SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
29 Jul 2016

Hackers spreading Zeus malware via 'legitimate' PayPal emails

Hackers are spreading the Chthonic banking trojan via legitimate-looking PayPal emails, security outfit Proofpoint has warned.

The emails are 'authentic' and don't trigger antivirus warnings because they come via PayPal from accounts that appear to be legitimate. "The sender does not appear to be faked. Instead the spam is generated by registering with PayPal (or using stolen accounts) and then using the portal to request money," said Proofpoint in a security advisory.

The attackers take advantage of a feature that allows users to include notes when sending money request messages. One sample picked up by Proofpoint showed that Gmail failed to block the email since it appeared to be legitimate. "PayPal's money request feature allows adding a note along with the request [and] the attacker crafted a personalised message and included a malicious URL," said the advisory. "In a double whammy, the recipient here can fall for the social engineering and lose $100, click on the link and be infected with malware, or both."

People clicking on the link in the message are redirected to a non-PayPal website that downloads an obfuscated JavaScript file called paypalTransactionDetails.jpeg.js. Opening the JavaScript file downloads an executable. "This executable is Chthonic, a variant of the Zeus banking trojan. The command and control for this instance is kingstonevikte[.]com," said Proofpoint.

Intriguingly, perhaps, Chthonic downloads a second-stage payload, a previously undocumented malware known as AZORult which the company is currently investigating. Fortunately the campaign seems somewhat limited at the moment, according to Proofpoint, perhaps partly owing to the overhead required in opening PayPal accounts or gaining access to compromised accounts. Google Analytics indicates that the URL of the malicious link, which uses a Goo.gl link, has been clicked only 27 times. PayPal has yet to comment on Proofpoint's findings.

Tags:
Zeus PayPal spam fraud
Source:
TheINQUIRER
1981
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015