Trustwave SpiderLabs Uncovers Critical Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Exposing Manufacturers to Costly Attacks. Learn More

Trustwave SpiderLabs Uncovers Critical Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Exposing Manufacturers to Costly Attacks. Learn More

Services
Capture
Managed Detection & Response

Eradicate cyberthreats with world-class intel and expertise

twi-cloud-lock-color-svg
Managed Security Services

Expand your team’s capabilities and strengthen your security posture

twi-briefcase-color-svg
Consulting & Professional Services

Tap into our global team of tenured cybersecurity specialists

twi-dashboard-color-svg
Penetration Testing

Subscription- or project-based testing, delivered by global experts

twi-database-color-svg
Database Security

Get ahead of database risk, protect data and exceed compliance requirements

twi-email-color-svg
Email Security & Management

Catch email threats others miss with layered security & maximum control

twi-managed-portal-color
Co-Managed SOC (SIEM)

Eliminate alert fatigue, focus your SecOps team, stop threats fast, and reduce cyber risk

Solutions
BY TOPIC
Microsoft Exchange Server Attacks
Stay protected against emerging threats
Rapidly Secure New Environments
Security for rapid response situations
Securing the Cloud
Safely navigate and stay protected
Securing the IoT Landscape
Test, monitor and secure network objects
Why Trustwave
The Trustwave Approach
Awards and Accolades
Trustwave SpiderLabs Team
Trustwave Fusion Platform
SpiderLabs Fusion Center
Security Operations Centers
Partners
Technology Alliance Partners
Key alliances who align and support our ecosystem of security offerings
Trustwave PartnerOne Program
Join forces with Trustwave to protect against the most advance cybersecurity threats
SpiderLabs Blog

Malicious Macros Evades Detection by Using Unusual File Format

A couple of months ago we observed an influx of XML spam attachments that were actually Office documents containing malicious macros. Last week, the same gang behind this campaign introduced another unusual trick.

The spam campaign's theme is the usual fake invoices.

10659_9359fa9e-a4d8-4857-bdae-d6c2db08c20b
Figure 1 Spam Sample

 

Here are some examples of the various subject lines associated with this campaign that we've spotted:

  • Important information
  • Financial Information
  • Need your attention, "Important notice
  • Payment details and copy of purchase [<Random AlphaNumeric>]

Last week, we observed an Italian version:

12836_fb6a9a44-1ef7-430d-8019-24925312d4aa
Figure 2. Italian Spam Campaign

 

As you can see in the screenshot, the attachment file may use a .doc or .xls file extension. But what's interesting is the file is actually an MHTML file.

8713_365a3f4c-76c6-4474-b9e4-387a4da14f55
Figure 3. examples of the Microsoft Office attachments (actually MSHTML) from this spam campaign

 

It seems that, after crafting the malicious macro document in MS Office, the criminals opted to save it as .MHTML instead of the usual .DOC/DOCX/XLS/XLSX type. After saving it, they renamed the file extension back to .doc or .xls. By doing this, opening the file will run the program associated with the file extension by default (in this case Microsoft Office).

12455_ea8b58aa-c78f-495e-a96f-54874b44b7b6
Figure 4. Document saved as .mhtml file

 

Below is how the .mhtml file looks like when viewed from a text editor. Highlighted in red is a base64 encoded ActiveMime part where the malicious Office Document file is hidden. When we first identified this this campaign, most antivirus products did not detect the malicious macros. I suspect the criminal purposefully saved it as .mhtml to evade antivirus detection.

11940_d1243fc5-5899-4750-be9d-99d91c2243b2
Figure 5

 

Analysis

To further understand the malicious document file, I've extracted the malicious OLE from the encoded ActiveMime document using a Python script I wrote. The script is crude but it works! You can get it here.

10383_862f7b2a-318f-4bf1-9cfc-4c884e39a329
Figure 6. Python script for extracting the OLE file

 

10616_91efd331-fabf-46b9-96ff-eae157fd4466
Figure 7. the extracted OLE document file

 

Next, I dumped the VBS macro code from the OLE file to analyze it. The go-to tool I use to extract macro code is OleDump written by Didier Stevens. I modified the tool to automatically find the offending macro and dump it using –m switch. Here you see the extracted macro and a URL string pointing to pastebin.com:

11440_b96d1ba3-2f15-498a-a244-1f6e42283cab
Figure 8. the dumped macro code shows a URL string pointing Pastebin download link

 

The macro obfuscation varies every day. A sample we collected last week shows that strings like the download link have been obfuscated.

10439_8963a6b2-e935-4c32-8379-65d835389e33
Figure 9. the macro script in obfuscated state

 

While the macro obfuscation varies from campaign to campaign, it essentially has the same behavior. The macro pulls a Visual Basic script (VBS) from pastebin.com then saves the script in the infected machine's temporary folder as a .vbs file then runs it. The script pulls another malicious executable from a URL: http://31.41.46.99/bt/get3[.]php

9162_4cafe1ac-e360-4956-8291-5f411e4af5e2
Figure 10. the downloader VBS script stored in pastebin.com

 

The downloaded executable payload is a banking Trojan called Dridex. It connects to the following IP addresses to download additional bot-configuration instructions:

  • 5.45.116.69:5443 - Estonia
  • 5.63.154.228:5443 - Russia
  • 62.76.191.84:5443 - Russia

The bot is designed to steal banking credentials by hooking browsers like Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Opera. It is also worth noting that the criminal has code-signed their Dridex executables to evade malware filters.

9529_5ec00cc8-2817-438c-9598-41489ff40ed9
Figure 11. Code signed Dridex's executable file

 

Conclusion

It's interesting that the gang behind these campaigns has utilized several types of Microsoft Office file formats to circumvent either antivirus detection or spam filters. Infection, though, is dependent on the victim allowing the macro to run. Always ensure you disable macros in your Microsoft Office applications.

9828_6e045677-4829-45f2-907d-9ad1ef30db9c
Figure 12. Disable macro in your Microsoft Office application

 

Trustwave Secure Email Gateway (SEG) can help detect these types of attachments.

Latest SpiderLabs Blogs

Trustwave SpiderLabs Report: LockBit 3.0 Ransomware Vs. the Manufacturing Sector

As the manufacturing sector continues its digital transformation, Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) are becoming...

Read More

Overview of the Cyberwarfare used in Israel – Hamas War

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian organization Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years, resulting in numerous casualties and hostages taken. Israel responded with a large-scale ground...

Read More

The 2023 Retail Services Sector Threat Landscape: A Trustwave Threat Intelligence Briefing

The annual holiday shopping season is poised for a surge in spending, a fact well-known to retailers, consumers, and cybercriminals alike. The latter group, however, is poised to exploit any...

Read More