The rootkit in questions is a fairly well known variant (TDL/Alureon) and has been around for several years, but according to Prevx it’s been hitting on x64 installs of Windows 7 since August this year.

It’s usually an oldskool method to circumvent the Windows security measures, the MBR (Master Boot Record) – haven’t seen anyway malware using that for quite some time.

A notorious rootkit that for years has ravaged 32-bit versions of Windows has begun claiming 64-bit versions of the Microsoft operating system as well.

The ability of TDL, aka Alureon, to infect 64-bit versions of Windows 7 is something of a coup for its creators, because Microsoft endowed the OS with enhanced security safeguards that were intended to block such attacks. The rootkit crossed into the 64-bit realm sometime in August, according to security firm Prevx.

According to research published on Monday by GFI Software, the latest TDL4 installation penetrates 64-bit versions of Windows by bypassing the OS’s kernel mode code signing policy, which is designed to allow drivers to be installed only when they have been digitally signed by a trusted source. The rootkit achieves this feat by attaching itself to the master boot record in a hard drive’s bowels and changing the machine’s boot options.

Microsoft has pumped some pretty advanced protection mechanisms into the latest member of the Windows family, but still you just know it’s only a matter of time before the bad guys find some way to get around it.

This is an advanced piece of malware though as there are multiple layers of protection in Windows 7 and TDL4 bypasses them all, it even blocks access to debuggers and is undetectable by most AV software.

Whichever way you look at it, that’s some neat coding.

“The boot option is changed in memory from the code executed by infected MBR,” GFI Technical Fellow Chandra Prakash wrote. “The boot option configures value of a config setting named ‘LoadIntegrityCheckPolicy’ that determines the level of validation on boot programs. The rootkit changes this config setting value to a low level of validation that effectively allows loading of an unsigned malicious rootkit dl file.”

According to researchers at Prevx, TDL is the most advanced rootkit ever seen in the wild. It is used as a backdoor to install and update keyloggers and other types of malware on infected machines. Once installed it is undetectable by most antimalware programs. In keeping with TDL’s high degree of sophistication, the rootkit uses low-level instructions to disable debuggers, making it hard for white hat hackers to do reconnaissance.

One of the advanced protections Microsoft added to 64-bit versions of Windows was kernel mode code signing policy. Microsoft also added a feature known as PatchGuard, which blocks kernel mode drivers from altering sensitive parts of the Windows kernel. TDL manages to circumvent this protection as well, by altering a machine’s MBR so that it can intercept Windows startup routines.

Prevx came out with this research, you can read more about their findings here:

x64 TDL3 rootkit – follow up

There is also an in-depth technical analysis from Microsoft researcher Joe Johnson check here [PDF].

Source: The Register

ReFrameworker is a general purpose Framework modifier, used to reconstruct framework Runtimes by creating modified versions from the original implementation that was provided by the framework vendor. ReFrameworker performs the required steps of runtime manipulation by tampering with the binaries containing the framework’s classes, in order to produce modified binaries that can replace the original ones.

It was developed to experiment with and demonstrate deployment of MCR (Managed Code Rootkits) code into a given framework.

Features

• Performs all the required steps needed for modifying framework binaries (disassemble, code injection, reassemble, precompiled images cleaning, etc.)
• Fast development and deployment of a modified behavior into a given framework
• Auto generated deployers
• Modules: a separation between general purpose “building blocks” that can be injected into any given binary, allowing the users to create small pieces of code that can be later combined to form a specific injection task.
• Can be easily adapted to support multiple frameworks by minimal configuration (currently comes preconfigured for the .NET framework)
• Comes with many “preconfigured” proof-of-concept attacks (implemented as modules) that demonstrate its usage that can be easily extended to perform many other things.

ReFrameworker, as a general purpose framework modification tool, can be used in other contexts besides security such as customizing frameworks for performance tuning, Runtime tweaking, virtual patching, hardening, and probably other usages – It all depends on what it is instructed to do.

You can download ReFrameworker v1.1 here:

Software – ReFrameworker_V1.1.zip
Source Code: ReFrameworker_V1.1_Source_Code.zip

Or read more here.

StreamArmor is a tool for discovering hidden alternate data streams (ADS) and can also clean them completely from the system. It’s advanced auto analysis coupled with online threat verification mechanism makes it the best tool available in the market for eradicating the evil streams. StreamArmor comes with fast multi threaded ADS scanner which can recursively scan over entire system and quickly uncover all hidden streams. All such discovered streams are represented using specific color patten based on threat level which makes it easy for human eye to distinguish between suspicious and normal streams.

StreamArmor has built-in advanced file type detection mechanism which examines the content of file to accurately detect the file type of stream. This makes it great tool in forensic analysis in uncovering hidden documents/images/audio/video/database/archive files within the alternate data streams. StreamArmor is the standalone, portable application which does not require any installation. It can be copied to any place in the system and executed directly.

What are ADS (Alternate Data Streams)?

If you’ve had any experience with advanced malware or Windows forensics you’d already know what ADS are, but if you haven’t is a lesser known feature of the Windows NTFS file system which provides the ability to put data into existing files and folders without affecting their functionality and size. Any such stream associated with file/folder is not visible when viewed through conventional utilities such as Windows Explorer or DIR command or any other file browser tools.

If so inclined you can read more here:

• Windows NTFS Alternate Data Streams
• Hidden Threat: Alternate Data Streams

Platform

Windows XP, 2K3, Vista, Longhorn and Windows 7 (both 32 & 64 bit versions) On 64 bit platform, only 32 bit processes are supported.

You can download StreamArmor v1.0 here:

StreamArmor_v1.zip

Or read more here.

UK Police have uncovered a fairly massive data theft operation with a total close to 8,500 victims.

It’s quite worrying when things like this are uncovered as if 1 is uncovered or discovered…imagine how many aren’t found out about, just like exploits.

British electronic-crime detectives are investigating a massive data theft operation that stole sensitive information from 8,500 people in the U.K. and others in some 60 countries, officials said Tuesday.

In total, cybercriminals targeted 600 financial companies and banks, according to U.K. authorities, who have worked over the past week to identify and notify victims.

Through intelligence sources, U.K. police were given several gigabytes of data — around 130,00 files — that came from a server in the U.S., said Charlie McMurdie, detective chief inspector for the Specialist Crime Directorate e-Crime Unit of the London Metropolitan Police. Most of the data related to financial information, she said.

Several GIG of data, that’s a hell of a lot of text.

They were using a pretty basic program though, haxdoor.

The data was collected by a malicious software program nicknamed Haxdoor that infected victims’ computers. Some 2,300 machines were located in the U.K. McMurdie said.

Haxdoor is a powerful program that can collect passwords and send them to another e-mail address plus disable a computer’s firewall, among other functions, according to a description posted on security vendor F-Secure Corp.’s Web site. Symantec Corp., another security company, wrote it first detected Haxdoor in November 2003.

Computers can get infected with Haxdoor if they don’t have security patches or up-to-date antivirus software. London police said it’s believed many victims were infected through instant message programs.

Nice to see the good guys also using technology to parse the data and locate victims.

Metropolitan police experts built a special program to search through the data and identify victims, she said. The data contained information such as logins and passwords for major Web sites such as eBay Inc., Amazon.com, BT Group PLC and Pipex Internet Ltd., a U.K. Internet service provider.

In some instances, Haxdoor employed a screen-capture function to obtain information, McMurdie said.

Source: Infoworld

For those that didn’t see, there is a new all singing all dancing ‘light-weight’ Codec in town that is actually a trojan.

Indeed it’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of thing.

The zCodec software actually messes with your DNS settings.

Users looking for the latest and greatest video software may not just be in danger from media lawyers. Security firm Panda Software last week warned that zCodec, which claims to offer “up to 40 percent better (video) quality,” is in fact an adware program that can install Trojans, rootkits and other malicious software.

zCodec is freely available online and, as of Monday afternoon, was easy enough to find, offering downloads from its own website – zcodec.com. The site uses images from the films Sin City and Pulp Fiction, and claims zCodec will boost audio as well as video quality.

“zCodec is a multimedia compressor/decompressor which registers into the Windows collection of multimedia drivers and integrates with any application using DirectShow and Microsoft Video for Windows,” the site states.

Media players use codecs (compressor/decompressors) to compress and play back digital media files, but in the real world, for a codec to make any quality difference, a file must be encoded using that codec.

As always do be vigilant when installing software and use a software or desktop firewall to patrol outgoing connections. You can also use something like TCPView to check on outgoing connections a little easier than using plain old netstat.

Panda’s advisory last week revealed that the 100KB file is in fact adware, which “downloads and runs files, changes the DNS configuration and monitors accesses to several adult websites”.

zCodec, formally known as Adware/ZCodec or Adware/EMediacodec, affects most versions of Windows and was first detected last week, Panda said.

When run, the program alters the system’s DNS configuration in order to divert traffic to DNS servers of its choice, a technique sometimes used as part of a phishing scam or to rack up clicks for advertising schemes.

zCodec also accesses a particular IP address to randomly select and download one of a collection of files. The files that could be downloaded include Ruins.MB, a Trojan horse that uses rootkit techniques to conceal itself, Panda said. zCodec could also download an online casino program.

A second file launches every time the user starts Internet Explorer and monitors Web usage. Panda said its software can remove zCodec.

Companies are getting really unscrupulous, what is going to come next I do wonder?

Source: Techworld

This is the biggest load of shite I’ve read this year I think.

Rootkits are becoming more prevalent and difficult to detect, and security vendor McAfee says the blame falls squarely on the open source community.

In its “Rootkits” report being published today, McAfee says the number of rootkits it has collected as malware samples has jumped ninefold this quarter compared with the same quarter a year ago. Almost all the rootkits McAfee has identified are intended to hide other code (such as spyware or bots) or conceal processes running in Windows systems.

“The predominant reason for the growth in use of stealthy code is because of sites like Rootkit.com,” says Stuart McClure, senior vice president of global threats at McAfee

Excuse me?!

Rootkit.com’s 41,533 members do post rootkit source code anonymously, then discuss and share the open source code. But it’s naive to say the Web site exists for malicious purposes, contends Greg Hoglund, CEO of security firm HBGary and operator of Rootkit.

“It’s there to educate people,” says Hoglund, who’s also the co-author with James Butler of the book Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel. “The site is devoted to the discussion of rootkits. It’s a great resource for anti-virus companies and others. Without it, they’d be far behind in their understanding of rootkits.”

It’s definitely there for education purposes, the Rootkits book is very informative. Sadly this is the same old discussion again and again, non-disclosure vs full-disclosure. Those who really understand the process want to share the information as soon as possible to aid prevention techniques and to promote understanding, not hiding behind ignorance and implementing security through obscurity.

Those pimping anti-virus software, anti-exploit and whatever obviously want to fuel the FUD that opensource software and sharing of knowledge actually exacerbate the problem.

It seems Trend actually understands the issue, unlike McAfee the corporate bitch.

Anti-virus vendor Trend Micro says the Rootkit Web site cuts both ways.

“We need those open source people,” says David Perry, global director of education at Trend Micro. “They uncover things. It’s a laboratory of computer science. They demand the intellectual right to discuss this.”

What more can we say..

Source: Network World

Lab rats at Microsoft Research and the University of Michigan have teamed up to create prototypes for virtual machine-based rootkits that significantly push the envelope for hiding malware and that can maintain control of a target operating system.

The proof-of-concept rootkit, called SubVirt, exploits known security flaws and drops a VMM (virtual machine monitor) underneath a Windows or Linux installation.

Subvirt certainly sounds like an interesting project.

I have heard about such a thing before in the blackhat community, but for Linux only, I didn’t know anyone had actually worked on a Windows variant.

Quite an amazing piece of technology, the thing is, it might already be out there..Blackhats tend to do it first, and do it dirty, but not talk about it to the media ;)

Using current methods, these root kits CANNOT be detected by the host machine.

Once the target operating system is hoisted into a virtual machine, the rootkit becomes impossible to detect because its state cannot be accessed by security software running in the target system, according to documentation seen by eWEEK.

The prototype, which will be presented at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy later in 2006, is the brainchild of Microsoft’s Cybersecurity and Systems Management Research Group, the Redmond, Wash., unit responsible for the Strider GhostBuster anti-rootkit scanner and the Strider HoneyMonkey exploit detection patrol.

The problem being the malware is a lower layer than the malware detection utilities available, so it runs under the level that it can be detected. The SubVirt project has implemented VM-based rootkits on two platforms “Linux/VMWare and Windows/VirtualPC” and was able to write malicious services without detection.

It is a very stealthy attack, and perhaps it could be used to also fight against malicious code and malware.

“We believe the VM-based rootkits are a viable and likely threat,” the research team said. “Virtual-machine monitors are available from both the open-source community and commercial vendors … On today’s x86 systems, [VM-based rootkits] are capable of running a target OS with few visual differences or performance effects that would alert the user to the presence of a rootkit.”

Hardware detection is one thing that could overcome this kind of subversion by virtual machines. Intel and AMD have discussed hardware based malware scanning (AMD Execution Protection to prevent buffer overflows).

Source: eWeek

Windows Rootkits are a big rarity in this modern web hacking tehnology…
I won’t speak exactly about rootkits, because it’s impropriate to call them that way… why? Well rootkits are programs that aid you in getting access to root level users…

So in the case we are using Windows rootkits we should call them admkits (admin kits [©copyrighted to me of course])…. So let’s cut the **** and get down to serious business.

Note: the following admkits are from www.packetstormsecurity.org, there also could be others available on the net… not just the following 4

_ROOT_040

Windows NT Rootkit v0.04 alpha – Hides processes, files, directories, has k-mode shell using TCP/IP – you can telnet into rootkit from remote. Hides registry keys – (keyboard patch disabled in this build.) Includes execution redirection.

Fake Netstat

Fake Netstat is a windows copy of netstat which can hide certain network connections. Requires renaming the original netstat.

NT BindShell

Ntbindshell is a lightweight (24k compiled) cmd.exe backdoor for Windows. Full C source included. Provides two modes of operation – standard (listening mode) or reverse-connect mode. Includes the ability to install itself as a system service, providing a shell with LocalSystem privileges.

reverseTelnet

Reverse telnet redirector / port redirector and front end console for Windows. Perfect for firewall bypassing from inside out. Can be used for bouncing connections, piping or relaying data, or as a quick MIM chat server. Windows executable form only.

More information of course can be found in the readme files from the archive…