SnakeKeylogger, a sophisticated multistage malware, has emerged as a significant threat to both individuals and businesses by targeting sensitive login credentials.
This malware campaign is characterized by its stealthy in-memory execution and multi-stage infection chain, making it challenging to detect.
The attack begins with a malicious spam email containing a .img file attachment, which, when opened, creates a virtual drive.
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Inside this drive, an executable file masquerades as a PDF document, increasing the likelihood of it being opened by unsuspecting recipients.
Attack Chain and Techniques
The malware follows a systematic approach to harvest credentials and other sensitive data.
Upon execution, the initial stage acts as a downloader and loader, connecting to a remote server to fetch encoded payloads disguised as media files.
According to the Report, these payloads are decrypted in memory, avoiding disk-based detection.
The malware then loads obfuscated DLLs into memory and injects malicious code into legitimate processes, such as those related to the .Net Framework.
Specifically, it targets InstallUtil.exe using process hollowing, a technique where a legitimate process is spawned, its memory is unmapped, and malicious code is injected before resuming execution.
Targets and Impact
SnakeKeylogger targets a wide range of applications to steal sensitive data, including web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Thunderbird.
It also extracts stored FTP credentials from FileZilla.
The malware accesses critical registry locations to extract email account details and configurations, potentially compromising email accounts and bypassing multi-factor authentication.
The stolen credentials can be used for business email compromise, further intrusions, or sold on underground markets.
The attackers maintain a stable infrastructure for hosting and updating encrypted malicious payloads, often using Apache servers.
This allows them to seamlessly distribute and update their malware, making it difficult for security systems to keep pace.
The use of file format deception, process hollowing, and encrypted payload execution are key tactics employed by SnakeKeylogger to evade detection and ensure the success of its credential-stealing mission.
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