Carbanak Continues To Evolve: Quietly Creeping into Remote Hosts

Creates folder: %HOMEPATH%\Intel
Creates:
    %HOMEPATH%\Intel\58d2a83f7778d5.36783181.vbs  --- Persistence script
    %HOMEPATH%\Intel\58d2a83f777942.26535794.ps1 --- Malware downloader
    %HOMEPATH%\Intel\58d2a83f777908.23270411.vbs --- Command-and-Control (CnC) malware creator
    Scheduled task "Intel" that runs the persistence script every 25 minutes.
Runs:
    The malware downloader if it has not run yet.
    The CnC malware creator script which creates additional malware and connects to 198.100.119.6 
	    via port 80, 443, or 8080.
Notes:
    The persistence script runs the malware downloader if it has not run yet.
    The malware downloader injects 400+ bytes of code into process memory. 
        This code contains the domain name aaa.stage.14919005.www1.proslr3.com and retrieves and  
        executes shellcode stored in encoded DNS TXT records.

But the malware is not finished yet. The CnC malware creator script  creates additional malware and support files in a different folder:

Creates folder: %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4219E-C7D1-2880-AE58-9C9CD9701C90}
Creates:
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f777638.60220156.ini --- Command/Status file
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f777688.78384945.ps1 --- Screenshot script
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f7776b5.64953395.txt --- Base64 container file
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f7776e0.72726761.vbs --- CnC script
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f777716.48248237.vbs --- INI processing script
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f777788.86541308.vbs --- script updater
     %HOMEPATH%\Intel\{BFF4...1C90}\58d2a83f7777b0.39039198.vbs --- CnC persistence script
Runs:
     CnC script if it has not run yet.
     The INI processing script.
     The CnC persistence script.
Notes:
     The Command/Status file is used to receive commands from CnC and maintain malware status.
     The screenshot script saves a screen shot to "screenshot.png" when run.
     The Base64 container file contains one or more lines of base64 code used to update these files:
         Line 1: Command/Status file
         Line 2: screenshot script
         Line 3: CnC script
         Line 4: INI processing script
     The CnC script provides CnC communication and command  / status.
         Connects to 198.100.119.6 via port 80, 443, or 8080
     The INI processing script parses and processes INI file.
         Commands: ScreenShot, runvbs, runexe, runps1, update, delete.
         Delete command deletes all INI, PS1, VBS, TXT files, deletes Run key, and deletes scheduled task.
The script updater reads base64 strings from the Base64 container file and uses them to:
     Create any .ini, ps1, or .vbs files that do not yet exist.
     Then runs the CnC script.
     Then runs the INI processing script.
The CnC persistence script creates Foxconn.lnk which points to the script updater.
     Adds HKCU Run key CtMgk2y9v0_ for Foxconn.lnk.
     Creates scheduled task "ZSUUvsCJNF" that runs the script updater every 25 minutes.
     Then the CnC persistence script deletes itself.

In addition to another PS1 file and four more VBS scripts, we also see INI and TXT files being created. What are these for? The answer is coming shortly.

So much malware from one little RTF and a simple socially-engineered click to start everything in motion. This is why continuous security awareness training is essential.

When you look at all the functionality built into those VBS and PS1 files you can see why Carbanak continues to be a significant threat. Even though some of the PS1 and VBS code is the same or very similar to that of previous attacks, there are some new twists in these files, and they are dramatic.

Bring Back the INI Files

This new Carbanak campaign also resurrects the INI file, using it to issue commands to the compromised machine as well as to reflect the status of previous commands. INI files are text files used in earlier versions of Windows that contain software configuration details organized into sections, properties, and values. Here is an "in-use" INI file from the investigation:

The "last_cmd_id=2" entry indicates that the malware has transmitted the victim's system information and a list of currently running processes back to the attacker, and is waiting for a new command to process. This is quite clear from the following code snippet:

System info sent to the attacker contains the following items:

• OS Name, Version,   Service Pack,   OS Manufacturer,   Windows Directory,   Locale
• Available Physical Memory, Total Virtual Memory,   Available Virtual Memory
• OS Name, System Name,   System Manufacturer,   System Model,   Time Zone
• Total Physical Memory, Processor System Type,   Processor,   BIOS Version
• Microsoft Office Apps, Computer name,   Domain,   User name

The INI processing script parses and processes the contents of the INI file, providing the following commands:

• Screenshot (save screenshot as screenshot.png)
• Runvbs
• Runexe
• Runps
• Update
• Delete

The Screenshot command takes a screenshot of the entire Desktop and saves it to the folder where the malware is installed. Here is a sample screenshot created by running the screenshot script:

Depending on what a user has opened on their Desktop, the screenshot could end up providing the attacker with valuable information.

The "update" command is particularly interesting, as it is used to update between one and four of the VBS / PS files created by the infected email attachment.

The files are updated as illustrated in the following figure:

After the files are updated, the new versions of the VBS files are executed to provide the new functionality.

The INI processing script communicates with the attacker's CnC server after checking the victim's proxy settings via examination of this Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyEnable

The attacker's CnC IP address is hardcoded into the VBS file:

hxxp://198.100.119.6:80/cd
hxxp://198.100.119.6:443/cd
hxxp://198.100.119.6:8080/cd

This IP address is managed by GorillaServers, Inc.

For the exfiltration method, the malware uses "http POST" to send data that has been retrieved/stolen from the infected system to the CnC server.

Information is sent using randomized variable names and simple encryption on the text-based data using base64 encoding and substitution encryption with these alphabets:

alfIn  = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
alfOut = "860vFjbqCRty2BUrpAGkEMLVKYJ971eNDThfilxugP5WHOSsnm3QIcdZwX4oza"

For example, to exfiltrate the string "Windows7" the following occurs:

Step [1]: Convert "Windows7" to base64: "V2luZG93czc="

Step [2]: Add "V2luZG93czc=" to exfiltration message: "info%SEPR%V2luZG93czc="

Step [3]: Convert "info%SEPR%V2luZG93czc=" to base64: "aW5mbyVTRVBSJVYybHVaRzkzY3pjPQ=="

Step [4]: Encrypt "" using alfIn and alfOut:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a>&nbsp; Get symbol to convert. Example: "a"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b> Look up index value of symbol in alfIn. Example: alfIn[26] = "a" (see red input symbol above)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <c> Substitute symbol from alfOut at same index. Example: alfOut[26] = "J" (see red symbol above)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <d> For any input symbol not found in alfIn, just add symbol to output as is. Example: "=" is unchanged.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "aW5mbyVTRVBSJVYybHVaRzkzY3pjPQ==" encrypts to "JLXx93MkAM6GRMK39qMJAQiQKZPfrp=="

Step [5]: URL encode "JLXx93MkAM6GRMK39qMJAQiQKZPfrp==" into &nbsp;"JLXx93MkAM6GRMK39qMJAQiQKZPfrp%3D%3D"

This information, along with other items, such as encoded and encrypted IDs based on the hard-drive serial number and the software version of the malware, are bundled into various "parameter=value" strings and sent to the CnC sever.

The parameter names are randomly generated and match the regular expression [a-z]{1,2}[a-z0-9]{1,6} and there are also random data strings generated and transmitted (presumably to confuse anyone decoding them) that correspond to the regular expression [a-z0-9]{1,8}.

Here is information from my own analysis system that is gathered by the malware and transmitted:

CUID: sn = 907316415
Encoded sn = OTA3MzE2NDE1
id_b = 1-1-OTA3MzE2NDE1
CompInfo():outData =
OS Name: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro|C:\WINDOWS|\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1
Version: 10.0.14393
Service Pack: 0.0
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
Windows Directory: C:\WINDOWS
Locale: 0409
Available Physical Memory: 30120564
Total Virtual Memory: 38472844
Available Virtual Memory: 34617616
OS Name: 4980736
System Name: JLA-FORENSICS
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Precision M4800
Time Zone: -300
Total Physical Memory: 34295918592
Processor System Type: 9
Processor: Intel64 Family 6 Model 60 Stepping 3
BIOS Version: DELL   - 1072009
Perform : 64-bit
%UsrNmCmpNmDomNm%
Networking information
Computer name : JLA-FORENSICS
Domain : jla-forensics
User name : jantonakos

This information is processed using the 5-step sequence just described, giving:

JLXx93MkAM6GREAA7j6MeERrLM7m9FaPpiXTMIXXKfBU1lPSEL1L2xmcLi7X2dBXpVTBpIRAKdIXUjj47bBL2bmr
EiEXLjEQebBGAcK3KM1U9jTjJbTf9MRWKMTU7icLejjYLFgnKMTG7bC3BqTFEV6VLlTtexjVUVMrJEjwkE2I1Im5
Ak6BexO4AjjnMjPKGfRTMIXHGEY0Jji37QYRAFjckEFnGcpmkL1EMIYcYj1JJjiQEfjf9MYXkdl0kxjVkulh2IXd
LxXAYcF3UVlfAQlXLMTG7bC3BFXv9bAnKxcG1xpQkL1GAdmXLl1U2bCQGfMrJERFkdmwLjBMBEME2LAEAjjnkLC3
kxThAcEdGEA62FcFJIXvJIK3LM1H7clVGuBJEIRAKETHexjVkxThpIRULl7m1xBSJQYRAFcZkMAR1IXELk6FEV6M
KfBGJbRvpl1TLFgnYj1b7Ilj2LmhMQlXYMAsYIc4YQ6UeiiIkiAAkiBWAfRYMdmQLM1t7cPkpl1TLFgnYj1b7Ilj
2LmhMQlXYMAsYIc4EkRBMb23kMAYkiBWUMARAkMgKl1MBilFEkMrAFFQkVPYkiBHkfMf2cRHKlB0kclV2LmrJERy
MFMj1jRWUMBGMkMEEcMUMFAA7jAlLFwnLl7nYcAVAuMiMcPgLkBG2LBOMulrJERjLl1w7Ilj9qMYekAUpdmUBL2Q
ExmhEIRUKfRG9bRF9d1MGFPHLkRHexjVUVMRAk8nkIA61IAA7jMTMQjHGEYn1xROMkYRpQ64kEA6kiBHEuYiAIYQ
GEY09dMKku6Y2iYQGEEm9bRVUVllMbaukVPAeEaEMkMBMb7mkcARkiBHpulh2iXHKQBU1xBPplAlLFwnLl7nYcYC
9q1JMbaukcFnGcMCGuYY2lY4KQCXeEaPpiPh9lRHKiAY2FljLxThMdmQYMB62ilj2VYJAcYQGEAY1Ilbkf6JLFRZ
KM7c9ilFkEXvJIPtMvjBYcYOMulf2xmdKxPsYcRjMicEpIjuGE2nYIcEpkBBJijZkcFnGcMqMulJ9klXKlB6BilF
Lk62MIPnYFFnGIPLMuPfJQMEkCm1cAO2EMh2fjrKlBMkiBWBLmiGbAdKdcI7bROKd1TMQMOKfBt1jlKEu6h2fAUp
d7nGcF3UVAfGjKnLlTRYdROAuAJEIFdGEMnkMjk2E1E2EPbMbmUGlFmkEXvJcRdKl1b7bRPpkYRAZ6QLM2m9LCQG
xmh9iXnLkBBkiBHMuPJLFluKxcb1jPkpkYRAZ6gKxXG1xROAuRh2IcUpd7arp%3D%3D

And here we see similar information from a different system on its way to the attacker:

Knowing the format of the messages sent to the attacker may assist in developing alerts for your organizations SIEM, firewall, or other security monitoring tools.

Lateral Movement Without Passwords

Unlike previous campaigns, where Mimikatz or some other credential stealer was used, lateral movement between systems is accomplished without user accounts and passwords. Instead, the malware bypasses authentication on the remote system and uses SMB commands (including TreeConnect and Open/Write AndX) to locate a vulnerable host by checking the ability to write data to the C:\Windows\Temp folder on a potential victim system. If the write operation is performed, the attacking system writes a short batch file to the victim and runs it remotely via another SMB command (DCERPC). The batch file creates a log file whose contents are either "x86" or "amd64" depending on the bit-size of the operating system on the victim.

The batch file looks like this:

The attacking system reads the log file and uses its contents to then transfer a 32-bit or 64-bit executable file to the victim's C:\Windows\Temp folder and run it. The executable acts as a stager and enables the transfer of the meterpreter DLL to the victim system. The meterpreter DLL is made operational via reflective DLL injection, which copies the meterpreter DLL into the memory space of a chosen victim process (such as explorer.exe) and runs it as a thread.

The entire sequence of operations looks like this:

The {~random} file names are not really random, but instead a base64 combination of the victim's system volume serial number and MAC address, which are obtained by queries to the system's WMI Service. The IP address 5.149.251.167 is used to enable a reverse_TCP meterpreter shell back to the attacker' system, allowing for complete control over the victim computer. The attacker system at 5.149.251.167 is most likely running a meterpreter listener that transfers an XOR-encrypted meterpreter DLL to the victim and provides the quiet and authentication-free lateral movement between systems the attacker wants.

This WHOIS lookup of 5.149.251.167 indicates that this IP address should raise red flags.

A total of 606 SMB messages back and forth between the attacking and victim systems are needed to process the 9 infection steps previously described, and takes 105 seconds to complete, as the stager EXE is 59 KB. The stager is one of many that have been created to enable victim-CnC communication using metasploit. The following Wireshark screenshot shows a small portion of the SMB messages that transfer the stager to the victim:

Malware Transfer Via DNS TXT Records

A PowerShell script created by the infected email attachment contains a base64-encoded block of text that is decoded, written into memory as a thread, and executed. This uses the same technique as the metasploit 'DNS TXT Record Payload Download and Execution' module, as described below (with slightly modified code):

This code performs DNS queries to the attacker's malware domain, as illustrated here:

A 255-character TXT record is received in response to each query. For example, a query to:

aaa.stage.3553299.s1.rescsovwe.com

returns the TXT record:

WYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII7QZjAXP0A0AkAAQ2AB2BB0BBABXP8ABuJIIljHs0wpwpuPjK0NaMlK1UePLycWrOU72ONcyUva
4yhHd5iaLCKuWsaE6QzVP1ioTqKkCVnkClduUPNY51U1gpUP5i8KbTVCTq9PeakbLHhZk0XjBaK9zpiQ9p7t4qIBk8Ij
K0ZJW17q8PnhaTEmc0os9WEQosIVfbhkhM68ioYp8hnMyoYoIoAAgogoENFKOIAAAAAAAAF

The next query is to subdomain baa, which returns:

LFCEFFFIJOFIBMDFCHDAAAAPPNDIJMDFHGIAEAAAAAAFAPPNAGIPALFKCFGGIAFAAAAAAFAPPNDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAOBPLKAOAALEAJMNCBLIABEMMNCBFEGIGJHDCAHAHCGPGHHCGBGNCAGDGBGOGOGPHECAGCG
FCAHCHFGOCAGJGOCAEEEPFDCAGNGPGEGFCOANANAKCEAAAAAAAAAAAAAADIDICCBAHMFJEM

Note that frequency analysis of the symbol distribution in the records may be helpful in generating a rule for detection, as well as also noting if additional systems are performing the same queries. From a detection perspective, it is important to note that the TXT records are specifically requested in the DNS query, as shown here:

This is not typical DNS behavior.

As you refer back to the first TXT record you'll see the majority of the symbols are colored differently. You may also notice there are alphanumeric symbols in this portion of the TXT record that do not appear in the remainder of the record, or in fact, in any of the remaining 1,542 TXT records (as the DNS queries cycle through caa, daa, and so on up to zaa, then rolls over to aba, bba, caa, etc. until all the TXT records have been obtained).

The alphanumeric portion of the first TXT record is alphanumeric shellcode. The advantage of using alphanumeric shellcode is that it flies under the radar of AV and IDS/IPS, even though the ASCII codes associated with the alphanumeric characters represent actual 80x86 opcodes. Here are a few examples:

Here is a portion of the alphanumeric shellcode decoding loop (original alphanumeric shellcode and decoded shellcode):

The shellcode decodes itself to create more useful and efficient instructions needed to decode the remaining TXT records that contain the payload. The payload is undergoing detailed analysis and additional information will be forthcoming.

Note: a previous Carbanak campaign used this base domain:

aaa.stage.14919005.www1.proslr3.com

Both of these DNS malware domains are registered in Russia. As with many malware delivery domains, they operate for a short period of time and then are shut down as the attackers move to a different domain.

Now, consider this: the number of DNS queries to the three-letter subdomains for the malware analyzed in this new campaign is 1,543. That is a very significant number of 255-character TXT records and over 385 KB of encoded characters. In one test the time to perform the 1,543 queries is 214 seconds, or 7 queries per second.

This is an example of "program behavior" rather than "human behavior." Security analysts would agree that this clearly indicates a human was not sitting at a computer rapidly clicking links for over three minutes straight.

Recognizing this type of behavior is a valuable addition to an organization's malware alerting controls. A continuous stream of DNS queries from the same system to the same TLD exceeding 420 queries per minute or some similar threshold would be a suitable alerting mechanism (not for a busy server perhaps but certainly for a user workstation).

Layers Upon Layers

The Carbanak malware writers have used several methods to hide the functionality of their malware. Consider all of these steps required to fully deliver just one of the malware files in this campaign:

1. PowerShell script file created from base64 encoded string hidden in malicious Word document.
2. Decoding the final PowerShell script requires three levels of decoding.
3. The final PowerShell file contains a base64 encoded string representing 80x86 machine code that implements a DNS TXT record exploit, and is loaded into RAM and executed.
4. Alphanumeric shellcode and encoded payload are obtained via DNS TXT records.
5. Alphanumeric shellcode contains an initial decoding stub that XOR decrypts a portion of the shellcode into the payload decoder.
6. The payload decoder uses the remaining TXT record data to create an in-memory DLL file, thus ensuring that this attack does not leave malware traces on the system itself, only in memory.

The operation of the payload decoder is very simple: Each pair of ASCII characters become a single byte of code in the final payload. As shown in the following figure, each ASCII code in a pair has 'A' (0x41) subtracted from them. The resulting difference is always between 0 and F and becomes the high-order or low-order nibble of the final payload byte.

In addition to the base64 encoding, other files are also encoded and obfuscated. For example, the script updater is initially created by decoding a base64 string. But looking into the file shows these two encoded and obfuscated sections:

Take a moment to examine the symbols in the string that represents the encoded VBS statements. Then look at the symbols in the decoding key, and perhaps you'll see where I am headed.

Did you notice anything strange? If you missed it, take a look here:

Only the first 16 symbols in the decoding key are used to decode the VBS statements string. The second group of 16 symbols do not appear anywhere in the VBS statements string. In fact, the only place all those symbols appear is in a second encoded string that is at the end of the encoded and obfuscated VBS file, and this string is not referenced or processed. Decoding the string results in binary mumbo-jumbo and the purpose of this unused string is not known at this time.

If you are a "code talker" and want to give the second string a go, here it is:

"h8u74y828mcd89t7o3n5rr2i8uyyai1o5wih80suwavtfzu2aszcqsnltmijv22sa0ti/"_
&"9fhpd9ccjslgo3i2zgwrio8ot7w0ouarnauyh5ornfflamdyrmm7q1r2sypvm220rgv/"_
&"c9o90ivp2o3qeo45jyinmzc3rp3fzp1p9nrpsncd4og2tl0yt1s3f2o7s5n3y9i4c/"_
&"514wg5owsscyjp3mr1an2h33yg5zfgp7rssejd3nmy787m8gh011inoe4ho7tgl4ypzm9/"_
&"u9w9yrnu1z158l59ozrryln0wdeslmj7mc1ugjwc32t1c5d0j1u4tr1v2a24zuvivg/"_
&"5solssu4qr8woavp3wyz4hrwjfoisu3zrr5lph4vftul2zi5mtmnh0ssl9maa4pmd7oyya/"_
&"q0rhm1mnrhzde2rmulasifdnho7qzf0l4vp0pa392j439ljcfwg5wd2fai9f40ohgd/"_
&"i33qhaqmoc1n8svjswzuw4had8cwuocg3eqo2vrwv832o17jn7wyzp0oaplntjlwpgayu/"_
&"icle7mrmr0cgyz4cyyr7poodefeam2rflfjzhjznstuyan0v1ojf7og1nnup5m2dltst3s5r/"_
&"w111uv0wqz0h770devyygv895wjgz4vlc25l4lp4v0m47jcru28n808moil9g2iyajc/"_
&"gy9j9vj0jjdy1yvhmynruqh1j29rfugw3hwdyrqinai8tvavzmqidhwo3c4zluypo3u/"_
&"l8vg470m1hyp7dhjyqamqrc9owg9sjup99w9rnvgggpfhpvhfaileyuoq4wr0mozdc/"_
&"jjdg830wiafscumvcw3flyfj3nsliwahtu8a3y4pugpd9aq95r4lc7lg1azl9fgf3umu0s28i2u4/"_
&"g32pdv8lzhs4ny3rt5i3ir8vc22zo3iifyil77qncc3pthigrac01ge35229jy88dmh8je/"_
&"f2ohgefdy7g9pthifu2ia0vgh31dzpq9mi598ras14cf745y8jp19rpoofy2wd2dn12vltwwv/"_
&"syf27jq7ttlpleafv340n8imonfh1himrprjg9gjozluscrghgzouuh9td91cclrtr0v3/"_
&""

The deobfuscated decoder looks like this:

The obsPayload1 variable is set equal to the long encoded string representing the actual VBS statements. Leaving the VBS files encoded like this while they reside on disk is an attempt to prevent detection by AV scans looking for suspicious keywords. Note that the last statement in the DeObs1() subroutine should be

WScript.Run DecodedPayload1

but was changed to WScript.Echo to simply view, rather than execute, the code.

Watch The Compromise Unfold

If you have access to CarbonBlack, the chain of events and spawned processes can be traced from the moment the malicious Word document is opened. Here is a timeline of an actual compromise:

Organizational Preparedness

There are several steps an organization can take to prevent or limit the severity of a Carbanak attack. All of the following steps apply and can be achieved via internal security engineering or by engaging an MSSP:

• Regular security awareness training for all employees, paying particular attention to spear phishing.
• Spear phishing exercises where employees are sent a 'phishing' email that points to a site controlled by IT (Trustwave SpiderLabs also offers this service).
• An email server or appliance that can assist with malware detection, such as scanning incoming email attachments for base64 strings.
• Macros disabled by default on all Office applications (although a user can still re-enable them).
• A SIEM or other log-and-event aggregation system that allows aggregated network traffic to be examined by an expert security team before, during, and after an attack.
• Ensuring that IDS rules are able to detect metasploit modules.
• Threat intelligence driven software restriction policies, such as preventing program execution from C:\Windows\Temp.
• Whitelist PowerShell scripts and VBS scripts used by the organization and blacklist all others.
• Continuous DNS monitoring with threshold alerts for systems issuing excessive DNS queries in a given period of time.
• Restrict DNS traffic so that internal systems are only able to query your DNS servers.

Conclusion

The Carbanak campaign is not standing still and neither is Trustwave SpiderLabs. Look for another update shortly.