Microsoft Office Bug Remains Top Malware Delivery Vector>
Dark Reading – Kelly Sheridan
CVE-2017-11882 has been attackers’ favorite malware delivery mechanism throughout the second and third quarters of 2019.

The third quarter of 2019 brought the rise of keylogger Agent Tesla, the decline of phishing-delivered ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), and attackers’ continued preference for exploiting the CVE-2017-11882 Microsoft Office vulnerablity to deliver phishing campaigns. Throughout the second and third quarters, researchers saw little change in the significant delivery mechanisms used to spread malware. The most common method, as seen in more than 600 incidents, is Microsoft Office vulnerability CVE-2017-11882, which remains a “prolific technique” for attackers to spread malware through phishing attacks, researchers report. Following CVE-2017-11882, the other two most common delivery mechanisms were Office macros and Windows Script Component (WSC) downloaders. Attackers’ consistent use of the same delivery mechanisms could change as the holidays approach and Emotet reemerges, driving innovation among cybercriminals who may start using new variants and tactics. Another notable trend third quarter was the drop in RaaS, which has decreased as attackers swap large-scale campaigns for narrowly focused ones. GandCrab was taken offline; Sodinokibi, the ransomware that shares some of its code base, has seen a low rate of dissemination. Targeted attacks let cybercriminals keep a lower profile and benefit from a higher return ratio.
Link: https://www.darkreading.com/operations/microsoft-office-bug-remains-top-malware-delivery-vector/d/d-id/1336182