Zimperium’s Zero-Day Protection Against Water Makara Spear-Phishing Campaign
October 2024 by Nico Chiaraviglio, Chief Scientist - Zimperium
The Water Makara spear-phishing campaign, recently reported by Trend Micro, leverages social engineering tactics and obfuscated JavaScript files to target victims. The attack entices victims into clicking malicious links or downloading harmful attachments, ultimately leading to credential theft and data compromise. While there is no indication that this specific campaign is targeting mobile devices, it highlights the broader risks phishing attacks pose across all platforms.
In the published research, 71 unique URLs were disclosed in the IOC list. Zimperium’s on-device phishing detection engine successfully classified 100% of these URLs as malicious, identifying them in a zero-day capacity.
Zimperium’s Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) solution delivers comprehensive, zero-day protection against phishing campaigns. By utilizing on-device artificial intelligence (AI), our solution detects and blocks malicious URLs, apps, and network traffic designed to exploit mobile vulnerabilities. With classifiers that are continuously refined through real-time updates, Zimperium is able to identify and mitigate new and evolving phishing tactics before they can compromise users’ mobile devices.
The same tactics seen in the Water Makara campaign— such as phishing, credential theft, and the delivery of malicious payloads—are frequently adapted to target mobile users in a form of attack known as mishing (mobile phishing). Mobile devices, with their expanded attack surface (SMS, apps, QR codes), are particularly vulnerable to these types of threats, making mishing even more effective.
In the mobile landscape, where phishing attacks are increasingly prevalent, Zimperium provides unparalleled protection. By analyzing network traffic in real time, our solution prevents attacks before they can succeed. As mishing attacks continue to evolve across platforms, Zimperium remains dedicated to safeguarding users with our AI-powered, on-device detection technology, ensuring mobile users remain protected from these emerging phishing threats.