Glupteba Malware Returns With a Bang

Ad-Blocker, botnets, Glupteba, Google, malvertising, network activities, Ophtek, unauthorized proxies, , , , , , ,
31
Jan 2023

Despite experiencing a major obstacle a year ago, in the form of Google’s anti-malware efforts, the Glupteba malware is back.

First discovered in 2011, Glupteba is a veteran of the malware scene, although one which goes through periods of intense activity before disappearing for years at a time. A classic botnet, Glupteba has always focused on stealing data, but it has also made sure it has a backup plan in the form of targeting router exploits. Therefore, the news of its re-emergence is troubling for your IT infrastructure. And, given that Glupteba has been updated to be even stronger than ever before, you’re going to need to be on high alert.

Thankfully, we’re on hand to look at this malware and provide some critical advice on how to protect your organization.

Glupteba’s Latest Campaign

Following Google’s disruption of Glupteba’s botnet, which operated on the blockchain, Glupteba went quiet for several months. However, in June 2022 it was discovered that a new campaign had been launched, one which remains active as of this time of writing. Glupteba’s latest strategy targets Windows devices and has set its sights on harvesting data, using infected devices to mine cryptocurrency and setting up unauthorized proxies.

Glupteba is transmitted via traditional infection methods which include malicious installers (typically promoting themselves as free software installers) and through malvertising campaigns. As Glupteba is blockchain enabled, this gives it the ability to constantly change the command and control servers it uses. And, as it uses blockchain transaction data (which cannot be erased) to facilitate its attack, it’s very difficult to make a dent in the power of Glupteba’s botnet. These attacks often employ TOR services as well, a move which makes tracing the attacks next to impossible.

Staying Safe from Glupteba

One word in particular keeps being used when discussing Glupteba’s latest campaign: resilient. The source of its resilience comes from its design, one that uses deception and stealth to protect its operators and ensure it continues to spread. But this doesn’t mean you need to fall victim to Glupteba. If you make sure you follow good cybersecurity practices, you should be able to keep your IT infrastructure safe. All you have to do is:

  • Understand the threat of malvertising: the internet is full of malicious adverts, but there are ways you can make your PC safer. The simplest way to do this is by installing an ad-blocker, these will block both irritating and malicious adverts, so it’s a win-win situation. Malvertising is also known to use exploits to spread its payload, so you need to make sure your browsers are fully patched and up to date.
  • Monitor network activity: as Glupteba is a botnet, its operations are likely to lead to a spike in network traffic. And, if unauthorized proxies have been set up, this network activity is likely to go stratospheric. Therefore, you need to keep your network activity monitored to help you analyze any anomalies which may act as an early warning system.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Understanding the Basics of Botnet Attacks

botnets, Hackers, Online Security, Ophtek, PC Maintenance, Security, Updates, , , ,
03
Nov 2020

The internet has connected us to each other in a way we would have thought impossible a few decades ago. But these massed connections can be very dangerous.

The beauty of the internet is that one PC can connect to another PC with relative ease. And these connections allow us to pool resources, share information and provide services. The foundations of almost every web service are based upon collections of PCs all working together to deliver an end result. These are often automated tasks that allow a website to continue operating correctly. But the fact that these PCs are generally left to their own devices means they aren’t actively monitored. And this situation makes them a security risk.

Known as botnets, these collections of PCs can have their cumulative power put to use for the gains of hackers.

What are Botnet Attacks?

While most botnets combine harmless coding with hardware, malicious botnets are another matter. A malicious botnet can gain access to your PC via two methods:

Regardless of the strategy involved, the end result is the same: an infection which adds your PC to the hacker’s botnet. Naturally, the more PCs added to the botnet, the more powerful it is. And, with the infection in place, the hacker will have full control of your PC. This allows them to carry out the following tasks:

  • Spread across the rest of your organization’s PCs by executing malware in order to swell the numbers of the botnet
  • Loading fake adverts in your internet browser designed to trick you into providing financial details to malicious websites
  • Use the cumulative processing power of all the PCs in a botnet to carry out DDoS campaigns in order to take websites down
  • Generating spam emails to be automatically sent from your organization’s email server

How Can You Protect Against Botnets?

As you can tell, a botnet attack will do your organization no favors and will cause untold damage to other businesses it targets. Therefore, you need to put these precautions into place:

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Different Types of Malware to Look Out For

botnets, fileless malware, malvertising, malware, Ophtek, Ransomware, spyware, , , , , ,
06
Oct 2020

The world of malware is a complex one due to the sheer variety of forms it can take. And it’s these differences which make it difficult to deal with.

The term malware is generally used as an all-encompassing term to describe a piece of malicious software. But, over the years, many different strains of malware have emerged as hackers evolve their tools and techniques. These strategies are often put into action to help avoid detection, but sometimes these new strains are the result of changes in technology.

Regardless of the reasons for developing a new malware variant, the end result is the same: a threat to your PC.

It’s vital that these threats are countered to protect your networks and your data; the best way to secure this safety is by understanding the different types of malware.

Identifying the Most Common Malware Variants
It’s difficult to put a precise number on all the malware strains that are out in the digital wild, but these are five of the most common forms:

1. Ransomware: One of the most debilitating forms of malware, in terms of finance and productivity, ransomware has generated many headlines over the last few years. It’s a type of malware which infects PCs and encrypts crucial files. The only way to decrypt these locked files is by paying a ransom, usually demanded in an untraceable cryptocurrency, in order to obtain a key for their release.

2. Malvertising: We all find online adverts irritating, but usually all we have to do is either close or mute the advert. With malvertising, however, things are more sinister. A new take on malware, malvertising laces legitimate online adverts with malicious files . And what’s most troubling about this malware strain is that it doesn’t require any user action e.g. clicking on the advert. If the advert runs then the malware is active.

3. Botnets: Hackers like to strengthen their attacks and one of the simplest ways for them to achieve this is by infecting large numbers of PCs. By collecting together whole networks of PCs, a hacker can use these numbers, and associated processing power, to launch large attacks on other networks and websites. These botnets are created through malware attacks and are causing particular problems within IoT networks.

4. Spyware: Data is crucial to organizations and, due to its value, is also highly prized by hackers. Not only can data be used to access secure systems, but financial data is extremely valuable. Therefore, hackers are keen to steal this data; spyware represents one of the easiest methods of achieving this. Once a PC is infected with spyware it’s every action is monitored, logged and transmitted e.g. keystrokes are recorded to reveal sensitive login details.

5. Fileless Malware: One of the more recent developments in malware, fileless variants are exactly what they sound like: no files necessary. Fileless malware sidesteps the traditional route of operating within the hard drive and, instead, works within a PCs memory. This is a clever approach as anti-malware software concentrates on hard drive activity. From the relative safety of a PCs memory, fileless malware leaves little evidence of its presence.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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