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:
- DAEMON Tools software compromised with a malicious payload
May 5, 2026
In early May 2026, Kaspersky researchers identified installers of the DAEMON Tools software, used for mounting disk images, to be compromised with a malicious payload. These installers are distributed from the legitimate website of DAEMON Tools and are signed with digital certificates belonging to DAEMON Tools developers. Kaspersky analysis revealed that the software installers have been ...
- Trellix confirms data breach after hack of ‘a portion’ of its source code
May 5, 2026
Cybersecurity giant Trellix has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which threat actors accessed parts of its source code. In a brief announcement published on its website, Trellix said it had identified “unauthorized access to a portion of source code repository”. As soon as it spotted the intrusion, the company brought in third-party security experts to ...
- Quasar Linux (QLNX) – Inside a Full-Featured Linux RAT
May 4, 2026
In previous research, Trend Micro have demonstrated how AI can be used to improve detection accuracy when new malware families emerge, particularly those that reuse or share code from open-source repositories. In this blog entry, Trends Micro researchers present another compelling finding from the same approach. Trend Micro platform recently flagged an unusual Linux implant with ...
- Thousands of Facebook accounts stolen by phishing emails sent through Google
May 4, 2026
Researchers have uncovered a long-running phishing operation that abuses trusted Google services to hijack tens of thousands of Facebook accounts. The compromised Facebook accounts are mainly business and advertiser profiles, which criminals can monetize after gaining access and control. The attackers found a way to send phishing emails that come “through Google,” making them look legitimate ...
- Employees are now more dangerous to their company than external hackers
May 4, 2026
New data from Orange Cyberdefense has suggested the biggest risks companies face could now be coming from inside, with internal threats rising from 47% to 57% in the space of less than a year. For the first time ever, internal threats have become more common that external ones, with hacking remaining pretty steady at 31% of ...
- Hackers crawled Canadian streets with SMS blasters causing 13 million network disruptions
May 1, 2026
Authorities in Canada have disclosed details of a mobile cyber operation that relied on SMS blasters mounted inside vehicles moving through urban areas. Three suspects drove around downtown Toronto with these hidden devices running in their cars, impersonating cell towers. The Toronto Police Service confirmed that this marked the first operation of its kind ever recorded ...