Orangeworm APT and Kwampirs Backdoor

An advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been observed targeting large healthcare organisations throughout Europe, the USA and Asia. Known as Orangeworm, the group use a custom backdoor called Kwampirs.

Threat ID:: CC-2304
Category:: Trojan
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:: Exploit, Insecure network
Published:: 25 April 2018 12:00 AM

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

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Summary

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions
Medical Devices

Threat details

The group perform extensive research to identify suitable targets; although it is unclear at the time of publication how they compromise devices, with reports indicating spear-phishing emails have been used. Once on a device, Kwampirs will aggressively propagate through the network using SMB, It will copy itself to all network shares and file servers where it will then infect any user who connects to them.

Orangeworm will then target a subset of the infected devices for further scrutiny, exfiltrating any data they deem usable. The motive behind the attacks appears to be the collection of patient data; with infections observed on medical devices such as X-ray machines, GP booking systems and prescription services.

Threat updates

Date	Update
11 May 2018	Further information has been released detailing Kwampirs' delivery vector and Orangeworm's targets once inside a network. As states previously, Orangeworm perform extensive network reconnaissance, including scanning for numerous vulnerabilities, before selecting a target. They will also attempt to perform domain name system (DNS) poisoning, a type of attack in that exploits DNS vulnerabilities to divert traffic away from legitimate sources to attacker-controlled servers. Once inside a compromised network, the group will identify high-value targets and download further modules to machines of interest. They will also make no effort to remove Kwampirs once they have acquired their desired information.

Date

Update

11 May 2018

Further information has been released detailing Kwampirs' delivery vector and Orangeworm's targets once inside a network.

As states previously, Orangeworm perform extensive network reconnaissance, including scanning for numerous vulnerabilities, before selecting a target. They will also attempt to perform domain name system (DNS) poisoning, a type of attack in that exploits DNS vulnerabilities to divert traffic away from legitimate sources to attacker-controlled servers.

Once inside a compromised network, the group will identify high-value targets and download further modules to machines of interest. They will also make no effort to remove Kwampirs once they have acquired their desired information.

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	iv> Ensure your anti-malware provider can detect Kwampirs activity. To prevent and detect an infection, ensure that: 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

iv>

Ensure your anti-malware provider can detect Kwampirs activity.

To prevent and detect an infection, ensure that:

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 12:51 pm