BIO-ISAC: Beware of Tardigrade Attacks on Biomanufacturers>
Gov Info Security – Marianne Kolbasuk Mcgee
The Bioeconomy Information Sharing and Analysis Center is warning vaccine makers and other biomanufacturers of escalating threats involving Tardigrade malware, which experts say is used to launch ransomware and other potentially serious attacks.

BIO-ISAC, in an advisory issued on Nov. 22 and updated this week, says Tardigrade is an advanced persistent threat for attacks involving ransomware preparation, intellectual property theft and more.

“At this time, biomanufacturing sites and their partners are encouraged to assume that they are targets and take necessary steps to review their cybersecurity and response postures,” BIO-ISAC says in a statement.

Tardigrade at its core is a metamorphic loader, Fracchia says. “The closest relative we know – but still quite distinct – is SmokeLoader.”

Tardigrade’s primary attack vectors includes phishing, USB, files and “network autonomously,” BIO-ISAC says in the advisory. “The main role of this malware is still to download, manipulate files, send main.dll library if possible, deploy other modules and remain hidden,” the advisory says.
Link: https://www.govinfosecurity.com/bio-isac-beware-tardigrade-attacks-on-biomanufacturers-a-18051