|
Bitdefender Reveals MiniDuke Malware Dated 2011
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, Mar 04, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
A version of MiniDuke -- the cyberspy malware aimed at governments
and agencies in Europe and elsewhere -- has been operating for at
least 21 months, internet security firm Bitdefender has discovered.
The newly discovered version also raises questions over the malware's
origin. One difference is that the 2012 version fetches time from a
clock set to Chinese time; the 2011 version fetches the time from a
server of the US Department of the Navy.
The MiniDuke sample just discovered by Bitdefender researchers dates
back to at least June 20, 2011, predating the oldest know variant --
also discovered by Bitdefender -- by almost a year. Used to steal
intelligence from European governments and various institutes
worldwide, the 2011 strain was intended to behave the same as the
newer ones.
"The discovery of this older MiniDuke malware strain raises questions
about the origin of the 2012 samples and the malware as a whole,"
said Bitdefender Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi. "The switch
from a US Navy clock to a Chinese clock suggests the malware's
designers are simply throwing up a smoke cloud as to their identity."
Cosoi, said, however, that all versions so far discovered show that
MiniDuke was designed for spying. "MiniDuke was clearly designed as a
cyber-espionage tool to specifically target key sensitive government
data," he said. "This casts a degree of doubt on who designed
MiniDuke."
As of today, the newly discovered MiniDuke sample was still seeking
encrypted command and control instructions via an active Twitter
account, with a single instruction dated February 21st, 2012. The
2011 version does not use Google to search for command and control
instructions, but lays dormant if it can't connect to Twitter.
For a more in-depth analysis of the 2011 MiniDuke sample, see the
technical report on Bitdefender Labs. Bitdefender's free stand-alone
removal tool can detect and remove all variants of MiniDuke,
including the one from 2011.
About Bitdefender(R)
Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most
effective lines of internationally certified internet security
software. The company is an industry pioneer, introducing and
developing award-winning protection since 2001. Today, Bitdefender
technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home
and corporate users across the globe.
Recently, Bitdefender won a series of important awards and accolades
in the global security industry, including "Product of the Year" by
AV-Comparatives, "Best Repair 2012" by AV-Test, and "Editor's Choice"
by PC Mag, that confirmed the antivirus software's leadership status
among security products. More information about Bitdefender's
products is available from the company's security press room.
Additionally, Bitdefender publishes the HOTforSecurity blog, where
readers can find stories from the underworld of internet fraud,
scams, malicious software -- and gossip.
Contact:
Kyrk Storer
E-mail: kyrk.storer@horngroup.com
Telephone: 415.905.4012
SOURCE: Bitdefender
mailto:kyrk.storer@horngroup.com
[ InfoTech Spotlight's Homepage ]
|
