Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Malware & Threats

New Self-Propagating Zeus Variant Detected in the Wild

The Zeus/ZBOT Trojan is no newcomer to the malware scene, but that hardly means it does not have any new tricks up its sleeve.

The Zeus/ZBOT Trojan is no newcomer to the malware scene, but that hardly means it does not have any new tricks up its sleeve.

According to Trend Micro, researchers have discovered a new version of the ZBOT that is self-propagating. This is a new trick for ZBOT, which typically spreads through drive-by downloads that occur when users visit sites compromised to host exploit kits serving the malware.

“This particular ZBOT variant arrives through a malicious PDF file disguised as a sales invoice document,” blogged Abigail Pichel of Trend Micro.

If the user opens the file with Adobe Reader, it triggers an exploit that causes a pop-up window appear.

“While this is going on, the malicious ZBOT variant – WORM_ZBOT.GJ – is dropped onto the system and run. It is here that several differences start to appear,” Pichel explained. “First of all, WORM_ZBOT.GJ has an autoupdate routine: it can download and run an updated copy of itself. Secondly, however, it can spread onto other systems via removable drives, like USB thumb drives. It does thus by searching for removable drives and then creating a hidden folder with a copy of itself inside this folder, and a shortcut pointing to the hidden ZBOT copy.”

In February, Trend Micro observed an increase in ZBOT samples. The surge in new infection attempts continued through at least May 7. The new propagation technique is unusual for ZBOT, Pichel noted, and could mean an increase in ZBOT infections moving forward.

“This unusual behavior, however, is in line with our2013 predictions, which noted that we believed that older threats would continue to be seen in 2013, although they would have refinements to make them more effective. In the past, some ZBOT variants have used unusual means – like file infectors – to spread as well,” she blogged. 

Written By

Marketing professional with a background in journalism and a focus on IT security.

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.

Discover strategies for vendor selection, integration to minimize redundancies, and maximizing ROI from your cybersecurity investments. Gain actionable insights to ensure your stack is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

Register

Dive into critical topics such as incident response, threat intelligence, and attack surface management. Learn how to align cyber resilience plans with business objectives to reduce potential impacts and secure your organization in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Register

People on the Move

Cyber exposure management firm Armis has promoted Alex Mosher to President.

Software giant Atlassian has named David Cross as its new CISO.

Dan Pagel has been named the new CEO of risk management and remediation firm Brinqa.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.