Mustang Panda Deploys Stealthy DLL Side-Loading Attack

A state-nexus threat actor known as Mustang Panda has launched a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting a specific activist community. The attack uses a decoy executable to trigger an advanced DLL side-loading technique, deploying a malicious DLL that is hidden from the user via special system file attributes. This multi-stage malware, featuring custom loaders named Claimloader and Publoader, establishes persistence through registry keys and scheduled tasks. The campaign leverages creative API abuse for stealthy execution, highlighting the group's evolving tradecraft for espionage. This operation demonstrates how threat actors continuously refine obfuscation methods to bypass security controls.

Latest mentioned: 10-08

Earliest mentioned: 10-07

Sources

gbhackers.com securityonline.info

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