As if dealing with COVID-19 were not enough, 2020 turned out to be a banner year for another troublesome strain of virus— ransomware. Malicious actors grew more sophisticated, daring and brutal. They also hit a number of high-profile targets. For those of you who didn’t keep up with all of the developments in the ransomware space, we’ve broken down some of the most important events and trends of the year here.
Adrozek is a malicious browser modifier that, when installed on users’ machines, infects them with adware. This particular strain of malware has been making rounds since May 2020; according to Microsoft, it was at its peak in August, when as many as 30,000 computers were affected per day. Although classified as adware, Adrozek is also designed to collect information extracted from browsers by modifying browser settings and extensions.
First identified in late 2016, 'Trickbot' evolved from being a well-established banking trojan into a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) threat utilized by both cybercriminals and nation-state threat actors for predominantly financially motivated campaigns. Supporting modular components, Trickbot campaigns will differ based on the requirements of the MaaS 'customer' with many being used to steal personal and financial data as well as deploying ransomware threats, such as 'Conti' and 'Ryuk', to victims.
The Lookout Threat Intelligence team has discovered a new mobile app threat targeting iOS and Android users in Chinese speaking countries, Korea and Japan. The spyware, which we have named Goontact, targets users of illicit sites, typically offering escort services, and steals personal information from their mobile device. The types of sites used to distribute these malicious apps and the information exfiltrated suggests that the ultimate goal is extortion or blackmail.
TL;DR: This blog contains some immediate guidance on using Splunk Core and Splunk Enterprise Security to protect (and detect activity on) your network from the Sunburst Backdoor malware delivered via SolarWinds Orion software. Splunk’s threat research team will release more guidance in the coming week. Also please note that you may see some malicious network activity but it may not mean your network is compromised. As always review carefully.
First identified in 2018, 'Ryuk' is a known malware often dropped on a system by other malware, most notably TrickBot and Bazaarloader by using a Spear Phishing lure or other systems access gains via Remote Desktop Services. Ryuk demands payment via Bitcoin cryptocurrency and directs victims to deposit the ransom in a specific Bitcoin wallet.
Our article provides an overview of the most common forms of computer viruses along with some punches of computer fun facts, history & interesting facts about computer viruses and other types of malware. A few weeks ago, we also published cyber security glossary, simplifying geeky terms for general readers.
