This report is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.

This document is marked TLP:WHITE–Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.

Description

This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency.

This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A.

There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate.

The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—JMT Trading—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations.

JMT Trading malware, discovered by a cybersecurity company in October 2019, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website—JMT Trading and jmttrading[.]org, respectively—that appear legitimate.

For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-2.v1.stix.

Submitted Files (6)

07c38ca1e0370421f74c949507fc0d21f4cfcb5866a4f9c0751aefa0d6e97542 (jmttrader.msi)

081d1739422bf050755e6af269a717681274821cea8becb0962d4db61869c5d6 (JMTTrader.exe)

4d6078fc1ea6d3cd65c3ceabf65961689c5bc2d81f18c55b859211a60c141806 (jmttrader_mac.dmg)

7ea6391c11077a0f2633104193ec08617eb6321a32ac30c641f1650c35eed0ea (JMTTrader)

9bf8e8ac82b8f7c3707eb12e77f94cd0e06a972658610d136993235cbfa53641 (CrashReporter.exe)

e352d6ea4da596abfdf51f617584611fc9321d5a6d1c22aff243aecdef8e7e55 (CrashReporter)

Domains (2)

beastgoc.com

jmttrading.org

07c38ca1e0370421f74c949507fc0d21f4cfcb5866a4f9c0751aefa0d6e97542

Tags

backdoordroppertrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This Windows program from the JMTTrade GitHub site is a Windows MSI Installer. The installer looks legitimate and previously had a valid digital signature from Comodo (Sectigo). The signature was signed with a code signing certificate purchased by the same user as the SSL certificate for “jmttrading.org.” The installer asks for administrative privileges to run and while installing “JMTTrader.exe” (081d1739422bf050755e6af269a717681274821cea8becb0962d4db61869c5d6) in the “C:Program Files (x86)JMTTrader” folder, it also installs “CrashReporter.exe” (9bf8e8ac82b8f7c3707eb12e77f94cd0e06a972658610d136993235cbfa53641) in the “C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingJMTTrader” folder. Immediately after installation, the installer launches “CrashReporter.exe” with the “Maintain” parameter.

Screenshots

jmttrading.org

Tags

command-and-control

Whois

Whois for jmttrading.org had the following information on October 11, 2019:
Registrar: NameCheap
Created: July 11, 2019
Expires: July 11, 2020
Updated: September 10, 2019

Relationships

Description

This site contained a “Download from GitHub” button which takes the user to the JMTTrader GitHub page (github.com/jmttrading/JMTTrader/releases) where both Windows and OSX versions of JMTTrader were available for download. There are also zip and a tar.gz files containing the source code. JMT Trading has a legitimately signed Sectigo SSL certificate. The SSL certificate was “Domain Control Validated,” just as the Celas LLC certificate for AppleJeus variant 1. The domain was registered at the IP address 198.187.29.20 with ASN 22612.

081d1739422bf050755e6af269a717681274821cea8becb0962d4db61869c5d6

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 32-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “JMTTrader_Win.msi.” When executed, “JMTTrader.exe” asks for the user’s exchange, and then loads a legitimate cryptocurrency trading platform with no signs of malicious activity.

“JMTTrader.exe” is similar in appearance to version 1 and QT Bitcoin Trader. In addition to similar appearance, many strings found in “JMTTrader.exe” have QT Bitcoin Trader references and parameters being set to “JMT Trader” including but not limited to:

–Begin similarities–
String_ABOUT_QT_BITCOIN_TRADER_TEXT=JMT Trader
String_ABOUT_QT_BITCOIN_TRADER_TEXT=JMT Trader is a free Open Source project<br>developed on pure C++ Qt and OpenSSL.
QtBitcoinTraderClass
July IGHOR (note: Ighor July is one of the developers of QT Bitcoin Trader)
–End similarities–

The strings also reference the name “Gary Mendez” with email garyhmendez@yahoo.com as the author of “JMTTrader.exe.” There is also reference to an additional GitHub repository under the name Gary Mendez “github.com/garymendez/JMTTrader/issues.”

While the JMTTrader application is likely a modification of QT Bitcoin Trader, the legitimate QT Bitcoin Trader for Windows is not available for download as an MSI, but only as a Windows portable executable. This is a singular file named “QtBitcoinTrader.exe” and does not install or run any additional programs. The JMTTrader MSI contains “JMTTrader.exe,” the modified version of QT Bitcoin Trader, as well as the additional “CrashReporter.exe” (9bf8e8ac82b8f7c3707eb12e77f94cd0e06a972658610d136993235cbfa53641) executable not included with the original QT Bitcoin Trader.

Screenshots

9bf8e8ac82b8f7c3707eb12e77f94cd0e06a972658610d136993235cbfa53641

Tags

backdoortrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 32-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “JMTTrader_Win.msi.” Unlike the first version of the malware, “CrashReporter.exe” is installed in the “C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingJMTTrader,” which is a different folder than “JMTTrader.exe.” “CrashReporter.exe” is heavily obfuscated with the ADVObfuscation library, which has been renamed “snowman” by the malware writer. ADVObfuscation is described as using C++ 11/14 language to generate, at compile time, obfuscated code without using any external tool and without modifying the compiler and introduces some form of randomness to generate polymorphic code like the encryption of strings literals and the obfuscation of calls using finite state machines. Due to this obfuscation, detailed functionality can be difficult to determine to the extent of the non-obfuscated “Updater.exe” binary.

At launch, “CrashReporter.exe” first checks for the “Maintain” parameter and if not found, exits the program to likely evade detection in a sandbox environment. The malware collects basic victim information and encrypts the data with the hardcoded XOR key “X,%`PMk–Jj8s+6=15:20:11.”

The encrypted data is sent to “hxxps[:]//beastgoc.com/grepmonux.php” with a multipart form data separator “–wMKBUqjC7ZMG5A5g.”

The malware’s capabilities include reading/writing itself to various directories, querying/writing to the registry, searching for files, extract/decode payload, and terminating processes. “CrashReporter.exe” also creates a scheduled SYSTEM task named “JMTCrashReporter,” which runs the “CrashReporter.exe” program with the “Maintain” parameter at the login of any user.

Screenshots

beastgoc.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• https[:]//beastgoc.com/grepmonux.php

Whois

Whois information for the domain beastgoc.com on October 11, 2019 was as follows:
Registrar: NameCheap
Created Date: July 19, 2019
Expiration Date: July 19, 2020

Relationships

Description

The site “beastgoc.com” had as valid digital signature signed by Sectigo. This is a “Domain Control Validated” signature, which is the lowest level of validation. The domain was registered at the IP address 185.228.83.32 with ASN 205406.

4d6078fc1ea6d3cd65c3ceabf65961689c5bc2d81f18c55b859211a60c141806

Tags

backdoortrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX program from the JMTTrader GitHub is an Apple DMG installer. The OSX program has very similar functionality to the Windows program, but does not have a digital signature. Again, the installer appears to be legitimate and installs both JMTTrader in the “/Applications/JMTTrader.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder and a hidden program named “.CrashReporter” in the “/Applications/JMTTrader.app/Contents/Resources/” folder. The installer contains a postinstall script (see Figure 5).

This postinstall script has similar functionality to the postinstall script of the first version but has a few additional features. It still moves the hidden plist file (.com.jmttrading.plist) to the LaunchDaemons folder, but also changes the file permissions on the plist. Once in the LaunchDaemons folder, this program will be ran on system load as root for every user, which will launch the CrashReporter program with the Maintain parameter.

The postinstall script also moves the “.CrashReporter” program to a new location “/Library/JMTTrader/CrashReporter” and makes it executable. Like CelasTradePro, as the LaunchDaemon will not run automatically after the plist file is moved, the postinstall script then launches the CrashReporter program with the Maintain parameter and runs it in the background (&).

The package also has “Developed by Gary Mendez. JMTTrading Group” in the Info.plist properties file.

Screenshots

7ea6391c11077a0f2633104193ec08617eb6321a32ac30c641f1650c35eed0ea

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG Installer “JMTTrader_Mac.dmg.” When exexuted, JMTTrader has identical functionality and appearance to the Windows JMTTrader.exe. It asks for the user’s exchange and loads a legitimate cryptocurrency trading application with no signs of malicious activity. While the appearance has changed slightly from the CelasTradePro application, JMTTrader is close in appearance to both CelasTradePro and QT Bitcoin Trader, and is likely a modification of the OSX QT Bitcoin Trader.

In addition to similar appearance, many strings found in JMTTrader have QT Bitcoin Trader references and parameters being set to “JMT Trader” including but not limited to:

–Begin similarities–
String_ABOUT_QT_BITCOIN_TRADER_TEXT=JMT Trader
String_ABOUT_QT_BITCOIN_TRADER_TEXT=JMT Trader is a free Open Source project<br>developed on pure C++ Qt and OpenSSL.
User-Agent: Qt Bitcoin Trader v1.40.42
July IGHOR (note: Ighor July is one of the developers of QT Bitcoin Trader)
–End similarities–

The strings also reference the name “Gary Mendez” with email garyhmendez@yahoo.com as the author of JMTTrader.exe. There is also reference to an additional GitHub repository under the name Gary Mendez “github.com/garymendez/JMTTrader/issues.”

While the JMTTrader application is likely a modification of QT Bitcoin Trader, the legitimate QT Bitcoin Trader DMG for OSX does not contain the postinstall script nor the plist file which creates a LaunchDaemon. When executed, only QTBitcoinTrader will be installed, and no additional programs will be created, installed, or launched.

In contrast, the JMTTrader DMG contains the CelasTradePro OSX executable, the modified version of QT Bitcoin Trader, as well as the additional CrashReporter OSX executable not included with the original QT Bitcoin Trader.

e352d6ea4da596abfdf51f617584611fc9321d5a6d1c22aff243aecdef8e7e55

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG Installer “JMTTrader_Mac.dmg.” CrashReporter likely functions very similarly to the Windows CrashReporter.exe program, but unlike the Windows program, it is not obfuscated. This lack of obfuscation makes it easier to determine the program’s functionality in detail.

Upon launch, the malware checks for the “Maintain” parameter, and will exit if the parameter is not found, likely to avoid sandbox analysis.

CrashReporter then creates a randomly generated token (identifier) and collects the binary’s version and process ID to send to the server. This data is XOR encrypted with the hard-coded key “X,%`PMk–Jj8s+6=x02” (last value is a non-printable ASCII character which is hexadecimal x02). While the key is different than the XOR key for the Windows sample, the first 16 bytes are the same.

The encrypted data is sent to the same C2 server as the Windows sample at hxxps[:]//beastgoc.com/grepmonux.php with the multipart data form separator “jGzAcN6k4VsTRn9”. CrashReporter also has a hard-coded user-agent string: “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/72.0.3626.121 Safari/537.36” along with other hard-coded values sent with the data including “token,” “query,” and “mont.jpg.”

If CrashReporter receives a response with the HTTP code 200 (successful), it will invoke another function which will wait for tasking from the C2 server. When a tasking is received, the function decrypts the data with the same hardcoded XOR key and processes the tasking. Accepted tasking commands include the following:

–Begin accepted tasking commands–
“exit”: this command will cause CrashReporter to gracefully exit
“up”: this command will upload a file from the C2 server to the infected host
“stand ”: this command will execute commands from the server via the shell using the popen API (the “popen()” function opens a process by creating a bidirectional pipe, forking, and invoking the shell)
–End accepted tasking commands–

These possible commands from the C2 server gives the remote attacker full control over the OSX system. It is likely that the functionality of the Windows CrashReporter.exe is the same as this OSX malware, as the original AppleJeus had the same functionality on both operating systems.

Screenshots

Soon after October 11, 2019, the files on GitHub were updated to clean, non-malicious installers. Then on October 13, 2019, a different cyber security organization published an article detailing the OSX JMTTrader, and soon after the C2 “beastgoc.com” went offline. There is not a confirmed sample of the payload to analyze at this point.

CISA recommends that users and administrators consider using the following best practices to strengthen the security posture of their organization’s systems. Any configuration changes should be reviewed by system owners and administrators prior to implementation to avoid unwanted impacts.

• Maintain up-to-date antivirus signatures and engines.
• Keep operating system patches up-to-date.
• Disable File and Printer sharing services. If these services are required, use strong passwords or Active Directory authentication.
• Restrict users’ ability (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications. Do not add users to the local administrators group unless required.
• Enforce a strong password policy and implement regular password changes.
• Exercise caution when opening e-mail attachments even if the attachment is expected and the sender appears to be known.
• Enable a personal firewall on agency workstations, configured to deny unsolicited connection requests.
• Disable unnecessary services on agency workstations and servers.
• Scan for and remove suspicious e-mail attachments; ensure the scanned attachment is its “true file type” (i.e., the extension matches the file header).
• Monitor users’ web browsing habits; restrict access to sites with unfavorable content.
• Exercise caution when using removable media (e.g., USB thumb drives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
• Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
• Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-83, “Guide to Malware Incident Prevention & Handling for Desktops and Laptops”.

CISA continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product at the following URL: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/forms/feedback/

What is a MIFR? A Malware Initial Findings Report (MIFR) is intended to provide organizations with malware analysis in a timely manner. In most instances this report will provide initial indicators for computer and network defense. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

What is a MAR? A Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is intended to provide organizations with more detailed malware analysis acquired via manual reverse engineering. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

Can I edit this document? This document is not to be edited in any way by recipients. All comments or questions related to this document should be directed to the CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or CISA Service Desk.

Can I submit malware to CISA? Malware samples can be submitted via three methods:

CISA encourages you to report any suspicious activity, including cybersecurity incidents, possible malicious code, software vulnerabilities, and phishing-related scams. Reporting forms can be found on CISA’s homepage at www.cisa.gov.

This report is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.

This document is marked TLP:WHITE–Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.

Description

This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency.

This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A.

There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate.

The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—Kupay Wallet—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations.

Kupay Wallet, discovered in March 2020, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website—Kupay Service and kupaywallet[.]com, respectively—that appear legitimate. Some information has been redacted from this report to preserve victim anonymity.

For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-4.v1.stix.

Submitted Files (7)

0bc7517aa2f0c1820ced399bfd66b993f10ad77e8d72727b0f3dc1ca35cad7ba (kupay_upgrade)

1b60a6d35c872102f535ae6a3d7669fb7d55c43dc7e73354423fdcca01a955d6 (Kupay.exe)

[Redacted] (Kupay.dmg)

[Redacted] (Kupay.msi)

91eaf215be336eae983d069de16630cc3580e222c427f785e0da312d0692d0fd (kupayupdate_stage2)

a0c461c94ba9f1573c7253666d218b3343d24bfa5d8ef270ee9bc74b7856e492 (kupay)

fc1aafd2ed190fa523e60c3d22b6f7ca049d97fc41c9a2fe987576d6b5e81d6d (KupayUpgrade.exe)

Domains (2)

kupaywallet.com

levelframeblog.com

[Redacted]

Tags

dropper

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This Windows program from the Kupay Service site is a Windows MSI Installer with the file name Kupay[GUID].msi. The installer was hosted at hxxps[:]kupaywallet.com/product/[GUID]. The [GUID] is a unique file that is crated for a specific victim and is being withheld to preserve the identity of the intended recipient.

The installer looks legitimate and will install the “Kupay.exe” (1b60a6d35c872102f535ae6a3d7669fb7d55c43dc7e73354423fdcca01a955d6) file in the “C:Program Files (x86)Kupay” folder. It also installs “KupayUpgrade.exe” (fc1aafd2ed190fa523e60c3d22b6f7ca049d97fc41c9a2fe987576d6b5e81d6d) in the “C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingKupaySupport” folder. Immediately after installation, the installer launches the “KupayUpgrade.exe” binary.

Screenshots

kupaywallet.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• kupaywallet.com/kupay_update.php
• kupaywallet.com/product/

Whois

Whois for kupaywallet.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Creation Date: 2020-02-21
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2021-02-21

Relationships

Description

The domain kupaywallet.com had a legitimately signed Sectigo Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated” just as all previous AppleJeus domain certificates. Investigation revealed the point of contact listed for verification was admin[@]kupaywallet.com. No other contact information was available as the administrative or technical contact for the kupaywallet.com domain.

The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 104.200.67.96 with ASN 8100.

In addition to the site kupaywallet.com, a Twitter account @kupayservice is associated with the company. This account tweets out general cryptocurrency articles and information and replies to various related tweets. The first tweet was on May 23, 2019, while the last was on July 11, 2019. Twitter lists the joined date for @kupayservice to be October 2018.

Screenshots

1b60a6d35c872102f535ae6a3d7669fb7d55c43dc7e73354423fdcca01a955d6

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “Kupay.msi.” When executed, “Kupay.exe” loads a legitimate looking cryptocurrency wallet application with no signs of malicious activity. This application appears to be a modification of the open source cryptocurrency wallet Copay, which is distributed by Atlanta based company BitPay. According to their website bitpay.com, “BitPay builds powerful, enterprise-grade tools for crypto acceptance and spending.”

In addition to application appearance being similar, a DNS request for “bitpay.com” is always sent out immediately after a DNS request for “kupaywallet.com” and the company listed in the version information for Kupay is Bitpay.

Lastly, the GitHub “Commit Hash” listed in the Dorusio application “638b2b1” is to a branch of Copay found at hxxps[:]//github.com/flean/copay-1 (Figure 5).

Screenshots

fc1aafd2ed190fa523e60c3d22b6f7ca049d97fc41c9a2fe987576d6b5e81d6d

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “Kupay.msi.” When executed, “KupayUpgrade.exe” first installs itself as a service, which will automatically start when any user logs on. The service is installed with a description stating “Automatic Kupay Upgrade.”

On startup, “KupayUpgrade.exe” allocates memory in order to later write a file. After allocating the memory and storing the hard-coded string “Latest” in a variable, the program attempts to open a network connection. The connection is named “Kupay Wallet 9.0.1 (Check Update Windows)”, likely to avoid suspicion from a user.

Similarly to previous AppleJeus variants, “KupayUpgrade.exe “collects some basic information from the system as well as a timestamp, and places them in hard coded format strings. Specifically, the timestamp is placed into a format string “ver=%d&timestamp=%lu” where ver is set as the 90001, possibly referring to the Kupay Wallet version previously mentioned (Figure 7).

This basic information and hard-coded strings are sent via a POST to the C2 kupaywallet.com/kupay_update.php. If the POST is successful (i.e. returns an HTTP response status code of 200) but fails any of multiple different checks, “KupayUpgrade.exe” will sleep for two minutes and then regenerate the timestamp and contact the C2 again.

After receiving the payload from the C2, the program writes the payload to memory and executes the payload.

The payload for the Windows malware could not be downloaded, as the C2 server “kupaywallet.com/kupay_update.php” was no longer accessible. In addition, the sample was not identified in open source reporting for this sample.

Screenshots

[Redacted]

Tags

dropper

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

In March 2020, a download link for the OSX version of Kupay Wallet was found to be hosted at hxxps[:]//kupaywallet.com/[GUID]. The OSX program from the Kupay Wallet download link is an Apple DMG installer. The [GUID] is a unique file that is crafted for a specific victim and is being withheld to preserve the identity of the intended recipient. The OSX program uses a DMG installer with the file name Kupay[GUID].dmg.

The OSX program does not have digital signature, and will warn of that before installation. Just as JMTTrader, CelasTradePro, and UnionCrypto, the Kupay installer appears to be legitimate, and installs both “Kupay” in the “/Applications/Kupay.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder and a program named kupay_upgrade also in the “/Applications/Kupay.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder. The installer contains a postinstall script (Figure 8).

The postinstall script is identical in functionality to the postinstall scripts from previous AppleJeus variants, though accomplishes the same functions in a different way than previously done. The postinstall script creates a “KupayDaemon” folder in the OSX “/Library/Application Support” folder, and moves kupay_upgrade to it. The “Application Support” folder contains both system and third-party support files which are necessary for program operation. Typically, the subfolders have names matching those of the actual applications. At installation, Kupay placed the plist file (com.kupay.pkg.wallet.plist) in “/Library/LaunchDaemons/”.

While previous versions of AppleJeus simply moved the plist file to the LaunchDaemons folder and waited for a restart for it to be loaded, the Kupay postinstall runs the command “launchctl load” to load the plist without a restart. The postinstall then launches the kupay_upgrade program in the background.

Screenshots

a0c461c94ba9f1573c7253666d218b3343d24bfa5d8ef270ee9bc74b7856e492

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG “Kupay.dmg.” Kupay is likely a copy of an open source cryptocurrency wallet application. When ran it loads a legitimate looking wallet program, which is fully functional, and is identical to the Windows Kupay.exe program.

0bc7517aa2f0c1820ced399bfd66b993f10ad77e8d72727b0f3dc1ca35cad7ba

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG “Kupay.dmg.” When executed, “kupay_upgrade” immediately sleeps for five seconds and then tests to see if the hard-coded value stored in “isReady” is a 0 or a 1. If it is a 0, the program sleeps again, and if it is a 1, the function “CheckUpdate” is called. This function contains most of the logic functionality of the malware. “CheckUpdate” sends a POST to the C2 hxxps[:]//kupaywallet.com/kupay_update.php with a connection named “Kupay Wallet 9.0.1 (Check Update Osx).”

Just as the Windows malware, the timestamp is placed into a format string “ver=%d&timestamp=%ld” where ver is set as the 90001, possibly referring to the AppleJeus version 4 Kupay Wallet (Figure 11).

If the C2 server returns a file, it is decoded and written to “/private/tmp/kupay_update”, with permissions by the command chmod 700 (only the user can read, write, and execute). The stage2 (/private/tmp/kupay_update) is then launched, and the malware kupay_upgrade returns to sleeping and checking in with the C2 server.

Screenshots

91eaf215be336eae983d069de16630cc3580e222c427f785e0da312d0692d0fd

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This file is the stage 2 payload for the OSX KupayWallet. The stage 2 payload for the OSX KupayWallet was decoded and analyzed, and file properties are related to the decoded file. The stage 2 kupay_update has a variety of functionalities. Most importantly, kupay_update checks in with the C2 levelframeblog.com/felix.php. After connecting to the C2, kupay_update can send or receive a payload, read and write files, execute commands via the terminal, etc.

If a payload is received or is going to be sent, kupay_update will base64 encode/decode and XOR encode/decode the data before sending or after receiving. The functions which base64 encode and decode are named b64_encode and b64_decode.

The functions which XOR encodes and decodes is XEncoding, and it uses a 32-byte XOR key which is hardcoded into kupay_update. The key is “wLqfM]%wTx`~tUTbw>R^0x18#yG5R(30x7FC:;” where all values are in ASCII except for 0x18 and 0x7F as those are non-readable characters in ASCII. This key is also used in the DecryptPayload and CryptPayload functions. These two functions implement the XOR encode or decode without calling XEncoding, and also call the b64_decode and b64_encode functions.

Kupay_update checks in with the C2 frequently, in order to execute or preform whatever commands and requests the server sends. There are multiple “sleep” calls throughout the function to dictate when the contact with the C2 is made.

Screenshots

levelframeblog.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• levelframeblog.com/felix.php

Whois

Whois for levelframeblog.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Created: 2019-11-14
Expires: 2020-11-14

Relationships

Description

This domain is the C2 for 2nd stage malware. The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 23.152.0.101 with ASN 8100.

CISA recommends that users and administrators consider using the following best practices to strengthen the security posture of their organization’s systems. Any configuration changes should be reviewed by system owners and administrators prior to implementation to avoid unwanted impacts.

• Maintain up-to-date antivirus signatures and engines.
• Keep operating system patches up-to-date.
• Disable File and Printer sharing services. If these services are required, use strong passwords or Active Directory authentication.
• Restrict users’ ability (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications. Do not add users to the local administrators group unless required.
• Enforce a strong password policy and implement regular password changes.
• Exercise caution when opening e-mail attachments even if the attachment is expected and the sender appears to be known.
• Enable a personal firewall on agency workstations, configured to deny unsolicited connection requests.
• Disable unnecessary services on agency workstations and servers.
• Scan for and remove suspicious e-mail attachments; ensure the scanned attachment is its “true file type” (i.e., the extension matches the file header).
• Monitor users’ web browsing habits; restrict access to sites with unfavorable content.
• Exercise caution when using removable media (e.g., USB thumb drives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
• Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
• Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-83, “Guide to Malware Incident Prevention & Handling for Desktops and Laptops”.

CISA continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product at the following URL: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/forms/feedback/

What is a MIFR? A Malware Initial Findings Report (MIFR) is intended to provide organizations with malware analysis in a timely manner. In most instances this report will provide initial indicators for computer and network defense. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

What is a MAR? A Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is intended to provide organizations with more detailed malware analysis acquired via manual reverse engineering. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

Can I edit this document? This document is not to be edited in any way by recipients. All comments or questions related to this document should be directed to the CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or CISA Service Desk.

Can I submit malware to CISA? Malware samples can be submitted via three methods:

CISA encourages you to report any suspicious activity, including cybersecurity incidents, possible malicious code, software vulnerabilities, and phishing-related scams. Reporting forms can be found on CISA’s homepage at www.cisa.gov.

This report is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.

This document is marked TLP:WHITE–Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.

Description

This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency.

This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A.

There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate.

The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—CoinGoTrade—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations.

CoinGoTrade discovered in October 2020, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website—CoinGoTrade and coingotrade[.]com, respectively—that appear legitimate. Some information has been redacted from this report to preserve victim anonymity.

For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-5.v1.stix.

Submitted Files (7)

326d7836d580c08cf4b5e587434f6e5011ebf2284bbf3e7c083a8f41dac36ddd (CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon)

[Redacted] (CoinGoTrade.msi)

3e5442440aea07229a1bf6ca2fdf78c5e2e5eaac312a325ccb49d45da14f97f4 (CoinGoTrade.exe)

527792dfab79f026eaa6930d2109c93e816ed31826dba0338a9223db71aced18 (CoinGo_Trade)

572a124f5665be68eaa472590f3ba75bf34b0ea2942b5fcbfd3e74654202dd09 (CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe)

5e40d106977017b1ed235419b1e59ff090e1f43ac57da1bb5d80d66ae53b1df8 (prtspool)

[Redacted] (CoinGoTrade.dmg)

Domains (4)

airbseeker.com

coingotrade.com

globalkeystroke.com

woodmate.it

IPs (1)

23.152.0.101

[Redacted]

Tags

dropper

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This Windows program from the CoinGoTrade site is a Windows MSI Installer. The installer appears to be legitimate and will install “CoinGoTrade.exe” (3e5442440aea07229a1bf6ca2fdf78c5e2e5eaac312a325ccb49d45da14f97f4) in the “C:Program Files (x86)CoinGoTrade” folder. It will also install “CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe” (572a124f5665be68eaa472590f3ba75bf34b0ea2942b5fcbfd3e74654202dd09) in the “C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingCoinGoTradeSupport” folder. Immediately after installation, the installer launches “CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe.” During installation, a “CoinGoTrade” folder containing the “CoinGoTrade.exe” application is added to the start menu.

Screenshots

coingotrade.com

URLs

• coingotrade.com/update_coingotrade.php
• hxxps[:]//coingotrade.com/download/[GUID]

Whois

Whois for coingotrade.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Creation Date: 2020-02-28
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2021-02-28

Relationships

Description

The domain “coingotrade.com” had a legitimately signed Sectigo Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated,” similar to the domain certificates for previous AppleJeus variants. Investigation revealed the point of contact listed for verification was support[@]coingotrade.com. No other contact information was available as the administrative or technical contact for the coingotrade.com domain.

The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 198.54.114.175 with ASN 22612.

Investigation revealed the IP address 198.54.114.175 was hosted at NameCheap, but no records were available at the time of writing.

Screenshots

3e5442440aea07229a1bf6ca2fdf78c5e2e5eaac312a325ccb49d45da14f97f4

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 32-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “CoinGoTrade.msi.” When executed, “CoinGoTrade.exe” loads a legitimate looking cryptocurrency wallet application with no signs of malicious activity. The strings for “CoinGoTrade.exe” contain the command and control (C2) “hxxp[:]//23.152.0.101:8080/ which was also identified in the MacOS CoinGo_Trade (527792dfab79f026eaa6930d2109c93e816ed31826dba0338a9223db71aced18) and the Kupay Wallet Stage 2 from AppleJeus version 4. In addition, a build path is present in the strings “U:workCryptoMexteobotteobotobjReleaseCoinGoTrade.pdb” and the file properties description also states “CryptoMex.” CryptoMex is likely an open source cryptocurrency application which was copied in order to create this application.

Screenshots

23.152.0.101

Tags

command-and-control

Ports

Whois

Queried whois.arin.net with “n 23.152.0.101″…

NetRange:     23.152.0.0 – 23.152.0.255
CIDR:         23.152.0.0/24
NetName:        CROWNCLOUD-V6V4
NetHandle:     NET-23-152-0-0-1
Parent:         NET23 (NET-23-0-0-0-0)
NetType:        Direct Allocation
OriginAS:     AS8100
Organization: Crowncloud US LLC (CUL-34)
RegDate:        2015-11-23
Updated:        2015-11-23
Comment:        IPs in this block are statically assigned, please report any abuse to admin@crowncloud.us
Ref:            https://rdap.arin.net/registry/ip/23.152.0.0

OrgName:        Crowncloud US LLC
OrgId:         CUL-34
Address:        530 W 6th St
Address:        C/O Cid 4573 Quadranet Inc. Ste 901
City:         Los Angeles
StateProv:     CA
PostalCode:     90014-1207
Country:        US
RegDate:        2014-07-25
Updated:        2017-10-10
Ref:            https://rdap.arin.net/registry/entity/CUL-34

OrgTechHandle: CROWN9-ARIN
OrgTechName: Crowncloud Support
OrgTechPhone: +1-940-867-4072
OrgTechEmail: admin@crowncloud.us
OrgTechRef:    https://rdap.arin.net/registry/entity/CROWN9-ARIN

OrgAbuseHandle: CROWN9-ARIN
OrgAbuseName: Crowncloud Support
OrgAbusePhone: +1-940-867-4072
OrgAbuseEmail: admin@crowncloud.us
OrgAbuseRef:    https://rdap.arin.net/registry/entity/CROWN9-ARIN

Relationships

Description

This IP address is the C2 for “CoinGoTrade.exe” and “CoinGo_Trade.”

572a124f5665be68eaa472590f3ba75bf34b0ea2942b5fcbfd3e74654202dd09

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 32-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “CoinGoTrade.msi.” When executed, CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe will installs itself as a service, which will automatically start when any user logs on. The service is installed with the description of “Automatic CoinGoTrade Upgrade.”

After installing the service, “CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe” has similar behavior to the updater component for AppleJeus version 4 “Kupay Wallet.” On startup “CoinGoUpdate.exe” allocates memory to write a file. After allocating the memory and storing the hard-coded string “Latest” in a variable, the program attempts to open a network connection. The connection is named “CoinGoTrade 1.0 (Check Update Windows),” which is likely to avoid suspicion from a user.

Similarly, to previous AppleJeus variants, “CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe” collects some basic information from the system as well as a timestamp, and places the collected information in hard-coded format strings. Specifically, the timestamp is placed into a format string “ver=%d&timestamp=%lu” where “ver” is set as the 1000, possibly referring to the CoinGoTrade version previously mentioned. This basic information and hard-coded strings are sent via a POST to the C2 “coingotrade.com/update_coingotrade.php.” If the POST is successful (i.e. returns an HTTP response status code of 200) but fails any of multiple different checks, “CoinGoTradeUpdate.exe” will sleep for two minutes and then regenerate the timestamp and contact the C2 again.

After receiving the payload from the C2, the program writes the payload to memory and executes the payload.

The payload for the Windows malware could not be downloaded, as the C2 server “coingotrade.com/coingotrade_update.php” was no longer accessible. In addition, the sample was not identified in open source reporting for this sample. The Windows payload is likely similar in functionality to “prtspool” (5e40d106977017b1ed235419b1e59ff090e1f43ac57da1bb5d80d66ae53b1df8) the OSX stage 2 sample.

Screenshots

[Redacted]

Tags

droppertrojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX program from the CoinGoTrade site is an Apple DMG installer. The installer was hosted at hxxps[:]//coingotrade.com/[GUID]. The [GUID] is a unique file that is crafted for a specific victim and is being withheld to preserve the identity of the intended recipient. The OSX program is an Apple DMG installer with the file name CoinGoTrade.dmg.

The OSX program does not have a digital signature and will warn the user of that before installation. As all previous versions of AppleJeus, the CoinGoTrade installer appears to be legitimate and installs both “CoinGo_Trade” (527792dfab79f026eaa6930d2109c93e816ed31826dba0338a9223db71aced18) in the “/Applications/CoinGoTrade.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder and a program named “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” (326d7836d580c08cf4b5e587434f6e5011ebf2284bbf3e7c083a8f41dac36ddd) also in the “/Applications/CoinGoTrade.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder. The installer contains a postinstall script (Figure 5).

The postinstall script is identical in functionality to the postinstall scripts from previous AppleJeus variants and is identical to the AppleJeus variant 4 “Kupay” postinstall script without the “launchctl” command. The postinstall script creates a “CoinGoTradeService” folder in the OSX “/Library/Application Support” folder and moves “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” to it. The “Application Support” folder contains both system and third-party support files which are necessary for program operation. Typically, the subfolders have names matching those of the actual applications. At installation, CoinGoTrade placed the plist file (com.coingotrade.pkg.product.plist) in “/Library/LaunchDaemons/.”

As the LaunchDaemon will not be run immediately after the plist file is moved, the postinstall script then launches the “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” program in the background.

Screenshots

527792dfab79f026eaa6930d2109c93e816ed31826dba0338a9223db71aced18

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “CoinGoTrade.dmg.” “CoinGo _Trade” is likely a copy of an open source cryptocurrency application. The strings for “CoinGo_Trade” contain the C2 hxxp[:]//23.152.0.101:8080, which is also found in the Windows CoinGoTrade.exe (3e5442440aea07229a1bf6ca2fdf78c5e2e5eaac312a325ccb49d45da14f97f4) and the Kupay Wallet Stage 2 from AppleJeus version 4.

326d7836d580c08cf4b5e587434f6e5011ebf2284bbf3e7c083a8f41dac36ddd

Tags

backdoortrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “CoinGoTrade.dmg.” “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” is similar to “kupay_upgrade” from AppleJeus version 4. When executed, “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” will immediately sleep for five seconds and then test to see if the hard-coded value stored in “isReady” is a 0 or a 1. If it is a 0, the program sleeps again and if it is a 1, the function “CheckUpdate” is called. This function contains most of the logic functionality of the malware. “CheckUpdate” sends a POST to the C2 hxxps[:]//coingotrade.com/update_coingotrade.php with a connection named “CoinGoTrade 1.0 (Check Update Osx).

If the C2 server returns a file, it is decoded and written to “/private/tmp/updatecoingotrade” and the permissions are set with the command “chmod” 700 (only the user can read, write, and execute). The stage 2 malware (/private/tmp/updatecoingotrade) is then launched and the malware “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon” returns to sleeping and checking in with the C2 server.

The stage 2 payload for CoinGoTrade was no longer available from the specified download URL, however, there was a file “prtspool” (5e40d106977017b1ed235419b1e59ff090e1f43ac57da1bb5d80d66ae53b1df8) submitted to VirusTotal by the same user on the same date as “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon.” This suggests the submitted file may be related to the OSX malware and could be the downloaded payload. Analysis by Crowdstrike showed the file has the same encryption algorithm and initial key values as a Lazarus Group implant known as HOPLIGHT or MANUSCRYPT.

Screenshots

5e40d106977017b1ed235419b1e59ff090e1f43ac57da1bb5d80d66ae53b1df8

Tags

backdoortrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This file is a OSX samples that was likely the payload for the sample “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon.”This file “prtspool” is a 64-bit MACHO executable with the following capabilities:

–Begin capabilities–
Perform a heart-beat check in with the current C2
Sleep for the specified number of minutes
Ensure a copy of the current configuration data is written to the file on disk
Delete the configuration file and exit the implant.
Upload the current in memory configuration data.
Download a new configuration, overwrite the current in memory configuration and write the data to the file /private/etc/krb5d.conf
Perform a secure delete or file wipe the specified file by overwriting it with all zeros before deleting it from the system.
Download a file from the C2 and write it to the specified path.
Upload a file from the specified file to the C2 server.
Execute the specified command on the OS shell, pipe the output to a temporary file, and upload it to the C2.
Execute the specified process.
List the files and directories in the specified path.
Perform a TCP connection to the specified IP address and port and report the status back to the C2.
Set the current working directory to the specified path.
–End capabilities–

The file has three C2 URLs hard-coded into the file. In communicating with these servers, the file uses an HTTP POST with multipart-form data boundary string “–N9dLfqxHNUUw8qaUPqggVTpX.” Similar to other Lazarus malware, “prtspool” uses format strings to store data collected about the system and sends it to the C2s.

–Begin C2 URLs–
hxxps[:]//airbseeker.com/rediret.php
hxxps[:]//globalkeystroke.com/pockbackx.php
hxxps[:]//www[.]woodmate.it/administrator/help/en-GB/bins/tags/taghelper.php.
–End C2 URLs–

airbseeker.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• hxxps[:]//airbseeker.com/rediret.php

Whois

Whois for airbseeker.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Created: 2020-03-03
Expires: 2021-03-03

Relationships

Description

The domain “airbseeker.com” has a legitimately signed Sectigo SSL certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated.” The domain was at the IP address 68.65.122.160 with ASN 22612.

globalkeystroke.com

Tags

command-and-control

Whois

Whois for globalkeystroke.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Created: 2019-11-11
Expires: 2020-11-11

Relationships

Description

The domain “globalkeystroke.com” has a legitimately signed Sectigo SSL certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated.” Investigation revealed the point of contact listed for verification was admin[@]globalkeystroke.com. No other contact information was available as the administrative or technical contact for the globalkeystroke.com domain.

The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 68.65.122.160 with ASN 22612. The IP address of 185.228.83.129 belongs to Access2.it Group B.v. ISP of the Netherlands. Whois information for the IP revealed the network name as belonging to CrownCloud of Australia.

On October 11, 2019, the IP address 185.228.83.129 was hosting the domain dev.jmttrading.org according to PassiveDNS. JMT Trading was the second variant of the AppleJeus malware.

woodmate.it

Tags

command-and-control

Whois

Whois for woodmate.it had the following information:
Registrar: REGISTRYGATE GMBH
Created: 2014-05-07
Expires: 2020-05-07

Relationships

Description

The domain “woodmate.it” has a legitimately signed Let’s Encrypt certificate. Let’s Encrypt is a nonprofit Certificate Authority which provides free and automated TLS/SSL certificates for anyone running their software. They do not perform any identity validation.

The domain is registered with RegistryGate GMBH of Germany at the IP address 85.13.146.113 with ASN 34788.

The IP address 85.13.146.113 is hosted by Neue Medien Muennich Gmbh of Germany.

CISA recommends that users and administrators consider using the following best practices to strengthen the security posture of their organization’s systems. Any configuration changes should be reviewed by system owners and administrators prior to implementation to avoid unwanted impacts.

• Maintain up-to-date antivirus signatures and engines.
• Keep operating system patches up-to-date.
• Disable File and Printer sharing services. If these services are required, use strong passwords or Active Directory authentication.
• Restrict users’ ability (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications. Do not add users to the local administrators group unless required.
• Enforce a strong password policy and implement regular password changes.
• Exercise caution when opening e-mail attachments even if the attachment is expected and the sender appears to be known.
• Enable a personal firewall on agency workstations, configured to deny unsolicited connection requests.
• Disable unnecessary services on agency workstations and servers.
• Scan for and remove suspicious e-mail attachments; ensure the scanned attachment is its “true file type” (i.e., the extension matches the file header).
• Monitor users’ web browsing habits; restrict access to sites with unfavorable content.
• Exercise caution when using removable media (e.g., USB thumb drives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
• Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
• Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-83, “Guide to Malware Incident Prevention & Handling for Desktops and Laptops”.

CISA continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product at the following URL: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/forms/feedback/

What is a MIFR? A Malware Initial Findings Report (MIFR) is intended to provide organizations with malware analysis in a timely manner. In most instances this report will provide initial indicators for computer and network defense. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

What is a MAR? A Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is intended to provide organizations with more detailed malware analysis acquired via manual reverse engineering. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

Can I edit this document? This document is not to be edited in any way by recipients. All comments or questions related to this document should be directed to the CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or CISA Service Desk.

Can I submit malware to CISA? Malware samples can be submitted via three methods:

CISA encourages you to report any suspicious activity, including cybersecurity incidents, possible malicious code, software vulnerabilities, and phishing-related scams. Reporting forms can be found on CISA’s homepage at www.cisa.gov.

This report is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.

This document is marked TLP:WHITE–Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.

Description

This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency.

This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A.

There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate.

The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—Dorusio—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations. Some information has been redacted from this report to preserve victim anonymity.

Dorusio, discovered in March 2020, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website— Dorusio Wallet and dorusio[.]com, respectively—that appear legitimate. There are Windows and OSX versions of Dorusio Wallet. As of at least early 2020, the actual download links result in 404 errors. The download page has release notes with version revisions claiming to start with Version 1.0.0, which was released on April 15, 2019.

For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-6.v1.stix.

Submitted Files (6)

[Redacted] (dorusio_osx_v2.1.0.dmg)

21afaceee5fab15948a5a724222c948ad17cad181bf514a680267abcce186831 (DorusioUpgrade.exe)

[Redacted] (dorusio_win_v2.1.0.msi)

78b56a1385f2a92f3c9404f71731088646aac6c2c84cc19a449976272dab418f (Dorusio.exe)

a0c461c94ba9f1573c7253666d218b3343d24bfa5d8ef270ee9bc74b7856e492 (Dorusio)

dcb232409c799f6ddfe4bc0566161c2d0b372db6095a0018e6059e34c2b79c61 (dorusio_upgrade)

Domains (1)

dorusio.com

[Redacted]

Tags

droppertrojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This Windows program from the Dorusio Wallet site is a Windows MSI Installer. This installer appears to be legitimate and will install “Dorusio.exe” (78b56a1385f2a92f3c9404f71731088646aac6c2c84cc19a449976272dab418f) in the “C:Program Files (x86)Dorusio” folder. It will also install “DorusioUpgrade.exe” (21afaceee5fab15948a5a724222c948ad17cad181bf514a680267abcce186831) in the “C:Users<username>AppDataRoamingDorusioSupport” folder. Immediately after installation, the installer launches “DorusioUpgrade.exe.” During installation, a Dorusio folder containing the “Dorusio.exe” application is added to the start menu.

Screenshots

dorusio.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• dorusio.com/dorusio_update.php

Whois

Whois for dorusio.com had the following information:
Registrar: NAMECHEAP INC
Creation Date: 2020-03-30
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2021-03-30

Relationships

Description

The domain “dorusio.com” had a legitimately signed Sectigo SSL certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated” similar to the domain certificates for previous AppleJeus domain certificates. Investigation revealed the point of contact listed for verification was support[@]dorusio.com. No other contact information was available as the administrative or technical contact for the domain.

The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 198.54.115.51 with ASN 22612. This IP is on the same ASN as the AppleJeus version 5 “CoinGoTrade” IP address.

Screenshots

78b56a1385f2a92f3c9404f71731088646aac6c2c84cc19a449976272dab418f

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “dorusio_win_v2.1.0.msi.” When executed, “Dorusio.exe” loads a legitimate looking cryptocurrency wallet application with no signs of malicious activity. Aside from the “Dorusio” logo and two new services, the wallet appears to be the same as the AppleJeus version 4 “Kupay wallet.”

This application appears to be a modification of the opensource cryptocurrency wallet Copay, which is distributed by Atlanta based company BitPay. According to the website “bitpay.com,” “BitPay builds powerful, enterprise-grade tools for crypto acceptance and spending”.

In addition to application appearance being similar, a DNS request for “bitpay.com” is always sent out immediately after a DNS request for “dorusio.com” and the company listed for “Dorusio” is Bitpay.

In addition, the GitHub “Commit Hash” listed in the “Dorusio” application “638b2b1” is to a branch of Copay found at hxxps[:]//github.com/flean/copay-1.

Screenshots

21afaceee5fab15948a5a724222c948ad17cad181bf514a680267abcce186831

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

PE Metadata

PE Sections

Packers/Compilers/Cryptors

Relationships

Description

This file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer “dorusio_win_v2.1.0.msi.” When executed, “DorusioUpgrade.exe” first installs itself as a service, which will automatically start when any user logs on. The service is installed with a description of “Automatic Dorusio Upgrade.”

After installing the service, “DorusioUpgrade.exe” has similar behavior to the upgrade components of Kupay Wallet (AppleJeus variant 4) and CoinGoTrade (AppleJeus variant 5). On startup, “DorusioUpgrade.exe” allocates memory in order to later write a file. After allocating the memory and storing the hardcoded string “Latest” in a variable, the program attempts to open a network connection. The connection is named “Dorusio Wallet 2.1.0 (Check Update Windows)”, likely to avoid suspicion from a user.

Similar to previous AppleJeus variants, “DorusioUpgrade.exe” collects some basic information from the system as well as a timestamp and places them in hard-coded format strings. Specifically, the timestamp is placed into a format string “ver=%d&timestamp=%lu” where ver is set as the 201000, possibly referring to the Dorusio Wallet version previously mentioned (Figure 5).

This basic information and hard-coded strings are sent via a POST to the command and control (C2) “dorusio.com/dorusio_update.php.” If the POST is successful (i.e. returns an HTTP response status code of 200) but fails any of multiple different checks, “DorusioUpgrade.exe” will sleep for two minutes and then regenerate the timestamp and contact the C2 again.

After receiving the payload from the C2, the program writes the payload to memory and executes the payload.

The payload could not be downloaded as the C2 server dorusio.com/dorusio_update.php is no longer accessible. In addition, the sample was not identified in open source reporting for this sample.

Screenshots

[Redacted]

Tags

droppertrojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX program from the Dorusio Wallet site is an Apple DMG installer. The OSX program does not has a digital signature and will warn the user of that before installation. As all previous versions of AppleJeus, the Dorusio Wallet installer appears to be legitimate, and installs both “Dorusio” (a0c461c94ba9f1573c7253666d218b3343d24bfa5d8ef270ee9bc74b7856e492) in the “/Applications/Dorusio.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder and a program named “dorusio_upgrade” (dcb232409c799f6ddfe4bc0566161c2d0b372db6095a0018e6059e34c2b79c61) also in the “/Applications/Dorusio.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder. The installer contains a postinstall script (Figure 7).

The postinstall script is identical in functionality to the postinstall scripts from previous AppleJeus variants and is identical to the CoinGoTrade (version 5) postinstall script. The postinstall script creates a “DorusioDaemon” folder in the OSX “/Library/Application Support” folder and moves “dorusio_upgrade” to it. The “Application Support” folder contains both system and third-party support files which are necessary for program operation. Typically, the subfolders have names matching those of the actual applications. At installation, Dorusio placed the plist file (com.dorusio.pkg.wallet.plist) in “/Library/LaunchDaemons/.”

As the LaunchDaemon will not be run immediately after the plist file is moved, the postinstall script then launches the dorusio_upgrade program in the background.

Screenshots

a0c461c94ba9f1573c7253666d218b3343d24bfa5d8ef270ee9bc74b7856e492

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “dorusio_osx_v2.1.0.dmg.” Similar to the Windows version, “Dorusio” is likely a copy of Copay from BitPay and is almost identical to the AppleJeus variant 4 OSX “Kupay” program.

dcb232409c799f6ddfe4bc0566161c2d0b372db6095a0018e6059e34c2b79c61

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “dorusio_osx_v2.1.0.dmg.” The program “dorusio_upgrade” is similar to AppleJeus variant 4 OSX sample “kupay_upgrade” and AppleJeus variant 5 OSX sample “CoinGoTradeUpgradeDaemon.”When executed, “dorusio_upgrade” immediately sleeps for five seconds then tests to see if the hard-coded value stored in “isReady” is a 0 or a 1. If it is a 0, the program sleeps again, and if it is a 1, the function “CheckUpdate” is called. This function contains most of the logic functionality of the malware. “CheckUpdate” sends a POST to the C2 hxxps[:]//dorusio.com/dorusio_update.php with a connection named “Dorusio Wallet 2.1.0 (Check Update Osx).

Just as the Kupay and CoinGoTrade malware, the timestamp is placed into a format string “ver=%d&timestamp=%ld” where ver is set as the 20100, possibly referring to the Dorusio Wallet version previously mentioned.

If the C2 server returns a file, it is decoded and written to /private/tmp/dorusio_update,” with permissions by the command “chmod 700” (only the user can read, write, and execute). The stage2 (/private/tmp/dorusio_update) is then launched and the malware dorusio_upgrade returns to sleeping and checking in with the C2.

The payload could not be downloaded as the C2 server dorusio.com/dorusio_update.php is no longer accessible. In addition, the sample was not identified in open source reporting for this sample.

Screenshots

CISA recommends that users and administrators consider using the following best practices to strengthen the security posture of their organization’s systems. Any configuration changes should be reviewed by system owners and administrators prior to implementation to avoid unwanted impacts.

• Maintain up-to-date antivirus signatures and engines.
• Keep operating system patches up-to-date.
• Disable File and Printer sharing services. If these services are required, use strong passwords or Active Directory authentication.
• Restrict users’ ability (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications. Do not add users to the local administrators group unless required.
• Enforce a strong password policy and implement regular password changes.
• Exercise caution when opening e-mail attachments even if the attachment is expected and the sender appears to be known.
• Enable a personal firewall on agency workstations, configured to deny unsolicited connection requests.
• Disable unnecessary services on agency workstations and servers.
• Scan for and remove suspicious e-mail attachments; ensure the scanned attachment is its “true file type” (i.e., the extension matches the file header).
• Monitor users’ web browsing habits; restrict access to sites with unfavorable content.
• Exercise caution when using removable media (e.g., USB thumb drives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
• Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
• Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-83, “Guide to Malware Incident Prevention & Handling for Desktops and Laptops”.

CISA continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product at the following URL: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/forms/feedback/

What is a MIFR? A Malware Initial Findings Report (MIFR) is intended to provide organizations with malware analysis in a timely manner. In most instances this report will provide initial indicators for computer and network defense. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

What is a MAR? A Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is intended to provide organizations with more detailed malware analysis acquired via manual reverse engineering. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

Can I edit this document? This document is not to be edited in any way by recipients. All comments or questions related to this document should be directed to the CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or CISA Service Desk.

Can I submit malware to CISA? Malware samples can be submitted via three methods:

CISA encourages you to report any suspicious activity, including cybersecurity incidents, possible malicious code, software vulnerabilities, and phishing-related scams. Reporting forms can be found on CISA’s homepage at www.cisa.gov.

This report is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise.

This document is marked TLP:WHITE–Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.

Description

This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency.

This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea’s Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A.

There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate.

The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—Ants2Whale—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations.

Ants2Whale, discovered in October 2020, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website—Ants2Whale and ants2whale[.]com, respectively—that appear legitimate. Some information has been redacted from this report to preserve victim anonymity.

For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-7.v1.stix.

Submitted Files (3)

bb430087484c1f4587c54efc75681eb60cf70956ef2a999a75ce7b563b8bd694 (Ants2WhaleHelper)

d5ac680e14b013e0624470da7f46e84809d00b59a7544f6a42b110cf0e29254e (Ants2Whale)

[Redacted] (Ants2Whale.dmg)

Domains (2)

ants2whale.com

qnalytica.com

IPs (1)

45.147.231.77

[Redacted]

Tags

downloaderloader

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX program from the Ants2Whale site is an Apple DMG installer. The OSX program does not have a digital signature and will warn the user of that before installation. As all previous versions of AppleJeus, the Ants2Whale installer appears to be legitimate and installs “Ants2Whale”(D5AC680E14B013E0624470DA7F46E84809D00B59A7544F6A42B110CF0E29254E) in the “/Applications/Ants2whale.app/Contents/MacOS/Ants2whale” folder and a program named Ants2WhaleHelper (BB430087484C1F4587C54EFC75681EB60CF70956EF2A999A75CE7B563B8BD694) also in the “/Library/Application Support/Ants2WhaleSupport/” folder.

Similar to all previous OSX AppleJeus variants, there is a postinstall script and a plist file which creates a LaunchDaemon to automatically run the Ants2WhaleHelper program.

ants2whale.com

Relationships

Description

The website appears to show a legitimate cryptocurrency company and application, though it does contain multiple spelling and grammar mistakes indicating the creator may not have English as a first language. The website states that in order to download, a user must contact the administrator as their product is “premium package.”

The domain ants2whale.com had a legitimately signed Sectigo Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated” just as all previous AppleJeus domain certificates. The certificate was is valid from 09/21/2020 – 09/21/2021.

The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 198.54.114.237 with ASN 22612. This IP is on the same ASN as the CoinGoTrade (AppleJeus variant 5 and Dorusio IP addresses (AppleJeus variant 6).

Screenshots

d5ac680e14b013e0624470da7f46e84809d00b59a7544f6a42b110cf0e29254e

Tags

trojan

Details

Antivirus

No matches found.

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “Ants2Whale.dmg.” Ants2Whale is likely a copy of an open source cryptocurrency wallet application. When ran it loads a legitimate looking program which is fully functional and is very similar to the AppleJeus variant 5 “CoinGoTrade” application. Similar to CoinGoTrade there are references to “CryptoMex” in the Ants2Whale application.

Similarly to the CoinGoTrade application, the strings from Ants2Whale reveal the C2 hxxp[:]//45.147.231.77:3000. Investigation revealed the IP address 45.147.231.77 was hosted at Combahton GMH.

Screenshots

45.147.231.77

Tags

command-and-control

Ports

Whois

Queried whois.ripe.net with “-B 45.147.231.77″…

% Information related to ‘45.147.228.0 – 45.147.231.255’

% Abuse contact for ‘45.147.228.0 – 45.147.231.255’ is ‘abuse@combahton.net’

inetnum:        45.147.228.0 – 45.147.231.255
netname:        DE-COMBAHTON4-20190902
country:        DE
org:            ORG-CG252-RIPE
admin-c:        JH29913-RIPE
tech-c:         JH29913-RIPE
status:         ALLOCATED PA
mnt-by:         mnt-de-combahton4-1
mnt-by:         RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT
mnt-lower:     mnt-de-combahton4-1
mnt-routes:     mnt-de-combahton4-1
created:        2019-09-02T09:46:42Z
last-modified: 2019-09-02T09:46:42Z
source:         RIPE

organisation: ORG-CG252-RIPE
org-name:     combahton GmbH
country:        DE
org-type:     LIR
address:        Mitterfeld 47
address:        85419
address:        Mauern
address:        GERMANY
e-mail:         decombahton4@combahton.net
admin-c:        JH29913-RIPE
tech-c:         JH29913-RIPE
abuse-c:        AR55171-RIPE
mnt-ref:        mnt-de-combahton4-1
mnt-by:         RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT
mnt-by:         mnt-de-combahton4-1
created:        2019-08-30T08:08:51Z
last-modified: 2020-12-16T13:30:44Z
source:         RIPE
phone:         +4987642589890

person:         Joseph Hofmann
address:        Mitterfeld 47
address:        85419
address:        Mauern
address:        GERMANY
phone:         +4987642589890
nic-hdl:        JH29913-RIPE
mnt-by:         mnt-de-combahton4-1
created:        2019-08-30T08:08:51Z
last-modified: 2019-08-30T08:08:51Z
source:         RIPE

% Information related to ‘45.147.228.0/22AS30823’

route:         45.147.228.0/22
origin:         AS30823
mnt-by:         mnt-de-combahton4-1
created:        2019-09-02T09:57:36Z
last-modified: 2019-09-02T09:57:36Z
source:         RIPE

Relationships

Description

The C2 for Ants2Whale (D5AC680E14B013E0624470DA7F46E84809D00B59A7544F6A42B110CF0E29254E).

bb430087484c1f4587c54efc75681eb60cf70956ef2a999a75ce7b563b8bd694

Tags

downloaderloadertrojan

Details

Antivirus

YARA Rules

No matches found.

ssdeep Matches

No matches found.

Relationships

Description

This OSX sample was contained within Apple DMG installer “Ants2Whale.dmg.” Ants2WhaleHelper is similar to variants of AppleJeus. The Ants2WhaleHelper program contains the custom C++ “Barbeque” class for network communication as seen in the unioncryptoupater program. The C2 for this program is hxxps[:]//www[.]qnalytica.com/wp-rss.php.

qnalytica.com

Tags

command-and-control

URLs

• qnalytica.com/wp-rss.php

Whois

Whois for qnalytica.com had the following information:
Registrar: ENOM INC
Creation Date: 2020-08-11
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2021-08-11

Relationships

Description

The domain qnalytica.com has a legitimately signed SSL certificate from cPanel. cPanel is a hosting platform and certificate authority which is a reseller for Sectigo. The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 194.36.191.196 with ASN 60117.

CISA recommends that users and administrators consider using the following best practices to strengthen the security posture of their organization’s systems. Any configuration changes should be reviewed by system owners and administrators prior to implementation to avoid unwanted impacts.

• Maintain up-to-date antivirus signatures and engines.
• Keep operating system patches up-to-date.
• Disable File and Printer sharing services. If these services are required, use strong passwords or Active Directory authentication.
• Restrict users’ ability (permissions) to install and run unwanted software applications. Do not add users to the local administrators group unless required.
• Enforce a strong password policy and implement regular password changes.
• Exercise caution when opening e-mail attachments even if the attachment is expected and the sender appears to be known.
• Enable a personal firewall on agency workstations, configured to deny unsolicited connection requests.
• Disable unnecessary services on agency workstations and servers.
• Scan for and remove suspicious e-mail attachments; ensure the scanned attachment is its “true file type” (i.e., the extension matches the file header).
• Monitor users’ web browsing habits; restrict access to sites with unfavorable content.
• Exercise caution when using removable media (e.g., USB thumb drives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
• Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
• Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate Access Control Lists (ACLs).

Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-83, “Guide to Malware Incident Prevention & Handling for Desktops and Laptops”.

CISA continuously strives to improve its products and services. You can help by answering a very short series of questions about this product at the following URL: https://us.cert.cisa.gov/forms/feedback/

What is a MIFR? A Malware Initial Findings Report (MIFR) is intended to provide organizations with malware analysis in a timely manner. In most instances this report will provide initial indicators for computer and network defense. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

What is a MAR? A Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is intended to provide organizations with more detailed malware analysis acquired via manual reverse engineering. To request additional analysis, please contact CISA and provide information regarding the level of desired analysis.

Can I edit this document? This document is not to be edited in any way by recipients. All comments or questions related to this document should be directed to the CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or CISA Service Desk.

Can I submit malware to CISA? Malware samples can be submitted via three methods:

CISA encourages you to report any suspicious activity, including cybersecurity incidents, possible malicious code, software vulnerabilities, and phishing-related scams. Reporting forms can be found on CISA’s homepage at www.cisa.gov.