TA16-336A: Avalanche (crimeware-as-a-service infrastructure)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security US-CERT
National Cyber Awareness System:
TA16-336A: Avalanche (crimeware-as-a-service infrastructure)
12/01/2016 12:00 AM EST
Original release date: December 01, 2016
Systems Affected
Microsoft Windows
Overview
ôAvalancheö refers to a large global network hosting infrastructure used by
cyber criminals to conduct phishing and malware distribution campaigns and
money mule schemes. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in
collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is releasing this
Technical Alert to provide further information about Avalanche.
Description
Cyber criminals utilized Avalanche botnet infrastructure to host and distribute
a variety of malware variants to victims, including the targeting of over 40
major financial institutions. Victims may have had their sensitive personal
information stolen (e.g., user account credentials). VictimsÆ compromised
systems may also have been used to conduct other malicious activity, such as
launching denial-of-service (DoS) attacks or distributing malware variants to
other victimsÆ computers.
In addition, Avalanche infrastructure was used to run money mule schemes where
criminals recruited people to commit fraud involving transporting and
laundering stolen money or merchandise.
Avalanche used fast-flux DNS, a technique to hide the criminal servers, behind
a constantly changing network of compromised systems acting as proxies.
The following malware families were hosted on the infrastructure:
Windows-encryption Trojan horse (WVT) (aka Matsnu,
Injector,Rannoh,Ransomlock.P)
URLzone (aka Bebloh)
Citadel
VM-ZeuS (aka KINS)
Bugat (aka Feodo, Geodo, Cridex, Dridex, Emotet)
newGOZ (aka GameOverZeuS)
Tinba (aka TinyBanker)
Nymaim/GozNym
Vawtrak (aka Neverquest)
Marcher
Pandabanker
Ranbyus
Smart App
TeslaCrypt
Trusteer App
Xswkit
Avalanche was also used as a fast flux botnet which provides communication
infrastructure for other botnets, including the following:
TeslaCrypt
Nymaim
Corebot
GetTiny
Matsnu
Rovnix
Urlzone
QakBot (aka Qbot, PinkSlip Bot)
Impact
A system infected with Avalanche-associated malware may be subject to malicious
activity including the theft of user credentials and other sensitive data, such
as banking and credit card information. Some of the malware had the capability
to encrypt user files and demand a ransom be paid by the victim to regain
access to those files. In addition, the malware may have allowed criminals
unauthorized remote access to the infected computer. Infected systems could
have been used to conduct distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Solution
Users are advised to take the following actions to remediate malware infections
associated with Avalanche:
Use and maintain anti-virus software û Anti-virus software recognizes and
protects your computer against most known viruses. Even though parts of
Avalanche are designed to evade detection, security companies are continuously
updating their software to counter these advanced threats. Therefore, it is
important to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. If you suspect you may
be a victim of an Avalanche malware, update your anti-virus software
definitions and run a full-system scan. (See Understanding Anti-Virus Software
for more information.)
Avoid clicking links in email û Attackers have become very skilled at
making phishing emails look legitimate. Users should ensure the link is
legitimate by typing the link into a new browser (see Avoiding Social
Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information).
Change your passwords û Your original passwords may have been compromised
during the infection, so you should change them. (See Choosing and Protecting
Passwords for more information.)
Keep your operating system and application software up-to-date û Install
software patches so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or
vulnerabilities. You should enable automatic updates of the operating system if
this option is available. (See Understanding Patches for more information.)
Use anti-malware tools û Using a legitimate program that identifies and
removes malware can help eliminate an infection. Users can consider employing a
remediation tool. A non-exhaustive list of examples is provided below. The U.S.
Government does not endorse or support any particular product or vendor.
ESET Online Scanner
https://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/
F-Secure
https://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/online-scanner
McAfee Stinger
http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/index.aspx
Microsoft Safety Scanner
https://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx
Norton Power Eraser
https://norton.com/npe
References
https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/money_mules.pdf
http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/avalanche-group-linked-to-fraud-a-2573
Revision History
December 1, 2016: Initial release
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