Close analysis of the delivered payloads and legitimate resources retrieved from URLs by the first stage malware dropper reveals that TA416 is once again using an updated version of PlugX malware to target their victims. Historically, the group has relied on a variety of legitimate antivirus files, including the Avast file resource wsc_proxy.exe, to begin the process of DLL search order hijacking that results in PlugX malware installation. In the January 2022 campaigns, TA416 used the PE file potplayermini.exe to initiate DLL search order hijacking. This is a legitimate executable file that is part of the publicly available media player Daum PotPlayer 1.5.29825, which Mandiant has previously documented as being susceptible to search order hijacking since at least 2016. The file DocConvDll.dll has also intermittently been used as a loader of the PlugX DAT configuration files. For those that are familiar with TA416’s historic tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), this is highly similar to the Trident Loader method which the group used to install PlugX in previous campaigns