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:
- Experts warn 2,000 hacked WordPress sites were secretly running a global crime ring
August 22, 2026
Check Point Research has unearthed a global cybercrime ring that relied on a network of WordPress websites. The investigation into an operation dubbed “StopAndProtect” found a network of 5,000 infected computers around the globe, and 2,000 WordPress domains. WordPress currently provides content management for around 43% of websites worldwide, making it the most significant CMS available. ...
- Private equity firm Apollo confirms data breach amid hacking wave targeting financial giants
August 21, 2026
Private equity giant Apollo Global Management has confirmed a data breach in which hackers stole reams of personal information from the company’s cloud systems. The breach comes a month after security researchers sounded the alarm on a new hacking campaign targeting financial and private equity giants. The financial giant confirmed the incident in a letter filed with California’s ...
- Securing the overlooked corners of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) supply chain
August 21, 2026
While supply chain threats have been quietly compounding over the past decade, the last 12–18 months have triggered a drastic shift in the scale and velocity of these attacks. Rather than just hunting for bugs in finished software, attackers are targeting the everyday tools and code developers rely on. Unit 42 research shows this happening at ...
- Zombie Card: An expired Visa credit card can be used for purchases
August 21, 2026
Did you know there is still a good reason to physically destroy your expired credit card? Scientific research found that the expiration date used by payment terminals on some contactless cards was not effectively protected against tampering. University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers Raja Hasnain Anwar, Gerard DeCunha, and Muhammad Taqi Raza tested contactless cards across Visa, Mastercard, Discover, ...
- The invisible passenger in your car
August 21, 2026
While monitoring Android threats in June 2026, Kaspersky discovered a new piece of Android malware. What struck the researchers as unusual was that it installed like an ordinary user app yet made no attempt to disguise itself as legitimate software: it had no user interface at all. This led us to suspect the app might ...
- Hackers are spending millions on expired domains to enable malware scams
August 21, 2026
A domain name is the closest thing the web has to a credit history: age, inbound links, search visibility, and reputation all feed the reputation scores that security products consult before deciding whether a request is worth worrying about. New research from Infoblox Threat Intel claims this history has become a commodity with a market price, and that at least ...