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 within. 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, see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp.
Summary
Description
This Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts between Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Working with U.S. Government partners, DHS and FBI identified Trojan malware variants used by the North Korean government. This malware variant has been identified as HOPLIGHT. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on HIDDEN COBRA activity, visit https://www.us-cert.gov/hiddencobra.
DHS and FBI are distributing this MAR to enable network defense and reduce exposure to North Korean government malicious cyber activity.
This MAR includes malware descriptions related to HIDDEN COBRA, suggested response actions and recommended mitigation techniques. Users or administrators should flag activity associated with the malware and report the activity to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) or the FBI Cyber Watch (CyWatch), and give the activity the highest priority for enhanced mitigation.
This report provides analysis of nine malicious executable files. Seven of these files are proxy applications that mask traffic between the malware and the remote operators. The proxies have the ability to generate fake TLS handshake sessions using valid public SSL certificates, disguising network connections with remote malicious actors. One file contains a public SSL certificate and the payload of the file appears to be encoded with a password or key. The remaining file does not contain any of the public SSL certificates, but attempts outbound connections and drops four files. The dropped files primarily contain IP addresses and SSL certificates.
rule crypt_constants_2 { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule lsfr_constants { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule polarSSL_servernames { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $polarSSL = "fjiejffndxklfsdkfjsaadiepwn" $sn1 = "www.google.com" $sn2 = "www.naver.com" condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) -- 0x4550) and ($polarSSL and 1 of ($sn*)) }
ssdeep Matches
No matches found.
PE Metadata
Compile Date
2017-06-05 21:57:29-04:00
Import Hash
ff390ec082b48263a3946814ea18ba46
PE Sections
MD5
Name
Raw Size
Entropy
c06924120c87e2cb79505e4ab0c2e192
header
1024
2.542817
3368eda2d5820605a055596c7c438f0f
.text
197120
6.441545
ec1f06839fa9bc10ad8e183b6bf7c1b5
.rdata
27136
5.956914
1e62b7d9f7cc48162e0651f7de314c8a
.data
8192
4.147893
980effd28a6c674865537f313318733a
.rsrc
512
5.090362
696fd5cac6e744f336e8ab68a4708fcf
.reloc
8704
5.247502
Packers/Compilers/Cryptors
Microsoft Visual C++ ?.?
Description
This artifact is a malicious PE32 executable. When executed the malware will collect system information about the victim machine including OS Version, Volume Information, and System Time, as well as enumerate the system drives and partitions.
The malware is capable of the following functions:
---Begin Malware Capability---
Read, Write, and Move Files Enumerate System Drives Create and Terminate Processes Inject into Running Processes Create, Start and Stop Services Modify Registry Settings Connect to a Remote Host Upload and Download Files
---End Malware Capability---
The malware is capable of opening and binding to a socket. The malware uses a public SSL certificate for secure communication. This certificate is from www.naver.com. Naver.com is the largest search engine in Korea and provides a variety of web services to clients around the world.
When executed, the malware will attempt a TLS Handshake with one of four hardcoded IP addresses embedded in the malware. These IP addresses are referenced in 'udbcgiut.dat' below. The malware also contains an embedded Zlib compression library that appears to further obfuscate the communications payload.
The following notable strings have been linked to the use of the SSL certificates and can be used to identify the malware:
The next four artifacts contain identical characteristics as those described above. Therefore, only capability that is unique will be described for the following four artifacts.
This artifact is a malicious PE32 executable with similar characteristics of those described in 23E27E5482E3F55BF828DAB885569033 above.
When this artifact is executed, it will write the file 'udbcgiut.dat' to C:\Users lt;user>\AppData\Local\Temp.
The malware will then attempt outbound SSL connections to 81.94.192.147 and 112.175.92.57. Both connection attempts are over TCP Port 443. The two IP addresses above, as well as the IP addresses 181.39.135.126 and 197.211.212.59 are hard-coded into the malware. However, only connections to the first two IP addresses were attempted during analysis.
person: B Siwela address: 3rd Floor Greenbridge South address: Eastgate Center address: R. Mugabe Road address: Harare address: Zimbabwe phone: +263774673452 fax-no: +2634702375 nic-hdl: BS10-AFRINIC mnt-by: GENERATED-DVCNVXWBH3VN3XZXTRPHOT0OJ77GUNN3-MNT source: AFRINIC # Filtered
person: G Jaya address: 3rd Floor Greenbridge South address: Eastgate Center address: R. Mugabe Road address: Harare address: Zimbabwe phone: +263773373135 fax-no: +2634702375 nic-hdl: GJ1-AFRINIC mnt-by: GENERATED-QPEEUIPPW1WPRZ5HLHRXAVHDOKWLC9UC-MNT source: AFRINIC # Filtered
person: John H Mwangi address: Liquid Telecom Kenya address: P.O.Box 62499 - 00200 address: Nairobi Kenya address: Nairobi, Kenya address: Kenya phone: + 254 20 556 755
This IP address is listed in the file 'udbcgiut.dat'. Outbound SSL connection attempts are made to this IP by Malware2.exe, Malware3.exe, and Malware5.exe. The domain, zol-ad-bdc.zol.co.zw is associated with the IP address, however, no DNS query is made for the name.
181.39.135.126
Ports
7443 TCP
Whois
inetnum: 181.39.135.120/29 status: reallocated owner: Clientes Guayaquil ownerid: EC-CLGU1-LACNIC responsible: Tomislav Topic address: Kennedy Norte Mz. 109 Solar 21, 5, Piso 2 address: 5934 - Guayaquil - GY country: EC phone: +593 4 2680555 [101] owner-c: SEL tech-c: SEL abuse-c: SEL created: 20160720 changed: 20160720 inetnum-up: 181.39/16
nic-hdl: SEL person: Carlos Montero e-mail: networking@TELCONET.EC address: Kennedy Norte MZ, 109, Solar 21 address: 59342 - Guayaquil - country: EC phone: +593 42680555 [4601] created: 20021004 changed: 20170323
This IP address is listed in the file 'udbcgiut.dat'. Outbound SSL connection attempts are made to this IP by Malware2.exe, Malware3.exe, and Malware5.exe. No domain is associated with the IP address.
This IP address is listed in the file 'udbcgiut.dat'. Outbound SSL connection attempts are made to this IP by Malware2.exe, Malware3.exe, and Malware5.exe. The domain, mail.everzone.co.kr is associated with the IP address, however, no DNS query is made for the name.
This IP address is listed in the file 'udbcgiut.dat'. Outbound SSL connection attempts are made to this IP by Malware2.exe, Malware3.exe, and Malware5.exe. No domain is associated with the IP address.
'udbcgiut.dat' is dropped by three of the four PE32 executables. This file contains a 32byte unicode string uniquely generated for the infected system, as well as four socket pairs in hexidecimal.
The unicode string generated during this analysis was '8a9b11762b96c4b6'. The socket pairs remain the same for all instances of the malware. For the PE32 executables, 'udbcgiut.dat' was dropped in the victim's profile at %AppData%\Local\Temp. For the 64bit executables, 'udbcgiut.dat' was dropped in C:\Windows.
This artifact is a malicious PE32 executable with similar characteristics of those described in 23E27E5482E3F55BF828DAB885569033 above.
This program attempts to initiate a TLS Handshake to the four IP/Port pairs listed in 'udbcgiut.dat'. If the program is unable to establish a connection, the file 'udbcgiut.dat' is deleted.
After 'udbcgiut.dat' is deleted, an outbound SSL connection is made to 81.94.192.10. The IP address is hard coded in the malware and are not randomly generated.
This artifact also loads several APIs that are commonly associated with Pass-The-Hash (PTH) toolkits, indicating a capability to harvest user credentials and passwords.
This artifact is a malicious x64 executable with similar characteristics of those described in 23E27E5482E3F55BF828DAB885569033 above.
In addition to the capabilities described above, this variant will hook the Windows Local Security Authority (lsass.exe). 'lsass.exe' will check the registry for the data value 'rdpproto' under the key SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa Name: Security Packages. If not found, this value is added by 'lsass.exe'. Next, the malware will drop the embedded file, 'rdpproto.dll' into the %System32% directory. The file, 'udbcgiut.dat' is then written to C:\Windows. Outbound connection attempts are made to the socket pairs found within this file as described above.
"rdpproto.dll" is dropped into the %System32% directory by 868036E102DF4CE414B0E6700825B319. When the library is loaded, "rdpproto.dll" will attempt to send SSL Client Hello packets to any of the following embedded IP addresses:
This artifact contains the following notable strings:
---Begin Notable Strings---
CompanyName Adobe System Incorporated FileDescription MicrosoftWindows TransFilter/FilterType : 01 WindowsNT Service FileVersion 6.1 Build 7601 InternalName TCP/IP Packet Filter Service LegalCopyright Copyright 2015 - Adobe System Incorporated LegalTrademarks OriginalFileName TCP/IP - PacketFilter
---End Notable Strings---
21.252.107.198
Ports
23164 TCP
Whois
NetRange: 21.0.0.0 - 21.255.255.255 CIDR: 21.0.0.0/8 NetName: DNIC-SNET-021 NetHandle: NET-21-0-0-0-1 Parent: () NetType: Direct Allocation OriginAS: Organization: DoD Network Information Center (DNIC) RegDate: 1991-06-30 Updated: 2009-06-19 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-21-0-0-0-1
OrgName: DoD Network Information Center OrgId: DNIC Address: 3990 E. Broad Street City: Columbus StateProv: OH PostalCode: 43218 Country: US RegDate: Updated: 2011-08-17 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/org/DNIC
A high port to high port connection attempt is made to this IP address from 'Malware2.dll'. No domain is associated with the IP address.
26.165.218.44
Ports
2248 TCP
Whois
NetRange: 26.0.0.0 - 26.255.255.255 CIDR: 26.0.0.0/8 NetName: DISANET26 NetHandle: NET-26-0-0-0-1 Parent: () NetType: Direct Allocation OriginAS: Organization: DoD Network Information Center (DNIC) RegDate: 1995-04-30 Updated: 2009-06-19 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-26-0-0-0-1
OrgName: DoD Network Information Center OrgId: DNIC Address: 3990 E. Broad Street City: Columbus StateProv: OH PostalCode: 43218 Country: US RegDate: Updated: 2011-08-17 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/org/DNIC
A high port to high port connection attempt is made to this IP address from 'Malware2.dll'. No domain is associated with the IP address.
137.139.135.151
Ports
64694 TCP
Whois
NetRange: 137.139.0.0 - 137.139.255.255 CIDR: 137.139.0.0/16 NetName: SUC-OLDWEST NetHandle: NET-137-139-0-0-1 Parent: NET137 (NET-137-0-0-0-0) NetType: Direct Assignment OriginAS: Organization: SUNY College at Old Westbury (SCAOW) RegDate: 1989-11-29 Updated: 2014-02-18 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-137-139-0-0-1
OrgName: SUNY College at Old Westbury OrgId: SCAOW Address: 223 Store Hill Road City: Old Westbury StateProv: NY PostalCode: 11568 Country: US RegDate: 1989-11-29 Updated: 2011-09-24 Ref: https://whois.arin.net/rest/org/SCAOW
A high port to high port connection attempt is made to this IP address from 'Malware2.dll'. No domain is associated with the IP address.
128.200.115.228
Ports
52884 TCP
Whois
Domain Name: UCI.EDU
Registrant: University of California, Irvine 6366 Ayala Science Library Irvine, CA 92697-1175 UNITED STATES
Administrative Contact: Con Wieland University of California, Irvine Office of Information Technology 6366 Ayala Science Library Irvine, CA 92697-1175 UNITED STATES (949) 824-2222 oit-nsp@uci.edu
Technical Contact: Con Wieland University of California, Irvine Office of Information Technology 6366 Ayala Science Library Irvine, CA 92697-1175 UNITED STATES (949) 824-2222 oit-nsp@uci.edu
Name Servers: NS4.SERVICE.UCI.EDU 128.200.59.190 NS5.SERVICE.UCI.EDU 52.26.131.47
Domain record activated: 30-Sep-1985 Domain record last updated: 07-Jul-2016 Domain expires: 31-Jul-2018
A high port to high port connection attempt is made to this IP address from 'Malware2.dll'. No domain is associated with the IP address.
186.169.2.237
Ports
65292 TCP
Whois
inetnum: 186.168/15 status: allocated aut-num: N/A owner: COLOMBIA TELECOMUNICACIONES S.A. ESP ownerid: CO-CTSE-LACNIC responsible: Administradores Internet address: Transversal 60, 114, A 55 address: N - BOGOTA - Cu country: CO phone: +57 1 5339833 [] owner-c: CTE7 tech-c: CTE7 abuse-c: CTE7 inetrev: 186.169/16 nserver: DNS5.TELECOM.COM.CO nsstat: 20171220 AA nslastaa: 20171220 nserver: DNS.TELECOM.COM.CO nsstat: 20171220 AA nslastaa: 20171220 created: 20110404 changed: 20141111
nic-hdl: CTE7 person: Grupo de Administradores Internet e-mail: admin.internet@TELECOM.COM.CO address: Transversal, 60, 114 A, 55 address: 571111 - BOGOTA DC - CU country: CO phone: +57 1 7050000 [71360] created: 20140220 changed: 20140220
rule crypt_constants_2 { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule lsfr_constants { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule polarSSL_servernames { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $polarSSL = "fjiejffndxklfsdkfjsaadiepwn" $sn1 = "www.google.com" $sn2 = "www.naver.com" condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) -- 0x4550) and ($polarSSL and 1 of ($sn*)) }
ssdeep Matches
No matches found.
PE Metadata
Compile Date
2017-06-06 11:24:44-04:00
Import Hash
e395fbfa0104d0173b3c4fdd3debdceb
Company Name
Kamsky Co,.Ltd
File Description
Vote_Controller
Internal Name
MDL_170329_x86_V06Lv3
Legal Copyright
Copyright \u24d2 2017
Original Filename
Vote_Controller
Product Name
Kamsky ColdFear
Product Version
17, 0, 0, 0
PE Sections
MD5
Name
Raw Size
Entropy
40d66d1a2f846d7c3bf291c604c9fca3
header
1024
2.628651
d061ffec6721133c433386c96520bc55
.text
284160
5.999734
cbbc6550dcbdcaf012bdbf758a377779
.rdata
38912
5.789426
c83bcaab05056d5b84fc609f41eed210
.data
7680
3.105496
b9fc36206883aa1902566b5d01c27473
.pdata
8704
5.319307
1c1d46056b4cb4627a5f92112b7e09f7
.rsrc
4096
5.608168
3baedaa3d6b6d6dc9fb0ec4f5c3b007c
.reloc
2048
2.331154
Relationships
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
21.252.107.198
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
70.224.36.194
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
113.114.117.122
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
47.206.4.145
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
84.49.242.125
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
26.165.218.44
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
137.139.135.151
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
97.90.44.200
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
128.200.115.228
4a74a9fd40...
Connected_To
186.169.2.237
Description
This artifact is a malicious 64bit Windows dynamic library called 'Vote_Controller.dll'. The file shares similar functionality with 'rdpproto.dll' above, and attempts to connect to the same ten IP addresses.
42682D4A78FE5C2EDA988185A344637D also contains the same public SSL certificate as many of the artifacts above.
rule crypt_constants_2 { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule lsfr_constants { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $ = {efcdab90} $ = {558426fe} $ = {7856b4c2} condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) == 0x4550) and all of them }
hidden_cobra_consolidated.yara
rule polarSSL_servernames { meta: Author="NCCIC trusted 3rd party" Incident="10135536" Date = "2018/04/19" category = "hidden_cobra" family = "n/a" description = "n/a" strings: $polarSSL = "fjiejffndxklfsdkfjsaadiepwn" $sn1 = "www.google.com" $sn2 = "www.naver.com" condition: (uint16(0) == 0x5A4D and uint16(uint32(0x3c)) -- 0x4550) and ($polarSSL and 1 of ($sn*)) }
ssdeep Matches
No matches found.
PE Metadata
Compile Date
2017-05-16 02:44:21-04:00
Import Hash
ca767ccbffbed559cbe77c923e3af1f8
Company Name
Kamsky Co,.Ltd
File Description
Vote_Controller
Internal Name
MDL_170329_x86_V06Lv3
Legal Copyright
Copyright \u24d2 2017
Original Filename
Vote_Controller
Product Name
Kamsky ColdFear
Product Version
17, 0, 0, 0
PE Sections
MD5
Name
Raw Size
Entropy
83ec15e3cf335f784144db4208b328c9
header
1024
2.790421
036c57e89ea3a6afa819c242c5816b70
.text
206848
5.688491
4812d2f39e9a8ae569370d423ba31344
.rdata
26112
6.000116
cb41e8f63b7c22c401a0634cb4fe1909
.data
2048
4.748331
3cc7651747904bfe94ed18f44354a706
.pdata
5120
4.962073
9e92c54604ea67e76210c3c914e9608c
.rsrc
4096
5.606351
71dcfb1ec7257ee58dcc20cafb0be691
.reloc
512
0.673424
Relationships
83228075a6...
Connected_To
112.175.92.57
Description
This artifact is 64bit Windows dynamic library file which shares many of the same characteristics and name (Vote_Controller.dll) as 42682D4A78FE5C2EDA988185A344637D above.
When this library is loaded it will look for the file 'udbcgiut.dat' in C:\WINDOWS. If 'udbcgiut.dat' is not found, the file will attempt connections to the same ten IP addresses described under 'rdpproto.dll' above.
One notable difference with this variant is that it uses the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) process to recompile the Managed Object Format (MOF) files in the WMI repository. At runtime, the malware will enumerate the drivers located in the registry at HKLM\Software\WBEM\WDM. These files are then recompiled by invoking wmiprvse.exe through svchost.exe: "C:\Windows\system32\wbem\wmiprvse.exe -Embedding". MOF files are written in a SQL-like language and are run (compiled) by the operating system when a predetermined event takes place. Recent malware variants have been observed modifying the MOF files within the system registry to run specific commands and create persistency on the system.
Of note, the paravirtual SCSI driver for VMWare Tools is also located in HKLM\Software\WBEM\WDM within a virtual image. When this driver is recompiled by the malware, VMWare Tools no longer works. It cannot be determined if this is an intentional characteristic of the malware to hinder analysis, or simply a symptom of the method used to establish persistence.
This artifact is a malicious PE32 executable. When executed, the artifact sets up the service, 'Network UDP Trace Management Service'. To set up the service, the program drops a dynamic library, 'UDPTrcSvc.dll' into the %System32% directory. Next, the following registry keys are added:
After writing 'UDPTrcSvd.dll' to disk, the program drops two additional files. Similar to 5C3898AC7670DA30CF0B22075F3E8ED6 above, the program writes the file 'udbcgiut.dat' to the victim's profile at %AppData/Local/Temp%. A second file is written to the victim's profile in the %AppData/Local/VirtualStore/Windows% directory and identified as 'MSDFMAPI.INI'. 'MSDFMAPI.INI' is also written to C:\WINDOWS. More information on the content of these files is below.
61E3571B8D9B2E9CCFADC3DDE10FB6E1 attempts the same outbound connections as 5C3898AC7670DA30CF0B22075F3E8ED6, however the file does not contain any of the public SSL certificates referenced above.
This artifact is a malicious 32bit Windows dynamic library. 'UDPTrcSvc.dll' is identified as the 'Network UDP Trace Management Service'. The following description is provided:
---Begin Service Description---
Network UDP Trace Management Service Hosts TourSvc Tracing. If this service is stopped, notifications of network trace will no longer function and there might not be access to service functions. If this service is disabled, notifications of and monitoring to network state will no longer function.
---End Service Description---
The service is invoked with the command, 'C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k mdnetuse'. When the service is run a modification to the system firewall is attempted, 'cmd.exe /c netsh firewall add portopening TCP 0 "adp"'.
Unlike many of the files listed above that use a public certificate from naver.com, 'UDPTrcSvc.dll' uses a public SSL certificate from google.com.
'MSDFMAPI.INI' is written to C:\WINDOWS and to %UserProfile\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Windows%. During analysis, two NULL characters were written to the file. The purpose of the file has not been determined.
This artifact contains a similar public SSL certificate from naver.com, similar to many of the files above. The payload of the file appears to be encoded with a password or key. No context was provided with the file's submission.
CISA would like to remind users and administrators to 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 thumbdrives, external drives, CDs, etc.).
Scan all software downloaded from the Internet prior to executing.
Maintain situational awareness of the latest threats and implement appropriate ACLs.
Additional information on malware incident prevention and handling can be found in NIST's 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.gov/forms/feedback/
Document FAQ
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 US-CERT 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 US-CERT 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 CISA at 1-888-282-0870 or soc@us-cert.gov.
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/US-CERT's homepage at www.us-cert.gov.
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