Watch Out for ‘Latrodectus’ – This Malware Could Be In Your Inbox

Threat hunters have found a new malware identified as Latrodectus that has been distributed as component of email phishing strategies due to the fact at minimum late November 2023.

“Latrodectus is an up-and-coming downloader with many sandbox evasion features,” scientists from Proofpoint and Staff Cymru stated in a joint analysis revealed last 7 days, adding it’s created to retrieve payloads and execute arbitrary instructions.

There is evidence to propose that the malware is likely prepared by the exact danger actors powering the IcedID malware, with the downloader set to use by first obtain brokers (IABs) to aid the deployment of other malware.

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Latrodectus has been mainly joined to two unique IABs tracked by Proofpoint beneath the names TA577 (aka H2o Curupira) and TA578, the previous of which has also been connected to the distribution of QakBot and PikaBot.

As of mid-January 2024, it really is been utilized almost exclusively by TA578 in email menace campaigns, in some scenarios shipped by way of a DanaBot infection.

TA578, recognised to be lively since at minimum May perhaps 2020, has been connected to email-dependent campaigns providing Ursnif, IcedID, KPOT Stealer, Buer Loader, BazaLoader, Cobalt Strike, and Bumblebee.

Attack chains leverage call kinds on web sites to deliver legal threats about alleged copyright infringement to focused companies. The hyperlinks embedded in the messages immediate the recipients to a bogus web site to trick them into downloading a JavaScript file that is accountable for launching the most important payload making use of msiexec.

“Latrodectus will publish encrypted process info to the command-and-management server (C2) and request the down load of the bot,” the scientists said. “As soon as the bot registers with the C2, it sends requests for commands from the C2.”

It also will come with abilities to detect if it’s running in a sandboxed natural environment by examining if the host has a legitimate MAC deal with and there are at least 75 managing procedures on devices operating Windows 10 or more recent.

Like in the scenario of IcedID, Latrodectus is intended to send the registration details in a Write-up ask for to the C2 server where by the fields are HTTP parameters stringed jointly and encrypted, after which it awaits even further guidelines from the server.

The instructions let the malware to enumerate data files and processes, execute binaries and DLL documents, run arbitrary directives by way of cmd.exe, update the bot, and even shut down a running procedure.

A additional evaluation of the attacker infrastructure reveals that the to start with C2 servers arrived alive on September 18, 2023. These servers, in convert, are configured to communicate with an upstream Tier 2 server that was set up around August 2023.

Latrodectus’ connections to IcedID stems from the truth that the T2 server “maintains connections with backend infrastructure connected with IcedID” and use of leap boxes previously connected with IcedID functions.

“Latrodectus will become significantly utilized by fiscally enthusiastic risk actors across the felony landscape, notably those who beforehand distributed IcedID,” Group Cymru assessed.

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