RATANKBA RAT

RATANKBA is a remote-access trojan (RAT) believed to have been created by the Lazarus Group advanced persistent threat, also known as HIDDEN COBRA and the Guardians of Peace.

Threat ID:: CC-1980
Category:: Trojan
Threat Severity:: Low
Threat Vector:: Drive by download
Published:: 31 January 2018 12:00 AM

Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

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Summary

RATANKBA is a remote-access trojan (RAT) believed to have been created by the Lazarus Group advanced persistent threat, also known as HIDDEN COBRA and the Guardians of Peace.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

First observed in 2016 being deployed as an information-stealer, it is now being used as a dropper for other malware.

RATANKBA is delivered via watering hole attacks using a variety of lure documents, including Office documents, CHM files and script downloaders. Once opened, PowerShell commands within the files open a backdoor on the device to initiate command and control (C2) communications. Other RATANKBA variants use Portable Executables instead of PowerShell commands.

Once a device is compromised, RATANKBA collects the following information:

Device name.
User identity.
IP and MAC addresses.
Operating system architecture and version.
Status of ports 139, 445 and 3389.

Remediation advice

To prevent and detect a trojan infection, ensure that:

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails. All operating systems, antivirus and other security products are kept up to date. All day to day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts. Strong password policies are in place and password reuse is discouraged. Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity. User accounts accessed from infected machines should be reset on a clean computer.

Type

Step

A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails.
All operating systems, antivirus and other security products are kept up to date.
All day to day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts.
Strong password policies are in place and password reuse is discouraged.
Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity.
User accounts accessed from infected machines should be reset on a clean computer.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:53 pm