Kaspersky researchers uncovered a series of highly targeted attacks against industrial holdings dating back to 2018\u2014far more rare in the world of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors than campaigns against diplomats and other high-profile political actors. The toolset used\u2014originally named MT3 by the malware authors\u2014has been dubbed by Kaspersky as \u201cMontysThree\u201d. It uses a variety of techniques to evade detection, including hosting its communications with the control server on public cloud services and hiding the main malicious module using steganography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government entities, diplomats, and telecom operators tend to be the preferred target for APTs, since these individuals and institutions naturally possess a wealth of highly confidential and politically sensitive information. Far more rare are targeted espionage campaigns against industrial entities\u2014but, like any other attacks against industries, they can have devastating consequences for the business. That\u2019s why, upon noticing the activity of MontysThree, Kaspersky researchers were quick to take note.
To carry out its espionage, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MontysThree deploys a malware program consisting of four modules. The first\u2014the loader\u2014is initially spread using RAR SFX files (self-extracted archives) containing names related to employees\u2019 contact lists, technical documentation, and medical analysis results to trick employees into downloading the files\u2014a common spear-phishing technique. The loader is primarily in charge of ensuring the malware isn\u2019t detected on the system; to do this, it deploys a technique known as steganography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steganography is used by actors to hide the fact that data is being exchanged. In the case of MontysThree, the main malicious payload is disguised as a bitmap (a format for storing digital images) file. If the right command is inputted, the loader will use a custom-made algorithm to decrypt the content from the pixel array and run the malicious payload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main malicious payload uses several encryption techniques of its own to evade detection, namely the use of an RSA algorithm to encrypt communications with the control server and to decrypt the main \u201ctasks\u201d assigned from the malware. This includes searching for documents with specific extensions and in specific company directories. MontysThree is designed to specifically target Microsoft and Adobe Acrobat documents; it can also capture screenshots and \u201cfingerprint\u201d (i.e. gather information about their network settings, host name, etc.) the target to see if it is of interest to the attackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The information collected and other communications with the control server are then hosted on public cloud services like Google, Microsoft, and Dropbox. This makes the communication traffic difficult to detect as malicious, and because no antivirus blocks these services, it ensures the control server can execute commands uninterrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MontysThree also uses a simple method for gaining persistence on the infected system\u2014a modifier for Windows Quick Launch. Users inadvertently run the initial module of the malware by themselves every time they run legitimate applications, such as browsers, when using the Quick Launch toolbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaspersky has not been able to find any similarities in the malicious code or the infrastructure with any known APTs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMontysThree is interesting not just because of the fact that it\u2019s targeting industrial holdings, but because of the combination of sophisticated and somewhat \u201camateurish\u201d TTPs. In general, the sophistication varies from module to module, but it can\u2019t compare to the level used by the most advanced APTs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, they use strong cryptographic standards and there are indeed some tech-savvy decisions made, including the custom steganography. Perhaps most importantly, it\u2019s clear that the attackers have put significant effort into developing the MontysThree toolset, suggesting they are determined in their aims\u2014and that this is not meant to be a short-lived campaign,\u201d comments Denis Legezo, a senior security researcher with Kaspersky\u2019s Global Research and Analysis Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about MontysThree on Securelist. Detailed information on Indicators of Compromise related to this group, including file hashes, can be accessed on the Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal.
Register for SAS@Home to watch the presentation about MontysThree and learn more about APTs and top-level cybersecurity discoveries here: https:\/\/kas.pr\/tr59<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To protect your organizations from attacks like MontysThree, Kaspersky experts recommend:
\u2022 Provide your staff with basic cybersecurity hygiene training, as many targeted attacks start with phishing or other social engineering techniques. Conduct a simulated phishing attack to ensure that they know how to distinguish phishing emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Provide your SOC team with access to the latest threat intelligence (TI). The Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal is a single point of access for the company\u2019s TI, providing cyberattack data and insights gathered by Kaspersky over more than 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 For endpoint level detection, investigation and timely remediation of incidents, implement EDR solutions, such as Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 In addition to adopting essential endpoint protection, implement a corporate-grade security solution that detects advanced threats at the network level at an early stage, such as Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack Platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Make sure you protect industrial endpoints as well as corporate ones. The Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity solution includes dedicated protection for endpoints and network monitoring to reveal any suspicious and potentially malicious activity in the industrial network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kaspersky researchers uncovered a series of highly targeted attacks against industrial holdings dating back to 2018\u2014far more rare in the world of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors than campaigns against diplomats and other high-profile political actors. The toolset used\u2014originally named MT3 by the malware authors\u2014has been dubbed by Kaspersky as \u201cMontysThree\u201d. It uses a variety […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":439,"_extra_hide_author_box":"","_extra_featured_post":"","_partner_post_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[439],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n