Jan 23, 2025Ravie LakshmananMalware / Threat IntelligenceCybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new BackConnect (BC) malware that has been developed by threat actors linked to the infamous QakBot loader."BackConnect is a common feature or module utilized by threat actors to maintain persistence and perform tasks," Walmart's Cyber Intelligence team told The Hacker News. "The BackConnect(s) in use were 'DarkVNC' alongside the IcedID BackConnect (KeyHole)."The company noted that the BC module was found on the same infrastructure that was observed distributing another malware loader called ZLoader, which was recently updated to incorporate a Domain Name System (DNS) tunnel for command-and-control (C2) communications.QakBot, also called QBot and Pinkslipbot, suffered a major operational setback in 2023 after its infrastructure was seized as part of a coordinated law enforcement effort named Duck Hunt. Since then, sporadic campaigns have been uncovered propagating the malware.Originally conceived as a banking trojan, it was later adapted into a loader capable of delivering next-stage payloads onto a target system such as ransomware. A notable feature of the QakBot, alongside IcedID, is its BC module that offers the threat actors the ability to use the host as a proxy, as well as offer a remote-access channel by means of an embedded VNC component.Walmart's analysis has revealed that the BC module, besides containing references to old QakBot samples, has been further enhanced and developed to gather system information, more or less acting as an autonomous program to facilitate follow-on exploitation."In this case the malware we talk about is a standalone backdoor utilizing BackConnect as a medium to allow a threat actor to have hands on keyboard access," Walmart said. "This distinction is further pronounced by the fact that this backdoor collects system information."The BC malware has also been the subject of an independent analysis by Sophos, which attributed the artifacts to a threat cluster it tracks as STAC5777, which, in turn, overlaps with Storm-1811, a cybercriminal group known for abusing Quick Assist for Black Basta ransomware deployment by posing as tech support personnel.The British cybersecurity company noted that both STAC5777 and STAC5143 a threat group with possible ties to FIN7 have resorted to email bombing and Microsoft Teams vishing to prospective targets and trick them into granting the attackers remote access to their computers via Quick Assist or Teams's built-in screen sharing to install Python backdoors and Black Basta ransomware."Both threat actors operated their own Microsoft Office 365 service tenants as part of their attacks and took advantage of a default Microsoft Teams configuration that permits users on external domains to initiate chats or meetings with internal users," Sophos said.With Black Basta operators having previously relied on QakBot for deploying the ransomware, the emergence of a new BC module, coupled with the fact that Black Basta has also distributed ZLoader in recent months, paints a picture of a highly interconnected cybercrime ecosystem where the developers behind QakBot are likely supporting the Black Basta team with new tools, Walmart said.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

The Architects JournalSurprise rejection for A IS FOR_s Folkestone harbour plansA IS FOR_s controversial regeneration proposals for Folkestone Harbour have been refused by local councillors against the advice of planning officersThe post Surprise rejection for A IS FOR_s Folkestone harbour plans appeared first on The Architects JournalGino Spocchia

The Architects JournalPattern books, then and nowDerided in some quarters for being the preserve of the volume housebuilder, pattern books have a rich history and could yet play a part in the governments new housing driveThe post Pattern books, then and now appeared first on The Architects JournalCatherine Slessor

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Spider-Man developer won't say if Wolverine launches in 2025, but acknowledges "pent up excitement" for release dateMurphey's claw.Image credit: Insomniac News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Wolverine is going to be Insomniac's next big game, but despite the project being announced several years ago, the studio is still keeping a release date under wraps.Wolverine was first teased back in 2021, during a PlayStation Showcase. At this time, the studio stated the game was still "very early in development". It also still had its Marvel's Spider-Man sequel in the works at this point, with that project ultimately releasing in 2023.But, with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 now out in the wild, and Insomniac previously stating it had "no additional story content planned" for its web-slinging sequel, many had hoped to hear more about Wolverine. However, the studio isn't quite ready to share too much about its upcoming project just yet, although it appreciates there is plenty of "pent up excitement" around it.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The Death of Console Exclusives Is Inevitable and I Don't Know How I Feel About It. Watch on YouTubeOur latest morsel on the game comes gollowing Insomniac co-founder Ted Price's retirement announcement yesterday. The Wolverine studio now has three new co-heads - Chad Dezern, Ryan Schneider, and Jen Huang - and the trio sat down to chat with Variety about what this means for Insomniac, and naturally the topic of Wolverine came up.The studio execs would not confirm or deny a 2025 release window when questioned, but did Dezern did say this:"We've announced Wolverine, and we'd love to talk more about Wolverine, but we have to be like Logan today, and remain very stoic until it's time to pop the claws down the road. As much as we're as much as we have pent up excitement, we got to hold on to it. So that's, that's about as much as we could say about our upcoming projects today." Insomniac is playing its claws close to its chest. Other than that brief teaser from 2021, any official word on Wolverine has been slimmer than slim.In 2023, files were stolen from Insomniac Games by ransomware hackers. Following this attack, people began playing - and uploading footage - of an incomplete early development build of Wolverine, which was found within the stolen files.Then, in October of last year, it was revealed the game's creative director had moved across to Xbox, and joined the team working on the Perfect Dark reboot, meaning Wolverine would now be led by Marcus Smith. Meanwhile, Mike Daly became Wolverine's game director, while the game's previously announced game director Camerson Christain would remain with Insomniac, but in a different role.At one point, there were rumours Wolverine could release in 2024, which clearly did not happen. More recently, there was word of a 2025 release, which of course could still happen, so stay tuned.

Banjo-Kazooie composer has "zero hope" for new game, says fans would "slag it off no matter how good it was""All you diehard fans would instantly hate it."Image credit: Rare / Nintendo News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Legendary video game composer Grant Kirkhope has said he has "zero hope" of seeing a new Banjo-Kazooie game.Writing on social media last night, Kirkhope went on to suggest that any new attempt at reviving the dormant platforming franchise was doomed to failure, as "diehard fans would instantly hate it" regardless of "how good it was".Kirkhope is famous for having scored a swathe of classic titles from the heyday of British development powerhouse Rare. He penned the scores of GoldenEye 007, Donkey Kong 64 and Perfect Dark, as well as Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 have been revealed - but questions remain.Watch on YouTubeMore recently, Kirkhope's fame has been revived with work on more modern platformers, including the distinctly Banjo-esque Yooka-Laylee, as well as Ubisoft's Mario + Rabbids games."I hope that last tweet didn't come across as mean," Kirkhope added, several hours later. "The Banjo fanverse is a wonderful thing, the reaction when Banjo got into Smash Bros. is something I'll remember for the rest of my life "Fans of the classic Banjo-Kazooie games have long called for a new installment from developer Rare, but to date there's been no suggestion that one is in the works. Rare itself is busy maintaining hit pirate live-service Sea of Thieves, and has the long-in-development fantasy game Everwild next on its docket.Still, Banjo-Kazooie's popularity endures. Classic games in the franchise have been re-released over the years, including via Xbox's Rare game compilation Rare Replay, as well as on Nintendo Switch Online. And, as Kirkhope mentioned, Microsoft gave the nod for the characters to turn up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Could there still be hope for Banjo and Kazooie yet?

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Wuuf WuufRobert Eggers is going from Nosferatu to werewolf thriller Werwulf and maybe this is the Dark Universe we deservedOne step closer to making a straight-up Bloodborne adaptation.Image credit: Universal Pictures News by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Nosferatu resonated with critics and audiences alike last Christmas and has gone on to earn over $150 million worldwide in theaters, a career-high for writer-director Robert Eggers. That may not sound like a lot, but when the production budget sits around $50 million, it's a win. Now, it seems that he's getting a shot at doing another crowd-pleasing horror feature and has set Werwulf as his next project.Of course, this is a werewolf thriller, and Universal's Focus Features division is backing it. The timing is funny, since Universal and Blumhouse have just released another 'werewolf thriller' in Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man, which unfortunately received a tepid response so far. While Eggers is surely doing his own thing again with this pitch, the upcoming movie marks yet another push from the production and distribution company into the realm of classical monsters after the MCU-like Dark Universe crashed and burned before it even took off.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, instantly shooting down unconfirmed rumors that the filmmaker was circling a Labyrinth remake (at least for now). The project is being fast-tracked according to THR's sources, with Christmas 2026 currently set as the release target. This suggests that Eggers had a script locked and ready to go following Nosferatu's release; he'd teased in the past he had firm plans in place for at least a couple of movies after his latest.Werwulf will also mark a reunion with Icelandic poet, novelist, lyricist, and screenwriter Sjn, who co-wrote The Northman with the filmmaker. The story is seemingly set in 13th-century England and will (of course) feature "dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated in Old English." Eggers is going sicko mode again, hell yeah. His original plans to shoot it start-to-finish in black and white have been binned though.With a late 2026 release window tentatively set, production should kick off this year, probably in the second half, so expect casting news in the coming months. For now, we know that he's eager to work again with Willem Dafoe again after the veteran actor delivered three standout performances in The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu. Will another Skarsgrd show up for this one?

Doomed To More GamesWatch the Xbox Developer Direct showcase for January 2025 hereMore of the video games, this time from Phil Spencer and co.Image credit: Xbox News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Do you like video games that have something to do with Xbox? Well, if so, you'll probably want to tune into the Xbox Developer Direct show that's taking place later today, January 23. The good news is that you can watch it right here.Yep, it's 2025 now, and you've almost certainly recovered from the concentrated dose of games you got at The Game Awards to close out 2024, so now it's time for more. More video games. They'll never stop coming. Endless videoi games forever.Watch on YouTubeAnyway, sorry about that. Today's Xbox Developer Direct is set to kick off at 6PM BST, which is 7PM CET, 10AM PT, and 1PM ET on October 23. All you'll have to do once the time rolls around is click play on the video above, and voil, the Xbox video games that might also hit other platforms given that's a thing that happens now.What exactly will you be in for? Well, in its blog post announcing the show, Xbox said there'll be "an inside look at a selection of highly anticipated games coming to Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Game Pass players this year".As part of that, the publisher's promised that mysterious American Deep South action adventure game South of Midnight, French Final Fantasy-ish RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and demon shooting, punchy, and slicy thing (come one, you know what Doom is) Doom: The Dark Ages will all be showing up.There's also a mystery fourth game that's been teased, as we "visit a surprise location to see another studios brand new game". What'll it be? Well, you'll just have to tune in to find out. There've been rumours floating round about the likes of an Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remake, but as you know, rumours don't tend to mean much unless they're actually followed by official confirmation at some point.So, tune in, right here. Go on, I dare you. I know 6PM BST might be past your bedtime, but you've got our permission to stay up, just this once. Don't tell your parents.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. What do you want to see at this Xbox Developer Direct, and which of the three pre-announced inclusions are you most interested in? Let us know below!