Warning Against Phishing Emails Distributing GuLoader Malware by Impersonating a Famous International Shipping Company

Warning Against Phishing Emails Distributing GuLoader Malware by Impersonating a Famous International Shipping Company
Recent findings by AhnLab SEcurity Intelligence Center revealed the use of GuLoader malware disseminated through a phishing email masquerading as communication from a well-known international shipping company. The email, intercepted via an ASEC honeypot, prompted recipients to check their post-paid customs tax and included an attachment that executed malicious scripts. Affected: phishing email, GuLoader malware, Xworm RAT, email security

Keypoints :

  • AhnLab SEcurity Intelligence Center (ASEC) identified GuLoader malware distributed via phishing emails.
  • The phishing email impersonated a well-known international shipping company.
  • The email attachment contained obfuscated VBScript that executed a PowerShell script.
  • The PowerShell script downloaded additional malicious files from an external source.
  • A registry key was created to ensure persistence of the malware.
  • GuLoader has been distributing since December 2019 as a downloader for various malware.
  • Users are advised to avoid opening attachments from unknown sources.

MITRE Techniques :

  • T1071.001 – Application Layer Protocol: PowerShell script communicates with external servers to download payloads.
  • T1059.005 – Command and Scripting Interpreter: VBScript is used to execute a PowerShell script.
  • T1197 – Spear Phishing: The initial compromise occurs through a phishing email.
  • T1547.001 – Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: A registry key is created to maintain persistence.
  • T1055 – Process Injection: Xworm RAT is executed as a child process through msiexec.exe.

Indicator of Compromise :

  • [MD5] 0477406f83847d43a3b668cc1e75185f
  • [MD5] 1ce8509eabe2a293376d9b70044922fd
  • [MD5] 9c14df330dea5dfaab7a4303a3296779
  • [MD5] a501b4c09476b8f5ab505c6578bf9f9e
  • [URL] https[:]//planachiever[.]au/admin-admin/Belejrers[.]fla
  • [URL] https[:]//planachiever[.]au/admin-admin/bPeMVYr142[.]bin
  • [FQDN] tripplebanks[.]duckdns[.]org


Full Story: https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/87002/