Description of Campaign
The Sandworm APT group was discovered using a new version of the ArguePatch malware loader in attacks against entities in Ukraine. To hide and stay under the radar, the new variant executes at a specified time and uses an official ESET executable. The malware has been used to drop destructive malware, including Industroyer2 and CaddyWiper.

Our Threat Research team gathers and analyzes information from multiple open and closed sources before disseminating intelligence reports. This campaign was researched by ESET and shared publicly.

How to use this article:

1. If a Threat Hunting table has been created, use the rules contained to search for malware related to this campaign. 
2. Review the product detection table and confirm that your environment is at least on the specified content version.
   To download the latest content versions, go to the Security Updates page.
3. Scroll down and review the "Product Countermeasures" section of this article. Consider implementing them if they are not already in place.
4. Review KB91836 - Countermeasures for entry vector threats.
5. Review KB87843 - Dynamic Application Containment rules and best practices.
6. Review KB82925 - Identify what rule corresponds to an Adaptive Threat Protection and Threat Intelligence Exchange event.

This Knowledge Base article discusses a specific threat that's being tracked. The list of IOCs will change over time; check Trellix Insights for the latest IOCs.
 
Campaign IOC

Type	Value
SHA256	8F096E3B5ECD2ACA35794A85F8B76093B3968A8737E87E8008710B4014C779E3

Minimum Content Versions

Content Type	Version
V2 DAT (VirusScan Enterprise)	10360
V3 DAT (Endpoint Security)	4812

  
Detection Summary                               

IOC	Scanner	Detection
8F096E3B5ECD2ACA35794A85F8B76093B3968A8737E87E8008710B4014C779E3	AVEngine V2	Trojan-aprilaxe.b
	AVEngine V3	Trojan-aprilaxe.b
	JTI (ATP Rules)	ATP/Suspect!efdb3916c2a2
	RP Static	-
	RP Dynamic	-

Minimum set of Manual Rules to improve protection to block this campaign:

IMPORTANT: Always follow best practices when you enable new rules and signatures.

When you implement new rules or signatures, always set them to Report mode first and check the alerts generated. Resolve any issues that arise and then set the rules to Block. This step mitigates against triggering false positives and allows you to refine your configuration.

For more information, see KB87843 - List of and best practices for Endpoint Security Dynamic Application Containment rules.

Endpoint Security - Advanced Threat Protection:
Endpoint Security - Exploit Prevention:
Host Intrusion Prevention:
Aggressive set of Manual Rules to improve protection to block this campaign:

IMPORTANT: Always follow best practices when you enable new rules and signatures.

When you implement new rules or signatures, always set them to Report mode first and check the alerts generated. Resolve any issues that arise and then set the rules to Block. This step mitigates against triggering false positives and allows you to refine your configuration.

For more information, see KB87843 - List of and best practices for Endpoint Security Dynamic Application Containment rules.

VirusScan Enterprise - Access Protection Rules:
Host Intrusion Prevention:
Endpoint Security - Access Protection Rules: