Woburn, MA – May 7, 2018 — /BackupReview.info/ — Kaspersky Lab researchers have discovered a new variant of the SynAck ransomware Trojan using the Doppelgänging technique to bypass anti-virus security by hiding in legitimate processes. This is the first time the Doppelgänging technique has been seen in ransomware in the wild. The developers behind SynAck also implement other tricks to evade detection and analysis, obfuscating all malware code prior to sample compilation and exiting if signs suggest it is being launched in a sandbox.
The SynAck ransomware has been known since fall 2017, and in December, it was observed targeting mainly English-speaking users with remote desktop protocol (RDP) brute-force attacks followed by the manual download and installation of malware. The new variant uncovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers implements a far more sophisticated approach, using the Process Doppelgänging technique to evade detection.
Reported in December 2017, Process Doppelgänging involves a fileless code injection that takes advantage of a built-in Windows function and an undocumented implementation of the Windows process loader. By manipulating how Windows handles file transactions, attackers can pass off malicious actions as harmless, legitimate processes, even if they are using known malicious code. Doppelgänging leaves no traceable evidence behind, making this type of intrusion extremely difficult to detect. This is the first time ransomware has been observed using this technique in-the-wild.
Other noteworthy features of the new variant of SynAck include:
Researchers believe attacks using this new variant of SynAck are highly targeted. To date, they have observed a limited number of attacks in the U.S., Kuwait, Germany and Iran, with ransom demands of $3,000.
“The race between attackers and defenders in cyberspace is a never-ending one. The ability of the Process Doppelgänging technique to sneak malware past the latest security measures represents a significant threat; one that has, not surprisingly, quickly been seized upon by attackers,” said Anton Ivanov, lead malware analyst, Kaspersky Lab. “Our research shows how the relatively low profile, targeted ransomware SynAck used the technique to upgrade its stealth and infection capability. Fortunately, the detection logic for this ransomware was implemented before it appeared in the wild.”
Kaspersky Lab detects this variant of the SynAck ransomware as:
Kaspersky Lab recommends the following actions to keep users and devices safe from ransomware:
To learn more about SynAck, read our blogpost on Securelist.com
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for over 20 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com
Media Contact
Jessica Bettencourt
781.503.7851
Jessica.Bettencourt@kaspersky.com
Source: Kaspersky Lab
Tags: Kaspersky, Kaspersky Lab
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