Hacking

Microsoft warns of new highly evasive web skimming campaigns

Threat actors behind web skimming campaigns are using malicious JavaScript to mimic Google Analytics and Meta Pixel scripts to avoid detection.

Microsoft security researchers recently observed web skimming campaigns that used multiple obfuscation techniques to avoid detection.

The threat actors obfuscated the skimming script by encoding it in PHP, which, in turn, was embedded in an image file, using this trick the code is executed when a website’s index page is loaded.

The experts also observed compromised web applications injected with malicious JavaScript masquerading as Google Analytics and Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel) scripts. Some skimming scripts also included anti-debugging mechanisms.

The term web skimming refers to the criminal practice to harvest payment information of visitors of a website during checkout. Crooks use to exploit vulnerabilities in e-commerce platforms and CMSs to inject the skimming script into the page of the e-store. In some cases, attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in installed third-party plugins and themes to inject malicious scripts.

“During our research, we came across two instances of malicious image files being uploaded to a Magento-hosted server. Both images contained a PHP script with a Base64-encoded JavaScript, and while they had identical JavaScript code, they slightly differed in their PHP implementation.” reads the analysis published by Microsoft. “The first image, disguised as a favicon (also known as a shortcut or URL icon), was available on VirusTotal, while the other one was a typical web image file discovered by our team.”

Microsoft also observed attackers masquerading as Google Analytics and Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel) scripts to avoid raising suspicion.

The attackers place a Base64-encoded string inside a spoofed Google Tag Manager code. This string decoded to trafficapps[.]business/data[.]php?p=form.

Encoded skimming script in a spoofed Google Analytics code (Source Microsoft)

Experts noticed that the attackers behind the Meta Pixel spoofing used newly registered domains (NRDs) using HTTPS.

“Given the increasingly evasive tactics employed in skimming campaigns, organizations should ensure that their e-commerce platforms, CMSs, and installed plugins are up to date with the latest security patches and that they only download and use third-party plugins and services from trusted sources,” Microsoft concludes.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, web skimming attacks)

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Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.

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