First observed in 2018, LightSpy is a modular malware family that initially targeted iOS devices in Southern Asia before expanding to Android and macOS platforms. It consists of a downloader, a main executable that manages network communications, and functionality-specific modules, typically implemented as .dylib files (iOS, macOS) or .apk files (Android). LightSpy can collect VoIP call recordings, SMS messages, and credential stores, which are then exfiltrated to a command and control (C2) server.[1]
16
Techniques70th pct
7
Tactics68th pct
1
Threat groupunranked
0
CampaignsNone recorded
Enterprise ATT&CK only. Any Mobile or ICS rows on the same ATT&CK page are not carried.
LightSpy's configuration file is appended to the end of the binary. For example, the last 0x1d0 bytes of one sample is an AES encrypted configuration file with a static key of 3e2717e8b3873b29.2
LightSpy encrypts the C2 configuration file using AES with a static key, while the module .dylib files use a rolling one-byte encoding for obfuscation.3
To collect data on the host's Wi-Fi connection history, LightSpy reads the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist file.It also utilizes Apple's CWWiFiClient API to scan for nearby Wi-Fi networks and obtain data on the SSID, security type, and RSSI (signal strength) values.5
If sent the command 16002, LightSpy uses the NSWorkspace runningApplications() method to collect the process ID, path to the executable, bundle information, and the filename of the executable for all running applications.6
LightSpy's C2 communication is performed over WebSockets using the open source library SocketRocket with functionality such as, heartbeat, receiving commands, and updating command status.7
Command and Control60 detection rules
Standing S1185
Reach is how much of ATT&CK this malware touches. Coverage is how well defended each thing it does is, as a median per technique rather than a total — a total would just restate the reach. Each figure is ranked against all 825 ATT&CK software entries only where that population actually spreads. Where most of the population shares one value, a percentile would rank the tie instead of the entity, so the raw value is shown and no rank is claimed.
Reach
Techniques1670th pct
70th percentile · 70% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many Enterprise techniques or fewer.
Tactics768th pct
68th percentile · 68% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many tactics spanned or fewer.
Threat group161% tie · 22 values
61% of the population shares a single value across only 22 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.
Campaigns085% tie · 8 values
85% of the population shares a single value across only 8 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.
Coverage
Rules / technique9.5medBottom 13%
13th percentile · 87% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more detection rules per technique.
Tests / technique5med
LightSpy detections S1185
364 distinct rules cover the 16 techniques recorded for this malware. 245 Sigma · 119 Splunk.
16 covered by at least one rule364 distinct rules in total
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Splunk
The following analytic detects the execution of network scanning utilities such as Advanced IP Scanner or Advanced Port Scanner. (...)
Detects the Linux-specific execution chain of the plain-crypto-js malicious npm dependency by Axios NPM package, including payload download via curl and detached execution using nohup and python3. (...)
Detects the macOS-specific execution chain of the plain-crypto-js malicious npm dependency in Axios NPM Package, including AppleScript execution via osascript, payload download, permission modification, execution, and cleanup.
Adversaries may communicate using application layer protocols associated with web traffic to avoid detection/network filtering by blending in with existing traffic. (...)
This analytic detects potential reconnaissance activities on Cisco ASA devices by identifying execution of multiple information-gathering "show" commands within a short timeframe. (...)
This analytic detects the usage of the Utility osascript on a macOS device initiated a network connection lasting longer than 10 minutes (600 seconds). (...)
This analytic detects unexpected outbound network connections initiated by known webserver processes such as `httpd.exe`, `nginx.exe`, or `tomcat.exe` to common file sharing or public content hosting services like GitHub, Discord CDN, Transfer.sh, or Pastebin. (...)
The following analytic detects the use of known suspicious SSL certificates in any observed event where the SSL_CertFingerprint field is present. (...)
The following analytic detects potential reverse shell activity by identifying connections involving ports commonly associated with remote access tools, shell listeners, or tunneling utilities. (...)
The following analytic detects connections with a high Encrypted Visibility Engine (EVE) threat confidence score, indicating potentially malicious behavior within encrypted traffic. (...)
The following analytic detects potentially suspicious large volumes of data sent by the connection initiator on flows from internal to external networks. (...)