Attackers typically try to pass off malware as legitimate applications or as potentially unwanted programs that users deliberately search for and download, such as cheats or cracks. They often rely on ad and affiliate networks to deliver their creations to victims’ devices. This post examines a less conventional case: a well-known backdoor distributed under the guise of adware. The attackers may have chosen this distribution method because the adware was signed by the developer. On top of that, users often manually add these apps to exclusions, so their useful features don’t get blocked.
Some time ago, a client asked us to analyze a file with the MD5 hash c24e99f9437feacaa63766a3cde3fe3d and add it to our detection database. We initially classified it as adware, but a cursory analysis turned up suspicious network activity, which prompted us to dig deeper. It turned out the sample did far more than serve ads. In fact, its advertising functionality doesn’t even work; instead, it triggers an infection chain that delivers the ValleyRAT backdoor.
Read more…
Source: Kaspersky
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Hackers Take Aim at SSH Keys in New Attacks
October 19, 2017
SSH private keys are being targeted by hackers who have stepped up their scanning of thousands of servers hosting WordPress websites in search of private keys. Since Monday, security researchers said they have observed a single entity scanning as many as 25,000 systems a day seeking vulnerable SSH keys to be used to compromise websites. “What ...
- US-CERT study predicts machine learning, transport systems to become security risks
October 19, 2017
The Carnegie-Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute has nominated transport systems, machine learning, and smart robots as needing better cyber-security risk and threat analysis. That advice comes in the institute’s third Emerging Technology Domains Risk Survey, a project it has handled for the US Department of Homeland Security’s US-CERT since 2015. The surveys are cumulative, meaning any ...
- Newly Discovered Iranian APT Group Brings State-sponsored Cyber Espionage into Focus
October 17, 2017
State-sponsored cyber espionage has been rising steadily in recent years. Whether it’s high-profile attacks such as North Korea’s hack of Sony in 2014, China’s alleged hack of the US’s Office of Personnel Management in 2015, or Russia’s alleged hack of the Democratic National Committee in 2016, the stories are mounting. Iran has also been in the cyber espionage news, with major ...
- Spy vs spy vs hacker vs… who is THAT? Everyone’s hacking each other
October 5, 2017
VB2017 Intel agencies and top-tier hackers are actively hacking other hackers in order to steal victim data, borrow tools and techniques, and reuse each other’s infrastructure, attendees at Virus Bulletin Con, Madrid, were told yesterday. The increasing amount of spy-vs-spy type activity is making accurate threat intel increasingly difficult for security researchers, according to Kaspersky Lab. Threat intelligence ...
- Microsoft Programming Error is Behind Dangerous Kernel Bug, Researchers Claim
September 7, 2017
Researchers claim a programming error in the Microsoft Windows kernel cracks the door open for malicious executables to bypass security software. The flaw, according to security firm EnSilo, has been present on previous versions of Windows dating back to Windows 2000 and can be found on Windows 10 as well. “The bug is a programming error ...
- Attack Uses Docker Containers To Hide, Persist, Plant Malware
July 27, 2017
A novel attack vector allows for adversaries to abuse the Docker API to hide malware on targeted systems, and even execute remote code. The proof of concept attack was developed by researchers at Aqua Security, and the technique was first demonstrated today at Black Hat by Sagie Dulce, senior security researcher, with Aqua Security. The attack works ...