On April 6, 2021, DocuSign issued an Alert notifying users of a new malicious hacking tool that is mimicking DocuSign to drop malware into victims’ systems. According to the Alert, the document building tool, dubbed “EtterSilent,” “creates Microsoft Office documents containing malicious macros or attempts to exploit a known Microsoft Office vulnerability (CVE-2017-8570) to download malware onto the victim’s computer. This activity is from malicious third-party sources and is not coming from the DocuSign platform.”

The Alert further states “[T]o date, the malicious documents have been observed to deliver many different malware families such as Trickbot, QBot, Bazar, IcedID and Ursnif. These types of maldocs are typically delivered to victims via phishing attacks.”

DocuSign provides the Indicators of Compromise in the Alert, which can be accessed here.

Since EtterSilent is released using macros, it is worth alerting company users that downloading macros is highly suspicious, and that they may wish to reach out to information technology professionals before downloading macros included in a document or link. If a company routinely uses DocuSign, alerting users to this scheme may help them avoid becoming a victim.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.