E4del and PINHOLE RATs Turn FTP Banners Into Dead Drops for Malware Commands

A new campaign uses E4del and PINHOLE RATs as DDRs, abusing legitimate services to direct victims to command-and-control infrastructure. The technique blends with regular network traffic, making detection harder. Researchers say the development marks an evolution in evasion, as threat actors increasingly leverage trusted services and FTP banners to hide their activity from security tools.