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News of Doctor Web
December 15, 2015
Android.ZBot’s first modification was detected this February. Doctor Web security researchers named it Android.ZBot.1.origin. From that time, they have been keeping a close watch on its activity.
Like many other Trojans for Android, Android.ZBot.1.origin masquerades as a benign program (in this case—as the Google Play application) that can be downloaded once a user visits fraudulent or hacked websites, or other malware can download it to a device. Once the banking Trojan is installed and launched, it prompts the user to grant it administrator privileges. If the privileges are successfully granted, the Trojan displays an error message and urges the user to reboot the system.
In case the user refuses to grant the necessary privileges, Android.ZBot.1.origin immediately tries to steal the detailed information on their bank card including its number, expiration date, CVV, and the card holder name. To do that, the Trojan displays a bogus dialog simulating the input form of the legitimate Google Play application. It should be noted that the Trojan shows the same dialog even if it gets administrator privileges but only in a period of time after the installation.
Then Android.ZBot.1.origin removes its icon from the home screen in order to “hide away” from the user and starts to control all system events. Thus, the Trojan is launched automatically after the gadget is turned on. Once the malicious program takes over control, it connects to the remote node to get new instructions from cybercriminals and register the compromised gadget on it. Depending on the received command from the server, the banking Trojan performs the following actions:
- Sends an SMS with a specific text to a specified number
- Makes a phone call
- Sends text messages to all user’s contacts
- Intercepts incoming SMS messages
- Tracks the current GPS coordinates
- Displays a special dialog on top of a specified application
For example, once a new compromised device is registered on the server, the Trojan receives the command to check the user’s bank account. If it detects availability of funds, it automatically transfers the specific sum of money to cybercriminals’ bank accounts. Thus, Android.ZBot.1.origin can get access to bank accounts of Android devices users and covertly steal money using special SMS commands specified by online banking services. Moreover, the victim will not have any idea about the theft, since the Trojan intercepts all incoming SMS with transactions verification codes from banks.
It should be noted that some malicious features of Android.ZBot.1.origin (for example, sending text messages) are implemented in a separate Linux library named libandroid-v7-support.so that is stored inside of the Trojan’s program package. It protects the Trojan from anti-virus detection and allows it to stay unnoticed on the device as long as possible.
However, one of the main features of Android.ZBot.1.origin is its ability to steal logins and passwords to access online banking services using fake input forms generated on receiving the server command and designed to create an illusion that they belong to some program. Although this is a classic phishing attack, the way it is carried out in this particular case is rather unique. First, the Trojan receives the instructions that specify an application. Then it periodically begins to check whether the corresponding application is running. The Trojan currently monitors launches of the following applications:
- ru.sberbank.ivom
- ru.sberbank_sbbol
- ru.raiffeisennews
- ru.vtb24.mobilebanking.android
- PSB.Droid
- com.idamob.tinkoff.android
- ru.simpls.brs2.mobbank
- ru.kykyryza
- com.smpbank.android
- ru.ftc.faktura.sovkombank
- hu.eqlsoft.otpdirektru
- ru.ftc.faktura.sovkombank
- uk.co.danwms.fcprem
- ru.sberbankmobile
- ru.alfabank.mobile.android
- ru.alfabank.oavdo.amc
- com.openbank
- ru.ucb.android
- com.idamobile.android.hcb
- com.idamobile.android.ubrr
- com.NGSE.Ubrir
- com.citibank.mobile.ru
- com.ubrir
- ru.rshb.mbank
- com.bssys.android.SCB
- ru.bpc.mobilebank.android
- ua.privatbank.ap24.old
- ru.bspb
- com.svyaznoybank.ui
- ru.avangard
- ru.minbank.android
- ru.letobank.Prometheus
- rusfinance.mb.client.android
- com.artofweb.mkb
- com.compassplus.InternetBankingJava.wscb
- ru.stepup.MDMmobileBank
- ru.abr
- com.intervale.mobilebank.rosbank
- ru.pkb
- ru.stepup.vbank
- ru.vbrr
- com.idamobile.android.Trust
- org.bms.khmb
- ru.tcb.dbo.android
- ru.beeline.card
- ru.rocketbank.r2d2
Once such application is launched, the banking Trojan, using WebView, creates a special web form, the content of which is downloaded from the сommand and сontrol server.
In particular, cybercriminals can specify the size of the displayed dialog, its appearance including a heading and a related text, the number of text fields for data input, images, and etc. The displayed form is “tied” to the attacked application. It means that if the victim of phishing tries to get rid of the shown message and return to the legitimate application dialog by tapping “Back”, Android.ZBot.1.origin will redirect the user to the home screen and close the application. As a result, the owner of the compromised device can assume that this prompt really belongs to the corresponding legitimate application and they should enter the required data. Once the Trojan gets the user’s login and password, it uploads them to the C&C server providing cybercriminals with full control over user accounts in online banking applications.
Virus makers themselves often label these malicious features as web injections, but, in fact, it is not the case—due to restrictions on Android, Trojans cannot inject an external HTML code into dialog forms of the attacked applications.
At the moment, Doctor Web security researchers have registered several modifications of Android.ZBot.1.origin that cybercriminals employ mainly against Russian users. Particularly, the first version of this Trojan detected in February is still active: only during last November Dr.Web Anti-virus products for Android detected the banking Trojan on more than 1,100 gadgets. In total, throughout the whole period of observations the Trojan was detected 25,218 times.
Android.ZBot.2.origin—another modification of the malicious program—was detected by Doctor Web security researchers in June. This version has the same features as Android.ZBot.1.origin, but its code is encrypted in order to complicate the detection procedure. In November Android.ZBot.2.origin was found on 6,238 mobile gadgets, and 27,033 cases of Android devices being infected with the malware were registered after the Trojan had been added to Dr.Web virus database.
The following diagram demonstrates the dynamics of Android.ZBot detection on mobile Android devices:
During the examination of the Trojan, Doctor Web security researchers discovered that all its modifications are controlled by virus makers via different servers, the addresses of which are stored in a special database of the malicious program. As a result, devices infected by various modifications of Android.ZBot.1.origin are connected only to their remote nodes creating independent botnets. In total, Doctor Web security researchers have detected more than 20 command and control servers of the Trojan, and at least 15 of them are still active. Our security researchers have managed to get access to three subnets of the Android.ZBot.1.origin botnet. Every botnet consists of dozens and even thousands of compromised devices with their number varying from 140 to 2,300.
The large number of the active Android.ZBot.1.origin.origin’s subnets means that this Trojan is a commercial product and is distributed through underground hacker markets where it can be purchased by a single cybercriminal or by organized group of virus makers. It is also proved by the fact that the administration panel for the botnets that were created based on the devices infected by Android.ZBot.1.origin has a limited license and is used as a subscription service. We cannot exclude the possibility that fraudsters will not limit their targets to Russian users only, and not expand the geography of these attacks to other countries including Europe and the United States.
Doctor Web recommends owners of Android devices that you download applications only from trusted sources and do not install suspicious programs. Dr.Web Anti-virus successfully detects all the known modifications of Android.ZBot.1.origin for Android, so they do not pose any threat to our users.
December 15, 2015
In particular, it resolves an error 1011 issue that could occur during activation of a serial number if Dr.Web CureIt! was launched prior to another Dr.Web anti-virus.
| Download Dr.Web CureIt! |
December 15, 2015
In particular, it eliminates a defect that caused component's abnormal termination if the prompt mode was enabled for system services in security settings.
The update will be downloaded and installed automatically.
December 14, 2015
Both applications have received revamped and optimised routines for detecting and neutralising malware as well as other tweaks and bug fixes.
Dr.Web Security Space for Android can now detect Stagefright 2.0 vulnerabilities. Also resolved was a virus database updating issue that could occur when the application communicated with a centralised protection server in mobile mode. The update upgrades the routines for interacting with Android TV.
The updated applications are available at Google Play (Dr.Web Security Space , Dr.Web Security Space Life, and Dr.Web Anti-virusLight) as well as on Doctor Web's site.
If you downloaded your Dr.Web application from Google Play, the update will be downloaded and installed automatically. If you’ve disabled automatic updating on your device, go to Google Play, select Dr.Web Security Space, Dr.Web Security Space Life or Dr.Web Anti-virus Light on the application list, and click "Update”.
To update via the Doctor Web site, you need to download a new distribution file. If you enable the settings option “New application version”, a new version notification will be displayed whenever the virus databases have been updated. You can start the download directly from this dialogue box.
December 10, 2015
A Control Service issue that resulted in its abnormal termination when interacting with the data loss prevention routines has been resolved.
Also eliminated were Dr.Web Net filtering service defects resulting in application installations and updates carried out via the Windows Store being blocked whenever encrypted traffic was scanned. And the problem causing the CPU load to increase when encrypted connections were being filtered has also been resolved.
A self-protection module error that could result in applications terminating abnormally while the component was running has been corrected.
The update will be performed automatically; however, a system reboot will be required.
December 10, 2015
The cause of a critical system error occurring when 32-bit editions of Windows interacted with the module has been resolved.
The update will be performed automatically; however, a system reboot will be required.
December 10, 2015
An agent registration error that occurred if a proxy server was being used to connect to the Internet has been corrected.
A Dr.Web SelfPROtect defect that made Dr.Web Preventive Protection block the launch of Mozilla Firefox if the Secure Browser option was enabled in ESET NOD32 Smart Security 9.0 has been resolved.
The update will be performed automatically; however, a system reboot will be required.
December 9, 2015
Like other modifications of this malware, Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 can covertly install various additional programs (usually useless, but sometimes even malicious) to user’s Mac computer. The commercial interest of cybercriminals is to get money for every successful installation of such applications.
Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 is distributed under the guise of free programs for OS X. Once launched, this dangerous application reads the content of the ".payload” configuration file located in the same folder as the setup file of the application. Then it detects the address of the command and control server (C&C server) and modifies it. Using an encrypted request, Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 refers to the C&C server for the list of additional programs that the user will be prompted to install. The server response is also encrypted and contains several fields that determine what applications should be installed to the user’s Mac. Judging from inner numeration used by the installer, there are 736 programs. Every program has its own conditional “rate” for Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1. It means that due to the limited maximum number of applications that can be installed at a time, the installer, using specific algorithm, tries to create an optimal list of compatible software with the highest “rate”.
Before the installation, Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 checks if the offered programs are compatible with each other. For example, it will not install the MacKeeper application along with the MacKeeper Grouped application. What is more, Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 tries to make sure that such software was not installed earlier. Then, before the end of its operation, it checks that the installation was completed successfully.
The dialog of Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 has the Custom Installation mode, which shows check boxes that allow to refuse all the additional software. That is why, this malicious program cannot be labeled as a Trojan. However, Adware.Mac.Tuguu.1 is a typical adware that is quite able to “litter” the operation system with useless software taking advantage of the user’s carelessness. Dr.Web Anti-virus for OS X can detect and remove this program, so it does not pose any threat to Dr.Web users.
December 8, 2015
In particular, it resolves an issue involving a false license block notification being displayed.
The update will be downloaded and installed automatically.
December 7, 2015
New features:
- Upgraded heuristic analysis routines for RTF files;
- Improved MIME analyser performance;
- RAR 5.0 and ACE 2.0 support;
- Enhanced malware detection.
Fixes:
- Issues involving the following unpackers: DMG, HFS, DBX, MSI, NSIS, TCompress, CHM, .NET and UPX/ELF.
- PDF, RTF and FLY-CODE analysis issues.
The update will be downloaded and installed automatically.