Machete Machete

  • 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
MACHETE

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.

  • 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

  • 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.

    Additional information