Do you need your own private Certificate Authority?

Stronger, resilient Private CA removes risk while lowering costs
On 1 October 2016 in line with the CA/Browser Forum’s Baseline Requirements, publicly trusted SSL certificates can no longer be issued to reserved IP addresses or Internal Server Names.
To overcome this:

1. You can update all your internal servers to use publically resolvable domains names or fully qualified domain names

2. You can set up an internal self-signed certificate authority

3. Or you could use Symantec’s Private CA offering

A key part of Symantec’s Managed PKI for SSL product this allows you to continue to use reserved IP addresses or Internal Server Names utilising Symantec’s Private Certification Authority (CA) that provides a hosted private SSL certificate hierarchy and end-entity certificates specifically built to secure internal servers.

Symantec’s Private CA uses the same solid infrastructure, which has 100% up-time track record* and robust business continuity programs, organisations meaning companies can put aside the security and disaster recovery infrastructure required to develop, store, and secure private keys.

* since 2004

Android RATs Branch out with Dendroid

Darwinism is partly based on the ability for change that increases an individual’s ability to compete and survive. Malware authors are not much different and need to adapt to survive in changing technological landscapes and marketplaces. In a previous blog, we highlighted a free Android remote administration tool (RAT) known as AndroRAT (Android.Dandro) and what was believed to be the first ever malware APK binder. Since then, we have seen imitations and evolutions of such threats in the threat landscape. One such threat that is making waves in underground forums is called Dendroid (Android.Dendoroid), which is also a word meaning something is tree-like or has a branching structure.

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Figure 1. Dendroid advertisement banner

Dendroid has some links to the author of the original AndroRAT APK binder and is a HTTP RAT that is marketed as being transparent to the user and firmware interface, having a sophisticated PHP panel, and an application binder package.

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Figure 2. Dendroid control panel

According to postings on underground forums, the official seller of Dendroid is known as “Soccer.” The seller markets Dendroid as offering many features that have never been seen before and comes with 24/7 support, all for a once off payment of $300 to be paid through PayPal, BTC, LTC or BTC-e.  Some of the many features on offer include the following:

  • Delete call logs
  • Call a phone number
  • Open Web pages
  • Record calls and audio
  • Intercept text messages
  • Take and upload photos and videos
  • Open an application
  • Initiate a HTTP flood (DoS) for a period of time
  • Change the command-and-control (C&C) server

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Figure 3. Dendroid APK binder

As previously mentioned, according to reports on underground forums, the author of the Dendroid APK binder included with this package had assistance writing this APK binder from the author of the original AndroRAT APK binder.  

The evolution of remote access tools on the Android platform was inevitable. The creation of Dendroid and the positive feedback on underground forums for this type of threat shows that there is a strong cybercriminal marketplace for such tools. On the PC platform, other crimeware toolkits like Zeus (Trojan.Zbot) and SpyEye (Trojan.Spyeye) started off in a similar manner and grew quickly in popularity due to their ease of use and notoriety stemming from the high profile crimes perpetrated as a result of their usage. While this may be early days for Dendroid, Symantec will be keeping a close eye on this threat.

To stay protected, Symantec recommends installing a security app, such as Norton Mobile Security, which detects this threat as Android.Dendoroid. For general safety tips for smartphones and tablets, please visit our Mobile Security website.

Fake Korean bank applications for Android – part 2

In February, we looked at the first part of the fake Korean bank application analysis along with Android:Tramp (TRAck My Phone malicious Android application), which uses it. In this blogpost, we will look at another two Android malware families which supposedly utilize the same bunch of fake Korean bank applications. At the end of this […]

Darkmoon ?????????????????????????????????

ソチオリンピックはどうやら平穏に幕を閉じたようですが、この一大イベントがテロリストに狙われる可能性についてメディアの注目と懸念が集まっていたことを考えると、サイバー犯罪者がその不安心理を突いて、興味を示しそうなユーザーを標的にしていたのも予想外のことではありません。

開催期間中に、シマンテックはソチオリンピックの話題を餌にした標的型の電子メール攻撃を複数確認しました。確認された電子メール攻撃は Symantec.Cloud サービスによって遮断されています。この攻撃のある例では、標的のユーザーに次のような電子メールが送り付けられました。

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図 1. ソチオリンピックを狙うテロの脅威に関する内容と称する電子メール

この例では、攻撃者はソチオリンピックを狙うテロの脅威を題材にしたソーシャルエンジニアリングの手法を使って、ユーザーを欺こうとしていました。電子メールの作りは素人然としていますが、内容で気を引いてしまえば添付ファイルを開かせるのは簡単かもしれません。被害者がうかうかと添付ファイルを開いてしまうと、コンピュータは Backdoor.Darkmoon に感染します。Darkmoon はよく使われているリモートアクセス型のトロイの木馬(RAT)です。G20 サミットが餌に使われた経緯をお伝えした最近のブログや、2011 年のホワイトペーパー「The Nitro Attacks」(英語)でも解説しているとおり、標的型攻撃に頻繁に使われています。

ソチオリンピックを題材にした別の標的型攻撃では、攻撃者から次のような電子メールが届きました。

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図 2.
ソチオリンピックにおける軍事協力活動に関する内容と称する電子メール

この例でも、攻撃者はソチオリンピックをめぐる軍事協力活動を題材にしたソーシャルエンジニアリングの手法を使っていますが、今回のペイロードは Trojan.Wipbot です。これも、類似の標的型攻撃に関連したトロイの木馬で、Windows の特権昇格のゼロデイ脆弱性を悪用した攻撃で使われていました。

こうした攻撃によって、迷惑メールを受け取った場合に依然として警戒が必要であることが改めて明確になりました。従来の手口が強化されることもあります。標的型攻撃の攻撃者は最新のニュースやイベントをすかさず悪用し、ソーシャルエンジニアリングの成功率を少しでも高くしようとします。今回の攻撃で、標的型の電子メール攻撃が近い将来に一掃される気配はまったくないということも明らかになりました。

このような攻撃から保護するために、シマンテックの最新技術をお使いいただき、シマンテックのコンシューマ向けまたはエンタープライズ向けの最新ソリューションを導入してください。

 

* 日本語版セキュリティレスポンスブログの RSS フィードを購読するには、http://www.symantec.com/connect/ja/item-feeds/blog/2261/feed/all/ja にアクセスしてください。

Sochi Olympics Terrorism Fears Used As Bait for Targeted Darkmoon Campaigns

While the Sochi Winter Olympics may now be over without incident, considering all of the media attention and fears surrounding a potential terrorist attack at the event, it should come as no surprise that cyberattackers were preying on these uncertainties to target potential victims of interest.

During the games, Symantec saw multiple targeted email campaigns that used Sochi Olympics themes to bait potential victims. These observed email campaigns were blocked by our Symantec.Cloud service. In one such campaign, we saw that targets were being sent the following email.

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Figure 1. Email purporting to relate to a terrorist threat at the Sochi Olympics.

In this campaign, attackers were using the social engineering ploy of a terrorist threat at the Sochi Olympics to lure in their victims. While the email does not look professional, the curiosity for the content can still be enough to persuade an individual to open the attachment. If a victim fell prey to opening the attachment, their computer became infected with Backdoor.Darkmoon. Darkmoon is a popular remote access Trojan (RAT) which is often used in targeted attacks, as seen in a recent Symantec blog about how the G20 Summit was used as bait in targeted emails and in the 2011 Symantec whitepaper, The Nitro Attacks.  

In another targeted campaign using the Sochi Olympics theme, we observed the following email that was being sent by an attacker to targets of interest.

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Figure 2.
Email purporting to relate to military co-operation at the Sochi Olympics

Again, as seen in the email, the attackers used the social engineering ploy of military co-operation around the Sochi Olympics. This time, the payload was Trojan.Wipbot. This Trojan is associated with another similar targeted attack campaign, which included an attack that used a Windows zero-day elevation of privilege vulnerability.

These attacks highlight the ongoing need for vigilance when receiving any unsolicited emails. They also reinforce what is already known — targeted attackers are quick to make use of the latest news or events to enhance the chances of success for their social engineering ploy. The campaigns also highlight how targeted email attacks are showing no sign of dissipating anytime soon.

As always, we advise customers to use the latest Symantec technologies and incorporate the latest Symantec consumer and enterprise solutions to best protect against attacks of any kind.

?????????????????????????? JRAT

      No Comments on ?????????????????????????? JRAT
Java ベースのリモートアクセスツール(RAT)を使った攻撃も、もはや異例ではなくなりました。過去数年間で広がりを見せ、その後も企業と個人の両方を標的にし続けています。こういった攻撃がこれほど一般化したのも、特に驚くことではありません。RAT によってコンピュータへの感染に成功すると、攻撃者はそのコンピュータを完全に制御できるからです。それだけでなく、この攻撃は理論上、Java が稼働しているあらゆるコンピュータを標的にするので、オペレーティングシステムの種類も限定されません。ほんのいくつかの RAT のソースコードがオンラインで公然と共有されているおかげで、攻撃者は Java RAT を容易に利用することができます。
 
シマンテックは今月、Java RAT(JRAT)を拡散する新しいスパム攻撃を確認しました。攻撃が始まったのは 2014 年 2 月 13 日です。スパムメールの送信者は、支払い証明書を添付したと称して、その受信を確認するようユーザーに求めてきます。
 
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図 1. 新しい Java RAT 攻撃で使われているスパムメール
 
添付されているのは、実際には悪質な Paymentcert.jar という名前のファイル(Trojan.Maljava として検出されます)です。このトロイの木馬を実行すると、侵入先のコンピュータに JRAT(Backdoor.Jeetrat として検出されます)が投下されます。RAT は、Windows PC に限らず Linux、Mac OS X、FreeBSD、OpenBSD、さらには Solaris ベースのコンピュータにも感染します。この RAT は以前の標的型攻撃でも確認されており、新しいものではありません。次の画像に示すように、JRAT のビルダーを使うと、独自にカスタマイズした RAT を作成するのが、いかに簡単かわかります。
 
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図 2. JRAT のビルダー
 
シマンテックの遠隔測定でこのドロッパーを調べたところ、今回の攻撃はアラブ首長国連邦と英国に特に集中しています。
 
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図 3. 支払い証明書スパム活動の分布図(2014 年 2 月)
 
今回の攻撃は、特定の個人を標的にしていると考えられます。被害者数が少ないこと、ドロッパーがこの攻撃特有なものであること、コマンド & コントロール(C&C)サーバーが 1 つであること、そしてスパムメールの大部分が個人の電子メールアドレス宛てに送信されていることなど、いくつかの特徴から、これは標的型の性質があると断定できるようです。
 
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図 4. シマンテックの遠隔測定で判明した、2014 年 2 月の攻撃による被害者数
 
迷惑メールや心当たりのない疑わしい電子メールを受信した場合は、十分に警戒することをお勧めします。電子メールの信憑性に疑問がある場合には、けっして返信せず、メッセージ中のリンクをクリックしたり添付ファイルを開いたりしないようにしてください。
 
 
* 日本語版セキュリティレスポンスブログの RSS フィードを購読するには、http://www.symantec.com/connect/ja/item-feeds/blog/2261/feed/all/ja にアクセスしてください。

2862152 – Vulnerability in DirectAccess and IPsec Could Allow Security Feature Bypass – Version: 1.1

Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Advisory revised to announce a detection change in the 2862152 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows RT 8.1. This is a detection change…

Vulnerability in DirectAccess and IPsec Could Allow Security Feature Bypass – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Advisory revised to announce a detection change in the 2862152 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows RT 8.1. This is a…

Microsoft Security Advisory (2862152): Vulnerability in DirectAccess and IPsec Could Allow Security Feature Bypass – Version: 1.1

Severity Rating: Revision Note: V1.1 (February 28, 2014): Advisory revised to announce a detection change in the 2862152 update for Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows RT 8.1. This is a…

10 rookie SSL mistakes and how to avoid them

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  1. Choosing based on price. Not all certificate authorities (CA) are the same. The security of your certificates depends in part on how secure the CA is, so it pays to choose wisely. In addition, when you’re installing new SSL certificates you need a company that can provide a full range of services and the backup to make the installation go smoothly. (Symantec secures more than one million Web servers worldwide, more than any other Certificate Authority.)
    10-ssl-mistakes-blog-1.png
  2. Not being prepared. Before you apply for a certificate, you will need certain pieces of information. It’s worth having everything ready before you start the process.
  3. Getting the wrong type. There are different kinds of certificates for different types of application. For example, there are certificates for email systems, code signing certificates and more, besides the familiar certificates used on websites. Make sure you choose the right one.
  4. Leaving certificate renewal to the very last minute. It can take a little time to go through the steps required to request and issue a new certificate, especially if you choose Extended Validation, where the CA will need time to authenticate you and your organisation. Starting 2-4 weeks in advance makes sense in most cases this also guards against unseen ‘tech issues’ that might arise too.
  5. Generate a valid CSR. All certificates start with a certificate signing request (CSR) but how you get a valid CSR depends on the software you’re using. Check out this guide to the most popular applications.
  6. Not checking the CSR. Use Symantec’s free CSR checker to make sure you have a valid CSR.
    10-ssl-mistakes-blog-2.png
  7. Not protecting the private key. SSL encryption depends on a private key that unlocks communication to and from your server. Your CA gives you this private key and you install it on your system. Treat it as a valuable asset and don’t share it with more people than necessary or make it easy for unauthorised users to access.
  8. Not testing the certificate. After installation, check the site using Symantec’s certificate installation checker. Also check it on a wide variety of browsers and platforms to make sure it’s working properly.
  9. Not getting help when you need it. If something goes wrong, you can turn to a reputable Certificate Authority like Symantec for help. A good starting point is our support page but you can also contact us directly.
  10. Losing your password. Smart IT managers keep a run book to record the procedures they use so that if they are not around to renew the certificates when they expire, at least their successors know how to do it. Your run book should include the URL, user name and password required to access your CA’s certificate centre (but remember keep this secured and only allow access to those who need to manage the certificates).

For more information on encryption, SSL, and website security download our SSL Explained interactive infographic now.