CNIT 126 Ch 11: Malware Behavior
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This document summarizes various types of malware behaviors including downloaders and launchers, backdoors, credential stealers, keyloggers, and techniques for persistence and privilege escalation. Downloaders download and execute other malware while launchers prepare other malware for execution. Backdoors provide remote access to infected machines. Credential stealers steal login credentials in various ways. Keyloggers log keystrokes through hooking or polling methods. Malware uses techniques like registry modifications, trojanizing binaries, and DLL load hijacking for persistence. It may also exploit privileges like SeDebugPrivilege for privilege escalation. User-mode rootkits modify OS functionality to hide malware by techniques like IAT and inline hooking.
CNIT 126 Ch 11: Malware Behavior
- 1. Practical Malware Analysis Ch 11: Malware Behavior Last revised 10-27-20
- 3. Downloaders • Download another piece of malware – And execute it on the local system • Commonly use the Windows API URLDownloadtoFileA, followed by a call to WinExec
- 4. Launchers (aka Loaders) • Prepares another piece of malware for covert execution – Either immediately or later – Stores malware in unexpected places, such as the .rsrc section of a PE file
- 5. Backdoors
- 6. Backdoors • Provide remote access to victim machine • The most common type of malware • Often communicate over HTTP on Port 80 – Network signatures are helpful for detection • Common capabilities – Manipulate Registry, enumerate display windows, create directories, search files, etc.
- 7. Reverse Shell • Infected machine calls out to attacker, asking for commands to execute
- 8. Windows Reverse Shells • Basic – Call CreateProcess and manipulate STARTUPINFO structure – Create a socket to remote machine – Then tie socket to standard input, output, and error for cmd.exe – CreateProcess runs cmd.exe with its window suppressed, to hide it
- 9. Windows Reverse Shells • Multithreaded – Create a socket, two pipes, and two threads – Look for API calls to CreateThread and CreatePipe – One thread for stdin, one for stdout
- 10. RATs (Remote Administration Tools) • Ex: Poison Ivy
- 11. Botnets • A collection of compromised hosts – Called bots or zombies
- 12. Botnets v. RATs • Botnet contain many hosts; RATs control fewer hosts • All bots are controlled at once; RATs control victims one by one • RATs are for targeted attacks; botnets are used in mass attacks
- 14. Credential Stealers • Three types –Wait for user to log in and steal credentials –Dump stored data, such as password hashes –Log keystrokes
- 15. GINA Interception • Windows XP's Graphical Identification and Authentication (GINA) – Intended to allow third parties to customize logon process for RFID or smart cards – Intercepted by malware to steal credentials • GINA is implemented in msgina.dll – Loaded by WinLogon executable during logon • WinLogon also loads third-party customizations in DLLs loaded between WinLogon and GINA
- 16. GINA Registry Key • HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogonGinaDLL • Contains third-party DLLs to be loaded by WinLogon • Malware adds an extra item here
- 17. MITM Attack • Malicious DLL must export all functions the real msgina.dll does, to act as a MITM – More than 15 functions – Most start with Wlx –Good indicator –Malware DLL exporting a lot of Wlx functions is probably a GINA interceptor
- 18. WlxLoggedOutSAS • Most exports simply call through to the real functions in msgina.dll • At 2, the malware logs the credentials to the file %SystemRoot%system32driverstcpudp.sys
- 19. GINA is Gone • No longer used in Windows Vista and later • Replaced by Credential Providers • Link Ch 11c
- 20. Custom Credential Provider Rootkit on Windows 7 • Two sets of login buttons • Only steals passwords from second set • Code is provided to filter out the original set
- 21. Hash Dumping
- 22. Hash Dumping • Windows login passwords are stored as LM or NTLM hashes – Hashes can be used directly to authenticate (pass-the-hash attack) – Or cracked offline to find passwords • Pwdump and Pass-the-Hash Toolkit – Free hacking tools that provide hash dumping – Open-source – Code re-used in malware – Modified to bypass antivirus
- 23. Pwdump • Injects a DLL into LSASS (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) – To get hashes from the SAM (Security Account Manager) – Injected DLL runs inside another process – Gets all the privileges of that process – LSASS is a common target • High privileges • Access to many useful API functions
- 24. Pwdump • Injects lsaext.dll into lsass.exe – Calls GetHash, an export of lsaext.dll – Hash extraction uses undocumented Windows function calls • Attackers may change the name of the GetHash function
- 25. Pwdump Variant • Uses these libraries – samsrv.dll to access the SAM – advapi32.dll to access functions not already imported into lsass.exe – Several Sam functions – Hashes extracted by SamIGetPrivateData – Decrypted with SystemFunction025 and SystemFunction027 • All undocumented functions
- 27. Pass-the-Hash Toolkit • Injects a DLL into lsass.exe to get hashes – Program named whosthere-alt • Uses different API functions than Pwdump
- 28. Ch 11a
- 29. Keystroke Logging • Kernel-Based Keyloggers – Difficult to detect with user-mode applications – Frequently part of a rootkit – Act as keyboard drivers – Bypass user-space programs and protections
- 30. Keystroke Logging • User-Space Keyloggers – Use Windows API – Implemented with hooking or polling • Hooking – Uses SetWindowsHookEx function to notify malware each time a key is pressed – Details in next chapter • Polling – Uses GetAsyncKeyState & GetForegroundWindow to constantly poll the state of the keys
- 31. Polling Keyloggers • GetAsyncKeyState – Identifies whether a key is pressed or unpressed • GetForegroundWindow – Identifies the foreground window – Loops through all keys, then sleeps briefly – Repeats frequently enough to capture all keystrokes
- 33. Identifying Keyloggers in Strings Listings • Run Strings • Terms like these will be visible
- 35. Three Persistence Mechanisms 1. Registry modifications, such as Run key • Other important registry entries: – AppInit_DLLs – Winlogon Notify – ScvHost DLLs 2. Trojanizing Binaries 3. DLL Load-Order Hijacking
- 36. Registry Modifications • Run key – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Run – Many others, as revealed by Autoruns • ProcMon shows all registry modifications when running malware (dynamic analysis) • Can detect all these techniques
- 37. Process Monitor
- 38. AppInit DLLs • AppInit_DLLs are loaded into every process that loads User32.dll – This registry key contains a space-delimited list of DLLs – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows NT CurrentVersion Windows – Many processes load them – Malware will call DLLMain to check which process it is in before launching payload
- 39. AppInit DLLs Security • Beginning with Windows Vista, AppInit_DLLs are disabled by default. • Beginning with Windows 7, the AppInit_DLL infrastructure supports code signing. • Starting with Windows 8, the entire AppInit_DLL functionality is disabled when Secure Boot is enabled, regardless of code signing or registry settings • From Wikipedia
- 40. Winlogon Notify • Notify value in – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows – These DLLs handle winlogon.exe events – Malware tied to an event like logon, startup, lock screen, etc. – It can even launch in Safe Mode
- 41. SvcHost DLLs • Svchost is a generic host process for services that run as DLLs • Many instances of Svchost are running at once • Groups defined at – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows NT CurrentVersion Svchost • Services defined at – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Services ServiceName
- 42. Process Explorer • Shows many services running in one svchost process • This is the netsvcs group
- 44. ServiceDLL • All svchost.exe DLL contain a Parameters key with a ServiceDLL value – Malware sets ServiceDLL to location of malicious DLL
- 45. Groups • Malware usually adds itself to an existing group – Or overwrites a non-vital service – Often a rarely used service from the netsvcs group • Detect this with dynamic analysis monitoring the registry – Or look for service functions like CreateServiceA in disassembly
- 46. Ch 11b
- 47. Trojanized System Binaries • Malware patches bytes of a system binary • To force the system to execute the malware the next time the infected binary is loaded • DLLs are popular targets • Typically the entry function is modified • Jumps to code inserted in an empty portion of the binary • Then executes DLL normally
- 50. KnownDLLs Registry Key • Contains a list of specific DLL locations • Overrides the search order for listed DLLs • Makes them load faster, and prevents load- order hijacking • DLL load-order hijacking can only be used – On binaries in directories other than System32 – That load DLLs in System32 – That are not protected by KnownDLLs
- 51. Example: explorer.exe • Lives in Windows • Loads ntshrui.dll from System32 • ntshrui.dll is not a known DLL • Default search is performed • A malicious ntshrui.dll in Windows will be loaded instead
- 52. Many Vulnerable DLLs • Any startup binary not found in System32 is vulnerable • explorer.exe has about 50 vulnerable DLLs • Known DLLs are not fully protected, because – Many DLLs load other DLLs – Recursive imports follow the default search order
- 53. DLL Load-Order Hijacking Detector • Searches for DLLs that appear multiple times in the file system, in suspicious folders, and are unsigned • From SANS (2015) (link Ch 11d)
- 55. No User Account Control • Most users run Windows XP as Administrator all the time, so no privilege escalation is needed to become Administrator • Metasploit has many privilege escalation exploits • DLL load-order hijacking can be used to escalate privileges
- 56. Using SeDebugPrivilege • Processes run by the user can't do everything • Functions like TerminateProcess or CreateRemoteThread require System privileges (above Administrator) • The SeDebugPrivilege privilege was intended for debugging • Allows local Administrator accounts to escalate to System privileges
- 57. • 1 obtains an access token
- 58. • 2 AdjustTokenPrivileges raises privileges to System
- 59. Covering Its Tracks— User-Mode Rootkits
- 60. User-Mode Rootkits • Modify internal functionality of the OS • Hide files, network connections, processes, etc. • Kernel-mode rootkits are more powerful • This section is about User-mode rootkits
- 61. IAT (Import Address Table) Hooking • May modify – IAT (Import Address Table) or – EAT (Export Address Table) • Parts of a PE file – In a DLL in RAM – This technique is old and easily detected
- 62. IAT Hooking
- 63. Inline Hooking • Overwrites the API function code • Contained in the imported DLLs • Changes actual function code, not pointers • A more advanced technique than IAT hooking
- 64. Ch 11c