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In a brief statement sent more than a day after we asked for comment, Microsoft said the rogue malware-pushing ad found within Skype was a "social engineering" effort, and deflected any responsibility for the issue. And similar reports of attacks from the Angler exploit kit last year pointed from one ad platform, which had let through a malicious ad campaign. Threatpost reported in 2015 that malicious ads seen in the Skype client would push users to fake Java or Flash ads. It's not the first time Skype has been hit by an ad-based attack. It's not known how many domains are used in this campaign, but it's thought that each domain is registered and deregistered quickly to keep the attacker from paying for the domain, and to prevent researchers from digging around. Although the payload is downloaded from another disposable domain, the malware matches the pattern of the web address used in this attack.
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Locky, which became one of the most notorious ransomware threats last year, uses a similar malicious JavaScript-based attack to lock computers, which execute directly on Windows without the help of any other app.Ī similar sample of the malware delivered by the "fake Flash" ad was uploaded to IBM's X-Force, a threat intelligence sharing site.
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"It's effectively the utility component of the malware that then decides what else to do based on the command and control it connects to."īut because the domain no longer exists, it's impossible to download the payload to determine exactly what it would've been.Īnghaie said that in "99 percent of cases this is going to be ransomware."Īll signs point to this "fake Flash" ad as a spin off of a recent Locky ransomware campaign that also delivers a Kovter trojan, which remains on the system to carry out click-fraud and malvertising campaigns. "This is a what's generally called a 'two stage' dropper'," said Ali-Reza Anghaie, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Phobos Group, in an email.
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The code starts a new command line, then deletes the application that the user just opened, and runs a PowerShell command, which then downloads a JavaScript Encoded Script (JSE) from a domain that no longer exists, likely one of many disposable domains used to hide an attacker's operations.Īll of these steps, one after another, help the malware evade detection by antivirus tools.
The "fake Flash" ad, designed to target Windows machines, pushed a download, which when opened would trigger obfuscated JavaScript. We asked several experts to deconstruct the code and explain how it works. Knowing it was malicious, the user didn't run the app but instead deconstructed and posted the code.
Many other users in the past few days have also complained of similar issues with Skype's in-app ads, with at least two other people having the same "fake Flash" ad into Thursday. The app, when opened, would download a malicious payload, which locks the user's computer and encrypts its files for ransom.
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Ransomware: An executive guide to one of the biggest menaces on the webĮverything you need to know about ransomware: how it started, why it's booming, how to protect against it, and what to do if your PC is infected.Īccording to the thread, the ad triggered a download of an HTML application, designed to look like a legitimate app.