Trend Micro detected a spam campaign that drops the same FlawedAmmyy RAT (remote access tool) used by a Necurs module to install its final payload on bots under bank- and POS-related user domains. The spam campaign was also found abusing SettingContent-ms – an XML format shortcut file that opens Microsoft’s Windows Settings panel. Malicious SettingContent-ms files were found embedded in a PDF document that drops the aforementioned RAT.
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Our last report on the Necurs botnet malware covered its use of an internet shortcut or .URL file to avoid detection, but its authors seem to be updating it again. Current findings prove that its developers are actively devising new means to stay ahead of the security measures meant to thwart it. This time, the new wave of spam from this botnet is using the internet query file IQY to evade detection.
Read MoreNecurs, a botnet malware that’s been around since 2012, has been improved with the hopes of better defeating cybersecurity measures — it was seen to evolve its second layer of infection using a .URL file (with remote script downloaders detected by Trend Micro as MAL_CERBER-JS03D, MAL_NEMUCOD-JS21B, VBS_SCARAB.SMJS02, and MAL_SCARAB-VBS30.
Necurs, a modular malware with variants that are capable of spam distribution, information theft, and disabling security services and elements, has been in around since 2012, propagating in the wild via the Necurs botnet.
Read MoreWe discovered a spam campaign that delivers the notorious cross-platform remote access Trojan (RAT) Adwind a.k.a. jRAT (detected by Trend Micro as JAVA_ADWIND.WIL) alongside another well-known backdoor called XTRAT a.k.a XtremeRAT (BKDR_XTRAT.SMM). The spam campaign also delivered the info-stealer Loki (TSPY_HPLOKI.SM1).
DUNIHI (VBS_DUNIHI.ELDSAVJ), a known VBScript with backdoor and worm capabilities, was also seen being dropped with Adwind via spam mail in a separate incident. Notably, cybercriminals behind the Adwind-XTRAT-Loki and Adwind-DUNIHI bundles abuse the legitimate free dynamic DNS server hopto[.]org. The delivery of different sets of backdoors is believed to be a ploy used to increase the chances of system infection: If one malware gets detected, the other malware could attempt to finish the job.
Read MoreThe Cobalt hacking group was one of the first to promptly and actively exploit CVE-2017-11882 (patched last November) in their cybercriminal campaigns. We uncovered several others following suit in early December, delivering a plethora of threats that included Pony/FAREIT, FormBook, ZBOT, and Ursnif. Another stood out to us: a recent campaign that used the same vulnerability to install a “cracked” version of the information-stealing Loki.
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