Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • 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
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Malware Abuses Chromium Embedded Frameword to Bolster Attacks

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    March 27, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Researchers at Symantec have detected a new variant of the Tidserv (TDL) malware that takes advantage of the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) to enhance its attack.

      CEF is an open-source framework for embedding a Web browser control based on Google Chrome. This enables developers to create applications that have Web browser windows.

      According to Symantec, the TDL malware is abusing CEF to move some basic Web browser functionality out of its own modules and into the CEF library.

      “This allows for smaller modules that are easier to update with new functionality,” Kevin Savage, a Symantec researcher, explained in a blog post. “The downside of Tidserv using CEF is that the cef32 module needs the CEF cef.dll Dynamic Link Library in order to load. The URL to the CEF Zip file for download is currently hardcoded in the serf332 binary, so any change to this URL will require an update to the serf332 module.”

      In the past, variants of Tidserv had used the serf332 module to perform network operations like link clicking and ad pop-ups using Component Object Model (COM) objects to open Web pages and inspect page content, Savage noted. Recently, Symantec observed Tidserv downloading a new module called cef32, which has the same functionality as serf332 but requires cef.dll, which is part of the CEF. This requires a download of the full 50MB CEF to the compromised system, he explained.

      In response to the revelations, CEF developers posted a notice on the Website stating that they were aware that a CEF binary release file hosted on the CEF project page was being directly downloaded by a distributed malware product for “illegal purposes.”

      “The [CEF] project and its authors do not condone or promote the use of the CEF framework for illegal or illicit purposes,” the notice said. “We will take all actions reasonably within our power to frustrate this use case. For that reason, current and future downloads will be hosted externally at http://www.magpcss.net/cef_downloads/. This new download location offers improved features and protections over those offered by Google Code hosting. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause our users who download CEF for legitimate purposes.”

      Satnam Narang, security response manager at Symantec, said this is the first time it has observed the CEF being used by malware.

      “As a requirement for the threat to function correctly, it’s noteworthy that the threat is instructed to download the 50MB framework, which is unusual,” Narang told eWEEK.

      The use of CEF indicates that “the threat is offloading some of the Web browser functionality to the CEF library to make its own modules leaner and thus easier to update in the future with new functionality,” Narang added.

      “There has been a considerable increase in the download of the CEF over the last 18 days,” Savage blogged. “While we cannot be certain as to how many of these downloads may relate to Tidserv infection activities, if these downloads are a result of the malware, the number of computers compromised [by] Tidserv would be sizable.”

      Avatar
      Brian Prince

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 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.

      ×