sdgds: 2023

Monday, June 5, 2023

Change Passwords Regularly - A Myth And A Lie, Don'T Be Fooled, Part 2

In the previous blog post, I have covered the different passwords you have to protect, the attackers and attack methods. Now let's look at how we want to solve the issue.

Password requirements

So far we have learned we have to use long, complex, true random passwords. In theory, this is easy.

Now, this is my password advice for 2014:

Password character classes

Use upper-lower-digit-special characters in general cases.

If you don't understand what I just write, choose from this:

qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmQWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM0123456789-=[];'\,./<>?:"|{}_+!@#$%^&* ()`~

If you are a CISO, and say: use 3 out of 4 character class, everyone will use Password12 or Welcome12 as their password (after the 12th enforced password change).

Password length

This is basically the only thing which changes whether the password is in the very high/high/medium/low level. Check the previous blog post for the details about very high/high/medium/low level.

Password length: Very high level class (including work-related/enterprise passwords)

15 character (or 20 if you are really paranoid). Making true random passwords longer than 20 characters usually does not make any sense, even in high security scenarios (e.g. military, spy agencies, etc.). 15 character in Windows environment is a right choice, as LM hash is incompatible with 15 character passwords, thus one (effective) attack won't work. Beware, there might be bugs with using 15 character passwords, with a low probability.

Password length: High-level class

12 character, upper-lower-special characters

Password length: Medium class

10 character, upper-lower-special characters, still TRUE random

Password length: Low-level class

9 character. Why less?

Pin codes

Always choose the longest provided, but a maximum of 8. Usually, more is pretty impractical.

Password randomness

True random, generated by a (local) computer. Avoid Debian. Avoid random generated by your brain. Do not use l33tsp33k. Do not append or prepend the current month, season or year to a word. Do not use Star Wars/Star Trek/(your favorite movie/series here) characters or terminology. In general, avoid any pattern like the above ones. The chances that a true random password generator generates SkyWalker12 is very-very low. And believe me, it is not that hard to crack those. Every algorithm that you would come up with; the bad guys have already thought of it. Use true random. Let the computer do it for you. See details later in this post.

Password history

Never-ever reuse passwords. NEVER!

Password change period

If it is not enforced otherwise, don't bother to change it twice in a year. But! Check if the password cracking speed made your current ones obsolete. If yes, change the obsolete passwords. Immediately change the password if you have been notified that the service you use has been compromised. Immediately change all of your recently used passwords if you suspect malware was running on your computer (do this on a known clean computer). Immediately change your password if you have used it on a computer you don't own, or there is a small chance malware is running on it. Change it if you really had to give your password to someone. Otherwise, goodbye regular password change. We will miss you...

If you are a CISO, and writing security policies, you should have to enforce the password change period based on: do you allow LM hashes? What is the password length requirement for users and administrators? What is the current hash cracking speed, and the forecast for the next 2 years? I think people would be happy to increase their passwords with 1-2 characters, if they are not forced to change it frequently (e.g. every month).
Now after I was sooo smart giving advises people still hate to implement, let's see the practical implementations. At least some people might like me, because I told them not to change the passwords regularly. Next time someone tells you to change all your important passwords regularly, put a lie detector on him, and check if he changes all of his passwords regularly. If he lies, feel free to use the wrench algorithm to crack his passwords. If he was not lying, call 911, to put a straitjacket on him. Only insane paranoid people do that in reality. Others are just too scared to say "what everyone recommended so far is bullshit". Comments are welcome ;) Other people might hate me for telling them using true random passwords. Don't panic, keep reading.

And don't forget to use 2 factor authentication. It might seem a bit of an overkill at the beginning, but after months, you won't notice using it.

(Bad and good) solutions

I will use the same password everywhere

This is a pretty bad idea. If one of the passwords are compromised, either the attackers can access your other sites, or you have to change all of your passwords. There are better ways to spend your life on earth than changing all of your passwords.

I will remember it

Good luck remembering 250 different, complex passwords. Don't forget to change them regularly! ;)

I will use the password recovery all the time

Not a very user-friendly solution. And because the security answer has to be as complicated as the password itself, the problem has not been solved.

I will write it down into my super-secret notebook and put it in my drawer

Although it might work in some cases, it won't work in others. I don't recommend it.

I will use an algorithm, like a base password, and add the websites first letters to the end of the password

Still better than using the same password everywhere, but believe me, if this is a targeted attack, it is not that hard to guess your password generation algorithm.

I will use the advice from XKCD, and use the password correcthorsebatterystaple

Still a lot better than simple passwords, but unfortunately, people are still bad at choosing random words with random order, so it is not the best solution. And again, you can't memorize 250 different passwords ... Even 10 is impossible. Only use this method in special corner cases (see details later), and use a passphrase generator!

I will use a password manager

This is the very first good idea. It solves the problem of remembering 250 different complex and random passwords. Some people might complain about using a password manager, here are those complaints. And my answers:

If someone gets access to this one password store, all is lost.

Answer: If someone accessed your password store, and the master password, you can be pretty damn sure that most of your passwords are already stolen. For extra paranoids, you can use multiple password stores, one for daily use, one for rare cases. Beware not to forget the password for the second one ;)

What if I don't have access to the password store when I need it?

Answer: In the age of cheap notebooks, tablets, and smartphones, in 99% of the cases you should not use that important password on any other device than yours. In the rare cases when you must, you can use either your smartphone to get the password, or use a browser extension like Password hasher to generate different passwords to different websites, with one password. For extra paranoids, you can have different master passwords for the different security levels. And don't forget to change the password after you are back at your own computer.

What if I forgot the one password to the password store?

Answer: If you use your password manager daily, it has the same odds to forget that one password as it is to forget every one of your passwords.

Password managers make phishing attacks easier.

Answer: Who started this nonsense? Good password managers decrease the risk of phishing.

Password managers have the same vulnerabilities as other websites or software.

Answer: Well, this is partially true. There are at least 3 types of password managers, from most secure to least: offline, browser built-in, online. Online password managers give better user experience, with a sacrifice in security. But if you choose one of the leading password managers, and you are a simple home user, the risks are negligible. If you try to store your work password in an online password store, you might violate your internal security policy. For paranoids, use offline password managers, and back them up regularly. If you choose an online password manager, at least use 2-factor authentication. And don't forget, your Chrome password can be easily synchronized to the cloud, shifting it to the online category.

In some cases, like Full Disc Encryption, OS login, smartphone login, or password manager login, the auto-type of password from the password manager is not available, thus choosing a true random password is a pain in the a$$.

Answer: True. Generate pronounceable passwords or passphrases in these corner cases, e.g. with the Linux tool apg you can generate pronounceable passwords. For easy and fast type, don't use capital letters (only lower-alpha - digit - special) in the original password, but increase the length of the password. Add 1 extra character because you don't use upper case letters, add 3 other because it is a pronounceable password, and you are good to go. For extra paranoids change one or two of the letters to uppercase where it is convenient.

apg -M SNL -m 15 is your friend.

If you want to check what I write here (always a good idea), test the entropy of a true random 10 character password with all character classes, and check it with 14 characters, without uppercase. I recommend KeePass for that. If you comment on this that "Keepass can not measure that it is a pronounceable password, thus the entropy is lower in reality", my answer is: "Check out the current passwords used by users, and current password advises, and tell me if this password is a lot better or not ..." . You have been warned.

For the high-level password class, I don't recommend anything your brain generated. There are also suitable offline passphrase generators. Use at least 5-6 words for passphrases.

Password managers are not user-friendly, it takes more time to log in.

Answer: If you set auto-type/auto-fill, and the password manager is opened once a day (and you lock your computer when you leave it), in this case, logging in takes less time than typing it! It is more convenient to use it, rather than typing the passwords every time.

I like to create new unique passwords every time I create a new account, and password managers take the fun away from it.

Answer: Said no one, ever! "38 percent of people think it sounds more appealing to tackle household chores – from folding the laundry to scrubbing toilets – than to try and come up with another new user name or password."

To summarize things. Use a password manager.

General advise

Never use your essential passwords on other computers. They might be infected with a password stealer. If you really have to use it, change the password as soon as possible on a trusted (your) computer.

Don't fool yourself by phishing sites. If you go to the local flea market, and there is a strange looking guy with "Superbank deposit here" logo above his head, will you put your money?

Protect yourself against malware. Use a recent operating system, and even if you use OSX or Linux, it is not a bad thing to have an AV as a "last line of defense". Or to check your pendrive for Windows USB worms.

Never-ever use online web sites to "generate your password", "measure the complexity of your password" or "check if it has been breached". Never! (Except if it is your password manager :) ... )

Update: Sign up on the https://haveibeenpwned.com/ for notification if your e-mail is found in a leak.

Changing passwords frequently is bad advice. It is not effective. Put more energy in other right password advise.

AlienSpy Java RAT Samples And Traffic Information

AlienSpy Java based cross platform RAT is another reincarnation of ever popular Unrecom/Adwind and Frutas RATs that have been circulating through 2014.

It appears to be used in the same campaigns as was Unrccom/Adwind - see the references. If C2 responds, the java RAT downloads Jar files containing Windows Pony/Ponik loader. The RAT is crossplatform and installs and beacons from OSX and Linux as well. However, it did not download any additional malware while running on OSX and Linux.

The samples, pcaps, and traffic protocol information are available below.

File information

I
File: DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82_paymentadvice.jar
Size: 131178
MD5: DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82

File: 01234.exe (Pony loader dropped by FAB8DE636D6F1EC93EEECAADE8B9BC68 - Transfer.jar_
Size: 792122
MD5: B5E7CD42B45F8670ADAF96BBCA5AE2D0

II
File: 79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76_Purchase Order.jar
Size: 125985
MD5: 79E9DD35AEF6558461C4B93CD0C55B76

III
File: B2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA_purchaseorder.jar
Size: 49084
MD5: b2856b11ff23d35da2c9c906c61781ba

Download

Download. Email me if you need the password

Original jar attachment files
B2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA_purchaseorder.jar
DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82_paymentadvice.jar
79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76_Purchase Order.jar

Pcap files download

AlienSpyRAT_B2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA.pcap

AlienSpyRAT_79E9DD35AEF6558461C4B93CD0C55B76.pcap

Pony_B5E7CD42B45F8670ADAF96BBCA5AE2D0.pcap

AlienspyRAT_DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82-OSXLion.pcap

AlienspyRAT_DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82-WinXP.pcap

All files with created and downloaded

References

Research:
Boredliner: Cracking obfuscated java code - Adwind 3 << detailed java analysis
Fidelis: RAT in a jar:A phishing campaign using Unrecom May 21, 2014
Crowdstrike: Adwind RAT rebranding
Symantec:Adwind RAT
Symantec: Frutas RAT
Symantec: Ponik/Pony

Java Serialization References:
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/platform/serialization/spec/protocol.html
http://www.kdgregory.com/index.php?page=java.serialization
http://staf.cs.ui.ac.id/WebKuliah/java/MasteringJavaBeans/ch11.pdf

Additional File details

Alienspy RAT
The following RAT config strings are extracted from memory dumps. Alienspy RAT is a reincarnated Unrecom/Adwind << Frutas RAT and is available from https://alienspy.net/
As you see by the config, it is very similar to Unrecom/Adwind
File: paymentadvice.jar
Size: 131178

MD5: DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82
───paymentadvice.jar
├───META-INF
│ MANIFEST.MF <<MD5: 11691d9f7d585c528ca22f7ba6f4a131 Size: 90
│
├───plugins
│ Server.class <<MD5: 3d9ffbe03567067ae0d68124b5b7b748 Size: 520 << Strings are here
│
└───stub
EcryptedWrapper.class <<MD5: f2701642ac72992c983cb85981a5aeb6 Size: 89870
EncryptedLoader.class <<MD5: 3edfd511873b30d1373a4dc54db336ee Size: 223356
EncryptedLoaderOld.class << MD5: b0ef7ff41caf69d9ae076c605653c4c7 Size: 15816
stub.dll << MD5: 64fb8dfb8d25a0273081e78e7c40ca5e Size: 43648 << Strings are here

Alienspy Rat Config strings
DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82
<!DOCTYPE properties SYSTEM "http://java.sun.com/dtd/properties.dtd">
<properties>
<comment>AlienSpy</comment>
<entry key="vbox">false</entry>
<entry key="password">a2e74aef2c17329f0e8e8f347c62a6a03d16b944</entry>
<entry key="p2">1079</entry>
<entry key="p1">1077</entry>
<entry key="ps_hacker">false</entry>
<entry key="install_time">2000</entry>
<entry key="taskmgr">false</entry>
<entry key="connetion_time">2000</entry>
<entry key="registryname">GKXeW0Yke7</entry>
<entry key="wireshark">false</entry>
<entry key="NAME">IHEAKA</entry>
<entry key="jarname">unXX0JIhwW</entry>
<entry key="dns">204.45.207.40</entry>
<entry key="ps_explorer">false</entry>
<entry key="msconfig">false</entry>
<entry key="pluginfoldername">m4w6OAI02f</entry>
<entry key="extensionname">xBQ</entry>
<entry key="install">true</entry>
<entry key="win_defender">false</entry>
<entry key="uac">false</entry>
<entry key="jarfoldername">9bor9J6cRd</entry>
<entry key="mutex">xooJlYrm61</entry>
<entry key="prefix">IHEAKA</entry>
<entry key="restore_system">false</entry>
<entry key="vmware">false</entry>
<entry key="desktop">true</entry>
<entry key="reconnetion_time">2000</entry>
</properties>

IP: 204.45.207.40
Decimal: 3425554216
Hostname: 212.clients.instantdedis.com
ISP: FDCservers.net
Country: United States
State/Region: Colorado
City: Denver

79E9DD35AEF6558461C4B93CD0C55B76
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE properties SYSTEM "http://java.sun.com/dtd/properties.dtd">
<properties>
<comment>AlienSpy</comment>
<entry key="pluginfolder">fy0qFUFuLP</entry>
<entry key="reconnetion_time">3000</entry>
<entry key="ps_hacker">true</entry>
<entry key="restore_system">true</entry>
<entry key="pluginfoldername">fy0qFUFuLP</entry>
<entry key="dns">38.89.137.248</entry>
<entry key="install_time">3000</entry>
<entry key="port2">1065</entry>
<entry key="port1">1064</entry>
<entry key="taskmgr">true</entry>
<entry key="vmware">false</entry>
<entry key="jarname">LcuSMagrlF</entry>
<entry key="msconfig">true</entry>
<entry key="mutex">VblVc5kEqY</entry>
<entry key="install">true</entry>
<entry key="instalar">true</entry>
<entry key="vbox">false</entry>
<entry key="password">7110eda4d09e062aa5e4a390b0a572ac0d2c0220</entry>
<entry key="NAME">xmas things</entry>
<entry key="extensionname">7h8</entry>
<entry key="prefix">xmas</entry>
<entry key="jarfoldername">jcwDpUEpCh</entry>
<entry key="uac">true</entry>
<entry key="win_defender">true</entry>
<entry key="

IP: 38.89.137.248
Decimal: 643402232
Hostname: 38.89.137.248
ISP: Cogent Communications
Country: United States us flag

Created Files

DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 paymentadvice.jar

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\evt88IWdHO\CnREgyvLBS.txt <<MD5: abe6ef71e44d2e145033800d0dccea57 << strings are here (by classes)
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\evt88IWdHO\Desktop.ini
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\asdqw15727804162199772615555.jar << Strings are here
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\iWimMQLgpsT2624529381479181764.png (seen Transfer.jar in the stream) <<MD5: fab8de636d6f1ec93eeecaade8b9bc68 Size: 755017 << Strings are here

%USERPROFILE%\29OVHAabdr.tmp << timestamp file << Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\29OVHAabdr.tmp << timestamp file << Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\Application Data\9bor9J6cRd\Desktop.ini << Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\Application Data\9bor9J6cRd\unXX0JIhwW.txt << MD5: DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 < original jar << Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\Local Settings\Temp\14583359.bat << Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\Local Settings\Temp\asdqw4727319084772952101234.exe << Pony Downloader MD5: b5e7cd42b45f8670adaf96bbca5ae2d0 Size: 792122 < Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\Local Settings\Temp\OiuFr7LcfXq1847924646026958055.vbs <<MD5: 9E1EDE0DEDADB7AF34C0222ADA2D58C9 Strings are here

\deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\\xooJlYrm61.tmp < timestamp file << Strings are here

\deleted_files\C\WINDOWS\tem.txt - 0bytes

 IWIMMQLGPST2624529381479181764.PNG MD5: fab8de636d6f1ec93eeecaade8b9bc68

├───com

 │   └───java

 │       │   Main.class << MD5:  d020b9fdac0139d43997f9ec14fa5947 Size: 7232

 │       │   Manifest.mf << MD5:  a396d2898e8a83aa5233c4258de006e3 Size: 750412

 │               │   01234.exe << MD5:  b5e7cd42b45f8670adaf96bbca5ae2d0 Size: 792122

 │               │   15555.jar << MD5:  abe6ef71e44d2e145033800d0dccea57 Size: 50922

 │               │

 │               └───15555

 │                   │   ID

 │                   │   Main.class << MD5:  d020b9fdac0139d43997f9ec14fa5947 Size: 7232

 │                   │   MANIFEST.MF << MD5:  a396d2898e8a83aa5233c4258de006e3 Size: 750412

 │                   │

 │                   ├───META-INF

 │                   └───plugins

 └───META-INF

         MANIFEST.MF << MD5:  042c2fa9077d96478ce585d210641d9a Size: 171

 File types

14583359.bat (.txt) "Text file"
29OVHAabdr.tmp (.txt) "Text file"
asdqw15727804162199772615555.jar (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"
asdqw4727319084772952101234.exe (.exe) "Executable File"
CnREgyvLBS.txt (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"
Desktop.ini (.txt) "Text file"
DFR5.tmp (.txt) "Text file"
iWimMQLgpsT2624529381479181764.png (.zip) "Zip Compressed"
iWimMQLgpsT2624529381479181764.png (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"
OiuFr7LcfXq1847924646026958055.vbs (.txt) "Vbs script file"
tem.txt (.txt) "Text file"
unXX0JIhwW.txt (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"
xooJlYrm61.tmp (.txt) "Text file"

79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76 Purchase Order.jar

Received: from magix-webmail (webmail.app.magix-online.com [193.254.184.250])

by smtp.app.magix-online.com (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id B626052E77F;

Sun, 16 Nov 2014 14:54:06 +0100 (CET)

Received: from 206.217.192.188 ([206.217.192.188]) by

webmail.magix-online.com (Horde Framework) with HTTP; Sun, 16 Nov 2014

14:54:06 +0100

Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 14:54:06 +0100

Message-ID: <20141116145406.Horde.YL7L4Bi7ap6_NXm76DDEaw2@webmail.magix-online.com>

From: Outokumpu Import Co Ltd <purchase@brentyil.org>

Subject: Re: Confirm correct details

Reply-to: jingwings@outlook.com

User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) H5 (6.1.4)

Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=_FMdois7zoq7xTAV91epZoQ6"

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

This message is in MIME format.

--=_FMdois7zoq7xTAV91epZoQ6

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed; DelSp=Yes

Content-Disposition: inline

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Dear Sir,

Please confirm the attached purchase order for your reference.

Please acknowledge Invoice for the final confirmation and confirm

details are correct so we can proceed accordingly.

Please give me feedback through this email.

IBRAHIM MOHAMMAD AL FAR

Area Manager

Central Region

Outokumpu Import Co Ltd

Tel: +966-11-265-2030

Fax: +966-11-265-0350

Mob: +966-50 610 8743

P.O Box: 172 Riyadh 11383

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

--=_FMdois7zoq7xTAV91epZoQ6

Content-Type: application/java-archive; name="Purchase Order.jar"

Content-Description: Purchase Order.jar

Content-Disposition: attachment; size=125985; filename="Purchase Order.jar"

Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

File paths

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\jcwDpUEpCh\Desktop.ini

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\jcwDpUEpCh\LcuSMagrlF.txt
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012014111620141117\index.dat
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\hsperfdata_Laura\3884
%USERPROFILE%\VblVc5kEqY.tmp
deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\TaskNetworkGathor267205042636993976.reg
deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\VblVc5kEqY.tmp
deleted_files\C\WINDOWS\tem.txt

File types
Desktop.ini (.txt) "Text file"
index.dat (.txt) "Text file"
LcuSMagrlF.txt (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"
TaskNetworkGathor267205042636993976.reg (.txt) "Text file"
tem.txt (.txt) "Text file"
VblVc5kEqY.tmp (.txt) "Text file"

MD5 list
Desktop.ini e783bdd20a976eaeaae1ff4624487420
index.dat b431d50792262b0ef75a3d79a4ca4a81
LcuSMagrlF.txt 79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76
79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76.malware 79e9dd35aef6558461c4b93cd0c55b76
TaskNetworkGathor267205042636993976.reg 6486acf0ca96ecdc981398855255b699 << Strings are here
tem.txt d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
VblVc5kEqY.tmp b5c6ea9aaf042d88ee8cd61ec305880b

III
B2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA Purchase Order.jar
File paths
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Sys32\Desktop.ini
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Sys32\Windows.jar.txt
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012014111620141117\index.dat
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\hsperfdata_Laura\1132
%USERPROFILE%\WWMI853JfC.tmp
deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\TaskNetworkGathor7441169770678304780.reg
deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012013110920131110\index.dat
deleted_files\%USERPROFILE%\WWMI853JfC.tmp
deleted_files\C\DFRA.tmp

deleted_files\C\WINDOWS\tem

File type list
Desktop.ini (.txt) "Text file"
DFRA.tmp (.txt) "Text file"
index.dat (.txt) "Text file"
TaskNetworkGathor7441169770678304780.reg (.txt) "Text file"
tem (.txt) "Text file"
Windows.jar.txt (.zip) "PKZIP Compressed"

WWMI853JfC.tmp (.txt) "Text file"

MD5 list
Desktop.ini e783bdd20a976eaeaae1ff4624487420
DFRA.tmp d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
index.dat b431d50792262b0ef75a3d79a4ca4a81
purchase.jar b2856b11ff23d35da2c9c906c61781ba
TaskNetworkGathor7441169770678304780.reg 311af3b9a52ffc58f46ad83afb1e93b6
tem d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
Windows.jar.txt b2856b11ff23d35da2c9c906c61781ba
WWMI853JfC.tmp 8e222c61fc55c230407ef1eb21a7daa9

Traffic Information

Java Serialization Protocol traffic info

DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 traffic capture - Windows XP
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000004 75 72 00 02 5b 42 ac f3 17 f8 06 08 54 e0 02 00 ur..[B.. ....T...
00000014 00 .
00000015 78 70 00 00 03 2a 1f 8b 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 xp...*.. ........
00000025 6d 54 dd 8e d3 46 18 1d 12 16 b2 bb 59 40 fc 5d mT...F.. ....Y@.]
00000035 bb 52 2b 71 83 d7 76 1c 3b a1 12 10 58 16 36 2c .R+q..v. ;...X.6,
00000045 14 95 56 1b 24 4b d6 17 7b 9c cc 66 3c e3 ce 8c ..V.$K.. {..f<...
00000055 d7 a6 17 7d 8e 3e 44 1f a0 12 2f c1 43 f4 b6 ef ...}.>D. ../.C...
00000065 d0 cf 6c 76 1d 2a 22 d9 19 7b be 9f 73 be 73 c6 ..lv.*". .{..s.s.
00000075 7f fd 4b b6 b4 22 77 4f e1 0c ec d2 30 6e bf 53 ..K.."wO ....0n.S

DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 traffic capture - OSX Lion
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000004 75 72 00 02 5b 42 ac f3 17 f8 06 08 54 e0 02 00 ur..[B.. ....T...
00000014 00 .
00000015 78 70 00 00 03 33 1f 8b 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 xp...3.. ........
00000025 75 54 cd 6e db 46 10 de c8 b5 2d ff 26 c8 1f 7a uT.n.F.. ..-.&..z
00000035 54 0f 45 7b d1 92 5c d1 94 89 02 4d 94 c0 b1 a5 T.E{..\. ...M....
00000045 d8 4d 51 23 89 73 22 56 dc a5 b5 16 b9 cb ec 2e .MQ#.s"V ........

B2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA on Windows XP
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000004 75 72 00 02 5b 42 ac f3 17 f8 06 08 54 e0 02 00 ur..[B.. ....T...
00000014 00 .
00000015 78 70 00 00 03 63 1f 8b 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 xp...c.. ........
00000025 6d 54 5d 6e db 46 10 de 48 91 2d db 8a 13 24 41 mT]n.F.. H.-...$A
00000035 fa ca 3e 14 08 0a 84 e6 bf a4 16 68 9a c4 75 1b ..>..... ...h..u.
00000045 c3 6e 0d b8 85 13 80 00 31 22 57 d2 5a e4 ee 76 .n...... 1"W.Z..v

79E9DD35AEF6558461C4B93CD0C55B76 - Windows XP
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000004 75 72 00 02 5b 42 ac f3 17 f8 06 08 54 e0 02 00 ur..[B.. ....T...
00000014 00 .
00000015 78 70 00 00 03 69 1f 8b 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 xp...i.. ........
00000025 6d 54 dd 6e db 36 14 66 ed fc 38 89 9b 16 ed d0 mT.n.6.f ..8.....
00000035 de 6a 17 03 8a 01 53 28 d9 92 ed 0d e8 d6 34 71 .j....S( ......4q

00000045 b6 c0 19 02 64 69 3b c0 80 70 2c d1 36 6d 4a 62 ....di;. .p,.6mJb

Serialization Protocol decoding:

The following fields are part of the serialization protocol and are 'benign" and common.

AC ED (¬í) - Java Serialization protocol magic STREAM_MAGIC = (short)0xaced.
00 05 - Serialization Version STREAM_VERSION
75 (u) - Specifies that this is a new array - newArray: TC_ARRAY
72 (r) - Specifies that this is a new class - newClassDesc: TC_CLASSDESC
00 02 - Length of the class name
5B 42 AC F3 17 F8 06 08 54 E0 ([B¬ó.ø..Tà) This is a Serial class name and version identifier section but data appears to be encrypted
02 00 - Is Serializable Flag - SC_SERIALIZABLE
78 70 (xp) - some low-level information identifying serialized fields
1f 8b 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 - GZIP header as seen in the serialization stream

As you see, all Windows traffic captures have identical fields following the GZIP stream, while OSX traffic has different data. The jar files that had Pony Downloader payload did not have other OSX malware packaged and I saw no activity on OSX other than calling the C2 and writing to the randomly named timestamp file (e.g VblVc5kEqY.tmp - updating current timestamp in Unix epoch format)

Combination of the Stream Magic exchange, plus all other benign fields in this order will create a usable signature. However, it will be prone to false positives unless you use fields after the GZIP header for OS specific signatures

Another signature can be based on the transfer. jar download as seen below

DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 - downloading fab8de636d6f1ec93eeecaade8b9bc68
iWimMQLgpsT2624529381479181764.png (seen Transfer.jar in the stream) , which contains 15555.jar in Manifest.mf, which contains 15555.exe (Pony loader) in its' Manfest.mf

IHEAKA _000C297 << IHEAKA is the name of the RAT client, it is different in each infection.

00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000000 ac ed 00 05 ....
00000004 77 04 w.
00000006 00 00 00 01 ....
0000000A 77 15 w.
0000000C 00 13 49 48 45 41 4b 41 5f 30 30 30 43 32 39 37 ..IHEAKA _000C297
0000001C 42 41 38 44 41 BA8DA
00000004 77 0e 00 0c 54 72 61 6e 73 66 65 72 2e 6a 61 72 w...Tran sfer.jar
00000014 7a 00 00 04 00 50 4b 03 04 14 00 08 08 08 00 46 z....PK. .......F
00000024 0c 71 45 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 14 .qE..... ........
00000034 00 04 00 4d 45 54 41 2d 49 4e 46 2f 4d 41 4e 49 ...META- INF/MANI
00000044 46 45 53 54 2e 4d 46 fe ca 00 00 4d 8d 4d 0b c2 FEST.MF. ...M.M..

---- snip----

000ABBA0 00 09 00 00 00 31 35 35 35 35 2e 6a 61 72 74 97 .....155 55.jart.
000ABBB0 43 70 26 8c a2 44 63 db 9c d8 b6 9d 7c b1 6d db Cp&..Dc. ....|.m.
000ABBC0 c6 c4 b6 6d db b6 6d db 99 d8 76 f2 fe e5 dd bc ...m..m. ..v.....

Pony downloader traffic

HTTP requests
URL: http://meetngreetindia.com/scala/gate.php
TYPE: POST
USER AGENT: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows 98)
URL: http://meetngreetindia.com/scala/gate.php
TYPE: GET
USER AGENT: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows 98)
DNS requests
meetngreetindia.com (50.28.15.25)
TCP connections
50.28.15.25:80

IP: 50.28.15.25
Decimal: 840699673
Hostname: mahanadi3.ewebguru.net
ISP: Liquid Web
Organization: eWebGuru
State/Region: Michigan
City: Lansing

https://www.virustotal.com/en/ip-address/50.28.15.25/information/

IP-Domain Information

I
DB46ADCFAE462E7C475C171FBE66DF82 paymentadvice.jar

IP: 204.45.207.40
Decimal: 3425554216
Hostname: 212.clients.instantdedis.com
ISP: FDCservers.net
Country: United States
State/Region: Colorado
City: Denver

meetngreetindia.com (50.28.15.25)
TCP connections
50.28.15.25:80
Decimal: 840699673
Hostname: mahanadi3.ewebguru.net
ISP: Liquid Web
Organization: eWebGuru
State/Region: Michigan
City: Lansing

II
79E9DD35AEF6558461C4B93CD0C55B76 Purchase order.jar
IP: 38.89.137.248
Decimal: 643402232
Hostname: 38.89.137.248
ISP: Cogent Communications
Country: United States us flag

III
2856B11FF23D35DA2C9C906C61781BA Purchase order.jar
installone.no-ip.biz
IP Address: 185.32.221.17
Country: Switzerland
Network Name: CH-DATASOURCE-20130812
Owner Name: Datasource AG
From IP: 185.32.220.0
To IP: 185.32.223.255
Allocated: Yes
Contact Name: Rolf Tschumi
Address: mgw online service, Roetihalde 12, CH-8820 Waedenswil
Email: rolf.tschumi@mgw.ch
Abuse Email: abuse@softplus.net

Virustotal

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/02d1e6dd2f3eecf809d8cd43b5b49aa76c6f322cf4776d7b190676c5f12d6b45/analysis/SHA256: 02d1e6dd2f3eecf809d8cd43b5b49aa76c6f322cf4776d7b190676c5f12d6b45
MD5 db46adcfae462e7c475c171fbe66df82
SHA1 2b43211053d00147b2cb9847843911c771fd3db4
SHA256 02d1e6dd2f3eecf809d8cd43b5b49aa76c6f322cf4776d7b190676c5f12d6b45
ssdeep3072:VR/6ZQvChcDfJNBOFJKMRXcCqfrCUMBpXOg84WoUeonNTFN:LdvCGJN0FJ1RXcgBpXOjOjSNTFN
File size 128.1 KB ( 131178 bytes )
File type ZIP
Magic literalZip archive data, at least v2.0 to extract
TrID ZIP compressed archive (100.0%)
File name: Payment Advice.jar
Detection ratio: 6 / 54
Analysis date: 2014-11-16 20:58:08 UTC ( 1 day, 4 hours ago )
Ikarus Trojan.Java.Adwind 20141116
TrendMicro JAVA_ADWIND.XXO 20141116
TrendMicro-HouseCall JAVA_ADWIND.XXO 20141116
DrWeb Java.Adwind.3 20141116
Kaspersky HEUR:Trojan.Java.Generic 20141116
ESET-NOD32 a variant of Java/Adwind.T 20141116

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/733c037f886d91b6874ac4a2de5b32ca1e7f7f992928b01579b76603b233110c/analysis/1416194595/
SHA256: 733c037f886d91b6874ac4a2de5b32ca1e7f7f992928b01579b76603b233110c
MD5 fab8de636d6f1ec93eeecaade8b9bc68
File name: iWimMQLgpsT2624529381479181764.png
Detection ratio: 23 / 53
Analysis date: 2014-11-17 03:23:15 UTC ( 0 minutes ago )
AVG Zbot.URE 20141116
Qihoo-360 Win32/Trojan.fff 20141117
ESET-NOD32 Win32/PSW.Fareit.A 20141117
Fortinet W32/Inject.SXVW!tr 20141117
Antiy-AVL Trojan[PSW]/Win32.Tepfer 20141117
AVware Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT 20141117
DrWeb Trojan.PWS.Stealer.13319 20141117
Symantec Trojan.Maljava 20141117
McAfee RDN/Generic Exploit!1m3 20141117
McAfee-GW-Edition RDN/Generic Exploit!1m3 20141117
Sophos Mal/JavaJar-A 20141117
Avast Java:Malware-gen [Trj] 20141117
Cyren Java/Agent.KS 20141117
F-Prot Java/Agent.KS 20141117
Kaspersky HEUR:Trojan.Java.Generic 20141117
Emsisoft Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 (B) 20141117
Ad-Aware Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
BitDefender Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
F-Secure Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141116
GData Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
MicroWorld-eScan Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
Ikarus Exploit.Java.Agent 20141117
Norman Adwind.E 20141116

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/91d71b06c99fe25271ba19c1c47c2d1ba85e78c2d7d5ae74e97417dc958dc725/analysis/
MD5 b5e7cd42b45f8670adaf96bbca5ae2d0
SHA256: 91d71b06c99fe25271ba19c1c47c2d1ba85e78c2d7d5ae74e97417dc958dc725
File name: asdqw4727319084772952101234.exe
Detection ratio: 12 / 54
Analysis date: 2014-11-17 03:21:30 UTC
AVG Zbot.URE 20141116
AVware Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT 20141117
Ad-Aware Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
Antiy-AVL Trojan[PSW]/Win32.Tepfer 20141116
BitDefender Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
DrWeb Trojan.PWS.Stealer.13319 20141117
ESET-NOD32 Win32/PSW.Fareit.A 20141117
Emsisoft Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 (B) 20141117
F-Secure Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141116
GData Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
MicroWorld-eScan Gen:Variant.Kazy.494557 20141117
Qihoo-360 Win32/Trojan.fff 20141117

More info