• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

 | 

Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

 | 

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Cyber Crime
  • Hacking
  • Malware
  • Magnat malvertising campaigns spreads malicious Chrome extensions, backdoors and info stealers

Magnat malvertising campaigns spreads malicious Chrome extensions, backdoors and info stealers

Pierluigi Paganini December 06, 2021

Experts spotted a series of malvertising campaigns using fake installers of popular apps and games to deliver a backdoor and a malicious Chrome extension.

Talos researchers spotted a series of malvertising campaigns using fake installers of popular apps and games as a lure to trick users into downloading a new backdoor and an undocumented malicious Google Chrome extension.

According to Talos, the threat actor has been active at least since late 2018, experts observed intermittent activity towards the end of 2019 and through early 2020. The group resurfaced in April 2021, the malvertising campaigns targeted users in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Italy, Spain, and Norway.

Upon executing the fake installers, they execute the following pieces of malware on the victim’s system:

  • A password stealer called RedLine Stealer.
  • An AutoIt-based backdoor used to establish a remote access via a stealth Microsoft Remote Desktop session by forwarding the RDP port through an SSH tunnel. The backdoor allows access to infected systems, even when behind a firewall.
  • A malicious browser extension, dubbed MagnatExtension, that contains several information-stealing features, such as keylogging and taking screenshots.

“The attack begins when a victim looks for a particular piece of software for download. Talos believes the attacker has set up an advertising campaign that will present links to a web page, offering the download of a software installer. The installer has many different file names. For example: viber-25164.exe, wechat-35355.exe, build_9.716-6032.exe, setup_164335.exe, nox_setup_55606.exe and battlefieldsetup_76522.exe.” reads the post published by Talos. “When executed, this installer does not install the actual software it announces, but instead executes a malicious loader on the system.”

malvertising

Cisco Talos researchers attributed the campaigns to an unknown threat actor tracked as “magnat.” The experts noticed that the group is reportedly updating the malware families.

The MagnatExtension, which masquerades as Google’s Safe browsing, allows attackers to steal form data, harvest cookies, and also execute arbitrary JavaScript code on the victim’s system.

The C2 address used by the extension is hardcoded, it can be updated by the current C2 with a list of additional C2 domains. The attackers also implemented a backup mechanism for C2, that allows to obtain a new C2 address from a Twitter search for hashtags like “#aquamamba2019” or “#ololo2019.”

The algorithm for getting the domain from the tweet is simple as effective, it concatenates the first letter of each word of the content of a tweet. The tweet “Squishy turbulent areas terminate active round engines after dank years. Industrial creepy units” that contains the hashtag “#aquamamba2019” is translated to “stataready[.]icu.”

Once an active C2 is available, the data are sent in json format in the body of an HTTP POST request. The json string is encrypted.

“Based on the use of password stealers and a Chrome extension that is similar to a banking trojan, we assess that the attacker’s goals are to obtain user credentials, possibly for sale or for his own use in further exploitation,” concludes Cisco Talos. “The motive for the deployment of an RDP backdoor is unclear. The most likely are the sale of RDP access, the use of RDP to work around online service security features based on IP address or other endpoint installed tools or the use of RDP for further exploitation on systems that appear interesting to the attacker.”

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook

[adrotate banner=”9″][adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, malvertising)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

backdoor Chrome extensions Cybersecurity cybersecurity news Hacking hacking news information security news malvertising malware Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 26, 2025
Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 26, 2025
Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

    Cyber Crime / July 26, 2025

    Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

    Intelligence / July 26, 2025

    Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

    Intelligence / July 25, 2025

    Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

    Malware / July 25, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT