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:
- Security experts warn of AI-boosted scam campaigns that can trick even the smartest victims
June 21, 2026
Messaging scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated as criminals use AI to imitate trusted people, familiar brands, and everyday conversations. New research from Kaspersky suggests these schemes are succeeding with alarming speed, often convincing victims to hand over money within minutes. The findings indicate that digital experience alone may no longer provide reliable protection against modern fraud attempts. Read more… Source: TechRadar ...
- Shadowbyt3$ claims Nintendo of America breach, stealing ~1GB of employee data from TinyPulse survey platform and demanding $2M ransom
June 20, 2026
Nintendo of America has confirmed suffering a third-party data breach incident, but played down its severity. An “extortion-as-a-service” hacking group called Shadowbyt3$ recently claimed to have breached Nintendo of America, a subsidiary of the Japanese gaming giant, operating in the United States, Canada, and some Latin America countries, and exfiltrated sensitive data on its employees. Read more… Source: ...
- Apple users told to watch out for ‘unpatchable’ iPhone security issues – here’s what we know
June 19, 2026
Security researchers Paradigm Shift have discovered a vulnerability in older iPhone and Apple Watch models which can be used to jailbreak the devices. What makes this vulnerability special is the fact that there is no fix for it – the only way to really be secure is to replace the device with a newer model. The good news is that ...
- Microsoft working on a fix for RoguePlanet, a flaw that grants full PC control
June 18, 2026
A publicly available exploit called RoguePlanet can give attackers the highest level of access on Windows systems. Microsoft has confirmed the vulnerability and says it’s working on a security update. RoguePlanet is tracked under CVE-2026-50656, where it’s described as a Microsoft Defender Elevation of Privilege (EoP) vulnerability. Read more… Source: MalwareBytes Labs Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter The latest cyber ...
- Kodak confirms breach as ShinyHunters’ leak threat reaches deadline
June 18, 2026
The Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak) confirmed to BleepingComputer that it is investigating a security breach after the ShinyHunters extortion group claimed responsibility for the incident. Kodak is the latest organization to land on the group’s leak site. ShinyHunters claims it stole more than 2.2 million records and threatened to publish the data unless the company responded by June ...
- Cyber Criminals Redirecting Users to Fraudulent Websites with Malicious Traffic Distribution Systems
June 18, 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is publishing this Public Service Announcement (PSA) to warn the public of cyber criminal use of traffic distribution systems (TDSs) to gain access to victim networks for ransomware or other financial scams. TDS is a technology used to route internet traffic visitors to different destinations after users visit webpages, click advertisement ...