XIAOBA File Corruptor and Miner

XIAOBA is a sophisticated file corruptor and cryptocurrency miner.

Threat ID:: CC-2286
Category:
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:
Published:: 19 April 2018 12:00 AM

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

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Summary

XIAOBA is a sophisticated file corruptor and cryptocurrency miner.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

Formerly used as a ransomware tool, its code has been repurposed with new capabilities to make it more destructive.

At the time of publication it is unclear how XIAOBA is delivered to a target device. Once installed, it will begin to inject the Coinhive mining script into all .html and .htm files. Other variants have been observed using the XMRig miner instead of Coinhive. Alongside this, XIAOBA will execute a version of itself in the startup folder and delete registry entries to disable safe boot mode.

XIAOBA will also traverse all available directories and corrupt any files with the extensions .exe, .com, .scr and .pif; prepending the files once done. This is the only check it does, meaning files can be infected multiple times. Critical system files are not excluded from this search and if corrupted will render the device inoperable.

Remediation advice

To prevent and detect an 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, anti-virus 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 affected devices 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, anti-virus 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 affected devices should be reset on a clean computer.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:58 pm