Storm-1865 Phishing Campaign: Protecting Against Booking.com Impersonation

The recent advisory from Microsoft Threat Intelligence has sounded a clear alarm for the hospitality sector and all Windows users alike: a sophisticated phishing campaign impersonating Booking.com is actively targeting organizations with a suite of credential-stealing malware. In this evolving landscape of cyber threats, the campaign—dubbed Storm-1865—leverages a crafty social engineering tactic known as ClickFix to bypass conventional defenses and trick users into triggering the download of malicious payloads.

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Campaign Overview: Impersonating Booking.com​

Starting in December 2024 and intensifying as peak travel periods approach, this phishing operation is finely tuned to hit organizations likely to interact with Booking.com. Key details include:

• Targeted Regions: North America, Oceania, South and Southeast Asia, and across Europe.
• Deceptive Emails: Attackers send messages that mimic legitimate correspondence from Booking.com. These emails vary in content—from referencing negative guest reviews to account verification requests—designed to lure recipients by tapping into real-world business concerns.
• The Fake Booking.com Experience: Recipients receive an email with a link or a PDF attachment that, when clicked, leads to a webpage mimicking a genuine Booking.com verification page. This page even features a fake CAPTCHA overlay, lending an air of legitimacy to the scam.

The attackers exploit human behavioral patterns by triggering urgent responses, prompting users to interact with the phishing site in ways that compromise their system security.

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The ClickFix Technique: How Social Engineering Leads to Compromise​

Central to the attack envelope is the ClickFix technique—a method that subverts routine problem-solving habits. Here’s how it unfolds:

• Interactive Prompt: On landing on the phishing page, victims are prompted to perform an action: a keyboard shortcut is suggested to open the Windows Run window.
• Clipboard Command Delivery: The webpage automatically adds a command to the clipboard, instructing the user to paste and execute it.
• Malicious Execution: The pasted command invokes mshta.exe, a legitimate Microsoft HTML host process, to download and run malware. This clever use of a trusted system tool allows the attackers to sneak the malicious payload past many automated defenses.

By relying on user interaction, the campaign bypasses many conventional anti-phishing measures—and that’s a cause of concern for both individual users and IT administrators.

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Malware Arsenal and Attack Vectors​

Once the initial trap is sprung, the phishing campaign delivers a range of malware families, many of which have proven effective in stealing sensitive information:

• XWorm, Lumma Stealer, and VenomRAT: These variants are known for capturing financial data and other sensitive credentials.
• AsyncRAT, Danabot, and NetSupport RAT: They extend the attackers' reach by enabling remote access and control over infected systems.
• Payload Diversity: Depending on the sample, the malicious code may launch scripts or executables written in PowerShell, JavaScript, or portable executable (PE) formats.

This diversity in malicious payloads underscores the campaign’s adaptability and the potential risk for widespread compromise if any organization’s defenses falter.

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Mitigation Strategies for Windows Users and Organizations​

Given the sophisticated nature of this phishing campaign, it is vital to adopt a layered defense strategy. Here are some well-founded recommendations:

• User Vigilance and Education:
  • Verify the Sender: Always examine the sender’s email address. Look for signs like misspellings, unusual domains, or unexpected “[External]” tags.
  • Hover Over Links: Before clicking on any hyperlink, check the full URL. If it looks suspicious, avoid engaging.
  • Direct Navigation: Instead of clicking links from emails, directly visit the official website (in this case, Booking.com) through a trusted browser.
  • Recognize Urgent Requests: Be wary of unexpected, urgent calls to action that pressure you into immediate compliance.
• Technical Defenses and Best Practices:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforce MFA across all accounts to add an extra layer of security.
  • Phishing-Resistant Authentication: Adopt newer, more resilient authentication methods available in Windows 11 updates and through Microsoft security patches.
  • Endpoint Protection: Enable cloud-delivered protection systems like Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which incorporate machine learning to block new and unknown threats.
  • Email Safeguards: Use Microsoft Defender for Office 365 with Safe Links enabled. Safe Links rechecks URLs at the time of click, reducing the risk of malicious content being accessed.
• Network and Endpoint Monitoring:
  • Utilize Security Tools: Leverage Windows Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender XDR, and even Microsoft Security Copilot for real-time incident response and investigation.
  • Enforce Network Protections: Enable features to block access to known malicious domains and use network-level defenses to detect abnormal behavior.

By combining user-level vigilance with robust technical measures, organizations and individual users can significantly mitigate the risks posed by such phishing efforts.

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The Role of Microsoft Defender and Advanced Threat Intelligence​

Microsoft continues to champion integrated security solutions that provide granular threat detection and response. For instance:

• Microsoft Defender XDR: This product helps coordinate detection, prevention, investigation, and response across various domains—including endpoints, identities, email, and apps. Alerts such as suspicious commands in the RunMRU registry or anomalous PowerShell behavior help flag potentially compromised systems.
• Safe Links Technology: Integrated with Office 365, Safe Links rewrites URLs and verifies them at the time of click, providing an important barrier against phishing sites.
• Automated Remediation: Features like Zero-hour Auto Purge (ZAP) in Office 365 work swiftly to quarantine malicious emails, even after delivery.

These protections are part of a larger, proactive approach to cybersecurity where threat intelligence and automated defenses play critical roles in a continuously evolving threat environment.

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Broader Implications and Final Thoughts​

While the current campaign specifically targets the hospitality sector by masquerading as Booking.com, the underlying tactics have broader implications for all Windows users. The use of trusted system utilities like mshta.exe to launch malicious code, combined with the innovative ClickFix social engineering approach, signals a noteworthy evolution in phishing tactics that can impact diverse sectors.
For IT administrators and home users alike, this serves as a reminder to:

• Stay Updated: Ensure all systems are running the latest security patches and Windows updates.
• Educate and Train: Regularly update training materials to help staff recognize phishing attempts and practice secure online behaviors.
• Implement Layered Defenses: The combination of user education, email security, and robust endpoint protection provides the best defense against emerging threats.

The rapid evolution of threat actor tactics—evident in campaigns like Storm-1865—underscores the need for adaptive and proactive cybersecurity measures. By remaining vigilant and utilizing the comprehensive security features embedded in Windows and Microsoft Defender solutions, organizations can better protect themselves from these increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

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In summary, the Booking.com phishing campaign is a wake-up call. Windows users and organizations should not only update their technical defenses but also reinforce best practices in digital hygiene. With a strategic, multi-layered approach, potential victims can significantly reduce the likelihood of falling prey to such deceptive and hazardous schemes. Stay secure and keep your systems updated against the backdrop of evolving cyber threats.

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Source: Microsoft Phishing campaign impersonates Booking. com, delivers a suite of credential-stealing malware