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:
- DDoS attacks in Q1 2020
May 6, 2020
Since the beginning of 2020, due to the COVID-2019 pandemic, life has shifted almost entirely to the Web — people worldwide are now working, studying, shopping, and having fun online like never before. This is reflected in the goals of recent DDoS attacks, with the most targeted resources in Q1 being websites of medical organizations, ...
- Excel Files with Hidden Sheets Target Users in Italy
May 5, 2020
A spam campaign using emails that have Excel file (.xls) attachments (detected by Trend Micro as Trojan.XF.HIDDBOOK.THDBHBO) has been seen circulating and targeting users in Italy and some users in Germany and other countries. The attachment appears blank when opened, but it has a sheet set to “hidden” that attempts to connect to a URL and download a ...
- COVID-19: Cloud Threat Landscape
May 4, 2020
Unit 42 researchers analyzed 1.2 million newly observed hostnames (NOH) containing keywords related to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 9, 2020 to April 26, 2020 (7 weeks). 86,600+ fully qualified domain names are classified as “high-risk” or “malicious” (C2, malware, or phishing), spread across various regions , as shown in Figure 1. The United States ...
- Oracle: Unpatched Versions of WebLogic App Server Under Active Attack
May 4, 2020
Oracle is urging customers to fast-track a patch for a critical flaw in its WebLogic Server under active attack. The company said it has received numerous reports that attackers were targeting the vulnerability patched last month. Oracle WebLogic Server is a popular application server used in building and deploying enterprise Java EE applications. The server has a remote ...
- Airplane Hack Exposes Weaknesses of Alert and Avoidance Systems
May 4, 2020
The aircraft safety system known as the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) can be coerced into sending an airplane on a mid-air rollercoaster ride – much to the horror of those onboard. Researchers were able to cobble together an effective method for spoofing the TCAS using a $10 USB-based Digital Video Broadcasting dongle and ...
- TrickBot Attack Exploits COVID-19 Fears with DocuSign-Themed Ploy
May 1, 2020
Threat actors are using people’s interest in the Department of Labor’s Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to spread what appears to be the TrickBot trojan in a new spam campaign that security researchers discovered recently. Recent analysis from spam honeypots set by IBM X-Force discovered actors targeting email recipients with fake messages that claim to ...