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:
- Threat landscape for industrial automation systems, Q1 2024
May 27, 2024
In the first quarter of 2024, the percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked decreased by 0.3 pp from the previous quarter to 24.4%. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the percentage decreased by 1.3 pp. Building automation has historically led the surveyed industries in terms of the percentage of ICS computers ...
- Ghana Cyber Security Authority Records 187 Cases of WhatsApp Account Takeovers, Warns of Rising Trend
May 27, 2024
The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) says a growing number of Ghanaians are falling victim to social engineering and sharing WhatsApp verification codes with malicious actors. This has led to about 187 cases recorded since 2023, it said in a statement. “Malicious actors disguise themselves as familiar contacts or as authoritative figures (typically as administrators of Groups ...
- Massive cyber attack against Eritrea’s Internet System
May 26, 2024
A massive cyber attack was unleashed against Eritrea’s Internet System on Independence Day, Friday, 24 May 2024, at 12:32’:47 in the afternoon hours. The attempt was foiled by the defensive countermeasures deployed promptly, and the network continued its functions without interruptions. The identity of the originators, architects, and implementers of the attempted cyber attack is not ...
- Hellhounds: Operation Lahat. Part 2
May 23, 2024
In November 2023, the team at the Positive Technologies Expert Security Center (PT ESC) released their first research report on attacks by the hitherto-unknown group Hellhounds on Russian companies’ infrastructure: Operation Lahat. The report focused on the group’s attacks on Linux hosts that relied on a new backdoor known as Decoy Dog. Hellhounds carried on attacks ...
- Crooks plant backdoor in software used by courtrooms around the world
May 23, 2024
A software maker serving more than 10,000 courtrooms throughout the world hosted an application update containing a hidden backdoor that maintained persistent communication with a malicious website, researchers reported Thursday, in the latest episode of a supply-chain attack. The software, known as the JAVS Viewer 8, is a component of the JAVS Suite 8, an application ...
- LockBit demands $25 million from Canadian pharmacy chain London Drugs after ransomware attack
May 23, 2024
The recent cyber-incident against Canadian pharmacy chain London Drugs was indeed a full-blown ransomware attack, with sensitive data being stolen, and a major ransom being demanded, the company has confirmed. In a statement given to The Register, the company said it had been hit, but stressed it also had no intention of paying the ransom demand. ...