Indian Income Tax-Themed Phishing Campaign Targets Local Businesses

Description

A sophisticated phishing campaign impersonating the Indian Income Tax Department has been targeting local businesses. The attack begins with a spear-phishing email containing a PDF attachment that directs victims to a fake compliance portal. This triggers the download of a malicious ZIP file, which initiates a multi-stage infection chain. The payload, delivered through NSIS installers, deploys a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) with persistence capabilities. The malware harvests system information and establishes communication with command and control servers. Technical indicators suggest a China-linked development environment. This campaign demonstrates how seemingly simple tax-themed phishing can lead to complete device compromise, emphasizing the need for heightened security awareness.