Wiper (malware)

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In computer security, a wiper is a class of malware intended to erase (wipe, hence the name) the hard drive or other static memory of the computer it infects, maliciously deleting data and programs.

Contents

Examples

A piece of malware referred to as "Wiper" was allegedly used in attacks against Iranian oil companies. In 2012, the International Telecommunication Union supplied Kaspersky Lab with hard drives allegedly damaged by Wiper for analysis. While a sample of the alleged malware could not be found, Kaspersky discovered traces of a separate piece of malware known as Flame. [1] [2] [3]

The Shamoon malware contained a disk wiping mechanism; it was employed in 2012 and 2016 malware attacks targeting Saudi energy companies, and utilized a commercial direct drive access driver known as Rawdisk. The original variant overwrote files with portions of an image of a burning U.S. flag. The 2016 variant was nearly identical, except using an image of the body of Alan Kurdi instead. [4] [5]

A wiping component was used as part of the malware employed by the Lazarus Group—a cybercrime group with alleged ties to North Korea, during the 2013 South Korea cyberattack, and the 2014 Sony Pictures hack. [6] [7] [8] The Sony hack also utilized RawDisk. [4]

In 2017, computers in several countries—most prominently Ukraine, were infected by NotPetya, which is a variant of the Petya ransomware that was a wiper in functional sense. The malware infects the master boot record with a payload that encrypts the internal file table of the NTFS file system. Although it still demanded a ransom, it was found that the code had been significantly modified so that the payload could not actually revert its changes, even if the ransom were successfully paid. [9] [10]

Several variants of wiper malware were discovered during the 2022 Ukraine cyberattacks on computer systems associated with Ukraine. Named CaddyWiper, HermeticWiper, IsaacWiper, and FoxBlade by researchers, the programs showed little relation to each other, prompting speculation that they were created by different state-sponsored actors in Russia especially for this occasion. [11]

Solution

Reactive redundancy is a possible solution for data destruction protection. Researchers are able to create systems capable of analyzing write buffers before they reach a storage medium, determine if the write is destructive, and preserve the data under destruction. [12]

Related Research Articles

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Watering hole is a computer attack strategy in which an attacker guesses or observes which websites an organization often uses and infects one or more of them with malware. Eventually, some member of the targeted group will become infected. Hacks looking for specific information may only attack users coming from a specific IP address. This also makes the hacks harder to detect and research. The name is derived from predators in the natural world, who wait for an opportunity to attack their prey near watering holes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaspersky Lab</span> Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider

Kaspersky Lab is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and operated by a holding company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1997 by Eugene Kaspersky, Natalya Kaspersky, and Alexey De-Monderik; Eugene Kaspersky is currently the CEO. Kaspersky Lab develops and sells antivirus, internet security, password management, endpoint security, and other cybersecurity products and services.

Flame, also known as Flamer, sKyWIper, and Skywiper, is modular computer malware discovered in 2012 that attacks computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. The program is used for targeted cyber espionage in Middle Eastern countries.

Shamoon, also known as W32.DistTrack, is a modular computer virus that was discovered in 2012, targeting then-recent 32-bit NT kernel versions of Microsoft Windows. The virus was notable due to the destructive nature of the attack and the cost of recovery. Shamoon can spread from an infected machine to other computers on the network. Once a system is infected, the virus continues to compile a list of files from specific locations on the system, upload them to the attacker, and erase them. Finally the virus overwrites the master boot record of the infected computer, making it unusable.

Cyberweapons are commonly defined as malware agents employed for military, paramilitary, or intelligence objectives as part of a cyberattack. This includes computer viruses, trojans, spyware, and worms that can introduce malicious code into existing software, causing a computer to perform actions or processes unintended by its operator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seculert</span> Israeli cloud-based cyber security technology

Seculert is a cloud-based cyber security technology company based in Israel. The company's technology is designed to detect breaches and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), attacking networks. Seculert's business is based on malware research and the ability to uncover malware that has gone undetected by other traditional measures.

Regin is a sophisticated malware and hacking toolkit used by United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). It was first publicly revealed by Kaspersky Lab, Symantec, and The Intercept in November 2014. The malware targets specific users of Microsoft Windows-based computers and has been linked to the US intelligence-gathering agency NSA and its British counterpart, the GCHQ. The Intercept provided samples of Regin for download, including malware discovered at a Belgian telecommunications provider, Belgacom. Kaspersky Lab says it first became aware of Regin in spring 2012, but some of the earliest samples date from 2003. Among computers infected worldwide by Regin, 28 percent were in Russia, 24 percent in Saudi Arabia, 9 percent each in Mexico and Ireland, and 5 percent in each of India, Afghanistan, Iran, Belgium, Austria, and Pakistan.

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TeslaCrypt was a ransomware trojan. It is now defunct, and its master key was released by the developers.

Lazarus Group is a cybercrime group made up of an unknown number of individuals run by the government of North Korea. While not much is known about the Lazarus Group, researchers have attributed many cyberattacks to them between 2010 and 2021. Originally a criminal group, the group has now been designated as an advanced persistent threat due to intended nature, threat, and wide array of methods used when conducting an operation. Names given by cybersecurity organizations include Hidden Cobra and Zinc. According to North Korean defector Kim Kuk-song, the unit is internally known in North Korea as 414 Liaison Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WannaCry ransomware attack</span> 2017 worldwide ransomware cyberattack

The WannaCry ransomware attack was a worldwide cyberattack in May 2017 by the WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm, which targeted computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system by encrypting data and demanding ransom payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. It propagated by using EternalBlue, an exploit developed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) for Windows systems. EternalBlue was stolen and leaked by a group called The Shadow Brokers a month prior to the attack. While Microsoft had released patches previously to close the exploit, much of WannaCry's spread was from organizations that had not applied these, or were using older Windows systems that were past their end-of-life. These patches were imperative to organizations' cyber security but many were not implemented due to ignorance of their importance. Some have claimed a need for 24/7 operation, aversion to risking having formerly working applications breaking because of patch changes, lack of personnel or time to install them, or other reasons.

EternalBlue is a computer exploit developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). It was leaked by the Shadow Brokers hacker group on April 14, 2017, one month after Microsoft released patches for the vulnerability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petya (malware family)</span> Family of encrypting ransomware discovered in 2016

Petya is a family of encrypting malware that was first discovered in 2016. The malware targets Microsoft Windows–based systems, infecting the master boot record to execute a payload that encrypts a hard drive's file system table and prevents Windows from booting. It subsequently demands that the user make a payment in Bitcoin in order to regain access to the system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Ukraine ransomware attacks</span> Series of powerful cyberattacks using the Petya malware

A series of powerful cyberattacks using the Petya malware began on 27 June 2017 that swamped websites of Ukrainian organizations, including banks, ministries, newspapers and electricity firms. Similar infections were reported in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. ESET estimated on 28 June 2017 that 80% of all infections were in Ukraine, with Germany second hardest hit with about 9%. On 28 June 2017, the Ukrainian government stated that the attack was halted. On 30 June 2017, the Associated Press reported experts agreed that Petya was masquerading as ransomware, while it was actually designed to cause maximum damage, with Ukraine being the main target.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandworm (hacker group)</span> Russian hacker group

Sandworm is an Advanced Persistent Threat operated by Military Unit 74455, a cyberwarfare unit of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service. Other names for the group, given by cybersecurity researchers, include Telebots, Voodoo Bear, and Iron Viking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Ukraine cyberattacks</span> Attack on Ukrainian government and websites

During the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, multiple cyberattacks against Ukraine were recorded, as well as some attacks on Russia. The first major cyberattack took place on 14 January 2022, and took down more than a dozen of Ukraine's government websites. According to Ukrainian officials, around 70 government websites, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the National and Defense Council (NSDC), were attacked. Most of the sites were restored within hours of the attack. On 15 February, another cyberattack took down multiple government and bank services.

References

  1. ↑ "Destructive Malware - Five Wipers in the Spotlight". Securelist. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  2. ↑ Zetter, Kim. "Wiper Malware That Hit Iran Left Possible Clues of Its Origins". Wired.com. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  3. ↑ Erdbrink, Thomas (23 April 2012). "Facing Cyberattack, Iranian Officials Disconnect Some Oil Terminals From Internet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Shamoon wiper malware returns with a vengeance". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  5. ↑ Perlroth, Nicole (2012-08-24). "Among Digital Crumbs from Saudi Aramco Cyberattack, Image of Burning U.S. Flag". Bits. The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  6. ↑ "Inside the "wiper" malware that brought Sony Pictures to its knees [Update]". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  7. ↑ Palilery, Jose (December 24, 2014). "What caused Sony hack: What we know now". CNNMoney . Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Zetter, Kim. "The Sony Hackers Were Causing Mayhem Years Before They Hit the Company". Wired. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  9. ↑ "Tuesday's massive ransomware outbreak was, in fact, something much worse". Ars Technica. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  10. ↑ "Cyber-attack was about data and not money, say experts". BBC News. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Sicherheitsforscher finden neue Zerstörungs-Malware auf ukrainischen Computersystemen". standard.at. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  12. ↑ Gutierrez, Christopher N.; Spafford, Eugene H.; Bagchi, Saurabh; Yurek, Thomas (2018-05-01). "Reactive redundancy for data destruction protection (R2D2)". Computers & Security. 74: 184–201. doi: 10.1016/j.cose.2017.12.012 . ISSN   0167-4048.
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