Check Point reveals top malicious threats in June 2022

Check Point Research, the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies, has published its latest Global Threat Index for June 2022.

CPR reports that a new Android banking malware has emerged, named MaliBot, following the takedown of FluBot at the end of May.

Although only just discovered, MaliBot has already reached third place in the most prevalent mobile malwares list. It disguises itself as cryptocurrency mining applications under different names and targets users of mobile banking to steal financial information.

Similar to FluBot, MaliBot uses phishing SMS messages (smishing) to lure victims into clicking on a malicious link that redirects them to the download of a fake application containing the malware.

Also in the month of June, the notorious malware, Emotet, is still the most prevalent malware overall. Snake Keylogger comes in third after an increase in activity since appearing in eighth place the previous month.

Snake’s main functionality is to record users keystrokes and transmit collected data to threat actors. While in May CPR witnessed Snake Keylogger being delivered via PDF files, recently it has been spread through emails containing Word attachments tagged as requests for quotations.

Researchers also reported about new variant of Emotet in June that has credit card stealing capabilities and targets Chrome browser users.

Maya Horowitz, VP research at Check Point Software, says, “While it’s always good to see law enforcement successful in bringing down cybercrime groups or malwares like FluBot, sadly it didn’t take long for a new mobile malware to take its place.

“Cybercriminals are well aware of the central role that mobile devices play in many people’s lives and are always adapting and improving their tactics to match. The threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and mobile malware is a significant danger for both personal and enterprise security. It’s never been more important to have a robust mobile threat prevention solution in place.”

CPR also revealed that Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution is the most commonly exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organisations worldwide, closely followed by Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure which has a global impact of 42.3%. Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal is in third place with a global impact of 42.1%.

In June 2022, education/research is still the most attacked industry globally, followed by government/military and mealthcare.

Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution is the most commonly exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organisations worldwide, closely followed by Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure which has a global impact of 42.3%. Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal is in third place with a global impact of 42.1%.

• Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution (CVE-2021-44228): Is a remote code execution vulnerability exists in Apache Log4j. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
• Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure: An information disclosure vulnerability has been reported in Git Repository. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an unintentional disclosure of account information.
• Web Servers Malicious URL Directory Traversal: There exists a directory traversal vulnerability on different web servers. The vulnerability is due to an input validation error in a web server that does not properly sanitise the URL for the directory traversal patterns. Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to disclose or access arbitrary files on the vulnerable server.

In the month of June, AlienBot is the most prevalent mobile malware, followed by Anubis and MaliBot.

• AlienBot: This malware family is a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) for Android devices that allows a remote attacker, as a first step, to inject malicious code into legitimate financial applications. The attacker obtains access to victims accounts, and eventually completely controls their device.
• Anubis: A banking Trojan designed for Android mobile phones. Since it was initially detected, it has gained additional functions including Remote Access Trojan (RAT) functionality, keylogger, audio recording capabilities and various ransomware features. It has been detected on hundreds of different applications available in the Google Store.
• MaliBot: An Android Banking malware that has been spotted targeting users in Spain and Italy. The Banking disguises itself as crypto mining applications under different names and focuses on stealing financial information, crypto wallets and more personal data.

Check Point’s Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map is powered by Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence. ThreatCloud provides real-time threat intelligence derived from hundreds of millions of sensors worldwide, over networks, endpoints and mobiles. The intelligence is enriched with AI-based engines and exclusive research data from Check Point Research, The Intelligence & Research Arm of Check Point Software Technologies.