse-engineering the crystal structure from this is rather complicated, and [Farben-X] hadn’t gotten to it yet, but it should be possible.

We would recommend a great deal of caution to anyone considering replicating this – a few clips of X-rays inducing flashes in the camera sensor made us particularly concerned – but we do have to admire any hack that coaxed such impressive results out of such a rudimentary setup. If you’re interested in further reading, we’ve covered the basics of X-ray crystallography before. We’ve also seen a few X-ray machines.

youtube.com/embed/EKCt-dHuzS4?…

hackaday.com/2025/07/07/buildi…

E’ stato sviluppato un proof-of-concept (PoC) di un exploit per una falla critica che consente l’escalation dei privilegi locali, interessando varie distribuzioni Linux principali, come Fedora e SUSE. La vulnerabilità, monitorata con il codice CVE-2025-6019, consente agli utenti non privilegiati di ottenere l’accesso root sfruttando il demone udisksd e la sua libreria backend libblockdev, creando significativi rischi per la sicurezza dei sistemi multiutente e degli ambienti condivisi.

La vulnerabilità sfrutta una vulnerabilità fondamentale nel modo in cui il demone udisksd elabora le richieste di comunicazione D-Bus dagli utenti del gruppo allow_active. Quando i sistemi correttamente configurati ricevono operazioni relative al disco tramite chiamate D-Bus, il demone presuppone erroneamente che la sola appartenenza al gruppo fornisca un’autorizzazione sufficiente per operazioni sensibili.

Ricordiamo che il demone udisksd è un componente di sistema su Linux responsabile della gestione dei dispositivi di archiviazione (dischi rigidi, SSD, chiavette USB, CD/DVD, ecc.). Questo PoC consente agli aggressori di aggirare i controlli di sicurezza previsti ed eseguire operazioni privilegiate con permessi di root.

Il vettore di attacco si concentra sulla gestione impropria dell’autorità dell’utente durante le comunicazioni interprocesso tramite D-Bus. I ricercatori di sicurezza hanno scoperto che il demone udisksd non riesce a convalidare adeguatamente il contesto dell’utente che effettua l’invocazione, affidandosi invece esclusivamente a controlli dei privilegi basati sul gruppo.

Secondo l’analisi di SecureLayer7, questo difetto di progettazione crea un percorso sfruttabile in cui le chiamate D-Bus possono essere manipolate per innescare operazioni privilegiate non autorizzate. L’analisi statica del codice sorgente di udisks2 e libblockdev ha rivelato diversi pattern preoccupanti nel percorso di escalation dei privilegi. Il flusso di esecuzione vulnerabile segue il seguente schema: udisks_daemon_handle_mount → polkit_check → blkdev_mount.
Immagine dell’esecuzione dell’exploit dal blog di securelayer7.net
Questa sequenza consente agli utenti non privilegiati di far sì che udisksd esegua operazioni di montaggio con permessi di root, aggirando di fatto il modello di sicurezza previsto. Il processo di exploit richiede una sofisticazione tecnica minima, il che lo rende particolarmente pericoloso. Gli aggressori necessitano solo dell’appartenenza al gruppo allow_active e della capacità di eseguire comandi udisksctl.

La prova di concetto dimostra che un semplice comando come udisksctl mount -b /dev/loop0 può causare operazioni di montaggio controllate da root da parte di utenti non root, portando potenzialmente alla compromissione dell’intero sistema. La vulnerabilità interessa un’ampia gamma di distribuzioni Linux che implementano udisks2 e libblockdev nei loro ambienti desktop. I sistemi Fedora e SUSE sono particolarmente vulnerabili a causa delle loro configurazioni predefinite, che spesso includono utenti nel gruppo allow_active per le funzionalità desktop.

Il problema della sicurezza è particolarmente preoccupante per gli ambienti di elaborazione condivisi, i sistemi multiutente e qualsiasi distribuzione in cui la separazione dei privilegi è fondamentale. I responsabili della distribuzione hanno risposto con aggiornamenti di sicurezza che risolvono la vulnerabilità principale attraverso diversi meccanismi. La correzione principale prevede una verifica basata sull’UID più rigorosa, anziché basarsi esclusivamente sull’appartenenza al gruppo. Il codice aggiornato ora richiede sia l’appartenenza al gruppo che un contesto UID appropriato prima di consentire operazioni privilegiate.

Gli amministratori di sistema dovrebbero aggiornare immediatamente i pacchetti udisks2 e libblockdev alle versioni corrette. Le organizzazioni dovrebbero inoltre verificare le autorizzazioni basate sui gruppi e implementare regole polkit più rigorose per prevenire vulnerabilità simili.

L'articolo Un nuovo Exploit Poc consente Privilege Excalation su Linux utilizzando il demone udisksd proviene da il blog della sicurezza informatica.

CHIUSURA STAGIONE 9 - I LLM sono il sogno di manager e stakeholder: il lavoro (o almeno la sua parte vendibile) senza i lavoratori. Il solo vero caso d'uso è la svalutazione del lavoro e delle competenze. Da qui tutti i discorsi sulla prossima inutilità di psicologi, medici, programmatori. Gli utili idioti che abboccano sono solo quelli che credono di avere il simulacro, lo spettacolo della competenza, senza la competenza, sia un gioco vincente.

spreaker.com/episode/dk-9x36-i…

"Quando si tratta di mandare in bancarotta il nostro Paese con sprechi e corruzione, viviamo in un sistema monopartitico, non in una democrazia. Oggi, l'America Party è nato per restituirvi la libertà".

Tutto ciò è meraviglioso.

E comunque aveva ragione Yoda, "sempre due ci sono: un maestro e un apprendista".

rainews.it/articoli/2025/07/us…

Elon Musk annuncia la nascita del partito "America"

Ieri, nel giorno delle celebrazioni dell'Indipendenza Usa, aveva lanciato un sondaggio su X

^{Redazione di Rainews (RaiNews)}