Xbooster Cryptocurrency Miner

Xbooster is a cryptocurrency miner hosted on Amazon Web Services that propagates via phishing emails.

Threat ID:: CC-2442
Category:
Threat Severity:: Low
Threat Vector:
Published:: 31 May 2018 12:00 AM

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Summary

Xbooster is a cryptocurrency miner hosted on Amazon Web Services that propagates via phishing emails.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows – All versions
Amazon Web Services

Threat details

Xbooster can be spread via phishing emails or may be bundled with free software. The malware downloads two programs to the affected device. One being a Monero miner and the other a manager that allows Xbooster to connect to the Command and Control (C2) server.

To avoid detection, CPU utilisation is kept to a minimum.

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. Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

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.
Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:58 pm