Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Antivirus Software Cloud Use Exposes Customers to Data Exfiltration

    Written by

    Robert Lemos
    Published July 28, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Locked down networks with no direct Internet access could still be infected with malware and have data exfiltrated through a brazen technique that uses the environment’s own security software as a channel to the Internet, according to a presentation two researchers delivered at the Black Hat Security Briefings on July 27.

      The technique exploits some antivirus software’s reliance on cloud analysis systems—or sandboxes—to determine if a suspicious program is considered malicious, according to the two researchers who work for security services firm SafeBreach.

      The technique is not about infecting a system in a network—it assumes that a system has already been compromised—but about copying data from a system that is not otherwise connected to the Internet. So-called “air gapped” systems are common in the military and sensitive government agencies, but are still often connected to internal systems, such as servers that maintain antivirus software and operating system patches.

      To communicate with attackers’ servers on the Internet, a compromised system could generate throwaway viruses that would get sent to an antivirus system’s cloud, and from there, execute in the sandbox, using one of many types of covert channels to exfiltrate data, according to Itzik Kotler, chief technology officer and co-founder of cyber-security service firm SafeBreach.

      “We are able to abuse the way that the antivirus is working,” he told eWEEK. “When the service sends a new malware sample to the cloud, we can piggyback by embedding information into a malware sample and code the executable to send information from the sandbox server.”

      Kotler and a SafeBreach colleague, vice president of security research Amit Klein, found that at least four antivirus companies had cloud sandboxes that could be abused to allow the transmission of data.

      The technique splits a malware payload into two pieces. The main “rocket” infects a system inside the network through some mechanism and a “satellite” that is loaded with sensitive data and then released with the intent that the antivirus client detects the program and sends it to the sandbox for analysis.

      “The malware that is already running on the endpoint, actually contains another piece of secondary malware,” said SafeBreach’s Klein. “The main malware running on the endpoint device collects the sensitive data to be exfiltrated, and then embeds this data into the body of the satellite malware.”

      As defenses become more complex, attackers need to adapt by finding more novel ways to bypass the defenses. While there is no evidence that the satellite technique has been used by attackers, attackers have used operating-system and software update services to infect systems. The spread of the NotPetya malware through an update service for Ukrainian financial software is the latest example of such an attack.

      “I don’t think we will ever have a clear answer to whether this has been used,” SafeBreach’s Klein said. “It is not an easy question to analyze over the years that sandboxes have been used by antivirus vendors.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.