January 2023’s Most Wanted Malware: Infostealer Vidar Makes a Return while Earth Bogle njRAT Malware Campaign Strikes

Check Point Research reports that infostealer Vidar made its return to the top ten list in January, reaching seventh place, while major campaign dubbed Earth Bogle delivered njRAT malware to targets across the Middle East and North Africa

Our latest Global Threat Index for January 2023 saw infostealer Vidar return to the top ten list in seventh place after an increase in instances of brandjacking, and the launch of a major njRAT malware phishing campaign in the Middle East and North Africa.

In January, infostealer Vidar was seen spreading through fake domains claiming to be associated with remote desktop software company AnyDesk. The malware used URL jacking for various popular applications to redirect people to a single IP address claiming to be the official AnyDesk website. Once downloaded, the malware masqueraded as a legitimate installer to steal sensitive information such as login credentials, passwords, cryptocurrency wallet data and banking details.

Researchers also identified a major campaign dubbed Earth Bogle delivering the njRAT malware to targets across the Middle East and North Africa. The attackers used phishing emails containing geopolitical themes, enticing users to open malicious attachments. Once downloaded and opened, the Trojan can infect devices, allowing attackers to conduct numerous intrusive activities to steal sensitive information. njRAT came in at number ten on the top malware list, having dropped off after September 2022.

We continue to see malware groups use trusted brands to spread viruses, with the aim of stealing personal identifiable information. We cannot stress enough how important it is that people pay attention to the links they are clicking on to ensure they are legitimate URLs. Look out for the security padlock, which indicates an up-to-date SSL certificate, and watch for any hidden typos that might suggest the website is malicious.

Our latest research also revealed that “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” remained the most exploited vulnerability last month, impacting 46% of organizations globally, followed by “HTTP Headers Remote Code Execution” with 42% of organizations worldwide. “MVPower DVR Remote Code Execution” came in third with a global impact of 39%.

Top malware families

*The arrows relate to the change in rank compared to the previous month.

Qbot and Lokibot were the most prevalent malware last month with an impact of more than 6% on worldwide organizations respectively, followed by AgentTesla with a global impact of 5%.

1. ↑ Qbot – Qbot AKA Qakbot is a banking Trojan that first appeared in 2008. It was designed to steal a user’s banking credentials and keystrokes. Often distributed via spam email, Qbot employs several anti-VM, anti-debugging, and anti-sandbox techniques to hinder analysis and evade detection.

2. ↑ Lokibot – LokiBot is a commodity infostealer with versions for both Windows and Android OS that was first identified in February 2016. It harvests credentials from a variety of applications, web browsers, email clients, IT administration tools such as PuTTY and more. LokiBot is sold on hacking forums, and it is believed that its source code was leaked, thus allowing numerous variants to appear. Since late 2017, some Android versions of LokiBot include ransomware functionality in addition to their info stealing capabilities.

3. ↑AgentTesla – AgentTesla is an advanced RAT functioning as a keylogger and information stealer, which is capable of monitoring and collecting the victim’s keyboard input, system keyboard, taking screenshots, and exfiltrating credentials to a variety of software installed on a victim’s machine (including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Outlook).

4. ↔ Formbook – Formbook is an Infostealer targeting Windows OS and was first detected in 2016. It is marketed as Malware as a Service (MaaS) in underground hacking forums for its strong evasion techniques and relatively low price. FormBook harvests credentials from various web browsers, collects screenshots, monitors and logs keystrokes, and can download and execute files according to orders from its C&C.

5. ↓ XMRig – XMRig is an open-source CPU mining software used to mine the Monero cryptocurrency. Threat actors often abuse this open-source software by integrating it into their malware to conduct illegal mining on victims’ devices.

6. ↓ Emotet – Emotet is an advanced, self-propagate and modular Trojan. Emotet was once used as a banking Trojan and is now used as a distributor to other malware or malicious campaigns. It uses multiple methods for maintaining persistence and evasion techniques to avoid detection. In addition, it can be spread through phishing spam emails containing malicious attachments or links.

7. ↑Vidar – Vidar is an infostealer that targets Windows operating systems. First detected at the end of 2018, it is designed to steal passwords, credit card data and other sensitive information from various web browsers and digital wallets. Vidar is sold on various online forums and used as a malware dropper to download GandCrab ransomware as its secondary payload.

8. ↑ GuLoader – Guloader is a downloader that has been widely used since December 2019. When it first appeared, GuLoader was used to download Parallax RAT but has been applied to other remote access trojans and infostealers such as Netwire, FormBook, and Agent Tesla.

9. ↓ Nanocore – Nanocore is a Remote Access Trojan that targets Windows operating system users and was first observed in the wild in 2013. All versions of the RAT contain basic plugins and functionalities such as screen capture, crypto currency mining, remote control of the desktop and webcam session theft.

10. ↑ njRAT – njRAT is a remote accesses Trojan, targeting mainly government agencies and organizations in the Middle East. The Trojan first emerged in 2012 and has multiple capabilities: capturing keystrokes, accessing the victim’s camera, stealing credentials stored in browsers, uploading and downloading files, performing process and file manipulations, and viewing the victim’s desktop. NJRat infects victims via phishing attacks and drive-by downloads, and propagates through infected USB keys or networked drives, with the support of Command & Control server software.

Top Attacked Industries Globally

Last month, Education/Research remained the most attacked industry globally, followed by Government/Military and then Healthcare.

1. Education/Research
2. Government/Military
3. Healthcare

Top exploited vulnerabilities

In December, “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” was the most common exploited vulnerability, impacting 46% of organizations globally, followed by “HTTP Headers Remote Code Execution” with 42% of organizations worldwide. “MVPower DVR Remote Code Execution” came in third with a global impact of 39%.

1. ↔ Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure – An information disclosure vulnerability has been reported in Git Repository. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an unintentional disclosure of account information.

2. ↑ HTTP Headers Remote Code Execution (CVE-2020-10826,CVE-2020-10827,CVE-2020-10828,CVE-2020-13756) – HTTP headers let the client and the server pass additional information with a HTTP request. A remote attacker may use a vulnerable HTTP header to run arbitrary code on the victim’s machine.

3. ↑MVPower DVR Remote Code Execution – A remote code execution vulnerability exists in MVPower DVR devices. A remote attacker can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code in the affected router via a crafted request.

4. ↓ Command Injection Over HTTP (CVE-2021-43936,CVE-2022-24086) – A command injection over HTTP vulnerability has been reported. A remote attacker can exploit this issue by sending a specially crafted request to the victim. Successful exploitation would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target machine.

5. ↑ WordPress portable-phpMyAdmin Plugin Authentication Bypass (CVE-2012-5469) – An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in WordPress portable-phpMyAdmin Plugin. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information and gain unauthorized access into the affected system.

6. ↔ Dasan GPON Router Authentication Bypass (CVE-2018-10561) – An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in Dasan GPON routers. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information and gain unauthorized access into the affected system.

7. ↔ PHP Easter Egg Information Disclosure – An information disclosure vulnerability has been reported in the PHP pages. The vulnerability is due to incorrect web server configuration. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted URL to an affected PHP page.

8. ↑ Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution (CVE-2021-44228) – A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Apache Log4j. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.

9. ↑ OpenSSL TLS DTLS Heartbeat Information Disclosure (CVE-2014-0160,CVE-2014-0346) – An information disclosure vulnerability exists in OpenSSL. The vulnerability, aka Heartbleed, is due to an error when handling TLS/DTLS heartbeat packets. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to disclose memory contents of a connected client or server.

10. ↑ NoneCMS ThinkPHP Remote Code Execution (CVE-2018-20062) – A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the NoneCMS ThinkPHP framework. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.

Top Mobile Malwares

Last month, Anubis remained the most prevalent mobile malware, followed by Hiddad and AhMyth.

1. Anubis – Anubis is a banking Trojan malware designed for Android mobile phones. Since it was initially detected, it has gained additional functions including Remote Access Trojan (RAT) functionality, keylogger, audio recording capabilities and various ransomware features. It has been detected on hundreds of different applications available in the Google Store.

2. Hiddad – Hiddad is an Android malware which repackages legitimate apps and then releases them to a third-party store. Its main function is to display ads, but it can also gain access to key security details built into the OS.

3. AhMyth – AhMyth is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) discovered in 2017. It is distributed through Android apps that can be found on app stores and various websites. When a user installs one of these infected apps, the malware can collect sensitive information from the device and perform actions such as keylogging, taking screenshots, sending SMS messages, and activating the camera, which usually used to steal sensitive information.

Check Point’s Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map is powered by Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence. ThreatCloud provides real-time threat intelligence derived from hundreds of millions of sensors worldwide, over networks, endpoints and mobiles. The intelligence is enriched with AI-based engines and exclusive research data from Check Point Research, the intelligence and research Arm of Check Point Software Technologies.