MirrorFace Targets Japan and Taiwan with ROAMINGMOUSE and Enhanced ANEL Malware
May 08, 2025
Malware / Cyber Espionage
The nation-state threat group MirrorFace has been detected deploying malware named ROAMINGMOUSE in a cyber espionage operation aimed at government agencies and public institutions in Japan and Taiwan. This activity, identified by Trend Micro in March 2025, involved the use of spear-phishing tactics to deliver an upgraded version of a backdoor known as ANEL. “The ANEL file from the 2025 campaign introduced a new command for executing BOF (Beacon Object File) in memory,” noted security researcher Hara Hiroaki. “Additionally, this campaign may have utilized SharpHide to initiate the second-stage backdoor, NOOPDOOR.” MirrorFace, also identified as Earth Kasha, is believed to be a subgroup of APT10. In March 2025, ESET detailed a campaign named Operation AkaiRyū, which targeted a diplomatic organization within the European Union in August 2024 using the ANEL malware (also referred to as UPPERCUT).
Malware / Cyber Espionage
MirrorFace Cyber Espionage Campaign Targets Government Entities in Japan and Taiwan May 8, 2025 – In a concerning trend in cyber warfare, the nation-state threat actor known as MirrorFace has been detected deploying a sophisticated malware variant named ROAMINGMOUSE. This…