Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Malware & Threats

New Malware Variant Discovered in South Korean Attacks

Researchers at Symantec have discovered a third “wiper” malware linked to the recent attacks in South Korea. The malware used during the attacks have been widely discussed by the research community and media over the last few days, and Symantec’s discovery adds more curiosity to the plot.

Researchers at Symantec have discovered a third “wiper” malware linked to the recent attacks in South Korea. The malware used during the attacks have been widely discussed by the research community and media over the last few days, and Symantec’s discovery adds more curiosity to the plot.

Aside from the attacks themselves, aimed at South Korean broadcasting and financial sectors, most of the discussions have centered on the malware discovered – including the fact that it’s destructive in nature and timed to wipe the targeted system completely depending on a set of variables. The wiping aspect is where the debate comes in to play, as completely destroying a system seems like a useless act on the part of an alleged state-sponsored aggressor.

The malware used in the attacks, named “Jokra” by Symantec, has two variants that were developed to wipe the compromised host immediately on execution. Another was set to execute and wipe the system on March 20, at 2:00 p.m. local time.

However, researchers discovered a third variant, which was set to wipe the host at 3:00 p.m. March 20, only this time the year didn’t matter. Where the others were only to activate in 2013, this latest variant isn’t dependent on the year at all.

Symantec wouldn’t speculate on what their latest discovery means, as it relates to the attack and ongoing research and investigations. However, the fact that a variant exists that didn’t rely on given year is almost to be expected since most major malware campaigns undergo several revisions. It’s also possible that this variant was an earlier creation, later scrapped in order to launch a more focused attack.

On Friday, South Korean official stepped back from their earlier accusation that an IP address used in the attack was hosted in China, reporting instead that the IP address was actually assigned to a computer in one of the targeted banks.

Investigators from the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) said that the possibility that the attack originated abroad is still there however, as they are “tracking some dubious IP addresses.”

Last week’s attacks knocked KBA, MBC, and YTN TV stations off the air, and crippled operations at three banks.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Written By

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join the session as we discuss the challenges and best practices for cybersecurity leaders managing cloud identities.

Register

SecurityWeek’s Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Summit helps businesses to plan, prepare, and recover from a ransomware incident.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Cybercrime

The changing nature of what we still generally call ransomware will continue through 2023, driven by three primary conditions.

Cybercrime

A recently disclosed vBulletin vulnerability, which had a zero-day status for roughly two days last week, was exploited in a hacker attack targeting the...

Malware & Threats

The NSA and FBI warn that a Chinese state-sponsored APT called BlackTech is hacking into network edge devices and using firmware implants to silently...

Application Security

Virtualization technology giant VMware on Tuesday shipped urgent updates to fix a trio of security problems in multiple software products, including a virtual machine...

Cyberwarfare

An engineer recruited by intelligence services reportedly used a water pump to deliver Stuxnet, which reportedly cost $1-2 billion to develop.

Malware & Threats

Unpatched and unprotected VMware ESXi servers worldwide have been targeted in a ransomware attack exploiting a vulnerability patched in 2021.

Malware & Threats

Apple’s cat-and-mouse struggles with zero-day exploits on its flagship iOS platform is showing no signs of slowing down.

Cybercrime

No one combatting cybercrime knows everything, but everyone in the battle has some intelligence to contribute to the larger knowledge base.