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Mandiant reported a cyber-espionage operation that used infected USB drives to compromise targeted systems and steal sensitive information. The activity relied on removable media as an initial access vector, allowing attackers to bridge environments where internet connectivity or standard phishing routes may be limited, and then collect data from victim networks.
The campaign highlights the continued effectiveness of USB-borne intrusion techniques in espionage operations, particularly against organizations that handle confidential material or operate in segmented environments. Mandiant said the attackers used the malicious drives to gain footholds on victim machines and facilitate data theft, underscoring the need for tighter controls on removable media, endpoint monitoring, and restrictions on unauthorized USB device use.
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Mandiant published a blog post detailing a campaign in which infected USB drives were used to steal sensitive information. The reference indicates public disclosure of the activity but provides no additional dated events in the supplied content.
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ESET reported that the **Sednit** espionage group, also known as **APT28/Fancy Bear**, used malware designed to breach **air-gapped networks** by spreading through removable media. The operation relied on USB devices to move malicious components into isolated environments, allowing the attackers to collect data from systems not directly connected to the internet and then exfiltrate it once the infected media was reconnected to an online machine. The campaign highlighted a deliberate focus on espionage rather than disruption, with tooling tailored to steal documents and system information from sensitive targets. By adapting its tradecraft to bypass physical network isolation, Sednit demonstrated that air gaps alone do not prevent compromise when attackers can exploit trusted workflows involving portable storage and cross-network file transfers.
Jul 12, 2026
Government and military-linked networks in the Asia-Pacific region were targeted in espionage campaigns that used compromised USB tools to move malware into **air-gapped environments** and steal sensitive files. Kaspersky reported that a threat cluster dubbed **TetrisPhantom** infected government systems by trojanizing the legitimate `UTetris.exe` application used with hardware-encrypted secure USB drives, then using components including **AcroShell** and **XMKR** to infect hosts, harvest documents, and spread through connected removable media. The malware reportedly communicated with USB devices at the **SCSI** level, injected code into legitimate software, and staged exfiltration so stolen data could leave isolated systems once infected drives were later connected to internet-accessible machines. The activity mirrors earlier reporting on **Tropic Trooper**, which used the **USBferry** malware family to penetrate physically isolated military-related networks in Taiwan and the Philippines by abusing removable media and pivoting through less-secured affiliated organizations such as a military hospital. Trend Micro said USBferry supported reconnaissance, persistence, `rundll32.exe` injection, and covert data theft focused on defense-, ocean-, and ship-related documents. Together with Kaspersky’s broader APT reporting, the incidents show sustained, highly targeted espionage against APAC government and defense entities through weaponized USB ecosystems designed to bypass network isolation.
Aug 15, 2026
Sophos reported that a **PlugX** malware variant is propagating through **USB removable media**, allowing the threat to move between networks and geographic regions without relying solely on internet-based delivery. The worm-like behavior enables infected drives to carry the malware to new systems, where it can execute and continue spreading, extending the reach of a long-observed remote access trojan associated with espionage activity. The campaign highlights the continued risk posed by **air-gapped and intermittently connected environments**, where USB devices remain a practical infection vector. By abusing removable drives for lateral movement and persistence, the operators behind PlugX can bypass some perimeter defenses and transport the malware into organizations through routine device sharing, reinforcing the need for stricter USB controls, endpoint monitoring, and detection of **PlugX**-related artifacts.
Jun 29, 2026