DarkGate and PikaBot Malware Resurrect QakBot’s Tactics in New Phishing Attacks

Phishing campaigns are using tactics similar to defunct trojan QakBot to deliver malware. Malware families, such as DarkGate and PikaBot, start with hijacked email threads and URLs with unique patterns that limit user access. DarkGate uses advanced techniques to elude antivirus systems and PikaBot has similar methods and behaviors to QakBot. Both can deliver additional malware, making them attractive to cybercriminals. They target a wide range of sectors and can lead to the delivery of advanced crypto mining software, reconnaissance tools, and ransomware.