Tag: cyber security

Tech

Never Going Trip Again

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Scriptingthewhy, what do you mean I’ll never vacation again? I can’t do it now.
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After reading this, you just may never trust writing a review ever again. And you know what, we don’t blame you. It’s getting pricey just to exist. We all enjoy traveling to new places, especially with our partners.

You may have seen or shared some photos of yourself or others on their romantic getaways from the kids, job, or life just in general on social media. But let’s say you visited a vacation spot, and it left a sour taste in your mouth, clearly, your next course of action is to fire up your computer and write a review.

However, you may want to hold your horses before letting that Sandals resort owner know how you really feel because not all websites are created equal or with good intentions.

We’re going to be going over what kind of attack this is, who is using it, the functionality and effects upon release, and what are some ways you can prevent this from being the beginning to the end of your vacations.

Oh, would you look at that, someone else filed another complaint. That would hurt my business…if they were complaining on the real website.
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The Attack

We as humans have a common tendency to seek out others who align with our current or pending point of view. Sometimes when we can’t find this we may resort to posting online as a signal for someone to agree or just be wrong in their thought.

But given the current growing threat in the landscape of the internet, it seems like those days are about to be numbered due to malicious actors making use of the complaint form of TripAdvisor as an attack vector for cyber-attacks. This may sound absurd, but like Spandau Ballet, this much is true.

We revamped the malware and made it better. Don’t call it a comeback.
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Who Can It Be Now

So, an old menace brings an onset of new challenges. The group operating behind the Cyclops campaign back in May 2023 had revamped and offered Knight ransomware as RaaS (Ransomware-as-a-Service)—this is the act of offering the use of ransomware with different payment plans to interested parties, on the RAMP hacking forum.

This was done with the intent to invite affiliates to join their scheme and share the profits from extorting victims. We’re not sure as to how many partake in this invite but it’s something to keep an eye out for.

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I didn’t download a file, did I? How would I remember? I was just trying to get off the computer. 36 hours a day at work is driving me mad.
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That Sinking Feeling

So, how does something like this work, well, we’re glad you asked. This campaign was spotted by Bleeping Computer and after analyzing they found an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, “TripAdvisor-Complaint-[random].PDF, htm”. When opening the file, a fake browser window is launched within the real one. This window displays a TripAdvisor website however, this is a spoofed domain name and URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This technique is called browser-in-the-browser (BitB).

This aims to trick users into thinking they’re on a trusted site but in reality, the stealing of your credentials is pending. What makes BitB attacks more dangerous is, unlike normal phishing attacks where the user is redirected to a malicious website, BitB attack does not require the victim to click on any link or download a file because the fake browser window is embedded in the HTML attachment itself. The user may not notice the difference between the real and fake browser windows, this is unless they pay close attention to the details or have security tools in place for detecting phishing attempts.

However, the fun doesn’t stop there, when interacting with this particular BitB, it pretends to be a complaint submitted, asking for the user to review it. When clicking on the “Read Complaint” button, an Excel XLL file is downloaded named “TripAdvisor_Complaint-Possible-Suspension.xll”.  This file delivers the malware payload to encrypt files appending the “.knight_l” extension to encrypted files’ names, where ‘l’ portion likely stands for ‘lite’.

Once this process is complete a ransom note will be created named “How to Restore Your Files.txt” in all the folders of the computer. The note will demand a payment of $5,000 to be sent to a listed Bitcoin address. Trust us, even if you find the means to pay the ransom, there will be no restoration of your files.

They said they revamped it and made it better, but it still looks the same to me.
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The Prevention

While reading this you probably think it’s the end of the world and that you may never go on vacation again. We’re here to tell you, that is not the case. A few ways of protecting yourself is familiarizing yourself with the actual website. When visiting a website make sure you look for “https” and a lock image in your search bar as this will ensure that not only the site is secure, but your personal information is encrypted.

Some fake websites will be harder to spot since scammers are kind of clever, so they’ll be sure to come as close to mimicking the real website as possible, but a bit of mindfulness and staying up to date with your operating system and rising threat trends could safeguard you for your next vacation.

Always remember it’s better to file a complaint with the real TripAdvisor. Sure, they might not listen to you and take your money but it’s better than the alternative of scammers holding your data hostage with the intent to sell at a cost way lower than that Sandals resort owner had charged you.

They charged me an “existence fee”. How do you someone for just being in the area!?
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, sharing this with whomever, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like there is something I may have missed on Knight ransomware? Script a comment below.

Programming, Security, Tech

Fishing Made Fun with Bots!

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You know, every time I read one of these scripts, I learn something new.
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Okay, so the threat isn’t coming from the future to wipe us out as we once thought. Maybe, and by maybe meaning actually, the threat is here with us in the present day. They attack us every day when checking our email or simply picking up the phone because the scam likely function wasn’t working this go around.

The rise of ChatGPT has not only given people that little nerdy kid to complete their essays for them but people are using a bot to trick a bot in order to land job interviews. But again, with good intentions soon follows malicious ones. 

We’re going to be going over what kind of attack this is, who is using it, its functionality and effects upon release and what are some ways you could protect yourself from being on the receiving end of a malicious connection.

I haven’t been living underneath a Volvo, but I guess hiding isn’t doing me any good neither.
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The Attack

Like most of the computing world and people who haven’t been living underneath a VW 1984 Volvo, that’s a little easter egg for all the old faithful readers. If you’re not one, feel ashamed. Again, for the better part of the internet, most people already know what phishing emails are, but in case you’re unfamiliar and have been living underneath that Volvo, worry not, we have you covered on that one.

Phishing is the act of posing as someone or as part of an organization that an individual may or may not know. The whole objective is to get you (the victim) to interact with the provided link and give up your sweet, sweet information. Once this happens, a number of things can happen, however, the main result is you lose money in some form or fashion.

Who is Greg from accounting, and why did he send me a link?
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Who Could It Be Now

Unfortunately, no individual or group has been named for using ChatGPT for malicious scams but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell you why they’re doing it. Scammers vary in diversity in ethnicity but many of them don’t diversify in skill level and sometimes… in common sense. Yes, scammers will even try to scam cybersecurity professionals, we don’t know why they do it but, it’s a thing.

Scammers typically use social engineering attacks, mainly phishing. Why? Because it’s easy to obtain an email address for a company, however, they have resorted to spicing up these emails by using ChatGPT.

For those who don’t know what ChatGPT is, we’ll tell you. ChatGPT is a chatbot that is trained to offer humanlike responses in dialogue. In a nutshell, you ask it a question and it gives you something it thinks an average person would say.

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Thomas: I told you we lure in more people with ChatGPT.
Simone: Shut up Thomas and keep entering their credit card information.
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That Sinking Feeling

How do scammers use ChatGPT to improve their phishing emails you ask? Well, simple, the same way people are using this little chatbot to beef up their resume to outsmart the resume reviewer bot. The scammers simply input into ChatGPT something professional to say to you, adding a few official logos here and there, and before you know it you have what seems to sound like an official email from someone you may know or that job opportunity you’ve been looking for.

Once you fall victim to the scam a number of things can happen and none of them are good. Interaction with a malicious link or attachment could have your system compromised by downloading or visiting a redirected site for a drive-by download, at this point depending on the programming in the payload, the file could execute with or without your interaction.

This, in turn, leads to a back door being created for data exfiltration—this is the act of collecting all the information on your machine and sending it to a command-and-control server for either personal use or marketing on the darknet, and possibly seizing control of your machine at a later date.

Learn the scam, then you can play ball.
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The Prevention

So, what are some ways one could be able to protect oneself in the vast sea of the internet? Well, double-checking with people who send you emails with attachments to verify it was indeed them is one way of helping yourself.

Always carefully read the body of the message to see if you can spot any misspellings or grammatical errors as this will tip you off into saying, “I know Greg from accounting might be a bit special, but he wouldn’t write something like this.”

If you have encountered a phishing email and downloaded something or interacted with their link, changing all passwords on all accounts you own will be your next best course of action as this will quickly hinder the attacker’s progress into mucking up your life.

Pair this action with monitoring your accounts for any suspicious activity and keeping your financial institution’s number on speed dial in case you have to make that call saying, “Um, yeah, that latest activity wasn’t you,” will see you better in the years to come.

ChatGPT may be helping the scammer’s game, but common sense and a little know-how still outperform all.

I never thought protecting my information would be this easy. Thank you Scriptingthewhy. Love you Z-Daddy!
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, sharing this with whomever, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like there is something I may have missed on Phishing with ChatGPT? Script a comment below.

Security, Tech

Googles Banking on More Than Apps

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Gina: Why does it seem like I never have any money?
Z-Daddy: Inflation. Politics and inflation will cause that.
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You know, it seems like everyone wants to be like Capital One and find out what’s in your wallet, and with the recent threat on the Google Play Store, they may have found just that.

Trojans are clearly not a new problem seeing as though they’ve been around since it seemed like stuffing a wooden horse full of sweaty men ready to murder was a good idea, but as of late they have been on the rise, and this is especially when it comes to applications for Android devices. Yes, Android community, again in danger you are.

In an effort to sort this banking madness out, we’re going to look at what kind of attack this is, who used it, its functions and effects upon release, and what are some ways you can protect your bank account from decreasing due to the threat actor inflation.

You ever get that feeling like your wallet is getting fisted?
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The Attack

The Google Play Store is getting hit with banking trojans but the latest one is racking up some numbers under its belt. Banking trojans for those who may not be familiar are malware that tries to steal your credentials to gain access to your financial institution.

This one has been around since 2021 and has gone by other names such as TeaBot and Toddler but its current name is Anatsa. What makes Anatsa interesting is that it was spotted hiding among utility apps like PDF (Portable Document Format) readers and QR (Quick Response) code scanners.

The use of these allows for credentials to be siphoned from its users. Anatsa is proving to be a large threat by targeting over 400 financial institutions across the world, making it the most prolific banking malware to date.

The best never get caught, kid. Never meet your heroes.
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Who Can It Be Now

As with all good threat actors who use malicious software and evade detection, no one person or group has been appointed for using the Anatsa malware.

But it has been noted that threat actors are hiding the malware among applications for people to download in hopes of collecting their information.

This was pointed out by ThreatFabric which is a firm that provides expertise and security tools to mitigate fraud to banks.

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From the sewers to the main street and now into your wallet. We’re all floating to the big time Georgie.
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The Sinking Feeling

Anatsa can perform overlay attacks—this is the act of having what looks like a legitimate window (i.e., a fake Google webpage) when really it is tricking the user to give sensitive information, stealing credentials as well as logging activities, it does this by abusing the permissions to Android’s accessibility services API (Application programming interfaces).

In the latest activity, it has seen the dropper apps (trojan apps) after being installed, perform a pull request from GitHub page that is pointing to another GitHub URL (Uniform Resource Locator) housing the malicious payload. This aims to trick the victim by posing itself as application add-ons.

This is thought to be done by using sketchy advertisements. Another thing that the droppers make use of is the restricted “REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES” permission. This is commonly exploited by most rogue apps hosted on the Google Play Store.

If you find you have any of the apps listed below, then you may have been infected.

  • All Document Reader & Editor (com.mikjaki.documentspdfreader.xlsx.csv.ppt.docs)
  • All Document Reader and Viewer (com.muchlensoka.pdfcreator)
  • PDF Reader – Edit & View PDF (lsstudio.pdfreder.powerfultool.allinonepdf.goodpdftools)
  • PDF Reader & Editor (com.proderstarler.pdfsignature) / (moh.filemanagerrespdf)

These five apps have been updated since the first publication, this is most likely in a sneaky attempt to cargo the malicious functionality after passing the app review process during the first submission.

Google Play Store dropper apps have grossed over 30,000 installations to date which indicates there is an official storefront app for distribution of Anatsa. There is a list of countries that are of interest to Anatsa based on the number of financial applications that have been targeted.

This latest campaign shows the threat landscape that banks and financial institutions face in today’s digital world is shaping to be a bit of a problem. Imagine what would happen if we switched to an all-digital currency.

Oh god, I have to edit and raffle through apps too. I HATE THE INTERNET!
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The Prevention

The interesting problem is since transactions are being made from the same device, it’s proving to be very challenging for anti-fraud systems to find. Some ways that may help in securing your information are reading comments, reviews, and fishing through past user reviews before opting to download and install.

Be mindful that when it comes to downloading from third parties who require downloading from an unknown source you are to exercise extreme caution and scan before choosing to complete the installation.

Running scans and digging through comments can be a bit of a hassle but trying to quickly recover from having people leave with everything in your wallet could be more of a hassle.

Tish: Okay, so Scriptingthewhy is somewhat informative.
Dave: It’s more than you knew yesterday, I’d say they’re pretty informative.
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, sharing this with whomever, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like there is something I may have missed on Anatsa Trojan? Script a comment below.