Check Point Research reported that NJRat climbed four places into second spot last month. Meanwhile a new mal-spam campaign was discovered involving AgentTesla, the sixth most used malware, being delivered via corrupted file attachments

Our latest Global Threat Index for October 2023 saw Remote Access Trojan (RAT) NJRat, which is known to target government agencies and organizations in the Middle East, move four places from sixth to second place. Meanwhile, researchers reported on a new mal-spam campaign involving advanced RAT AgentTesla, and Education remained the most targeted industry.

Last month, AgentTesla was seen being distributed through archive files that contained a malicious Microsoft Compiled HTML Help (.CHM) extension. The files were delivered via email as .GZ or .zip attachments using names related to recent orders and shipments, such as – po-######.gz / shipping documents.gz, designed to lure targets into downloading the malware. Once installed, AgentTesla is capable of keylogging, capturing clipboard data, gaining access to the file system, and surreptitiously transferring stolen data to a Command and Control (C&C) server.

We cannot afford to miss the tactics that hackers use to distribute malware, such as impersonating familiar brands or sending malicious files over email. As we enter a busy shopping season in November, it is important to remain vigilant and remember that cybercriminals are actively exploiting our heightened interest in online shopping and shipments.”

CPR also revealed that “Zyxel ZyWALL Command Injection (CVE-2023-28771)” was the most exploited vulnerability, impacting 42% of organizations globally, followed by “Command Injection Over HTTP” which impacts 42% of organizations worldwide. “Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal” was the third most used vulnerability, with a global impact of 42%.

Top malware families

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

Formbook was the most prevalent malware last month with an impact of 3% worldwide organizations, followed by NJRat with a global impact of 2%, and Remcos with a global impact of 2%.

  1. ↔ Formbook – Formbook is an Infostealer targeting the 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.
  2. ↑ NJRat – NJRat is a remote accesses Trojan, targeting mainly government agencies and organizations in the Middle East. The Trojan has 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.
  3. ↓ Remcos – Remcos is a RAT that first appeared in the wild in 2016. Remcos distributes itself through malicious Microsoft Office documents, which are attached to SPAM emails, and is designed to bypass Microsoft Windows UAC security and execute malware with high-level privileges.
  4. ↔ 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.
  5. ↓ Emotet – Emotet is an advanced, self-propagate and modular Trojan once used as a banking Trojan, and recently as a distributor for 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.
  6. ↑ 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 the Microsoft Outlook email client).
  7. ↑ Mirai – Mirai is an infamous Internet-of-Things (IoT) malware that tracks vulnerable IoT devices, such as web cameras, modems and routers, and turns them into bots. The botnet is used by its operators to conduct massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The Mirai botnet first surfaced in September 2016 and quickly made headlines due to some large-scale attacks including a massive DDoS attack used to knock the entire country of Liberia offline, and a DDoS attack against the Internet infrastructure firm Dyn, which provides a significant portion of the United States internet’s infrastructure.
  8. ↑ Phorpiex – Phorpiex is a botnet (aka Trik) that has been active since 2010 and at its peak controlled more than a million infected hosts. It is known for distributing other malware families via spam campaigns as well as fueling large-scale spam and sextortion campaigns.
  9. ↑ Ramnit – The Ramnit Trojan is a type of malware able to exfiltrate sensitive data. This kind of data can include anything ranging from banking credentials, FTP passwords, session cookies, and personal data.
  10. ↑ Tofsee – Tofsee is a Trickler that targets the Windows platform. This malware attempts to download and execute additional malicious files on target systems. It may download and display an image file to a user in an effort to hide its true purpose.

Top Attacked Industries Globally

Last month Education/Research remained in first place as the most attacked industry globally, followed by Communications and Government/Military.

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

Top exploited vulnerabilities

Last month, “Zyxel ZyWALL Command Injection (CVE-2023-28771)” was the most exploited vulnerability, impacting 42% of organizations globally, followed by “Command Injection Over HTTP” which impacts 42% of organizations worldwide. “Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal” was the third most used vulnerability, with a global impact of 42%.

  1. ↑ Zyxel ZyWALL Command Injection (CVE-2023-28771) – A command injection vulnerability exists in Zyxel ZyWALL. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands in the affected system.
  2. ↔ 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.
  3. ↓ Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal (CVE-2010-4598,CVE-2011-2474,CVE-2014-0130,CVE-2014-0780,CVE-2015-0666,CVE-2015-4068,CVE-2015-7254,CVE-2016-4523,CVE-2016-8530,CVE-2017-11512,CVE-2018-3948,CVE-2018-3949,CVE-2019-18952,CVE-2020-5410,CVE-2020-8260) – There exists a directory traversal vulnerability On different web servers. The vulnerability is due to an input validation error in a web server that does not properly sanitize the URI for the directory traversal patterns. Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to disclose or access arbitrary files on the vulnerable server.
  4. ↑ 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.
  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 to the affected system.
  6. ↑ PHPUnit Command Injection (CVE-2017-9841) – A command injection vulnerability exists in PHPUnit. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands in the affected system.
  7. ↓ MVPower CCTV DVR Remote Code Execution (CVE-2016-20016)- A remote code execution vulnerability exists in MVPower CCTV DVR. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
  8. ↓ PHP Easter Egg Information Disclosure (CVE-2015-2051) – 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.
  9. ↑ ZTE F460/F660 Backdoor Unauthorized Access – An Unauthorized Access Vulnerability exists in ZTE F460 and F660 cable modems. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands with administrator level access on the affected device.
  10. ↓ 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 the memory contents of a connected client or server.

Top Mobile Malwares

Last month Anubis remained in first place as the most prevalent Mobile malware, followed by AhMyth and Hiddad.

  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. 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 is usually used to steal sensitive information.
  3. 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.

Check Point’s Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map are 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.

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