7-Zip Slip: How a Patched Vulnerability Unzipped Ukraine’s Cyber Defenses
CVE-2025-0411, a 7-Zip vulnerability, was exploited to deploy SmokeLoader malware. Russian cybercrime groups used homoglyph attacks in phishing campaigns, bypassing Microsoft’s MotW protections. The flaw was patched in version 24.09. Ukrainian government and business entities were targeted, and users are urged to update 7-Zip and enhance email security measures.
Hot Take:
7-Zip, the unsung hero of file compression, suddenly finds itself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Forget the Oscars, the award for the most unexpected malware delivery mechanism goes to… double-archiving! Who knew that archiving an archive could be such a thrilling plot twist? And just like that, the quiet achiever of the software world is now the surprise star of a cyber-espionage campaign. Move over, espionage thrillers, we’ve got a new blockbuster hit—starring Russian cybercriminals, a tricky vulnerability, and a cast of unsuspecting Ukrainian government officials.
Key Points:
- 7-Zip’s security flaw CVE-2025-0411 was exploited to deliver SmokeLoader malware.
- Attackers bypassed Windows’ MotW protections using double-archiving.
- The flaw was mainly used to target Ukrainian entities amid the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
- Phishing campaigns employed homoglyph attacks to spoof document extensions.
- Version 24.09 of 7-Zip addressed the vulnerability in November 2024.