June 2022’s Most Wanted Malware: New Banking, MaliBot, Poses Danger for Users of Mobile Banking

Check Point Research reports on new Android banking malware, MaliBot. Emotet, with new variant, is still the most prevalent malware while Snake Keylogger climbs from eighth place to third.

SAN CARLOS, Calif., July 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, has published its latest Global Threat Index for June 2022. CPR reports that a new Android banking malware has emerged, named MaliBot, following the takedown of FluBot at the end of May.

Although only just discovered, MaliBot, a banking, has already reached third place in the most prevalent mobile malwares list. It disguises itself as cryptocurrency mining applications under different names and targets users of mobile banking to steal financial information. Similar to FluBot, MaliBot uses phishing SMS messages (smishing) to lure victims into clicking on a malicious link that redirects them to the download of a fake application containing the malware.

Also this month, the notorious malware, Emotet, is still the most prevalent malware overall. Snake Keylogger comes in third after an increase in activity since appearing in eighth place last month. Snake’s main functionality is to record users keystrokes and transmit collected data to threat actors. While in May CPR witnessed Snake Keylogger being delivered via PDF files, recently it has been spread through emails containing Word attachments tagged as requests for quotations. Researchers also reported about new variant of Emotet in June that has credit card stealing capabilities and targets Chrome browser users.

“While it’s always good to see law enforcement successful in bringing down cybercrime groups or malwares like FluBot, sadly it didn’t take long for a new mobile malware to take its place,” said Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software. “Cybercriminals are well aware of the central role that mobile devices play in many peoples’ lives and are always adapting and improving their tactics to match. The threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and mobile malware is a significant danger for both personal and enterprise security. It’s never been more important to have a robust mobile threat prevention solution in place.”

CPR also revealed that “Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution” is the most commonly exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organizations worldwide, closely followed by “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” which has a global impact of 42.3%. “Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal” is in third place with a global impact of 42.1%.

Top Malware Families

*The arrows relate to the change in rank compared to the previous month.

This month, Emotet is still the most popular malware with a global impact of 14%, followed by Formbook and Snake Keylogger, each impacting 4.4% of organizations worldwide.

1. ↔ Emotet – Emotet is an advanced, self-propagating and modular Trojan. Emotet was once used as a banking Trojan, but recently is used as a distributer to other malware or malicious campaigns. It uses multiple methods for maintaining persistence and evasion techniques to avoid detection. In addition, it can be spread through phishing spam emails containing malicious attachments or links.
2. ↔ Formbook – Formbook is an Infostealer targeting the Windows OS and was first detected in 2016. It is marketed as Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) in underground hacking forums for its strong evasion techniques and relatively low price. FormBook harvests credentials from various web browsers, collects screenshots, monitors and logs keystrokes, and can download and execute files according to orders from its C&C.
3. ↑ Snake Keylogger – Snake is a modular .NET keylogger and credential stealer first spotted in late November 2020. Its primary function is to record users keystrokes and transmit collected data to the threat actors. Snake infections pose a major threat to users’ privacy and online safety, as the malware can steal virtually all kinds of sensitive information and it is a particularly evasive and persistent keylogger.

The complete list of the top ten malware families in June can be found on the Check Point blog.

Top Attacked Industries Globally

This month Education/Research is still the most attacked industry globally, followed by Government/Military and Healthcare.

1. Education & Research
2. Government/Military
3. Healthcare

Top Exploited Vulnerabilities

This month, “Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution” is the most commonly exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organizations worldwide, closely followed by “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” which has a global impact of 42.3%. “Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal” is in third place with a global impact of 42.1%.

1. ↑ Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution (CVE-2021-44228) – A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Apache Log4j. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
2. ↑ Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure – An information disclosure vulnerability has been reported in Git Repository. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an unintentional disclosure of account information.
3. ↓ Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal (CVE-2010-4598,CVE-2011-2474,CVE-2014-0130,CVE-2014-0780,CVE-2015-0666,CVE-2015-4068,CVE-2015-7254,CVE-2016-4523,CVE-2016-8530,CVE-2017-11512,CVE-2018-3948,CVE-2018-3949,CVE-2019-18952,CVE-2020-5410,CVE-2020-8260) – There exists a directory traversal vulnerability on different web servers. The vulnerability is due to an input validation error in a web server that does not properly sanitize the URL for the directory traversal patterns. Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to disclose or access arbitrary files on the vulnerable server.

Top Mobile Malwares

This month AlienBot is the most prevalent mobile malware, followed by Anubis and MaliBot.

1. AlienBot – AlienBot malware family is a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) for Android devices that allows a remote attacker, as a first step, to inject malicious code into legitimate financial applications. The attacker obtains access to victims’ accounts, and eventually completely controls their device.
2. Anubis – Anubis is a banking Trojan designed for Android mobile phones. Since it was initially detected, it has gained additional functions including Remote Access Trojan (RAT) functionality, keylogger, audio recording capabilities and various ransomware features. It has been detected on hundreds of different applications available in the Google Store.
3. MaliBot – Malibot is an Android Banking malware that has been spotted targeting users in Spain and Italy. The Banking disguises itself as crypto mining applications under different names and focuses on stealing financial information, crypto wallets and more personal data.

Check Point’s Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map is powered by Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence. ThreatCloud provides real-time threat intelligence derived from hundreds of millions of sensors worldwide, over networks, endpoints and mobiles. The intelligence is enriched with AI-based engines and exclusive research data from Check Point Research, The Intelligence & Research Arm of Check Point Software Technologies.

The complete list of the top ten malware families in June can be found on the Check Point blog.

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Check Point Research provides leading cyber threat intelligence to Check Point Software customers and the greater intelligence community. The research team collects and analyzes global cyber-attack data stored on ThreatCloud to keep hackers at bay, while ensuring all Check Point products are updated with the latest protections. The research team consists of over 100 analysts and researchers cooperating with other security vendors, law enforcement and various CERTs. 

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Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cyber security solutions to corporate enterprises and governments globally. Check Point Infinity´s portfolio of solutions protects enterprises and public organizations from 5th generation cyber-attacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and other threats. Infinity comprises three core pillars delivering uncompromised security and generation V threat prevention across enterprise environments: Check Point Harmony, for remote users; Check Point CloudGuard, to automatically secure clouds; and Check Point Quantum, to protect network perimeters and datacenters, all controlled by the industry’s most comprehensive, intuitive unified security management. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.