Hackers use YouTube channels to deliver malware due to the huge user base of the platform. By using YouTube channels, hackers disguise their malicious content as:-
- Legitimate videos
- Legitimate links
Besides this, the popularity of YouTube also gives the threat actors the ability to evade general security measures.
By using legitimate-looking channels, threat actors exploit users’ trust in the platform to facilitate the widespread distribution of malware.
As the cybersecurity researchers at Fortinet recently discovered, hackers are actively using YouTube channels to deliver Lumma malware, which is a C-language malware.
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YouTube Channels to Deliver Malware
The fake YouTube videos that the threat actors create are disguised with cracked app content using:-
- Sneaky installation guides
- Tricky TinyURL
- Cuttly links
To dodge the web filters, threat actors also leverage the following platforms but without using their servers:-
- GitHub
- MediaFire
All the shared links lead to a private “.NET” loader for Lumma Stealer, a dark web-advertised malware targeting user data.
On the file-sharing platforms, the threat actors keep updating their malicious files to evade the security measures and trick users into downloading the malware in the form of a ZIP file that is dubbed-
- installer_Full_Version_V.1f2.zip
The zip file contains the LNK file that triggers the PowerShell to download the “.NET” execution file from GitHub.
Here the URL which is abbreviated as “hxxp://cutt[.]ly/lwD7B7lp,” connects to the following URL:-
- hxxps://github[.]com/John1323456/New/raw/main/Installer-Install-2023_v0y.6.6[.]exe
The following two repositories also include the NET loaders and do the same things:-
- LNK
- LNK-Ex
The obfuscated PowerShell script which is based on the system environment is loaded by the private .NET loader.
For discreet execution, it does the following things:-
- Constructs a dictionary
- Launches the PowerShell process
- Encodes server IP in Base64
The script assesses system data to retrieve encrypted data and obfuscates it with irrelevant code. While, for the DLL file, which is invoked via “System.Reflection.Assembly]::Load(),” it decrypts the data using:-
- AES CBC
- GZip
PerkyRiggal is a crucial system inspector that decodes Lumma Stealer’s ultimate payload in Resources through PNG files using the ‘BygoLarchen’ for string encoding.
This helps in evading detection, and not only that; it even enforces the following things by checking various factors:-
- Anti-VM
- Anti-Debug
After environmental checks, it decrypts resources and triggers ‘SuspendThread’ to transition the thread, which helps inject the payload.
The Lumma Stealer evades detection with obfuscation and does the following things:-
- Communicates with C&C server
- Sends POST messages
- Updates to use HTTPS
- Targets YouTube channels
- Use bait ZIP files
Recommendations
Cybersecurity researchers strongly recommended the following recommendations:-
- Always stay vigilant about unknown app sources.
- Make sure to use legitimate apps.
- Always double-check the apps’ security.
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