security software Archives

Infostealer malware is frequently referenced as the go-to weapon for threat actors, but what is it? And how do you protect your IT systems from it?

You only have to take a quick look over the Ophtek blog to understand the popularity of infostealers in modern hacking. From fake Zoom sites through to SnipBot and SambaSpy, threat actors are determined to get their hands on your sensitive data. Infostealers, therefore, present an everyday threat to PC users and it’s crucial you understand their methods and impact.

Luckily, Ophtek has your back, and we’re going to take a deep dive into infostealers to equip you with the knowledge you need to stay safe.

What is an Infostealer?

The main objective of all infostealer malware is to harvest confidential data from a compromised system. With this stolen data, threat actors have the opportunity to conduct numerous crimes such as identity theft or financial damage. This makes infostealer malware such a serious threat, especially in the age of big data, where organizations hold huge amounts of data on their IT systems. As with most modern malware, infostealer has strong stealth capabilities, allowing it to operate in the background without being detected and strengthening its impact.

The Danger Behind Infostealers

Infostealers can be individual malware threats or part of a more extensive suite of malware applications. Whatever their method, infostealers tend to focus on stealing the following data:

System login credentials
Social media and email passwords
Bank details
Personal details

All of these data categories have the potential for serious damage e.g. hacking someone’s personal emails and reading confidential information or clearing someone’s bank account out. From a business perspective, infostealers also have the potential to gain access to secure areas of your IT infrastructure and compromise the operations of your business. All of this data is taken directly from your servers and then discreetly transmitted to a remote server set up by the threat actors.

How Do Infostealers Strike?

Threat actors have developed numerous strategies to launch successful infostealer attacks with the two most common methods being:

Phishing Emails: 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent every day, so it’s fair to say they’re an incredibly popular route for malware. These highly deceptive emails will contain either malicious links or attachments which, when activated, expose the recipient to malware downloads.
Malicious Sites: As seen in our article on fake Zoom sites, threat actors regularly set up malicious websites in order to lure visitors into downloading either fake updates or complete applications. However, these downloads are never genuine and only contain malware such as infostealers.

Protecting Your Systems Against Infostealers

Despite the threat of infostealers, it’s relatively easy to stay safe and protect your systems from them. All you need to do is follow these best practices:

Be Wary of Suspicious Emails: Any emails which ring even the slightest alarm bell should be closely scrutinized. If something about the wording doesn’t sound quite right, or there’s a sense of urgency to commit to an action, the chances are that this could be a phishing email. In these instances, don’t click anything and, instead, contact an IT professional to review the content.
Always Update Your Software: One of the easiest ways for threat actors to deploy infostealers on your system is through software vulnerabilities. No piece of software is perfect, and they often contain weak spots which can be exploited. However, as these vulnerabilities are picked up by the developers, security patches are issued to remedy these weak spots. Accordingly, installing these updates should be a major priority.
Install Security Software: There are numerous security packages available such as AVG and Kaspersky which monitor your systems in real time and can block malware threats instantly. This automatic defense enables you to stay safe from infostealers and keeps your networks healthy and productive.

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

Infected GitHub Links Target Financial Services

GitHub, online links, Ophtek, Phishing Email, Remcos RAT, Remote Access Trojan, security softwareGitHub, online links, Ophtek, phishing email, Remcos RAT, remote access trojan, security softwareOphtek, LLC

Nov 2024

A new malware campaign, targeting finance and insurance sectors, is using infected GitHub repositories to distribute the Remcos remote access trojan (RAT).

GitHub is an online platform which allows software developers to store and share code online. It’s like an online hard drive, but one which is specifically dedicated to coding projects. It’s main use is to foster collaboration between developers and track changes in their code as it evolves. However, as it’s a trusted source, it makes it the perfect target for hackers. On this occasion, the threat actors haven’t been starting malicious repositories. Instead, they’ve been taking advantage of the comments section in legitimate repositories.

The Dangers of GitHub Comments

The GitHub attack in question appears to be targeting genuine open-source repositories, with those affected including HMRC, Inland Revenue, and UsTaxes. These are well-known and trusted repositories. Users wouldn’t expect to be infected by malware visiting these, whereas lesser known and newer repositories pose more of an obvious risk. So, how are the threat actors compromising these accounts? Well, they’re uploading malware files into the comments section.

Although the comment is deleted, the link to file stays in place. Phishing emails are then used to redirect users to the infected link on GitHub. Again, as GitHub is a genuine, trusted platform, these phishing emails are not detected as being suspicious. This puts the recipient at risk of unknowingly downloading and executing the Remcos RAT. This RAT allows threat actors to remotely take control of an infected PC. From here, they can steal your data, execute further commands on your system, and monitor all your activity. This makes the attack highly dangerous and follows in the footsteps of numerous GitHub attacks in the last year.

Staying Safe from Malicious Comments

Your employees may not have anything to do with software development, but the Remcos RAT relies on phishing techniques which could easily deceive them. Therefore, you need to ensure your employees stay safe from this innovative threat. The best way to achieve this is by following these best practices:

Identify Phishing Emails: It’s important that you team understand how to identify a phishing email. These can be highly convincing and often use language of an urgent nature to force recipients into taking actions without thinking. Educating your staff on these telltale signs will minimize the risk of their PCs becoming compromised by malware.
Be Suspicious of Online Links: Whether a link is contained within an email or on a trusted website, you should always be suspicious. These links can often hide malicious content, and this can then be used by threat actors to steal personal data or take control of your PC. Always verify a link with an IT professional before clicking on it.
Use Security Software: You can protect your PCs from malicious links by using security software such as AVG or McAfee. These tools actively scan web traffic and block access to known dangerous sites. They also detect suspicious behaviors, like phishing attempts, and pre-warn you about malicious links, all in real-time. By filtering out harmful content and preventing access to malicious websites, the risk of malware infections is significantly reduced.

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

Category Archives: security software