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:
- Android banking malware intercepts calls to customer support
April 11, 2022
A banking trojan for Android that researchers call Fakecalls comes with a powerful capability that enables it to take over calls to a bank’s customer support number and connect the victim directly with the cybercriminals operating the malware. Disguised as a mobile app from a popular bank, Fakecalls displays all the marks of the entity it ...
- CVE-2022-22965: Analyzing the Exploitation of Spring4Shell Vulnerability in Weaponizing and Executing the Mirai Botnet Malware
April 11, 2022
Trend Micro Threat Research observed active exploitation of the Spring4Shell vulnerability assigned as CVE-2022-22965, which allows malicious actors to weaponize and execute the Mirai botnet malware. The exploitation allows threat actors to download the Mirai sample to the “/tmp” folder and execute them after permission change using “chmod”. Researchers began seeing malicious activities at the start ...
- New Android banking malware remotely takes control of your device
April 9, 2022
A new Android banking malware named Octo has appeared in the wild, featuring remote access capabilities that allow malicious operators to perform on-device fraud. Octo is an evolved Android malware based on ExoCompact, a malware variant based on the Exo trojan that quit the cybercrime space and had its source code leaked in 2018. The new variant ...
- Hackers use Conti’s leaked ransomware to attack Russian companies
April 9, 2022
A hacking group used the Conti’s leaked ransomware source code to create their own ransomware to use in cyberattacks against Russian organizations. While it is common to hear of ransomware attacks targeting companies and encrypting data, we rarely hear about Russian organizations getting attacked similarly. This lack of attacks is due to the general belief by Russian ...
- Microsoft dogs Strontium domains to stop attacks on Ukraine
April 8, 2022
Microsoft this week seized seven internet domains run by Russia-linked threat group Strontium, which was using the infrastructure to target Ukrainian institutions as well as think tanks in the US and EU, apparently to support Russian’s invasion of its neighbor. The seizure is also part of a long-running legal and technical hunt by Microsoft to disrupt ...
- Mystery of alleged Chinese hack on eve of Ukraine invasion
April 7, 2022
Allegations of Chinese cyber activity as the recent conflict broke out in Ukraine have been emerging. The details appear unusually murky but one Western intelligence official believes the aim was espionage – and the cyber-attack may have been broader than previously reported. The Times first reported that hackers, alleged to be based in China, began targeting Ukrainian ...