March 2025 has seen a sneaky new player enter the cyber battlefield — and it’s packing some serious espionage power. Meet XDigo, a Go-based malware that’s now making waves across Eastern Europe, hitting government entities and other high-value targets with a mix of stealth, deception, and data theft.
Discovered by French cybersecurity firm HarfangLab, XDigo is the latest weapon in a digital espionage campaign likely tied to the notorious XDSpy group — a cyber mercenary gang that’s been active since 2011 and specializes in spying on Eastern European governments.
🎣 It All Starts with a Click — A Shortcut to Trouble
The attack doesn’t begin with a fancy exploit or a high-tech hack. Instead, it starts with something deceptively simple: a Windows shortcut file (.LNK) — the kind you might double-click on your desktop without a second thought.
These shortcut files were laced with a previously undisclosed remote code execution flaw in Windows (known as ZDI-CAN-25373), revealed just weeks ago by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative. The flaw allows attackers to hide malicious content in plain sight — invisible to most users and even some security tools.
🧨 TL;DR: Open the wrong file, and boom — malware slips into your system under the radar.
🎭 Inside the Trap: ZIPs, PDFs, and a Double Agent DLL
Once a victim opens the LNK-laced file, the real deception kicks in. HarfangLab found that the malware is delivered through nested ZIP archives, each containing:
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A decoy PDF (harmless-looking bait)
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A renamed legit executable
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A rogue DLL that gets sneakily loaded by the executable
This technique, known as DLL sideloading, allows hackers to sneak malware past security software by piggybacking on a trusted file.
🧬 Say Hello to XDigo: The Spyware That Steals Everything
The hidden DLL is just the beginning. It loads ETDownloader, which then installs the real payload — XDigo, a powerful data-stealing tool capable of:
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🗂️ Snatching sensitive files
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🧾 Stealing clipboard contents
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📸 Taking screenshots
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👮 Running commands from a remote server
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🛫 Exfiltrating stolen data via HTTP POST
In short: if it’s on your system, XDigo wants it.
🕸️ Who’s Behind It?
All signs point to XDSpy, an experienced threat actor known for espionage-style cyber attacks targeting government bodies across Belarus, Russia, Moldova, and the broader Balkans region.
One infected organization was confirmed to be located in Minsk, and other suspected victims include retail chains, banks, insurance firms, and postal services.
🧩 And here’s the kicker — the group seems to have tailored the malware to evade detection by Russian cybersecurity solutions, showing just how advanced and focused this campaign really is.
🛡️ What Can You Do?
Even if you’re not in Eastern Europe, this attack shows just how fragile everyday tools like shortcut files can be. Here’s how to stay protected:
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Avoid opening random ZIP or LNK files — especially those you receive via email or download from shady sources.
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Keep your OS and security tools updated, especially with patches for file parsing vulnerabilities.
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Use behavioral-based threat detection tools that catch malware by what it does, not what it looks like.
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Don’t ignore odd system behavior after opening a file — slowdowns, pop-ups, or strange network traffic might be signs of compromise.
⚠️ Final Thoughts
XDigo is proof that even low-tech-looking tricks can still cause high-impact damage when backed by a determined threat actor. And with state-level entities potentially behind these attacks, it’s no longer just about stealing credit cards — it’s digital espionage at its finest.
Stay sharp, stay secure, and as always — don’t click that sketchy file.
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