Close
  • Latest News
  • 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
Logo
  • Latest News
  • 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
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • PC Hardware

    Researcher Unmasks Sneaky Clampi Trojan at Black Hat

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    July 29, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      A security researcher has uncovered new details on the malware behind one of the largest ongoing cyber-crime operations on the Internet.

      Known alternatively as the Clampi, Ligats or Ilomo Trojan, the malware is believed to have been infecting computers since 2007. Today, it is believed to have swiped data from hundreds of thousands of Windows users as it seeks out information that can be used to log in to 4,600 banking and other sites that interest cyber-crooks.

      “This is a pretty vast net that they’re throwing out here,” said Joe Stewart, director of malware research for the Counter Threat Unit at SecureWorks. “We’re used to seeing things like Zeus, where you see 20 or 30 banks maybe that they usually target.”

      Its persistence is rivaled by its sneakiness. Like Coreflood, the malware uses the SysInternals PsExec tool to spread once a domain administrator logs on to an infected workstation. The malware authors added this functionality in March.

      “Once it gets a foothold on one system, they use this PsExec tool once they have domain administrator credentials, where they can just push the malware out to every machine on the network,” Stewart said.

      The malware is also spreading via drive-by attacks on compromised Websites.

      “They basically have stolen FTP credentials to these sites, and they are getting those from the victims they have already infected,” he said. “So it’s a vicious cycle here.”

      So far, Stewart has identified 1,400 of the Websites, which range from banking sites to advertising networks to news blogs.

      The traffic sent by Clampi to its command-and-control server is encrypted by 448-bit blowfish encryption, using a randomly generated session key sent to the control server with 2048-bit RSA encryption. SecureWorks penetrated the encryption by intercepting the session key in a test system and decrypting the network traffic. This enabled Stewart to analyze the list of Websites targeted by Clampi’s LOGGER module.

      According to SecureWorks, the configuration consists of a list of CRC32 checksums of host names, paths and ports for Clampi to examine when determining whether to send the HTTP request data back to the controller.

      Not much is known about who is behind Clampi, though it is thought to be operated by a botmaster based in Eastern Europe, Stewart said. Still, he noted that most major anti-virus vendors are detecting Clampi variants.

      Given the lag between the release of a new Trojan and its detection, SecureWorks recommends that businesses that carry out online banking and financial transactions use a dedicated workstation for accessing financial accounts that is isolated from the rest of the local network and the Internet except for necessary financial sites. Businesses should also consider hardening their systems against auto-run-type threats since Trojans often spread through removable drives.

      “It’s definitely more of an advanced operation than most of the Trojan criminal operations that we’ve seen,” Stewart said.

      Brian Prince

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×