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Malware


SEROXEN MECHANISMS: EXPLORING DISTRIBUTION, RISKS, AND IMPACT

This is the third installment of a three-part technical analysis of the fully
undetectable (FUD) obfuscation engine BatCloak and SeroXen malware. In this
entry, we document the techniques used to spread and abuse SeroXen, as well as
the security risks, impact, implications of, and insights into highly evasive
FUD batch obfuscators.

By: Peter Girnus, Aliakbar Zahravi June 20, 2023 Read time: 10 min (2790 words)

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The remote access trojan (RAT) SeroXen tool can be purchased on the clearnet.
During our investigation, we uncovered multiple domains selling not only this
nefarious tool but also a cracked version of it hosted on a popular crack forum.
We also uncovered individuals on popular video sites such as YouTube and TikTok
acting as distributors for this piece of fully undetectable (FUD) malicious
software. At the time of writing, many of these videos remain available for
viewing.

This is the final installment of a three-part series delving into BatCloak and
SeroXen. The first entry, titled “The Dark Evolution: Advanced Malicious Actors
Unveil Malware Modification Progression,” looked into the evolution of the
BatCloak obfuscation engine, while the second part, titled “SeroXen Incorporates
Latest BatCloak Engine Iteration,” discussed the SeroXen malware and its
inclusion of the latest iteration of BatCloak to generate an FUD “.bat” loader.

Distribution methods: SeroXen’s online platforms

In this section, we break down the different platforms that SeroXen uses to
spread malware.

Website

Figure 1. SeroXen website

The tool SeroXen sports a sleek website with pages that users might expect from
any number of websites selling software on the internet. However, sometime
between the last week of May and the first week of June, a new shutdown notice
has surfaced on its website due to SeroXen’s popularity and cybercriminal
efficacy. Considering the content of the notice, there are strong indications
that this shutdown is merely for show and that distribution is still ongoing
through other platforms and channels.

Figure 2. SeroXen's website shutdown notice

Prior to the shutdown notice, we observed the main SeroXen website offering a
comprehensive list of features to prospective consumers. Examining some of the
core features advertised by SeroXen shows a rich feature selection, including:

 * A Windows Defender-guaranteed bypass for both scan time and runtime.
 * FUD scan time and runtime evasion against most antivirus engines.
 * Hidden Virtual Network Computing (hVNC).
 * Full modern Windows support.

Figure 3. SeroXen’s features list

In addition to the sophisticated evasion and FUD component, the inclusion of
hVNC is concerning as it is often deployed by highly sophisticated types of
malware and advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. The hVNC component allows
threat actors to operate a hidden or “virtual” desktop rather than the main
desktop to keep the malicious sessions in the background running uninterrupted.

Meanwhile, the SeroXen web application provides users with the option to acquire
either a monthly license key or a lifetime key using cryptocurrency.

Figure 4. SeroXen monthly subscription (top) and lifetime (bottom) price options
Figure 5. SeroXen is currently unavailable for purchase at the website

The SeroXen web application also boasts a product support team available from
Monday to Friday following a location for a time zone reference in the US. The
Telegram account of the developer is also available for messaging, and the
relevant channels are still active. At one point, a Discord account might also
have been available for contact, although it was already unavailable at the time
of this writing.

Figure 6. SeroXen’s product support offers

During our investigation, we encountered the disclosure of the developers and
contributors associated with SeroXen’s development. Notably, the list includes
the individual who also contributed to the creation of batch obfuscators such as
Jlaive, BatCrypt, CryBat, Exe2Bat, and ScrubCrypt. This direct linkage therefore
establishes a clear association between these historical FUD batch obfuscators
and the SeroXen malware. In June, we also noticed that the website’s
acknowledgments included the social media handle of the distributor.

Figure 7. The developers of Jlaive, BatCloak, CryBat, Exe2Bat, ScrubCrypt, and
social media distributor’s username acknowledged on the SeroXen website

Social media accounts

While investigating SeroXen’s website, we uncovered a link to a review video
hosted on YouTube. 

Figure 8. Link to SeroXen review hosted on YouTube

The content is presented as a "review" and facilitated by a reseller. More
importantly, it functions not only as an evaluation but also as a promotional
advertisement coupled with a tutorial showcasing the capabilities of SeroXen. We
found a collection of videos that was also attributed to a reseller of the
malware. These videos function to endorse and market SeroXen, reinforcing its
presence and appeal within the designated market. Details such as knowledge,
discounts offered, and claims of being a distributor indicate the increased
likelihood of this user being connected to the owner of the web app.

Figure 9. SeroXen YouTube advertisements
Figure 10. SeroXen distributor selling the malware on YouTube

Certain prospective customers of SeroXen have demonstrated an inclination toward
exploring specific aspects associated with illicit activities. Their expressed
interest encompasses the use of SeroXen in the context of engaging in
potentially unlawful endeavors within the Roblox community.

Figure 11. Prospective customer interested in Roblox cookie theft

For context, Roblox is a widely popular video game with a user base of over 214
million active monthly users across the globe, predominantly comprised of
minors, with approximately 67% of the player demographic aged below 16 years. In
the US, over half of Roblox players are minors. In Figure 10, the significance
of the inquiry lies in the potential risks and impact associated with the theft
of the .ROBLOSECURITY cookie from an unsuspecting victim. If successfully
stolen, this cookie would grant a threat actor the ability to compromise the
targeted Roblox account by overriding two-factor authentication (2FA).

This exchange also highlights the risk associated with highly evasive and
modular types of malware — namely, a modular design with the ability to load
additional components to create a bigger impact on targeted and unwitting
victims. In this instance, the reseller mentions the ability to use SeroXen with
Hazard, a stealer with many features, including the capability to steal Discord
webhooks.

At one point, the distributor sold SeroXen on Discord, but their accounts have a
history of being terminated. In an exchange with a prospective customer on
YouTube, a YouTube channel owner shows a clear understanding of how this tool
will be used for criminal activity, after which they encourage a prospective
customer to get in touch with them since they are a reseller. We also uncovered
the reseller’s Twitter profile, which hosted more promotional content for
SeroXen.

Figure 12. A reseller’s conversation with a prospective buyer on YouTube (top)
and the reseller’s YouTube and Twitter profiles (middle and bottom)

As of this blog entry’s week of publishing, we noted that the social media
distributor confirmed that SeroXen’s “sale” (referred to only as “offsale” on
the website) is now offline. Still, this mainstream availability and exchange
raise substantial concerns, given its occurrence outside the boundaries of
underground hacking forums. While researchers and ordinary users alike might
expect this kind of complacence and leeway on the darknet, they do not expect
the same on a popular mainstream platform such as YouTube. This underscores the
potential implications of the exchange, as it indicates that cybercriminals have
become bolder in infiltrating mainstream platforms online. In turn, malicious
activities and discussions related to illicit cybersecurity practices are now
able to infiltrate mainstream online platforms.

Figure 13. SeroXen’s social media distributor confirms the RAT as unavailable
for interested buyers/users

Additionally, during the investigation of this reseller’s YouTube profile we
uncovered a batch-to-dropper file uploaded to Virus Total around the time of the
latest SeroXen promotional video. The name of the batch file matches the
username of this reseller’s YouTube profile. This batch attempts to download an
infected batch file from Discord and run the infected file that leads to a
SeroXen infection.

Figure 14. YouTube reseller includes SeroXen developer's Telegram handle
Figure 15. Reseller names file after uploading to a public repository, matching
it with their YouTube profile name

SeroXen’s forum presence

We also discovered that the author of SeroXen actively engages with prominent
hacking enthusiast forums to promote and distribute the malware. This strategic
use of established forums catering to the hacking community serves as an
additional avenue for the author to market and sell SeroXen, expanding its
reach.

Figure 16. SeroXen advertisement on a popular hacking forum

Upon investigating the post of SeroXen’s developer, we saw that the author of
Jlaive, BatCrypt, CryBat, Exe2Bat, and ScrubCrypt was once again acknowledged as
playing a part in the development of SeroXen’s FUD capabilities. Additionally,
on another forum, we found a cracked version of SeroXen that allows
cybercriminals to bypass the payment requirement set up by the malware’s
original developers.

Figure 17. Acknowledgement of developers and contributors in a forum post
Figure 18. A cracked version of SeroXen

Examining the prevalence and impact of SeroXen

Throughout our investigation of the scope of infections, we discovered a
substantial collection of forum posts containing reports from victims who fell
prey to the SeroXen infection. This particular strain of malware showed a
notable increase in users reporting their infections, with well-meaning
individuals advising victims to implement security and antivirus solutions,
which all failed to detect any malicious activity. This then perpetuates a
distressing cycle of infections driven by the malware's FUD capabilities.

Understanding SeroXen infections through an analysis of community discussions

We conducted an analysis on Reddit by analyzing reports of SeroXen infections.
Many of these posts reported that the users noticed suspicious actions but were
powerless to remediate the ongoing infection.

We went through different forum threads and observed a common theme among the
scores of individuals whose systems were infected: they were downloading and
executing highly suspect pieces of software hosted on Discord and other
file-hosting services related to special interests. We also noticed reports of
deceptive batch installers (downloaded from GitHub) claiming to be legitimate
software installers or tools for highly sought-after applications and interests
like Photoshop, image loggers, TikTok, quality-of-life tools, and Tor, among
others. The primary intention behind this fraudulent activity is to lure
unsuspecting individuals into unintentionally installing malicious programs that
lead to compromise. 

Figure 19. A user’s system is infected after they download the game Counter
Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO).
Figure 20. Samples of users reporting infections

Based on our analysis of the collected samples, one of the largest target
communities are gamers playing popular titles such as Roblox, Valorant, Counter
Strike, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. These multiplayer online games contain a
rich ecosystem of desirable, high-value, and in-game items that make a rich
in-game economy, making them a viable target of malicious actors using SeroXen.
In particular, theft appears to be the primary motive driving these infections.
Over the years, a thriving underground ecosystem has been established for the
illicit resale of stolen in-game items, with a particular emphasis on the
popular game Roblox via beaming.

What is Roblox beaming?

Within the Roblox community, the unauthorized sale of items, referred to as
"beaming" in the community, has proven itself to be an immensely profitable
venture for nefarious actors. It is worth noting that certain rare items within
Roblox, known as “limiteds,” can command significant prices that reach thousands
of dollars in real-world commercial values. Discord has served as fertile ground
 for buying and selling these items, allowing cybercriminals to exploit and
profit from unsuspecting children who fall victim to their schemes.

During our investigation, we uncovered a thriving underground community using
Discord to post stolen cookies to beam victims. Frequently, the practice of
beaming is employed to generate content specifically intended for popular online
platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Numerous individuals, often including minors,
are subjected to beaming for the purpose of entertainment. Over the course of
our investigation, we also uncovered many instances of beaming tutorials and
how-to videos on both TikTok and YouTube.

Figure 21. A .ROBLOSECURITY cookie posted on Discord for beaming
Figure 22. Roblox beaming videos on YouTube (top and middle) and TikTok (bottom)
Figure 23. Roblox beaming tutorials on TikTok

Furthermore, our findings have revealed that these video platforms frequently
function as recruitment platforms, funneling individuals into beaming Discord
channels to engage in unethical and detrimental activities.

Figure 24. A Roblox beamer recruitment video on TikTok

FUD batch obfuscation techniques coupled with hVNC-capable toolkits provide
actors powerful tools not only for stealing content but also for creating
significant psychological distress in communities with a significant number of
minors.

Examining SeroXen infections with insights from the Microsoft Support community

During our investigation of the prevalence and impact of SeroXen infections, we
also examined posts within the Microsoft Support community. We observed striking
similarities between the infection chain reported in this community and the
discussions in Reddit. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the actions
perpetrated revealed two distinct and concerning patterns. The first pattern
involved direct extortion tactics, while the second involved the issuance of
threats to victims' lives through swatting.

Figure 25. Samples of reports seeking help against an extortion attempt (top)
and a threat of swatting (bottom) after hackers gain control of users’ infected
systems through SeroXen

Conclusion

Considering the capabilities and potential damage resulting from this tool, the
costs for entry are low to null (given the cracked versions available online).
This means that both cybercriminals and script kiddies experimenting with
malware deployments can avail of SeroXen. Depending on the goals of
cybercriminals — whether they care for arrests and notoriety or simply want to
spread the tool — the sophistication of the infection routines does not appear
to match with the chosen methods for distribution. The almost-amateur approach
of using social media for aggressive promotion, considering how it can be easily
traced, makes these developers seem like novices by advanced threat actors’
standards. That being said, the real-life consequences of abusing highly evasive
malware as a tool to threaten other users via swatting and other threats to
personal safety remain highly concerning especially as these developers might
interact with online communities populated by minors.

The addition of SeroXen and BatCloak to the malware arsenal of malicious actors
highlights the evolution of FUD obfuscators with a low barrier to entry. This
can be considered an upcoming trend for a range of cybercriminals who can use a
wide range of distribution mechanisms like Discord and social media platforms
and their features (such as YouTube and short-from videos in TikTok) to push
their preferred types of destructive software for abuse. Additionally, this
trend also highlights the potential of highly evasive malware to proliferate in
communities that host a significant number of minors who might be ill-equipped
to confront destructive pieces of malware. Considering the low-to-nil detections
in public repositories once a piece of malware is armed with these tools, this
evolution presents new challenges to security teams and organizations alike,
especially since FUD obfuscation can be used to deliver any kind of imaginable
threat, including those that are not yet known.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to proactively familiarize themselves with
the contemporary digital dynamics their children use regularly. This includes
gaining an understanding of the various online communities that their children
participate in, as well as communicating essential safe online practices and
skills to their children. Adults are also encouraged to familiarize themselves
with the colloquialisms minors use online and the platforms they frequent. By
becoming familiar with these areas and simultaneously equipping children with
such knowledge, guardians can play a pivotal role in ensuring everyone’s online
safety and well-being.

Trend Vision One™️ enables security teams to continuously identify the attack
surface, including known, unknown, managed, and unmanaged cyber assets. It
automatically prioritizes risks, including vulnerabilities, for remediation,
taking into account critical factors such as the likelihood and impact of
potential attacks. Vision One offers comprehensive prevention, detection, and
response capabilities backed by AI, advanced threat research, and intelligence.
This leads to faster mean time to detect, respond, and remediate, improving the
overall security posture and effectiveness.

When uncertain of intrusions, behaviors, and routines, assume compromise or
breach immediately to isolate affected artifacts or tool chains. With a broader
perspective and rapid response, an organization can address these and keep the
rest of its systems protected. Organizations should consider a
cutting-edge multilayered defensive strategy and comprehensive security
solutions such as Trend Micro™ XDR that can detect, scan, and block malicious
content across the modern threat landscape.

Our commitment to online safety

Trend Micro is committed to digital safety through our Trend Micro Initiative
for Education , our outreach program that aims to improve internet safety
awareness, digital literacy, and malware defense capabilities for a safer
digital world. Our initiatives and participation for security and safety include
but are not limited to:

 * Internet Safety for Kids and Families (ISKF)
 * Internet Safety for Home and Small Businesses (IHSB)
 * Cybersecurity Education for Universities (CEU)

If you receive a swatting threat or information that an individual is planning
to engage in swatting activities, please report it to local law enforcement
and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at 1-800-CALL-FBI immediately.

Tags
Malware | Cyber Crime | Phishing | Privacy & Risks | Cyber Threats | APT &
Targeted Attacks | Endpoints | Network | Articles, News, Reports


AUTHORS

 * Peter Girnus
   
   Sr. Threat Researcher

 * Aliakbar Zahravi
   
   Staff Researcher

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