The cybersecurity researchers at Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs asserted that in order to mine crypto-currencies and launch DDoS attacks, hackers are deploying an existing botnet called Chaos, which is rapidly expanding, to target and infect Windows and Linux devices.
There are also various architectures that can be affected by this Go-based malware, and it includes the following architectures:-
- x86
- x86-64
- AMD64
- MIPS
- MIPS64
- ARMv5-ARMv8
- AArch64
- PowerPC
Many devices, such as small office and home routers, as well as enterprise servers, use these architectures.
Technical Analysis
Although Chaos is mainly propagated through the use of SSH brute-force techniques and unpatched devices that are not protected against numerous security vulnerabilities.
But Chaos is also capable of hijacking more devices, using stolen SSH keys as part of their plans. Additionally, it creates a reverse shell by which the hijacked device will be able to access the Internet.
With this type of shell, attackers have the ability to log on at any time and exploit the system further if necessary. Chinese is the language used in Chaos, and not only that Chaos also makes use of the C2 infrastructure that is based in China.
There is nothing new about Chaos; the campaign has been targeting a wide range of sectors since it was discovered in April, and it has grown exponentially ever since.
In order for Chaos to establish persistence over a device, it will reach out to its C2 server as soon as it has successfully taken over the device.
According to the report, While to propagate further, mine cryptocurrency for profit, or launch a DDoS attack, the command sends back staging commands, prompting the malware to propagate even further.
Targets
A majority of the targets that are targeted by this botnet are in Europe. Despite this, there are some hotspots in America and the Asia Pacific where the bots are spreading throughout the world. So far, Chaos bots have not been detected in the following two countries:-
- Australia
- New Zealand
The Chaos botnet appears to be based on Kaiji, a botnet that utilises similar building blocks and capabilities. It should be noted that Kaiji is also able to perform the following:-
- Cryptomining
- Launching DDoS attacks
- Establishing reverse shells
Further, from the C2 server Chaos is capable of executing up to 70 different commands.
Recommendation
- Chaos infections as well as connections to suspicious servers are needed to be monitored by network defenders.
- Ensure that newly discovered CVEs are patched effectively as soon as they are discovered.
- Installing security updates and patches on your router on a regular basis is one of the best practices to follow.
- In order to benefit from EDR solutions, users should make sure that they are configured properly and updated.
- Keep your software up-to-date in accordance with the patches issued by your vendor on a regular basis.
- For machines that do not require remote root access, you should change the default password and disable remote root access.
- The SSH keys should be stored securely on any device that relies on them for authentication.
