Researchers Smell a Cryptomining Chaos RAT Targeting Linux
upstart writes:
Researchers smell a cryptomining Chaos RAT targeting Linux:
A type of cryptomining malware targeting Linux-based systems has added capabilities by incorporating an open source remote access trojan called Chaos RAT with several advanced functions that bad guys can use to control remote operating systems.
Trend Micro security researchers discovered the threat last month. Like earlier, similar versions of the miner that also target Linux operating systems, the code kills competing malware and resources that affect cryptocurrency mining performance.
The newer malware then establishes persistence "by altering /etc/crontab file, a UNIX task scheduler that, in this case, downloads itself every 10 minutes from Pastebin," wrote Trend Micro researchers David Fiser and Alfredo Oliveira.
After that, it downloads an XMRig miner, a configuration file, another payload that continually kills competing malware, and the Chaos RAT (remote access tool), which is written in Go and has a ton of capabilities including restarting and shutting down the victim's machine.
[...] "On the surface, the incorporation of a RAT into the infection routine of a cryptocurrency mining malware might seem relatively minor," Fiser and Oliveira said.
"However, given the tool's array of functions and the fact that this evolution shows that cloud-based threat actors are still evolving their campaigns, it is important that both organizations and individuals stay extra vigilant when it comes to security," they continued.
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