Cyble – The Many Faces Of Qakbot Malware: A Look At Its Diverse Distribution Methods

Threat Actor Uses Digital Certificate as a Cover to Hide Malicious Script

Threat Actors (TAs) are constantly devising new methods to infect users for various reasons, such as avoiding detection from anti-virus solutions, increasing the chances of successfully infecting their targets, and inventive ways to compromise their victims. Recently, many malware families have been observed utilizing OneNote attachments as part of their spam campaigns. OneNote is a robust digital notebook application developed by Microsoft, which enables users to collate and structure their notes, thoughts, and ideas in a single, convenient location.

Recently, multiple distribution methods have been detected for the widely known banking trojan Qakbot. These methods include using malspam with OneNote attachments, malspam with zip files containing WSF, and others. This analysis below has detailed the techniques employed by Qakbot to propagate its infection and reach a diverse audience.

Distribution of Qakbot Via OneNote Using Batch & PowerShell

The initial phase of the infection begins with a spam email with a OneNote attachment. Once the recipient opens the attachment, an embedded BAT file is dropped and executed, leading to the launch of a PowerShell script. This script then proceeds to download a DLL for the Qakbot malware. Finally, the DLL is executed using rundll32.exe.

The delivery mechanism of Qakbot through OneNote using PowerShell is illustrated in the figure below.

Qakbot malware is distributed to users through spam emails that contain a OneNote attachment. The email’s subject line reads “RE: DRCP Hire- Success Story..” The attachment is named “Contracts – Copy.one”, as depicted in the image below.

After the user opens the OneNote attachment, a page appears with a message that appears to contain a cloud-based attachment. This message is designed to deceive the user into double-clicking on it to view the attachment, which ultimately triggers the Qakbot infection process.

The figure below displays the OneNote page containing the fraudulent message.

When the “open” button is clicked on a OneNote page, it performs a covert action by dropping a BAT file named “O p e n .Bat” without user notification and then executing it. This batch script launches an obfuscated PowerShell content that, in turn, drops a CMD file named “i.cmd” in the %temp% location and runs it.

The below figure shows the obfuscated batch script and command file containing an URL to download a malware payload.

Upon execution of the “i.cmd” file, it utilizes a PowerShell script to download a file in GIF format from the URL hxxps[:]//casualscollection[.]com/l2iy4Dn/09[.]gif by using the Invoke-Webrequest command.

The file is then saved as a JPG file in the %programdata% path. However, the downloaded file is not an actual GIF file but a DLL Qakbot executable file, which is subsequently run using “Rundll32.exe” with the “Wind” parameter.

The process tree diagram of Qakbot reveals that, following the execution of the DLL file, the malware injects malicious code into “wermger.exe”. This code injection enables Qakbot to carry out its malware activities, such as stealing sensitive information.

Distribution of Qakbot Via Windows Script (.wsf) Files

The infection process starts with the distribution of a spam email containing an archive file. This archive file includes a script with a .wsf extension that is executed using the Windows system file WScript.exe.

The script then downloads a DLL file containing the Qakbot malware, which is subsequently run using rundll32.exe.

The figure below illustrates the delivery mechanism of Qakbot using WSF files.

One of the methods of disseminating the Qakbot malware involves sending spam emails that come with a compressed file attachment named “Shared Document From Cloud 913815.zip”, as shown below.

One of the three files that come with the email attachment is a .wsf file with the name “Adobe Cloud Certificate 913815.wsf”.

Interestingly, the Threat Actor (TA) has inserted a malicious JScript between digital certificates in the .wsf file, as shown below.

When the user attempts to open the “Adobe Cloud Certificate 913815.wsf” file, it will be launched through wscript.exe. The .wsf script has code to download a Qakbot DLL file from the URL: hxxp://gkjdepok[.]org/crtfc/lwbYFO.dll and saves it to the C:ProgramData directory. Finally, the .wsf script launches the Qakbot DLL by utilizing “Rundll32.exe” with the “Wind” parameter.

The figure below shows the code of the .wsf script.

Below, you can see the process tree of Qakbot’s execution through the .wsf file.

Distribution of Qakbot Via OneNote Using Jscript (.jse) file

The first step of the infection process is initiated by a spam email that includes a OneNote attachment. Upon opening the attachment, an embedded JSE file is deployed and executed. This JSE file then drops and triggers the execution of a BAT file, which in turn launches a PowerShell script and will execute the QakBot payload.

The PowerShell script proceeds to download a DLL associated with the Qakbot malware, which is ultimately executed using the rundll32.exe command. The below figure shows the delivery mechanism of Qakbot using the .jse file.

Once the user opens the malicious OneNote file, a page is displayed, which contains a deceptive message that appears to contain a cloud-based attachment.

The message is intended to mislead the user into double-clicking it to view the attachment, which initiates the Qakbot infection process.

The image below depicts the OneNote page that contains the false message.

After a user clicks on the “Open” button, the OneNote file drops a file named “Open.jse” in the temp folder. It is an encoded script file, which will further drop and execute the .bat file named “default.bat”.

The figure below shows the encoded/decoded .jse file.

Upon execution of the “default.bat” file, it utilizes a PowerShell script to download a file named “150223.gif” from the URL http[:]//104.236[.]1.43/YXF/ using the PowerShell command and saves it to the temporary folder of the user’s system with a random name, “aTgzWLspf.tmp”.

The file downloaded from the provided URL is not a genuine GIF file but rather an executable file of the Qakbot malware in DLL format, which is then executed using the “Rundll32.exe” command with the “Wind” parameter.

Distribution of Qakbot Via OneNote Using html Application (hta) file

In this method, the Qakbot infection begins with a spam email that contains a OneNote attachment. Once the user opens the attachment, an embedded HTA file is dropped, which then executes through mstha.exe. This leads to the download of a Qakbot DLL file that is subsequently executed via rundll32.exe.

Our earlier blog here contains a thorough analysis of Qakbot malware’s infection chain.

Final Payload

QakBot, also known as QBot or QuakBot, is a type of banking Trojan that mainly targets Windows systems. It was first discovered in 2007 and has since undergone numerous updates and changes to its code in order to evade detection by security software. It can steal sensitive information, exfiltrate confidential data, and propagate to other machines on the network to install other malicious software.

Its modular design makes it customizable to carry out specific tasks such as keylogging, credential theft, network reconnaissance, botnet functionality, and ransomware deployment. Its operators continuously update its code to evade detection and carry out successful attacks.

Conclusion

Qakbot malware represents a clear example of the constantly evolving threat landscape, underlining the importance of remaining vigilant in the cybersecurity domain.

Its complex structure, extensive impact, and widespread prevalence reinforce the need for proactive and robust security measures. The TAs responsible for Qakbot remain highly active. They consistently adapt their methods to avoid detection and maximize their gains, using innovative attack vectors such as OneNote attachments to display their sophistication and ingenuity.

Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs continues to monitor the activity of Qakbot and other malware and will provide timely updates to our readers.

Our Recommendations 

We have listed some essential cybersecurity best practices that create the first line of control against attackers. We recommend that our readers follow the best practices given below:  

• Do not open emails from unknown or unverified senders.
• Avoid downloading pirated software from unverified sites.
• Use strong passwords and enforce multi-factor authentication wherever possible. 
• Keep updating your passwords after certain intervals.
• Use reputed anti-virus solutions and internet security software packages on your connected devices, including PCs, laptops, and mobile devices.  
• Avoid opening untrusted links and email attachments without first verifying their authenticity.   
• Block URLs that could use to spread the malware, e.g., Torrent/Warez.  
• Monitor the beacon on the network level to block data exfiltration by malware or TAs.  
• Enable Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Solutions on employees’ systems.

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Source: https://blog.cyble.com/2023/02/17/the-many-faces-of-qakbot-malware-a-look-at-its-diverse-distribution-methods/