Machete
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First known sample
2010 -
Discovery
2013 -
Number of targets
100-1000 -
Current status
Inactive since 2014 -
Type
Trojan -
Targeted platforms
Windows -
TOP targeted countries
Belgium , Brazil , CIS , Colombia , Cuba , Ecuador , France , Germany , Malaysia , Peru , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Ukraine , Venezuela
More about the Machete campaign, its targets, techniques and tools involved
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The way of propagation
Social engineering -
Purpose/Functions
Cyberespionage , Data theft , Data wiping -
Special features
Has the functionality to extract stolen information from infected computers via a special USB stick that can be connected locally. The attackers introduced this feature to make sure even if the network infrastructure is compromised or destroyed, the stolen information could still be extracted. Some modules are written in Python language, which is not common for targeted attacks.
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Targets
Diplomatic organizations/embassies , Government entities , Intelligence agencies , Military -
Artefacts/Attribution
A Spanish speaking country from Latin America interested in the politics and military affairs of the mentioned targets
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Description
A targeted attack campaign with Spanish-speaking roots active since 2010. The campaign distributes malware for cyber-espionage purposes using social engineering techniques, including spear-phishing and infections via the web. Targets have been high-level individuals and organizations from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Russia, Cuba, and Spain.