Russian-based Trickbot malware now spying on victims

Published: July 21, 2021, 9:00am

Russian-based criminals behind the notorious malware known as Trickbot appear to be working overtime to upgrade the threat’s capabilities. Researchers announced last week the discovery of new malware components that enable monitoring and intelligence gathering on victims. The research findings include the detection of a VNC module that uses a custom communications protocol to obfuscate any data being transmitted between the command-and-control (C2) servers and the victims, making the attacks harder to find. The module is in active development and is being updated by the criminals at a rapid pace.

Separate research on Trickbot also found the malware targeting companies in retail, building materials, manufacturing, insurance, and construction with phishing emails designed to steal credentials. The Trickbot malware is designed to build a botnet—a network of hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of hacked and connected devices used to launch attacks on organizations and individuals. In October 2020, the Trickbot botnet made global headlines when Microsoft successfully argued in US Federal court that Trickbot used Microsoft’s SDK code for malicious purposes, thus infringing on the copyright. Microsoft was then able to gain control of Trickbot’s various command and control servers in the US and shut them down. While the lawsuit was only partially successful in halting botnet activities, security professionals hailed it as a significant legal victory when fighting cybercrime, since this legal approach could be applied in any country with similar copyright laws in place.

Next Steps

To prevent malware infiltration, businesses are advised to make sure their systems have the latest cloud security, data security, email security and endpoint security solutions. Phishing services, including phishing training, can also help organizations address phishing attacks. In addition, organizations are encouraged to engage in regular penetration testing to help understand and identify existing malware in an enterprise system.