Asprox Malware – Is This a New Threat on the Internet?

The Asprox Malware was discovered in 2008. It is involved in various phishing scams and SQL injections. In other words, it is involved in spreading the malware on the websites. Most people think that it was inactivated in 2015. Recently, most cybersecurity professionals have detected it. According to them, it is involved in various tech support scams by using scare tactics. To spread the malware, it uses high profile attacks.

It was detected in    2008, and according to research 2008, it has infected more than 15,000 computers. The size of this botnet is variable. It means to save it from the cybersecurity professionals; they shrink the size of this botnet.

Asprox Malware

The propagation process of this malware is unusual. It is running actively to find and infect vulnerable websites. For this reason, it is running Active Server Pages. After finding the potential target in the form of a vulnerable website, it performs the SQL injections on it. While performing the SQL injection, it inserts the Iframe in the website, redirecting the users to the website with malicious hosting malware.

As a result, it will last a bad impact on the user experience of this website. You should also know that it affects the websites in the form of waves. In the first wave, it is trying to infect as many waves as possible. It means that it is trying to achieve the highest possible spread rate.

Second Wave

After completing a wave, it will try to lay dormant for an extended period, and it saves itself from the aggressive counteractions from the security professionals. According to cybersecurity agencies, the first wave of this malware took place in July 2008, infecting thousands of web pages. After that, the second wave took place in October 2009. During this period, the infection, this malware has infected various websites. The third wave took place in June 2010. This infection has also infected thousands of websites. During each infection, it utilises new languages and attachment filenames. These languages and filenames are attached based on the locations of the victims.

This botnet is present in the form of large pools of compromised computers. That’s why it has become a real security threat on the internet. It combines two threat vectors, botnet and SQL injection attacks, utilising the centralised command control structure. HTTP based communication is also an essential feature of this malware. It utilises advanced double fast-flux service networks to access the victims’ systems and recruit new bots; it utilises SQL injection attacks. To spread the malware binaries, it is utilising social engineering tricks. These features show that it has become a real security threat on the internet.

How did Asprox malware become APT?

Asprox is one of the most famous malware that uses APT-like invasion techniques to attack websites. It is also garnering the full attention of the FireEye analytics. Due to its technical techniques, it has become the most famous malware in history. It exploits the vulnerabilities by using SQL injections. To convince the victims, it sends a trustworthy URL.

In some cases, it also sends a trustworthy document via email. According to security experts, this malware is involved in various activities. It is harvesting login credentials. It is driving fake advertising traffic to a website. The users also use it to conduct SQL injections on unsecured websites. Here, we will discuss how Asprox malware became APT in four phases.

• Operating in safe havens

Due to the spam botnets, McColo was shut down. It was a US-based ISP. Its hosting domain was associated with the C&C servers. Asprox malware also operated from domains in countries like Russia and Estonia in these botnets. The ISP operators had to face problems in getting access to these botnets. Its reason was that their requests were suspended due to the illegal domains. Till now, Asprox and similar malware are increased in these two countries.

• Diversification of the phishing techniques

Asprox malware has become a real threat on the internet because it uses diversifying phishing techniques. In 2008, it used English to send phishing emails to the victims. In 2013 it diversified its phishing techniques by using local languages to send emails based on the locations of the victims; for example, it sent messages in Spanish and German languages. It is also making changes in its spear phishing techniques. In the beginning, it used emails to send spam emails. After that, it sent malware by using push notifications. Nowadays, it is sending malware by using news updates.

• Persistence in the threat landscape

When cybersecurity professionals detect malware, they try to get rid of this malware. After taking strict actions against the malware, they can easily get rid of this malware. In this case, it is showing persistence in the threat landscape. After getting rid of this malware, it appears with the new code. When cybersecurity professionals detect it, it has already infected many systems. We are saying that it has become a new threat on the internet.

There are many vulnerabilities in the websites. Hackers find new ways to access sensitive information as soon as you address them. The website security professionals need to utilise a proactive approach toward website security.

Conclusion:

We hope that our blog about the latest malware threat has been informative. Asprox Malware is a new threat that has been found and it is possible that it could be the next big thing, like the Zeus Trojan. However, we have to go by the facts, so this is a new threat that you need to be aware of, but we don’t think it’s going to be the next big thing. Read our blog post to find out why! We hope that you learned something new today and that you have a better understanding of Asprox Malware. If you have any questions, please feel free to post it below and we will be sure to answer them! Thank you for reading.

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