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This malware is another reason to dread PowerPoint presentations
Researchers have identified a new malware distribution campaign that utilizes malicious macros concealed within Microsoft PowerPoint attachments.
According to security firm Trustwave, the rigged PowerPoint files are being distributed en masse via email and, once downloaded, set in motion a chain of events that ultimately lead to a LokiBot malware infection.
This mechanism in itself is not unusual, but the manner in which this particular scam evades detection caught the company’s eye. Namely, the way URLs are manipulated to conceal the final payload.
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PowerPoint malware campaign
According to Trustwave, the series of domains used in this campaign to infect the target user were actually already known to host malicious content.
However, the hackers have leveraged URL manipulation techniques to conceal the dangerous domains, hoodwinking both the victim and any security filters that might be in place.
Specifically, the campaign abuses standard uniform resource identifier (URI) syntax to bamboozle antivirus services coded to guard against only URLs that follow a particular format.
Opening and closing the infected PowerPoint file activates the malicious macro, launching a URL via the Windows binary “mshta.exe.”, which itself redirects to a VBScript hosted on Pastebin, an online service for storing plain text.
This script contains a second URL, which writes a PowerShell downloader into the registry, triggering the download and execution of two further URLs - also from Pastebin.
One loads up a DLL injector, which is then used to infect the machine with a sample of LokiBot malware concealed within the final URL.
This process might appear excessively convoluted, but the layers of concealment and misdirection - coupled with URL-related sleight of hand - are what allows the attack to proceed unchecked.
To mitigate against this kind of threat, Trustwave has advised users to put in place a sophisticated anti-malware solution designed specifically to combat email-based threats and to interrogate all URLs for irregularities that might betray a scam.
TechRadar Pro has sought further clarification as to what users can do to identify dangerous URLs that have been manipulated as described above.
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Date
03 Oct 2020Sources
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Google wants your next work laptop to be an Android tablet
Read MoreTablet devices could be set for a major comeback, with the handheld devices better suited for work and productivity tasks, Google has claimed.
In the latest episode of The Android Show, the company's CTO of tablets Rich Miner laid out his vision of a "tablet-first" future.
Miner, who was one of the co-founders of Android, says that when twinned with the latest versions of the software, tablet devices offer a range of advantages for enterprise and business users that could see them supercede business laptops soon.
Android tablet or laptop?
Miner noted that although the first Android tablets were aimed squarely at the consumer market, larger-screen devices began seeing stronger sales in the latter half of 2019.
The Covid pandemic and shift towards remote and hybrid working has helped push these sales even higher, acting as an "accelerant" as people look for more effective ways to work.
"The belief is that tablets started to be just much better for things beyond consumption, and were being used for creativity and productivity and there was a need for more screens and devices to support that," Miner said.
Tablet sales rose strongly during the first year of the pandemic, and nearly drew level with laptop shipments before falling off slightly in 2021 - although Miner says he expects this to return at some point in te future.
"I actually think that there’s going to be a crossover point at some point in the not too distant future where there are more tablets sold annually than there are laptops," he noted. "I think once you cross over that point, you’re not going to be coming back."
Read moreMiner says that the form factor of tablets offers a particular appeal for users and developers alike, with the recent launch of Android 12L providing specialized tools for such devices.
"I actually think there is going to be another wave of apps here that are thinking tablet-first," he noted. "What can I do with that larger screen that maybe I couldn’t easily do with something that was physically connected to a keyboard?"
"If tablets really are going to become this new device for people to be creative and productive, what new apps would take advantage of people who may be doing things stylus-enabled out of the gate? What does that mean for the mobility that you have with a tablet that you don’t even quite have with a laptop? "
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