Severity

High

Analysis Summary

Researchers have identified recent Mustang Panda activity that involves the use of DLL side-loading to deliver PlugX. The initial infection vector is an executable downloaded from a remote URL. The executable is responsible for installing the malware by dropping the required files (a DLL loader, a legitimate binary, and the PlugX payload) onto the system. The legitimate binary is the Adobe CEF Helper and is vulnerable to DLL side-loading. When the installer runs the legitimate binary, the dropped DLL is loaded. This DLL is the loader for the final payload. First, it reads a hardcoded .dat file that contains the XOR key for decrypting the final payload, then it performs the decryption and loads the malware into memory. Once running in memory, the PlugX payload is able to decrypt its configuration data, which includes its installation location, the XOR key for C2 communication, and any C2 addresses and ports

Impact

• Information Theft
• Exposure of Sensitive Data

Indicators of Compromise

MD5

• c285eaea0fe441f550479f7ef85a3dd0

SHA-256

• 4cd7d84e464a2786446df623629aa7e2e6c776c9a870278eb39b54c5fba05044

SHA-1

• 41d61af1d61d6e1c4718132e64268005ce362b36

Remediation

• Block all threat indicators at your respective controls.
• Search for IOCs in your environment.
• Always be suspicious about emails sent by unknown senders.
• Never click on the links/attachments sent by unknown senders