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Attackers Abuse Court Documents, GitHub Payloads to Infect Judicial Targets With COVERT RAT

Cybersecuritynews •Tushar Subhra Dutta • March 18, 2026

A new wave of targeted attacks is quietly hitting Argentina’s judicial system, using fake court documents to lure legal professionals into installing a dangerous piece of malware. The campaign, formally called Operation Covert Access, deploys a Rust-built Remote Access Trojan known as COVERT RAT via spear-phishing emails that closely mimic genuine federal court communications. Once […]

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Targeted COVERT RAT Attacks on Argentina's Judicial Sector Using Court Docs and GitHub Payloads A spear-phishing campaign dubbed Operation Covert Access is targeting Argentina's judicial sector with a Rust-based Remote Access Trojan (RAT) known as COVERT RAT. Attackers are leveraging fake court documents to deceive legal professionals into executing malicious payloads. The attack method involves chaining Windows LNK shortcuts, BAT loaders, and PowerShell scripts to download and execute the RAT from GitHub. The stealthy nature of the malware allows it to operate undetected, posing significant risks to sensitive judicial data. This targeted operation highlights vulnerabilities within the judicial system's cybersecurity defenses. The campaign is ongoing, and affected systems include various components of the judicial infrastructure. Specific numbers and CVEs were not disclosed in the articles, but the threat level is considered high due to the targeted nature of the attacks. Legal professionals are advised to exercise caution when handling unexpected court communications. 2 sources 64

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Attackers Abuse Court Documents, GitHub Payloads to Infect Judicial Targets With COVERT RAT

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Attack Types (2)

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Countries (1)

Malware (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (1)

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