2018-01-02 - FAKE FLASH UPDATER IS ACTUALLY A CRYPTOCURRENCY MINER

NOTICE:

• The zip archives on this page have been updated, and they now use the new password scheme.  For the new password, see the "about" page of this website.

ASSOCIATED FILES:

• 2018-01-02-fake-Flash-player-installs-coinminer.pcap.zip   659.0 kB (658,966 bytes)

• 2018-01-02-fake-Flash-player-installs-coinminer.pcap   (713,781 bytes)

• 2018-01-02-fake-Flash-update-page-and-coinminer.zip   273.3 kB (273,258 bytes)

• 2018-01-02-fake-flash-update-page.txt   (9,542 bytes)
• 2018-01-02-fake-flashupdate.exe   (558,080 bytes)
• 2018-01-02-scheduled-task-for-persistence.txt   (3,720 bytes)

NOTES:

• This was a case of malvertising during casual web browsing.
• I'm able to share two URLs in the chain of events before it reached the fake Flash update page.

Shown above:  The fake Flash updater page presenting its malware for download.

 

WEB TRAFFIC BLOCK LIST

Indicators are not a block list.  If you feel the need to block web traffic, I suggest the following domains:

• zad33a[.]ru
• 4chrup56[.]ru
• adobeflashplayer.kilahb[.]xyz
• 1sjs21891[.]ru
• pronetads[.]com

 

TRAFFIC

Shown above:  Traffic from the infection filtered in Wireshark.

 

Shown above:  HTTPS URLs from the traffic shown in Fiddler web debugger.

 

Shown above:  Post-infection coinminer traffic.

 

ASSOCIATED DOMAINS:

• 138.201.224[.]98 port 80 - zad33a[.]ru - GET /WW12hz?[string of paramters]
• 104.27.152.183 port 80 - 5chrup56[.]ru - GET /?W3hmqY&[string of paramters]
• 37.97.225.90 port 80 - adobeflashplayer.ki1ahb[.]xyz - GET /blocked.php?[string of paramters]
• 37.97.225.90 port 80 - adobeflashplayer.ki1ahb[.]xyz - GET /img/logo.png?id=rHaLv
• 37.97.225.90 port 80 - adobeflashplayer.ki1ahb[.]xyz - GET /thunderbird/default.mp3?iq=rHaLv
• 212.224.112.209 port 80 - 1sjs21891[.]ru - GET /direct.php?sub2=42-99-201801030022450bcc54d62e&f=flashupdate.exe
• port 443 (HTTPS) - github[.]com - GET /hoyttgio/Download/raw/master/log/flashupdate.exe
• port 443 (HTTPS) - raw.githubusercontent[.]com - GET /hoyttgio/Download/master/log/flashupdate.exe
• 212.224.112[.]209 port 80 - 1sjs21891[.]ru - GET /tnk.php
• 5.187.2[.]208 port 3333 - pronetads[.]com - Coinmining post-infection traffic

 

MALWARE

COINMINER DOWNLOADED FROM FAKE FLASH UPDATE PAGE:

• SHA256 hash:  09678e49d00b5d0d0b130e9f264d078f7981dace298d2f38bb45ec9fe8567a52
  File size:  558,080 bytes
  File name:  flashupdate.exe
  File location after infection:  C:\ProgramData\vshub.exe

Shown above:  Fake metadata for the coinminer malware.

 

IMAGES

Shown above:  Alerts from Sguil in Security Onion using Suricata and the EmergingThreats Pro (ETPRO) ruleset.

 

Shown above:  Scheduled task to keep the coinminer persitent after a reboot.

 

Shown above:  Coinminer malware copied itself to the C:\ProgramData folder.

 

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