Fake Google Meet Pages Used to Spread Malware

Chrome, ClickFix, DarkGate, Facebook, Google, Google Meet, Lumma Stealer, malware, Ophtek, Phishing Email, , , , , , , , ,
12
Nov 2024

Hackers have designed fake Google Meet error pages to distribute info-stealing malware which can compromise all the data on a network.

It feels as though malicious websites are springing up on a daily basis, and with 12.8 million websites infected with malware, this is a fair assumption to make. The latest attack under the Ophtek spotlight centers around Google Meet, a videoconferencing service hosted online by Google. The threat uses fake connectivity errors to lure victims into inadvertently launching the malware on their own system. And with Google Meet having over 300 million active users every month, the chance of this campaign tripping people up is exceptionally high.

The Danger of Fake Google Meet Pages

Google Meet attack appears to be part of a wider hacking campaign known as ClickFix, which has also been identified using similar fake websites impersonating Google Chrome and Facebook. In all these cases, the objective of the campaign is to install info stealers onto infected PCs. Malware used in these attacks include DarkGate and Lumma Stealer.

Fake error messages are displayed in the web browsers of victims to indicate a connectivity issue with a Google Meet call. However, there is no Google Meet call taking place, it’s simply a ruse to deceive victims into following through on a malicious call-to-action. These ‘errors’ recommend copying a ‘fix’ and then running it in Windows PowerShell, an app commonly used to automate processes on a Microsoft system.

Unfortunately, rather than fixing the ‘error’ with Google Meet, the execution of this code within PowerShell simply downloads and installs the malware. Once installed, malware such as DarkGate and Lumma Stealer has the potential to search out sensitive data on your network, establish remote network connections, and transmit stolen data out of your network.

Victims are redirected to these malicious websites via phishing emails, which claim to contain instructions for joining important virtual meetings and webinars. The URLs used within the emails appear like genuine Google Meet links but take advantage of slight differences in the address to deceive recipients.

Protecting Yourself from Fake Google Meet Malware

The best way to stay safe in the face of the fake Google Meet pages (and similar attacks) is by being proactive and educating your staff on the threats of malicious websites. Accordingly, following these best practices gives you the best chance of securing your IT infrastructure:

  • Double Check URLs: malicious websites often mimic genuine ones to catch people off guard. Therefore, always verify any URL for anything unusual such as misspelled words or lengthened and unusual domain endings, before clicking them. This will minimize your risk of falling victim to phishing and malware attacks.
  • Use Browser Security Features: many browsers, such as Google Chrome, come with built-in security features which can block sites known to be harmful or detect suspicious downloads. If you have these protections enabled, and this is easily done through your browser settings, you can rest assured you’re putting a strong security measure in place.
  • Install Antivirus and Firewall Software: one of the simplest way to protect yourself is by installing antivirus and firewall software, which is often available for free in the form of AVG and Kaspersky. This software can not only detect malware, but also block it before it reaches your system, so it can be considered a very strong form of defense.

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

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SnipBot Malware Used to Steal Data from Victims

contact_sender, malware, Ophtek, Palo Alto Networks, Phishing, RomCom, SnipBot, spam_filters, Suspicious links, verify sources, , , , , , ,
22
Oct 2024

A new malware attack has been discovered which uses the SnipBot malware to dig deep into the victim’s network and harvest data.

SnipBot is a variant of the RomCom malware, which has previously been used for data harvesting and financially motivated attacks such as the Cuba ransomware attack. SnipBot’s malicious campaign has been widespread, with victims identified in multiple industries including legal, agriculture, and IT sectors. SnipBot performs what is referred to as a pivot, a process by which malware moves between compromised systems on the same network to access as many workstations as possible. This maximizes the amount of data SnipBot can steal and marks it out as a major threat.

SnipBot Unleashed

With 3.4 billion phishing emails sent daily, it’s clear that phishing attacks are incredibly popular with threat actors. And this is the exact approach adopted by SnipBot.

The SnipBot malware attack starts with phishing emails which trick recipients into downloading fake files disguised as legitimate PDFs. When the victim clicks on a link contained within the PDF, a malicious downloader is activated. As these downloaders are signed using real security certificates, they avoid detection by security software.

The malware can then inject itself into core system processes such as explorer.exe, and it can maintain this presence even after a reboot. Once inside the victim’s system, SnipBot sets about collecting sensitive data from popular folders, like Documents and OneDrive. This harvested data is then sent back to the attacker via a remote server.

Palo Alto Networks researchers, who discovered the SnipBot campaign, are unsure as to the true objectives of SnipBot. At present, there appears to be no financial motive present in the attack, so it has been labelled purely as an espionage threat.

How Can You Stay Safe from SnipBot?

Luckily, phishing attacks such as SnipBot can be easily managed. By following these best practices, you’ll not only prevent malware being executed, but also avoid it in the first place:

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

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SambaSpy Targets Italian PC Users with Phishing Emails

banking_trojans, BBTok, Brazil, Italy, malware, Mekotio, Ophtek, phishing_email, SambaSpy, , , , , , , ,
15
Oct 2024

Italian PC users have become the target of SambaSpy, a new strain of malware which appears to originate from Brazil and employs phishing emails.

First detected by Kaspersky in May 2024, SambaSpy currently only seems to have targeted PC users in Italy. This is unusual as threat actors tend to focus their attacks on a more global range to maximize potential victims. However, it’s being speculated that SambaSpy may be using Italy as a test run before going global. Regardless of its future plans, SambaSpy utilizes a multifunctional attack, and can log keystrokes, harvest data, take screenshots, download files, and take control of process management on infected PCs.

With its strong range of weaponry, SambaSpy represents a significant threat to PC users and needs investigating further.

Say Ciao to SambaSpy

The SambaSpy attack originates within a phishing email, one which contains either an embedded link or an HTML attachment. Once the HTML attachment has been activated, one of either a malware dropper or downloader is executed from a ZIP archive. The malware dropper will load the main payload of SambaSpy from the same ZIP archive whereas the downloader will retrieve it from a remote server. The dropper is used to retrieve the malware payload from a remote location. The embedded link route sends users on a convoluted journey to a malicious site hosting the downloader or dropper.

Once SambaSpy is fully activated, it has the potential to launch all of the attack threats previously mentioned. Therefore, it’s capable of compromising every single activity taking place on your PC. SambaSpy is also clever enough to load plugins when an infected PC starts up, this allows it to shape and change its activities as required. Also of note is that SambaSpy will actively seek out web browsers in order to steal data, putting login credentials and financial information at risk of being harvested.

The attack is believed to have originated from a Brazilian threat actor as one of the malicious webpages involved features JavaScript code with Brazilian Portuguese comments. A number of recent banking trojans – including BBTok and Mekotio – have recently targeted Latin American users with phishing scams, so there may be a connection between these and SambaSpy.

Navigating the Threat of SambaSpy

While SambaSpy has only been detected in Italy, this could change very quickly as the malware becomes more powerful and widespread. Therefore, to safeguard your PCs against this and other similar threats, you need to keep your team up to date with these best practices:

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

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Malicious Macros Target Old Versions of MS Office

anti-malware_software, Brute_Ratel, Havoc, macros, malware, MS_Office, Ophtek, PhantomCore, Phishing, security_updates, , , , , , , , , ,
01
Oct 2024

Macros make our lives easier when it comes to repetitive tasks on PCs, but they’re also a potential route for malware to take advantage of.

The most up to date version of MS Office prevents macros from running automatically, and this is because macros have long been identified as a major malware risk. However, older versions of MS Office still run macros automatically, and this puts the PC running it at risk of being compromised. Legacy software, such as outdated versions of MS Office, comes with a number of risks and drawbacks, but budgetary constraints mean many businesses are unable to update.

Malicious MS Office Macro Clusters

A macro is a mini program which is designed to be executed within a Microsoft application and complete a routine task. So, for example, rather than taking 17 clicks through the Microsoft Word menu to execute a mail merge, you can use a single click of a macro to automate this process. Problems arise, however, when a macro is used to complete a damaging process, such as downloading or executing malware. And this is exactly what Cisco Talos has found within a cluster of malicious macros.

Several documents have been discovered which contain malware-infected macros, and they all have the potential to download malware such as PhantomCore, Havoc and Brute Ratel. Of note is that all of the macros detected so far appear to have been designed with the MacroPack framework, typically used for creating ‘red team exercises’ to simulate cybersecurity threats. Cisco Talos also discovered that the macros contained several lines of harmless code, this was most likely to lull users into a false sense of security.

Cisco Talos has been unable to point the finger of blame at any specific threat actor. It’s also possible that these macros were originally designed as a part of a legitimate cybersecurity exercise. Regardless of the origins of these macros, the fact remains that they have the potential to expose older versions of MS office to dangerous strains of malware.

Protect Your Systems from Malicious Macros

The dangers of malicious macros require you to remain vigilant about their threat. Clearly, with this specific threat, the simplest way to protect your IT systems is to upgrade to the latest version of MS Office. This will enable you to block the automatic running of macros and buy you some thinking time when you encounter a potentially malicious macro. As well as this measure, you should also ensure you’re following these best practices:

  • Always Verify Email Attachments: a common delivery method for malicious macros is through attachments included with phishing emails. This is why it’s crucial that you avoid opening macros in documents which have been received from unknown sources. As with all emails, it’s paramount that you verify the sender before interacting with any attachments.
  • Install All Security Updates: almost all software is regularly updated with security patches to prevent newly discovered vulnerabilities from being exploited. Macros are often used to facilitate the exploitation of software vulnerabilities, so it pays to be conscientious and install any security updates as soon as they’re available.
  • Use Anti-Malware Software: security suites, such as AVG, perform regular, automated scans of your PCs to identify any potential malware infections. In particular, many of these security suites target malicious macros, so they make a useful addition to your arsenal when targeting the threat of macros.

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

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Malware Cluster Bombs: A New Threat

anti-malware tools, anti-virus software, Cluster Bombs, compressed cabinet files, KrakenLabs, malicious emails, malware, Ophtek, Phishing, software updates, Unfurling Hemlock, WEXTRACT.EXE, , , , , , , , , , ,
06
Aug 2024

A malware infection is always bad news but imagine being infected with multiple strains at once. Welcome to the new threat of malware cluster bombs.

Researchers at the cybersecurity firm KrakenLabs have revealed the dangers of a new malware technique launched by Unfurling Hemlock, a new threat actor group. Their malware cluster bombs have been verified as active in at least 10 countries, but most Unfurling Hemlock’s targets have been US-based. This attack has also been active for some time, with evidence of the earliest infections going back to February 2023.

The mere concept of malware cluster bombs is enough to worry any IT professional, so that’s why we’re going to delve a bit deeper and discuss how you can keep your IT systems safe.

Understanding Unfurling Hemlock’s Attack

This new attack starts, as with many malware attacks, through malicious emails or malware loaders. It would appear, perhaps to cover their own tracks, Unfurling Hemlock are paying other hackers to distribute their malware. The initial attack is focused around a malicious file named WEXTRACT.EXE. Within this executable is a collection of compressed cabinet files, each of which contains a strain of malware.

The final part of the attack comes when all of the malicious files have been extracted and are executed in reverse order. Each cluster bomb is believed to contain multiple strains of malware, so while the number is varied, the impact is always significant. Among these malware strains are a cocktail of different attacks, with botnets, backdoors, and info stealers all detected so far. Unfurling Hemlock’s ultimate aim, aside from causing digital chaos, is unknown, but KrakenLabs believe the threat actor may be harvesting sensitive data to sell.

The malware cluster bomb approach is innovative and effective for two reasons: the opportunities for monetization are increased and the multiple strains in use mean that persistence is enhanced. Ultimately, dropping ten strains of malware onto one device is more likely to provide opportunities for threat actors than a single strain.

Staying Safe from Malware Cluster Bombs

It’s clear that malware cluster bombs represent a serious threat to your IT infrastructure, and that’s why you need to keep your defenses secure. You can put this into action by following these best practices:

  • Regular Software Updates: ensure that all software, including operating systems and applications, is regularly updated and patched. Automated patch management tools can help make this easier, and Windows allows you to set automatic updates for Microsoft apps. Regular updates protect against known vulnerabilities and exploits which malicious actors often target with malicious files.
  • Antivirus and Anti-malware Solutions: always use reputable antivirus and anti-malware software across your network. These tools should be regularly updated to recognize and handle the latest threats. High-level security solutions will provide real-time protection, scanning, and removal of malicious files. This is conducted by regular scans and monitoring to ensure potential threats are detected and dealt with promptly.
  • Employee Education: carry out regular training sessions for employees to recognize phishing attempts, suspicious emails, and other potential threats. Training should include best practices for safe internet use, identifying social engineering tactics, and reporting suspicious activities. Your employees are your first line of defense, so it’s crucial you reduce the likelihood of attacks due to human error.

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

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