The U.S. Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) has started uploading malware samples to VirusTotal as part of its on-going efforts to work more closely with the private sector.The Force, which is a sub-command of U.S. Cyber Command, on November 5 began sharing unclassified malware samples it has discovered that will have the greatest impact on improving global cybersecurity, the unit said in a statement.
So far the CNMF has uploaded two files to VirusTotal.
“The US Cyber Command has uploaded two malware samples relating to APT28, the Russian group behind the US election hacking. So far, the quantity has been small, but the quality is high,” said Chris Doman, a security researcher at AlienVault.
A Russian national has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly operating approximately 255 fake accounts on a freelance platform to distribute malware-laced Excel attachments to around 80,000 users in 2016 and 2017.
The malicious code performs two main functions: a mobile ad-fraud and gambling-redirect chain, and a WebKit-to-kernel exploit chain on iPhones that installs spyware.
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