ESTsecurity, ‘Failure to comply with quarantine measures police station attendance request’ and other hacking attacks exploiting anxiety on the rise

Apr 5, 2022

Threats exploiting users' anxiety keep appearing: summonses, complaints, bitcoin transaction information and more

▲ Screen showing a hacking attack exploiting anxiety by impersonating a police summons (Provided by ESTsecurity)

ESTsecurity (CEO Jung Jin-il), a security specialist, said on the 7th that hacking emails exploiting various social concerns and anxieties are being distributed in large volumes in Korea, and that users should take particular care.

ESTsecurity's Security Response Center (ESRC) has confirmed that since March 25 hacking emails attaching malicious Word (DOC) document files with names designed to arouse users' interest and anxiety — such as 'Notice to attend regarding investigation of a COVID-19 quarantine rule violation case' and 'Emergency disaster relief fund application form' — have been distributed in large volumes in Korea.

The attacks were identified as an extension of the 'attack impersonating the Korea Internet Information Center (KRNIC)' that ESRC disclosed on March 25, and the Word files attached to the emails were analyzed as a type that uses malicious macro commands in common.

The attacker induces the recipient to press the [Enable Content] button to activate the malicious macro; pressing it displays the actual document, hiding as far as possible the fact that they have been exposed to a threat. In some attacks, however, a simple deception strategy was used, showing garbled text as though the document's content were corrupted.

If the malicious macro is allowed, communication takes place with a command-and-control (C2) server designated by the attacker and additional malicious files are installed without the user's knowledge. It then collects ▲the user name, ▲the type of antivirus program, ▲the operating system type and ▲system version information, and attempts to exfiltrate them covertly.

Because this first round of exfiltrated information provides the groundwork for staged follow-up attacks, particular care is always needed when checking email, and it is very important not to allow the [Enable Content] button in Word or Excel documents, for security reasons.

ESTsecurity's ALYac antivirus program currently detects this malware as 'Trojan.Downloader.DOC.Gen' and the like, and is responding continuously to further variants.

An ESRC representative said: "The techniques in hacking emails distributed by cyber threat groups are becoming ever more sophisticated and cunning," urging users to take care and adding, "The unauthorized exfiltration of PC information from an unspecified number of users through hacking emails can be seen as a preliminary stage that may lead to unexpected further harm."

ESTsecurity, meanwhile, is closely sharing related cyber threat information with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and other relevant authorities, maintaining cooperation to prevent known threats from spreading.

[이스트소프트] K몬스터그룹과 ‘페르소에이아이(Perso AI)’ 글로벌 사업 확대 MOU 체결

26. 9. 11.

ESTsoft to Launch AI Assistant 'Al-Secretary' in H2... The Most User-Friendly Installable Agent

26. 8. 31.

ESTsoft Launches 'Markdot', an Essential AI-Era Utility... Read, Write, and Share AI-Friendly Markdown!

26. 8. 25.

[ESTsoft] AI for Everyone Challenge with 'Al-Secretary'... Uniting Domain Expertise in Strategic Consortium!

26. 8. 20.

ESTsoft Record-High H1 Revenue of 60.7 Billion KRW… Operating Loss Decreases by 53.3%

26. 8. 14.

Back to list

Global SaaS with AI
A scalable Human SaaS service that can be accessed from anywhere in the world using AI technology
Senior care with AI
Interactive AI human supports guidance, consultation, and interaction both offline and online. Expanding as a service hub without language barriers in retail, tourism, entertainment, exhibitions, manufacturing, and public sectors.
Alan Agentic with AI
Artificial intelligence multi-agent that goes beyond AI search and reaches solutions for problem solving
Education with AI
Celebrity instructor video lecture creation, TOEIC speaking education content production, as a fitness training instructor
Expansion of educational businesses in various fields such as AI content
Content with AI
Implementing 'moving pictures' with EST AI technology, 'face transformation, makeup application, and clothing creation' through deep learning
Creating and utilizing various AI human content such as new employee analysts, announcers, etc.
API business with AI
Companies can focus on their inherent customer value by providing data and solutions using AI
as an API.
Software with AI
Background removal technology applied in ALSee Capture, like the smooth design of ESTsoft AI technology and ALTools products,
provides the utility environment that users want.

Senior care with AI
A scalable Human SaaS service that can be accessed from anywhere in the world using AI technology
Senior care with AI
Interactive AI human supports guidance, consultation, and interaction both offline and online. Expanding as a service hub without language barriers in retail, tourism, entertainment, exhibitions, manufacturing, and public sectors.
Alan Agentic with AI
Artificial intelligence multi-agent that goes beyond AI search and reaches solutions for problem solving
Education with AI
Expansion of educational businesses in various fields, such as the establishment of celebrity lecture video courses, production of TOEIC speaking educational content, and AI content as a fitness training instructor
Content with AI
Implementing 'moving pictures' with EST AI technology, 'face transformation, makeup application, and clothing creation' through deep learning
Creating and utilizing various AI human content such as new employee analysts, announcers, etc.
API business with AI
We provide data and solutions utilizing AI through APIs to enable companies to focus on their intrinsic customer value.
Software with AI
Background removal technology applied in ALSee Capture, like the smooth design of ESTsoft AI technology and ALTools products,
provides the utility environment that users want.

Global SaaS with AI
A scalable Human SaaS service that can be accessed from anywhere in the world using AI technology
Senior care with AI
Interactive AI human supports guidance, consultation, and interaction both offline and online. Expanding as a service hub without language barriers in retail, tourism, entertainment, exhibitions, manufacturing, and public sectors.
Alan Agentic with AI
Artificial intelligence multi-agent that goes beyond AI search and reaches solutions for problem solving
Education with AI
Celebrity instructor video lecture creation, TOEIC speaking education content production, as a fitness training instructor
Expansion of educational businesses in various fields such as AI content
Content with AI
Implementing 'moving pictures' with EST AI technology, 'face transformation, makeup application, and clothing creation' through deep learning
Creating and utilizing various AI human content such as new employee analysts, announcers, etc.
API business with AI
We provide data and solutions utilizing AI through APIs to enable companies to focus on their inherent customer value.
Software with AI
Background removal technology applied in ALSee Capture, like the smooth design of ESTsoft AI technology and ALTools products,
provides the utility environment that users want.

Senior care with AI
A scalable Human SaaS service that can be accessed from anywhere in the world using AI technology
Senior care with AI
Interactive AI human supports guidance, consultation, and interaction both offline and online. Expanding as a service hub without language barriers in retail, tourism, entertainment, exhibitions, manufacturing, and public sectors.
Alan Agentic with AI
Artificial intelligence multi-agent that goes beyond AI search and reaches solutions for problem solving
Education with AI
Celebrity instructor video lecture creation, TOEIC speaking education content production, as a fitness training instructor
Expansion of educational businesses in various fields such as AI content
Content with AI
Implementing 'moving pictures' by applying EST AI technology, producing various AI human contents such as 'face transformation, makeup application, and clothing creation' for new employees including analysts and announcers, and utilizing them
API business with AI
Companies can focus on their inherent customer value by providing data and solutions using AI
as an API.
Software with AI
Background removal technology applied in ALSee Capture, like the smooth design of ESTsoft AI technology and ALTools products,
provides the utility environment that users want.