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:
- HPE’s sensitive data exposed in alleged IntelBroker hack
January 20, 2025
IntelBroker has struck again. This time, the notorious BreachForums bigwig, which has a long list of high-profile victims, including Europol, Cisco, and GE, has claimed to have breached IT giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). The suspected Serbian-origin hacker is offering to sell on BreachForums, sensitive data allegedly stolen from HPE including product source codes and personally ...
- UAE Cyber Security Council calls for stronger vigilance amid growing AI-driven cyber attacks
January 18, 2025
The Cyber Security Council of the UAE Government has announced that the nation’s cybersecurity systems have successfully countered malicious ransomware attacks targeting several strategic sectors, including government and private entities. The Council revealed that the country’s emergency cyber-response systems, in collaboration with relevant authorities, have proactively and professionally intercepted and neutralised approximately 200,000 cyber attacks daily ...
- Proof-of-Concept Exploit Released for CVE-2024-53691 in QNAP QTS and QuTS NAS
January 17, 2025
QNAP has released a security advisory addressing three vulnerabilities in the QTS and QuTS products. QTS and QuTS are the operating system for QNAP Network-attached storage (NAS) appliances. CVE-2023-39298 is a ‘Missing authorisation’ vulnerability with a CVSSv3 score of 7.8. If exploited, a local attacker with low privileges could access data or perform actions without proper ...
- CIA employee pleads guilty over leak of classified Israeli plans
January 17, 2025
A CIA employee who was accused of leaking classified documents about Israel’s plans to strike Iran pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal charges that he willfully retained and transmitted national defense information, the U.S. Department of Justice said. In pleading guilty, Asif William Rahman, who worked at the U.S. intelligence agency since 2016, acknowledged that he ...
- Mercedes-Benz Head Unit security research report
January 17, 2025
This report covers the research of the Mercedes-Benz Head Unit, which was made by Kaspersky team. Mercedes-Benz’s latest Head Unit (infotainment system) is called Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX). The researchers performed analysis of the first generation MBUX. MBUX was previously analysed by KeenLab. Their report is a good starting point for diving deep into the MBUX ...
- Threat Brief: CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283
January 16, 2025
On Jan. 8, 2025, Ivanti released a security advisory for two vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283) in its Connect Secure, Policy Secure and ZTA gateway products. This threat brief provides attack details that we observed in a recent incident response engagement to provide actionable intelligence to the community. These details can be used to further detect current ...