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Ransomware
TARGETCOMPANY RANSOMWARE ABUSES FUD OBFUSCATOR PACKERS
In this entry, we detail our analysis of how the TargetCompany ransomware abused
an iteration of fully undetectable (FUD) obfuscator engine BatCloak to infect
vulnerable systems.
By: Don Ovid Ladores, Nathaniel Morales August 07, 2023 Read time: 5 min (1215
words)
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We found active campaign deployments combining remote access trojan (RAT) Remcos
and the TargetCompany ransomware earlier this year. We compared these
deployments with previous samples and found that these deployments are
implementing fully undetectable (FUD) packers to their binaries. By combining
telemetry data and external threat hunting sources, we were able to gather early
samples of these in development. Recently, we found a victim on which this
technique was deployed and targeted specifically at.
Figure 1. Latest TargetCompany ransomware infection chain
Achieving persistence
Like previously documented TargetCompany ransomware attacks, the latest variant
starts with the exploitation of vulnerable SQL servers to persistently deploy
its first stage. The routine tries various directions to attempt persistence,
such as changing up the URLs or applicable paths until it successfully finds an
area to execute the Remcos RAT.
Table 1. Sample download attempts to deploy Remcos RAT URL Expected drop path
Notes Results _hxxp://80.66.75[.]37/drtse.exe %TEMP%\tzt.exe Executed with
%TEMP%\updt.ps1 Failed /Terminated _hxxp://185.209.230[.]21:8080/lighting.exe
%TEMP%\tzt.exe Executed with %TEMP%\updt.ps1 Failed /Terminated
_hxxp://80.66.75.37/Ayhhny.exe %TEMP%\tzt.exe Executed with %TEMP%\updt.ps1
Failed /Terminated _hxxp://80.66.75[.]37/lawer.exe
%TEMP%\1DKPCKM7.exe
%TEMP%\VOCNDGB2.exe
%TEMP%\tzt.exe
Executed with %TEMP%\updt.ps1 Failed /Terminated _hxxp://80.66.75[.]37/Bwarp.exe
%TEMP%\WIMZJ19D.exe
%TEMP%\YLJ7ZVT0.exe
%TEMP%\tzt.exe
Executed with %TEMP%\updt.ps1 Failed /Terminated
_hxxp://185.209.230[.]21:8080/Auptxums.bat %TEMP%\tzt.bat Executed
with %TEMP%\updt.ps1 Drop and execution of Remcos RAT (Blocked by current Trend
Micro solutions)
Figure 2. Download attempts for the first stage
Since the initial efforts were terminated and blocked by the existing solutions,
the attackers opted to use the FUD-wrapped version of their binaries. The FUD
packer used by Remcos and the one used by the TargetCompany ransomware has a
style of packaging that closely resembles the style used by BatCloak: Using a
batch file as an outer layer and afterward, decoding and loading using
PowerShell to make a LOLBins execution.
Figure 3. PowerShell execution of the Remcos RAT, also showing the typical
routine for malware wrapped in FUD packers
Metasploit usage
This variant’s routine used another unique tool, which our analysis identified
as Metasploit (Meterpreter) usage. This group is not widely known to use such
tools, so it is interesting to see it leverage Metasploit to do the following:
*
* Query/Add a local account
*
* Deploy GMER
*
* Deploy IObit Unlocker
*
* Deploy PowerTool (or PowTool)
Afterward, the Remcos RAT will resume its final routine as it downloads and
deploys the TargetCompany ransomware still wrapped in an FUD packer.
Table 2. Metasploit module for executing shell commands Subject process Child
process Command line C:\temp\straightforward.exe C:\windows\syswow64\net.exe
localgroup administrators [~redacted] /ad
Tracking the loader’s rising popularity
The previous wave of campaigns abusing OneNote made headlines because of the
technique’s novelty: the use of a specific PowLoad and a corresponding CMDFile
(batchfile or.bat) that contained the actual payload. Since it was first
released, the specific “cmd x PowerShell” loader has slowly been gaining
traction. By the end of February 2022, TargetCompany ransomware operators
adopted the tactic.
Figure 4. FUD loaders and TargetCompany ransomware deployment activities
Analyzing the loader differences
The CMDFiles were initially indistinguishable between the other users (malware
families AsyncRAT, Remcos, and the TargetCompany ransomware) of the batch file
technique. The use of the CMDFiles starts to differ with the execution of the
command line and during the load of the main binaries. While AsyncRAT employs
decompression and decryption, the loaders related to Remcos and TargetCompany
only used decompression to unpack the payload and changed the general appearance
of its structure while maintaining the same functionality.
Figure 5. The BatLoad appeared similar in structure between the versions found
in previous deployment reports and samples.
Figure 6. Bare and unobfuscated AsyncRAT loader command line (top) and decoded
loader command line of Remcos and the TargetCompany ransomware
For the AsyncRAT loader, the CMDFile loads the binary payload successfully
regardless of whether the system’s architecture is 32-bit or 64-bit. With the
routines in Remcos and TargetCompany, however, the powershell.exe file is
hard-coded to find the deobfuscated Remcos CMDFile only in the SysWOW64 folder.
Even though the payload binary works in both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, the way
that the PowerShell file is hard-coded “almost” guarantees that the routine will
fail to execute in 32-bit systems given that it is usually only found in 64-bit
systems. Microsoft has required new Windows 10 systems since version 2004
(released in the middle of 2020) to be 64-bit; Windows 11 was never released in
a 32-bit version. Running this malware on a 32-bit operating system is therefore
something of an edge case which we need not discuss here.
Figure 7. Decoded loader command line in Remcos and the TargetCompany ransomware
Figure 8. Deobfuscated Remcos CMDFile showing the copying of the PowerShell
routine
Technique adoption
When we investigated the suspicious network connections related to the
PowerShell, we discovered the new variant of the TargetCompany ransomware. When
we checked the payload binary, we saw that the variant belongs to the second
version of the said ransomware family, commonly characterized by a connection to
a command-and-control (C&C) server with a “/ap.php” landing page.
Figure 9. C&C communication by the TargetCompany ransomware
Pivoting from the IP address or URL, we found samples from a public repository
verified to be the Remcos RAT. Considering the uses for obfuscation of the
different batch files in a previous section, as well as the fact that for every
execution of Remcos there is also an instance of an attack by the TargetCompany
ransomware, we were not surprised at the use of the technique. Similarly, we
found a verified Remcos sample with zero detections on public repositories.
Insights
The use of FUD malware already limits most available solutions for this said
tactic, even more so for off-the-shelf technologies likely susceptible to other
attacks (not just ransomware). This set of packers will likely not be the only
ones being developed in the near future. Early detection allows security teams
and analysts to detect these FUD packers as their respective routines and coding
follow a certain flow that makes it easy to prevent. At the same time, this also
allows these organizations’ teams to check for increases in usage even through
external threat intelligence sources and repositories.
Attackers will keep innovating even the simplest means of abuse. While the
technique of using FUD packers and Metasploit has been around for a while now,
security teams and organizations should not underestimate its effectivity in
circumventing current and established security solutions, especially in key
features that leave technologies almost blind until a victim is documented.
To date, majority of TargetCompany ransomware’s victims still stem from
vulnerable SQL Servers being exploited to gain entry. Security teams should have
visibility and check all possible attack surfaces to ensure their respective
systems are not susceptible to abuse and exploitation. Meanwhile, we deem the
FUD packer a tool that can easily be altered without much effort, and current
solutions might well be one step behind these developments. Fortunately, AI- and
machine learning-based file checking and behavior monitoring solutions, best
practices for network blocking, and ransomware detection and blocking measures
can act as multiple layers in mitigating the impact of these threats’ risks.
Organizations should encourage and implement redundant exercises ensuring users’
awareness of their own systems and networks to prevent intrusion attempts and
execution of malicious activities.
Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
Download the list of indicators here.
Tags
Malware | Cyber Crime | Exploits & Vulnerabilities | Cyber Threats | Data center
| Endpoints | Ransomware | Network | Articles, News, Reports
AUTHORS
* Don Ovid Ladores
Threats Analyst
* Nathaniel Morales
Threat Analyst
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