What is Kwampirs Trojan?

Kwampirs Trojan is a malicious software created by a group called Orangeworm. This Trojan targeted systems in the healthcare industry to provide remote access to this group. It is a custom backdoor Trojan and no changes have been made in its code by the group since its first infection.

Trojan is a malicious computer program that creates a backdoor entry for a cyber criminal. They target the affected system or systems connected in the same network. They mainly rely on malware spam emails with attachments to infect the system. Trojans target the information on the hard drive and corrupt the OS loader to remotely access and seal user information.

Kwampirs Trojan creates a DLL payload to affect the system and inserts a randomly generated string based to evade hash-based detection.

It was first detected in 2015 and again in 2016.

Kwampirs Trojan infected a large part of secondary healthcare industries which are related to healthcare providers. Information Technology, logistics that deliver heath care products, manufacturing industries related to health care equipments.

This trojan was found to be installed on systems connected to high-tech imaging devices like X-ray and MRI machines.

Kwampirs Trojan – Threat Behavior

Kwampirs Trojan provides remote access to the orangeworm group on compromised computer systems. They targeted systems with the Windows OS to create a backdoor which monitors the basic network adapter information, system version information and language settings.

Once the group finds that the intended target is within their parameters, they silently launch the next phase of infection.

The kwampirs Trojan is then executed and it decrypts and extracts the main DLL payload. By inserting a randomly generated string into the middle of the decrypted DLL, it evades hash based detections. A configuration is set within the payload which allows the kwampirs Trojan to load onto the memory upon reboot.

The files of the malware have a base64-encoding and uses functionality that receives shellcode via URLs to execute this shellcode in the address bar of the malware. It also downloads additional files through these URLs.

The kwampirs Trojan then proceeds to infect other systems in the network and gather information in the network. Information pertaining to available network share, files present, network adapter information. It may copy itself in these hidden files:

• ADMIN$
• C$WINDOWS
• D$WINDOWS
• E$WINDOWS

The orangeworm group has mainly targeted systems still using Windows XP. In healthcare, old and legacy systems are still used and have not been upgraded as there is very little change in the software.

It is observed that the group is not concerned about being detected as they have not made any change to the method of infection. The malware also has a long list of C&C servers (command and control) embedded within itself. All the C&C are not active and send a beacon until a successful connection is established. They have not made any change into the C&C communication protocol since the inception of the Trojan.

It indicates that the attackers have reached their targets and now they are not afraid from being detected. So they have not changed anything in the mode of infection of the kwampirs Trojan.

How Did Your System get infected By Kwampirs Trojan?

The cybercriminals use various strategies for malware distribution which include –

1. Software Bundling: Software bundling is the process in which a malicious program is distributed with other free software, to get an unnoticed entry into your computer system. When a user installs a free application, the malicious programs gains a front door entry with the free application, the user has downloaded. Thus, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the installation screens while installing these free applications.
2. Infected Storage Devices: Your system can also get infected by using removable media such as USB hard drives and jump drives without scanning them with an anti-virus.
3. Spam Emails – Spamming is the most economic and common method used for the distribution of such malware. The targeted users get genuine looking emails which contain .doc, .txt, and other similar attachments. These attachments can be named as anything which can grab the user’s attention and triggers him/her to open the attachment. As soon as the user opens this attachment, the malware infects the user’s computer system.
4. Malicious Websites or Malevolent Advertisements: The malicious websites are the ones which are created just for promoting the malware infections. Such websites include but are not limited to porn sites, torrent sites and other free downloading platforms. By visiting such websites, the adware infects the user’s computer without permission. Fake advertisements and updates like Flash player and windows updates which ask the user to update to the latest version are a few examples. When the users click on such links, their computer system gets infected. That is why, it is highly recommended to resist clicking on such links. Also avoid clicking on advertisements offering free stuff such as Win an iPhones, cars or free overseas trips etc.

Threat summary

Name – Kwampirs Trojan

Targeted Operating Systems – Windows XP, Windows Vista

Category – Malware, Trojan

Symptoms – Deactivates system security, by accessing URLs to download files and corrupt the system, Copies itself to other systems in the network and silently gathers information. This information is used to map out high value targets.

How to Remove Kwampirs Trojan?

Kwampirs Trojan is threat that should be removed from the system immediately to keep your system safe from cyber criminals. Remove kwampirs Trojan from your system by following these Trojan removal steps and stay safe from cyber attacks.

STEP A – Update Your System Software

STEP B – Protect Your system with Windows Defender

Tips to Prevent your System from getting Infected.

Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Sophos and Bull Guard Internet Security so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.

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