31-January-2023
Welcome to the weekly threat detection update report from Stamus Networks. Each week, you will receive this email with a summary of the updates.
Current Stamus Threat Intelligence (STI) release version: 657
This week, in addition to daily ruleset and IOC updates, we provided Stamus Security Platform customers with the following improved defense(s):
Note: a "method" as referenced below, is a discrete detection vector for a given threat.
The following detections were added to your Stamus Security Platform this past week:
VectorStealer is a malicious program designed to steal sensitive data. It is classified as an information stealer. Typically, stealers run silently in the background to avoid suspicion. Threat actors use various ways to trick users into infecting computers with information-stealing malware. Pcrisk
A Trojan horse or Trojan is a type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software. Trojans can be employed by cyber-thieves and hackers trying to gain access to users' systems. Users are typically tricked by some form of social engineering into loading and executing Trojans on their systems. Once activated, Trojans can enable cyber-criminals to spy on you, steal your sensitive data, and gain backdoor access to your system. Kaspersky
WinWrapper - microsoft |
xdr33 is a backdoor born from the CIA Hive project, its main purpose is to collect sensitive information and provide a foothold for subsequent intrusions. In terms of network communication, xdr33 uses XTEA or AES algorithm to encrypt the original traffic, and uses SSL with Client-Certificate Authentication mode enabled to further protect the traffic; in terms of function, there are two main tasks: beacon and trigger, of which beacon is periodically report sensitive information about the device to the hard-coded Beacon C2 and execute the commands issued by it, while the trigger is to monitor the NIC traffic to identify specific messages that conceal the Trigger C2, and when such messages are received, it establishes communication with the Trigger C2 and waits for the execution of the commands issued by it Netlab360
APT-C-36 is a suspected South America espionage group that has been active since at least 2018. The group mainly targets Colombian government institutions as well as important corporations in the financial sector, petroleum industry, and professional manufacturing. MITRE
APT-C-36 - malpedia | APT-C-36 - checkpoint |
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
DarkCloud - malpedia | DarkCloud - microsoft |
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
MintStealer - malpedia | MintStealer - twitter |
Lumma is an information stealer written in C, sold as a Malware-as-a-Service by LummaC on Russian-speaking underground forums and Telegram since at least August 2022. Lumma's capabilities are those of a classic stealer, with a focus on cryptocurrency wallets, and file grabber capabilities. Malpedia
The following detections were updated this past week with changes to kill chain phase(s) or MITRE ATT&CK tactic(s)/technique(s):
VICEROY TIGER is an adversary with a nexus to India that has historically targeted entities throughout multiple sectors. Older activity targeted multiple sectors and countries; however, since 2015 this adversary appears to focus on entities in Pakistan with a particular focus on government and security organizations. This adversary consistently leverages spear phishing emails containing malicious Microsoft Office documents, malware designed to target the Android mobile platform, and phishing activity designed to harvest user credentials. In March 2017, the 360 Chasing Team found a sample of targeted attacks that confirmed the previously unknown sample of APT's attack actions, which the organization can now trace back at least in April 2016. The chasing team named the attack organization APT-C-35. In June 2017, the 360 Threat Intelligence Center discovered the organization’s new attack activity, confirmed and exposed the gang’s targeted attacks against Pakistan, and analyzed in detail. The unique EHDevel malicious code framework used by the organization. Malpedia
Magic Hound is an Iranian-sponsored threat group that conducts long term, resource-intensive cyber espionage operations, likely on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They have targeted U.S. and Middle Eastern government and military personnel, academics, journalists, and organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), via complex social engineering campaigns since at least 2014. MITRE
Malware of this family uses advertising as its main monetization method. The malware uses different methods to display as many ads as possible to the user, including by installing new adware.
These Trojans can get root privileges in order to hide in the system folder, which makes the Trojans very difficult to remove. Kaspersky
Backdoors are designed to give malicious users remote control over an infected computer. In terms of functionality, Backdoors are similar to many administration systems designed and distributed by software developers.
These types of malicious programs make it possible to do anything the author wants on the infected computer: send and receive files, launch files or delete them, display messages, delete data, reboot the computer, etc.
The programs in this category are often used in order to unite a group of victim computers and form a botnet or zombie network. This gives malicious users centralized control over an army of infected computers which can then be used for criminal purposes.
There is also a group of Backdoors which are capable of spreading via networks and infecting other computers as Net-Worms do. The difference is that such Backdoors do not spread automatically (as Net-Worms do), but only upon a special “command” from the malicious user that controls them. Kaspersky
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
Cobalt Strike is a commercial, full-featured, penetration testing tool which bills itself as “adversary simulation software designed to execute targeted attacks and emulate the post-exploitation actions of advanced threat actors”. Cobalt Strike’s interactive post-exploit capabilities cover the full range of ATT&CK tactics, all executed within a single, integrated system.
In addition to its own capabilities, Cobalt Strike leverages the capabilities of other well-known tools such as Metasploit and Mimikatz. MITRE
FormBook is a virus designed to steal personal data from victims' computers. Research shows that this malware is distributed using spam emails that contain malicious attachments. In addition, developers provide this virus as a 'service' - any aspiring cyber criminal can pay a subscription and gain access to the FormBook tool. The list of victims is large, however, most FormBook infections have been detected in USA and South Korea. FormBook
Gamaredon Group is a threat group that has been active since at least 2013 and has targeted individuals likely involved in the Ukrainian government. The name Gamaredon Group comes from a misspelling of the word "Armageddon", which was detected in the adversary's early campaigns. MITRE
Glupteba is a trojan-type program, malicious software that installs other programs of this type. Cyber criminals distribute Glupteba through malicious advertisements that can be injected into legitimate websites or advertising networks. Research shows that Glubteba can be used to distribute a browser stealer or router exploiter. In any case, this malware should be uninstalled immediately. Pcrisk
Trojan-Banker programs are designed to steal user account data relating to online banking systems, e-payment systems and plastic card systems. The data is then transmitted to the malicious user controlling the Trojan. Email, FTP, the web (including data in a request), or other methods may be used to transit the stolen data. Kaspersky
The IcedID banking Trojan was discovered by IBM X-Force researchers in 2017. At that time, it targeted banks, payment card providers, mobile services providers, payroll, webmail and e-commerce sites, mainly in the U.S. IcedID has since continued to evolve, and while one of its more recent versions became active in late-2019, X-Force researchers have identified a new major version release that emerged in 2020 with some substantial changes. securityintelligence.com
Joker is one of the most prominent malware families that continually targets Android devices. Despite awareness of this particular malware, it keeps finding its way into Google’s official application market by employing changes in its code, execution methods, or payload-retrieving techniques. This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information along with silently signing up the victim for premium wireless application protocol (WAP) services. Zscaler
Remote Access Trojans are programs that provide the capability to allow covert surveillance or the ability to gain unauthorized access to a victim PC. Remote Access Trojans often mimic similar behaviors of keylogger applications by allowing the automated collection of keystrokes, usernames, passwords, screenshots, browser history, emails, chat lots, etc. Remote Access Trojans differ from keyloggers in that they provide the capability for an attacker to gain unauthorized remote access to the victim machine via specially configured communication protocols which are set up upon initial infection of the victim computer. This backdoor into the victim machine can allow an attacker unfettered access, including the ability to monitor user behavior, change computer settings, browse and copy files, utilize the bandwidth (Internet connection) for possible criminal activity, access connected systems, and more. Malwarebytes
FIN6(Magecart) is a cyber crime group that has stolen payment card data and sold it for profit on underground marketplaces. This group has aggressively targeted and compromised point of sale (PoS) systems in the hospitality and retail sectors. MITRE
The Sabsik virus is a type of malware that is used as advanced espionage tool capable of learning your passwords, credit and debit card numbers, and other sensitive info about you. The methods used by the Sabsik Scam are keylogging, presenting the user with phishing forms, and screen-monitoring. Howtoremove
Adversaries may delete, alter, or send SMS messages without user authorization. This could be used to hide C2 SMS messages, spread malware, or various external effects. This can be accomplished by requesting the RECEIVE_SMS or SEND_SMS permissions depending on what the malware is attempting to do. If the app is set as the default SMS handler on the device, the SMS_DELIVER broadcast intent can be registered, which allows the app to write to the SMS content provider. The content provider directly modifies the messaging database on the device, which could allow malicious applications with this ability to insert, modify, or delete arbitrary messages on the device. MITRE
It leverages compromised websites and performs some of the most creative fingerprinting checks we’ve seen, before delivering its payload (NetSupport RAT). Malwarebytes
The term info stealer is self-explanatory. This type of malware resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.
Info stealers may use many methods of data acquisition. The most common are:
hooking browsers (and sometimes other applications) and stealing credentials that are typed by the user using web injection scripts that are adding extra fields to web forms and submitting information from them to a server owned by the attacker form grabbing (finding specific opened windows and stealing their content) keylogging stealing passwords saved in the system and cookies Modern info stealers are usually parts of botnets. Sometimes the target of attack and related events are configured remotely by the command sent from the Command and Control server (C&C). Malwarebytes
Again, the generic nature of this detection means that the Payloads performed by this group of trojans may be highly variable, and therefore difficult to describe specifically. This group of trojans has been observed to perform any, or all, of the following actions:
redirect Web traffic
- manipulate certain Windows or third-party applications including settings or configurations
- drop or install additional malicious programs
- download and run additional malicious programs
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
Microsoft
A Trojan downloader is a type of Trojan horse that downloads and installs files, often malicious programs. A Trojan horse is a type of software that looks legitimate but can be malicious in nature. Sometimes these programs can be downloaded onto a device without the user’s knowledge or consent. A Trojan’s purpose is to damage, disrupt, steal, or generally inflict some other harm on your computer and devices. Norton
A dropper is a kind of Trojan that has been designed to "install" some sort of malware (virus, backdoor, etc.) to a target system. The malware code can be contained within the dropper (single-stage) in such a way as to avoid detection by virus scanners or the dropper may download the malware to the target machine once activated (two stage). Wikipedia
Malicious programs of this family secretly send information to the criminal from the user’s infected Android mobile device. Kaspersky
Vidar (also known as Vidar Stealer) is a trojan (a malicious program) commonly used by cyber criminals. The program steals various personal information from users who have computers infected with the virus. Pcrsik
During a routine threat-hunting exercise, Cyble research labs discovered a dark web post where a malware developer was advertising a powerful Windows RAT. Cyble
The following threat detection(s) were improved this past week with new or updated threat methods.
| Name of threat | New coverage | Total coverage | Last updated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | Detection methods | Kill chain phases | Protocols involved | ||
| APT-C-35 | 1 | command and control | http | 175 | command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-01-26 |
| APT-C-36 | 3 | command and control | dns | 3 | command and control | dns | 2023-01-24 |
| APT35 | 1 | command and control | dns | 207 | command and control, delivery | dns, ftp, http, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-27 |
| Android Trojan Agent | 1 | command and control | dns | 183 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-01-27 |
| Backdoor | 1 | command and control | dns | 377 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, ftp, http, icmp, smtp, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-28 |
| Banker Stealer | 7 | command and control | dns | 235 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, smtp, tcp, tls | 2023-01-28 |
| Cobalt Strike | 3 | command and control | dns | 401 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation | dns, http, smb, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-26 |
| DarkCloud | 2 | actions on objectives | smtp | 2 | actions on objectives | smtp | 2023-01-24 |
| FormBook | 1 | command and control | http | 9 | command and control | http | 2023-01-28 |
| Gamaredon | 2 | command and control | http | 135 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-01-28 |
| Glupteba | 3 | command and control | tls | 61 | command and control | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-01-28 |
| Hqwar | 5 | command and control | dns, tls | 55 | actions on objectives, command and control | dns, http, tls | 2023-01-28 |
| IcedID | 4 | command and control | dns | 395 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-01-26 |
| Joker | 2 | command and control | dns, tls | 36 | actions on objectives, command and control | dns, ftp, http, tls | 2023-01-27 |
| LuminosityRAT | 2 | command and control, delivery | tcp-pkt, tcp | 13 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | tcp, tcp-pkt | 2023-01-27 |
| MageCart | 3 | delivery, actions on objectives | http | 185 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tls | 2023-01-24 |
| MintStealer | 5 | command and control | http | 5 | command and control | http | 2023-01-24 |
| Sabsik | 1 | actions on objectives | tcp | 17 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-01-26 |
| SmsThief | 3 | command and control | dns | 143 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery | dns, http, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-27 |
| SocGholish | 3 | command and control | dns | 233 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation, reconnaissance | dns, http, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-01-24 |
| Stealer and Exfiltration | 54 | command and control, actions on objectives, installation, delivery | http, dns, tcp, tcp-pkt | 303 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, exploitation, installation | dns, ftp, http, smtp, tcp, tcp-pkt, tls | 2023-01-25 |
| Trojan Agent | 3 | command and control | tls, dns, http | 378 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, ip, smtp, tcp, tcp-pkt, tcp-stream, tls, udp | 2023-01-24 |
| Trojan Downloader | 1 | command and control | http | 242 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-28 |
| Trojan Dropper | 2 | delivery | dns | 294 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tcp, tls, udp | 2023-01-28 |
| TrojanSpy-Android | 7 | installation, command and control | http, dns, tls | 451 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tcp, tls | 2023-01-27 |
| Vector Stealer | 1 | actions on objectives | http | 1 | actions on objectives | http | 2023-01-24 |
| Vidar | 1 | command and control | dns | 29 | actions on objectives, command and control, delivery, installation | dns, http, tls | 2023-01-24 |
| WinWrapper | 3 | installation, command and control | http | 3 | installation, command and control | http | 2023-01-24 |
| XWorm | 138 | command and control | tcp-pkt, dns | 176 | command and control | dns, tcp, tcp-pkt | 2023-01-28 |
| xdr33 | 1 | command and control | tls | 1 | command and control | tls | 2023-01-24 |
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Stamus Networks believes in a world where defenders are heroes, and a future where those they protect remain safe. As organizations face threats from well-funded adversaries, we relentlessly pursue solutions that make the defender’s job easier and more impactful. The global leader in Suricata-based network security solutions, Stamus Networks helps enterprise security teams know more, respond sooner and mitigate their risk with insights gathered from cloud and on-premise network activity. Our Stamus Security Platform combines the best of intrusion detection (IDS), network security monitoring (NSM), and network detection and response (NDR) systems into a single solution that exposes serious and imminent threats to critical assets and empowers rapid response.
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