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:
- Hacking group POLONIUM uses ‘Creepy’ malware against Israel
October 11, 2022
Security researchers reveal previously unknown malware used by the cyber espionage hacking group ‘POLONIUM,’ threat actors who appear to target Israeli organizations exclusively. According to ESET, POLONIUM uses a broad range of custom malware against engineering, IT, law, communications, marketing, and insurance firms in Israel. The group’s campaigns are still active at the time of writing. Microsoft’s ...
- Two Former eBay Employees Sentenced for Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign
October 11, 2022
BOSTON – Two former employees of eBay, Inc. were sentenced today for their roles in a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company. Stephanie Popp, 34, of Louisville, Ky., eBay’s former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence, was sentenced to one year and one ...
- Hackers took down U.S. airport web sites, Department of Homeland Security confirms
October 10, 2022
Unknown hackers attacked and temporarily shut down the public-facing websites of at least several major U.S. airports on Monday, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to USA TODAY. The official from DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA, declined to comment on who might have been behind what appeared to be a coordinated series ...
- Intel Alder Lake BIOS code leak may contain vital secrets
October 10, 2022
Source code for the BIOS used with Intel’s 12th-gen Core processors has been leaked online, possibly including details of undocumented model-specific registers (MSRs) and even the private signing key for Intel’s Boot Guard security technology. The source code was apparently shared via 4chan and GitHub, in a file containing tools and code for generating and optimizing ...
- Criminal multitool LilithBot arrives on malware-as-a-service scene
October 10, 2022
A Russia based threat group that set up a malware distribution shop earlier this year is behind a Swiss Army knife-like botnet that comes with a range of other malicious capabilities, from stealing information to mining cryptocurrency. That’s according to researchers at Zscaler’s ThreatLabz threat intelligence unit. It said the Eternity group – also known as ...
- Iranian state-run live TV hacked by protesters
October 9, 2022
Iran’s state-run broadcaster was apparently hacked on air Saturday, with a news bulletin interrupted by a protest against the country’s leader. A mask appeared on the screen, followed by an image of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with flames around him. The group called itself “Adalat Ali”, or Ali’s Justice. Read more… Source: BBC News