• Trend Micro
  • About TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog
Search:
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Ransomware
    • Vulnerabilities
    • Exploits
    • Targeted Attacks
    • Deep Web
    • Mobile
    • Internet of Things
    • Malware
    • Bad Sites
    • Spam
    • Botnets
    • Social
    • Open source
Home   »   Bad Sites   »   The Mysterious Mevade Malware

The Mysterious Mevade Malware

  • Posted on:September 5, 2013 at 6:45 pm
  • Posted in:Bad Sites, Malware
  • Author:
    Feike Hacquebord (Senior Threat Researcher)
0

Since August 19, 2013, there has been remarkable growth in the number of Tor users, which caused much speculation. Was August 19 the starting date to run en masse from the NSA’s PRISM project? Were European internet users downloading the latest American cable TV series via Tor only, thus overcoming blockades of sites like the Pirate Bay by European ISPs? Neither was very likely, so some thought a botnet abusing the Tor network to hide its command and control server must be the reason of the sudden increase of Tor users.

Yesterday, Fox-IT published evidence for this plausible explanation. The Mevade malware family downloaded a Tor component, possibly as a backup mechanism for its C&C communications. (We will release a second blog post describing in more detail the behavior of the Mevade variants we have encountered.)

Feedback provided by the Smart Protection Network shows that the Mevade malware was, indeed, downloading a Tor module in the last weeks of August and early September. Tor can be used by bad actors to hide their C&C servers, and taking down a Tor hidden service is virtually impossible.

The actors themselves, however, have been a bit less careful about hiding their identities. They operate from Kharkov, Ukraine and Israel and have been active since at least 2010. One of the main actors is known as “Scorpion”. Another actor uses the nickname “Dekadent”. Together, they are part of a well organized and probably well financed cybercrime gang.

We strongly associate these actors with installations of adware and hijacking search results. Therefore, we suspect that one of the ways the Mevade botnet is monetized is by installing adware and toolbars onto affected systems. In fact, we have seen Mevade downloading adware. Adware and toolbars might seem less harmful than e.g. data stealing malware, but the reality is that there is a lot of money to be made in fraudulent advertising.

We would also like to point out that Mevade also has a backdoor component and communicates over SSH to remote hosts. Therefore, the risk for data theft is still very high.

Learn how to protect Enterprises, Small Businesses, and Home Users from ransomware:
ENTERPRISE »
SMALL BUSINESS»
HOME»
Tags: adwareMevadetoolbarsTor

Security Predictions for 2020

  • Cybersecurity in 2020 will be viewed through many lenses — from differing attacker motivations and cybercriminal arsenal to technological developments and global threat intelligence — only so defenders can keep up with the broad range of threats.
    Read our security predictions for 2020.

Business Process Compromise

  • Attackers are starting to invest in long-term operations that target specific processes enterprises rely on. They scout for vulnerable practices, susceptible systems and operational loopholes that they can leverage or abuse. To learn more, read our Security 101: Business Process Compromise.

Recent Posts

  • Our New Blog
  • How Unsecure gRPC Implementations Can Compromise APIs, Applications
  • XCSSET Mac Malware: Infects Xcode Projects, Performs UXSS Attack on Safari, Other Browsers, Leverages Zero-day Exploits
  • August Patch Tuesday Fixes Critical IE, Important Windows Vulnerabilities Exploited in the Wild
  • Water Nue Phishing Campaign Targets C-Suite’s Office 365 Accounts

Popular Posts

Sorry. No data so far.

Stay Updated

  • Home and Home Office
  • |
  • For Business
  • |
  • Security Intelligence
  • |
  • About Trend Micro
  • Asia Pacific Region (APAC): Australia / New Zealand, 中国, 日本, 대한민국, 台灣
  • Latin America Region (LAR): Brasil, México
  • North America Region (NABU): United States, Canada
  • Europe, Middle East, & Africa Region (EMEA): France, Deutschland / Österreich / Schweiz, Italia, Россия, España, United Kingdom / Ireland
  • Privacy Statement
  • Legal Policies
  • Copyright © Trend Micro Incorporated. All rights reserved.