PureRAT Campaign Targets Job Seekers, Abuses Foxit PDF Reader for DLL Side-loading
Trend Micro disclosed an active PureRAT campaign targeting job seekers via spear-phishing emails containing weaponized archives. The attack chain abuses Foxit PDF Reader through DLL side-loading (msimg32.dll), deploys a hidden Python environment via nested directory obfuscation, and achieves persistence through registry autorun entries. The RAT exfiltrates browser credentials and maintains C&C communication using self-signed certificates with anomalous validity periods.