Tag Archives: trojans

DroidJack RAT: A tale of how budding entrepreneurism can turn to cybercrime

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See how Android.Sandorat, a multi-featured mobile crimeware tool, began life as a legitimate Android app.

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summary

Small-scale mobile app software entrepreneurship has been described as the cottage industry of the 21st century. It allows talented software developers to apply their skills to create new and innovative mobile apps, with the hope of becoming the next big thing and, perhaps, even attaining the trappings of wealth associated with success. However, with over 1 million apps available for download on the Google Play Store, for every success story there are countless apps that fail to deliver.

While I was researching a new Android remote administration tool (RAT) known as DroidJack (detected by Symantec as Android.Sandorat), it soon became apparent that its authors had actually started off as Android app developers. In their own words, they were “budding entrepreneurs trying to develop and apply skills that we have gained.” With limited success of their legitimate app on the Google Play Store, they soon turned their skills to creating and selling an Android crimeware tool, known as SandroRAT, on a hacker forum. In August 2014, this same tool was reported in the media to have been used in cybercriminal activity targeting Polish banking users through a phishing email. This tool has since evolved into DroidJack RAT and is now being openly sold on its own website at a cost of US$210 for a lifetime package.

Fig1DJ.png
Figure 1. DroidJack website logo

Evolution
On April 26, 2013, the Sandroid RAT was released on the Google Play Store. The authors described the app as being a free tool that lets users control their PC without advertisements.

Fig2_0.png
Figure 2. DroidJack website logo

On December 29, 2013, there was an announcement on a hacker forum of a new project called SandroRAT. The forum poster linked the project back to the Sandroid app available on the Google Play Store, referring to SandroRAT as being a kind of “vice-versa” to the Sandroid app, while also commenting on how it remains hidden on the phone.  

Fig3.png
Figure 3. SandroRAT control panel

On June 27, 2014, there was an announcement from the same poster on the same hacker forum of a next-generation Android RAT, known as DroidJack.

Fig4.png
Figure 4. DroidJack control panel

Capabilities
DroidJack has similar features to other Android RATs, such as AndroRAT and Dendroid. Some of the more than 50 features on offer include the following:

  • No root access required
  • Bind the DroidJack server APK with any other game or app
  • Install any APK and update server
  • Copy files from device to computer
  • View all messages on the device
  • Listen to call conversations made on the device
  • List all the contacts on the device
  • Listen live or record audio from the device’s microphone
  • Gain control of the camera on the device
  • Get IMEI number, Wi-Fi MAC address, and cellphone carrier details
  • Get the device’s last GPS location check in and show it in Google Maps

Fig5.png
Figure 5.  Screenshot from DroidJack marketing video, which shows GPS pinpointer location feature using Google Maps

Legality
Law enforcement is getting more aggressive in its stance against the creation and use of RATs. In May 2014, the FBI, Europol, and several other law enforcement agencies arrested dozens of individuals suspected of cybercriminal activity centered on Blackshades (detected as W32.Shadesrat), a RAT for personal computers that was sold on a dedicated website. Moreover, the recent arrest and indictment of a man in Los Angeles for allegedly conspiring to advertise and sell StealthGenie (Android.Stealthgenie), a mobile application similar to DroidJack, shows that law enforcement is continuing its campaign against any technology designed to invade an individual’s privacy.

In an attempt to distance themselves from any responsibility for illegal activity, the authors of DroidJack have included a disclaimer in their marketing material.  Similar disclaimers have been used in the past by other malware authors, such as the Mariposa botnet author, who unsuccessfully claimed on his website that the software was only for educational purposes. Whether the authors of DroidJack truly believe that this disclaimer absolves them of any responsibility is irrelevant, as naivete is not a defense in law.

Fig6.png
Figure 6. Disclaimer used in DroidJack marketing

Attribution
If the author or authors of DroidJack meant to cover up their tracks, they have not done a good job.  Some simple investigations lead back to the names and telephone numbers of several individuals initially involved in the creation of Sandroid, supposedly based out of Chennai in India. However, whether all of the initial developers are still involved in the creation of DroidJack is not clear. Their marketing video for DroidJack also clearly shows the GPS pinpointer locator function homing in on a location in India. If the authors of DroidJack are truly based out of India, cyber law in India indicates that the creation of such software would be seen as an offense.

Protection summary
Symantec offers the following protection against DroidJack.

Antivirus

DroidJack RAT: A tale of how budding entrepreneurism can turn to cybercrime

      No Comments on DroidJack RAT: A tale of how budding entrepreneurism can turn to cybercrime
See how Android.Sandorat, a multi-featured mobile crimeware tool, began life as a legitimate Android app.

Twitter Card Style: 

summary

Small-scale mobile app software entrepreneurship has been described as the cottage industry of the 21st century. It allows talented software developers to apply their skills to create new and innovative mobile apps, with the hope of becoming the next big thing and, perhaps, even attaining the trappings of wealth associated with success. However, with over 1 million apps available for download on the Google Play Store, for every success story there are countless apps that fail to deliver.

While I was researching a new Android remote administration tool (RAT) known as DroidJack (detected by Symantec as Android.Sandorat), it soon became apparent that its authors had actually started off as Android app developers. In their own words, they were “budding entrepreneurs trying to develop and apply skills that we have gained.” With limited success of their legitimate app on the Google Play Store, they soon turned their skills to creating and selling an Android crimeware tool, known as SandroRAT, on a hacker forum. In August 2014, this same tool was reported in the media to have been used in cybercriminal activity targeting Polish banking users through a phishing email. This tool has since evolved into DroidJack RAT and is now being openly sold on its own website at a cost of US$210 for a lifetime package.

Fig1DJ.png
Figure 1. DroidJack website logo

Evolution
On April 26, 2013, the Sandroid RAT was released on the Google Play Store. The authors described the app as being a free tool that lets users control their PC without advertisements.

Fig2_0.png
Figure 2. DroidJack website logo

On December 29, 2013, there was an announcement on a hacker forum of a new project called SandroRAT. The forum poster linked the project back to the Sandroid app available on the Google Play Store, referring to SandroRAT as being a kind of “vice-versa” to the Sandroid app, while also commenting on how it remains hidden on the phone.  

Fig3.png
Figure 3. SandroRAT control panel

On June 27, 2014, there was an announcement from the same poster on the same hacker forum of a next-generation Android RAT, known as DroidJack.

Fig4.png
Figure 4. DroidJack control panel

Capabilities
DroidJack has similar features to other Android RATs, such as AndroRAT and Dendroid. Some of the more than 50 features on offer include the following:

  • No root access required
  • Bind the DroidJack server APK with any other game or app
  • Install any APK and update server
  • Copy files from device to computer
  • View all messages on the device
  • Listen to call conversations made on the device
  • List all the contacts on the device
  • Listen live or record audio from the device’s microphone
  • Gain control of the camera on the device
  • Get IMEI number, Wi-Fi MAC address, and cellphone carrier details
  • Get the device’s last GPS location check in and show it in Google Maps

Fig5.png
Figure 5.  Screenshot from DroidJack marketing video, which shows GPS pinpointer location feature using Google Maps

Legality
Law enforcement is getting more aggressive in its stance against the creation and use of RATs. In May 2014, the FBI, Europol, and several other law enforcement agencies arrested dozens of individuals suspected of cybercriminal activity centered on Blackshades (detected as W32.Shadesrat), a RAT for personal computers that was sold on a dedicated website. Moreover, the recent arrest and indictment of a man in Los Angeles for allegedly conspiring to advertise and sell StealthGenie (Android.Stealthgenie), a mobile application similar to DroidJack, shows that law enforcement is continuing its campaign against any technology designed to invade an individual’s privacy.

In an attempt to distance themselves from any responsibility for illegal activity, the authors of DroidJack have included a disclaimer in their marketing material.  Similar disclaimers have been used in the past by other malware authors, such as the Mariposa botnet author, who unsuccessfully claimed on his website that the software was only for educational purposes. Whether the authors of DroidJack truly believe that this disclaimer absolves them of any responsibility is irrelevant, as naivete is not a defense in law.

Fig6.png
Figure 6. Disclaimer used in DroidJack marketing

Attribution
If the author or authors of DroidJack meant to cover up their tracks, they have not done a good job.  Some simple investigations lead back to the names and telephone numbers of several individuals initially involved in the creation of Sandroid, supposedly based out of Chennai in India. However, whether all of the initial developers are still involved in the creation of DroidJack is not clear. Their marketing video for DroidJack also clearly shows the GPS pinpointer locator function homing in on a location in India. If the authors of DroidJack are truly based out of India, cyber law in India indicates that the creation of such software would be seen as an offense.

Protection summary
Symantec offers the following protection against DroidJack.

Antivirus

AVAST blocks all malware in real-world test

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avast! Free Antivirus blocked 100% of malware attacks in AV-Test’s “Real World” detection test. Respected IT Security and Antivirus Research lab, AV-Test, put 25 antivirus products designed for the home user to the test for real-world malware blocking and detection of false positives in June. The testing scenario replicated the set-up of almost a quarter of […]

AVAST blocks all malware in real-world test

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avast! Free Antivirus blocked 100% of malware attacks in AV-Test’s “Real World” detection test. Respected IT Security and Antivirus Research lab, AV-Test, put 25 antivirus products designed for the home user to the test for real-world malware blocking and detection of false positives in June. The testing scenario replicated the set-up of almost a quarter of […]

?????????????? 2013 ???????

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「そこにカネがあるからさ」という有名な台詞は、銀行強盗ウィリー・サットン（Willie Sutton）が「なぜ銀行を襲うのか」と問われて答えたものだと言われています。真偽のほどは別としても、この台詞は今でも有効です。

同じ状況が、金融機関を狙う今日のマルウェアにも当てはまります。お金の移動する場所がオンラインバンキングのアプリケーションに変わったので、攻撃者もそれに引き付けられています。オンラインバンキングのサービスを標的にするトロイの木馬が開発され続けているのは、驚くほどのことではありません。最近のブログでお伝えした例は Neverquest というトロイの木馬ですが、これは 2006 年に初めて確認されて以来使われ続けている Trojan.Snifula の後継種でした。

金融機関を狙う最も一般的なトロイの木馬による感染の件数は、2013 年の 1 月から 9 月までの間に 337% という増加を示しています。1 カ月あたり 50 万台近くのコンピュータが感染して詐欺行為を受けやすくなっているという計算になります。金融機関を狙うトロイの木馬の背景にある仕組みと、その運用の規模を詳しく理解するために、シマンテックはオンラインバンキングを狙うトロイの木馬 8 種類に属している 1,000 以上の設定ファイルを解析しました。これらの設定ファイルには、トロイの木馬が攻撃する URL と、そのとき利用する攻撃方法が定義されています。攻撃方法は、単なるユーザーのリダイレクトから、バックグラウンドでトランザクションを自動実行できる複雑な Web インジェクションまでさまざまです。解析した設定ファイルは、合計で 1,486 の金融機関を標的にしていました。このことからも、トロイの木馬が広く拡散しており、攻撃者にとって金銭的な儲けを生むのであればあらゆるものが標的になっていることが明白です。

最も頻繁に攻撃されているのは米国内の銀行で、調査したトロイの木馬の設定ファイルのうち 71.5% に出現していました。標的となった上位 15 の銀行はすべて、設定ファイルのうち 50% 以上で見つかっており、2 つに 1 つのトロイの木馬が上位の銀行の少なくとも 1 行を狙っていることになります。このように高い数値が表れているのは、トロイの木馬とともに売られている基本ツールキットの一部に、標的となる URL がサンプルとして存在するためかもしれません。あるいは、トロイの木馬が依然としてこうした企業に対して有効だからという理由も考えられます。金融機関の一部はいまだに強力な認証を採用していないからです。もちろん、大部分の金融機関はこうしたサイバー犯罪の推移を意識しています。また、このような攻撃を遮断する新しい保護対策も講じているのですが、残念なことに、新しいセキュリティ対策を始動するには時間も費用も掛かり、攻撃者は常に新しい攻撃の経路を生み出しています。結局のところ、ソーシャルエンジニアリング攻撃は依然として機能し続けることになります。巧妙な作り話に引っ掛かってしまう人というのは、後を絶たないからです。オンラインバンキングのサービスを狙う攻撃は、来年も続くものとシマンテックは予測しています。

金融機関を狙うトロイの木馬の状況について詳しく知りたい方のために、このトピックを扱ったホワイトペーパーの最新版を公開しました（英語）。

金融機関を狙う脅威の 2013 年における概況については、以下の解説画像も参考にしてください。

the_state_of_financial_trojans_infographic_v1.1_0.jpg
 
 
* 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。

The State of Financial Trojans in 2013

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“Because that’s where the money is!” This is a quote frequently attributed to Willie Sutton as the answer he allegedly gave when asked why he robbed banks. Even though Mr. Sutton never gave this answer, it still holds true. 
 
This paradigm also holds true when it comes to today’s financial malware. Online banking applications are where money is moved; hence they are also the focus of attackers. It should not come as a surprise that we still see further development of Trojans targeting online banking services. One example that we recently blogged about is the Neverquest Trojan, a successor of Trojan.Snifula, which was first seen in 2006 but is still in use. 
 
The number of infections of the most common financial Trojans grew to 337 percent in the first nine month of 2013. This represents nearly half a million infected computers per month that are susceptible to fraud. To get a better understanding of the mechanics behind financial Trojans and the scale of their operations, we analyzed over one thousand recent configuration files belonging to eight online banking Trojans. These configuration files define which URLs the Trojan should attack and what attack strategy to use. Attacks vary from simple user redirection to complex Web-injects, which can automatically conduct transactions in the background. The analyzed configuration files targeted 1,486 organizations in total. This highlights the wide distribution of the Trojans, which target everything that could yield a monetary profit for the attacker.  
 
The most frequently attacked bank is located in the US and was present in 71.5 percent of all the examined Trojans’ configuration files. All of the top 15 targeted banks were found in more than 50 percent of the configuration files. This means that every second Trojan targets at least one of these banks. These high numbers might be because the targeted URLs are present as examples in some of the basic toolkits, which are sold with the Trojans. Another reason could be that the Trojans simply still work against these firms, as not all financial institutions have moved to strong authentication yet. Of course, most financial institutions are aware of these cybercrime developments and are deploying new protection mechanisms to block such attacks. Unfortunately, new security measures take time and money to roll out and the attackers will always come up with new attack avenues. After all, social engineering attacks still work, since some people will always fall for a cleverly crafted story. We expect that we will continue to see attacks targeting online banking services in the coming year.
 
If you want to learn more about the state of financial Trojans, we released an updated whitepaper on this topic.
 
We also have the following infographic on 2013’s financial threat landscape.
 
the_state_of_financial_trojans_infographic_v1.1_0.jpg

The State of Financial Trojans in 2013

      No Comments on The State of Financial Trojans in 2013
“Because that’s where the money is!” This is a quote frequently attributed to Willie Sutton as the answer he allegedly gave when asked why he robbed banks. Even though Mr. Sutton never gave this answer, it still holds true. 
 
This paradigm also holds true when it comes to today’s financial malware. Online banking applications are where money is moved; hence they are also the focus of attackers. It should not come as a surprise that we still see further development of Trojans targeting online banking services. One example that we recently blogged about is the Neverquest Trojan, a successor of Trojan.Snifula, which was first seen in 2006 but is still in use. 
 
The number of infections of the most common financial Trojans grew to 337 percent in the first nine month of 2013. This represents nearly half a million infected computers per month that are susceptible to fraud. To get a better understanding of the mechanics behind financial Trojans and the scale of their operations, we analyzed over one thousand recent configuration files belonging to eight online banking Trojans. These configuration files define which URLs the Trojan should attack and what attack strategy to use. Attacks vary from simple user redirection to complex Web-injects, which can automatically conduct transactions in the background. The analyzed configuration files targeted 1,486 organizations in total. This highlights the wide distribution of the Trojans, which target everything that could yield a monetary profit for the attacker.  
 
The most frequently attacked bank is located in the US and was present in 71.5 percent of all the examined Trojans’ configuration files. All of the top 15 targeted banks were found in more than 50 percent of the configuration files. This means that every second Trojan targets at least one of these banks. These high numbers might be because the targeted URLs are present as examples in some of the basic toolkits, which are sold with the Trojans. Another reason could be that the Trojans simply still work against these firms, as not all financial institutions have moved to strong authentication yet. Of course, most financial institutions are aware of these cybercrime developments and are deploying new protection mechanisms to block such attacks. Unfortunately, new security measures take time and money to roll out and the attackers will always come up with new attack avenues. After all, social engineering attacks still work, since some people will always fall for a cleverly crafted story. We expect that we will continue to see attacks targeting online banking services in the coming year.
 
If you want to learn more about the state of financial Trojans, we released an updated whitepaper on this topic.
 
We also have the following infographic on 2013’s financial threat landscape.
 
the_state_of_financial_trojans_infographic_v1.1_0.jpg

Watching Your Every Move: Your Phone Could be Snooping on You Right Now

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Let’s just say it. The world is going mobile. Practically any task you can perform on your computer, you can also do with a mobile phone, and there are even a few that your computer can’t do. In just moments, you can simultaneously shop for shoes, deposit a check and then quickly buy a plan Read more…