Vobfus Worm & Beebone Downloader Trojan

Vobfus and Beebone are a combined worm and downloader trojan that use an uncommon self-perpetuating infection mechanism

Threat ID:: CC-2533
Category:: Trojan, Worm
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:: Drive by download, Phishing
Published:: 10 July 2018 12:00 AM

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

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Summary

Vobfus and Beebone are a combined worm and downloader trojan that use an uncommon self-perpetuating infection mechanism

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

Vobfus (AKA VBObfus or Changeup) is initially delivered through phishing emails or as a download from a compromised website. Once on a device it will write itself to all mapped network and removable drives using autorun.inf. These copies will then infect any new devices they are connected to. Alongside this, Vobfus connects to its command and control (C2) infrastructure to download and install the latest version of Beebone. Beebone will itself then connect to the same C2 server and download any additional malware as well as the newest version of Vobfus. It is believed Vobfus and Beebone act in this manner to prevent users from fully removing all malware variants from their device, at which point any remaining variants will begin the infection process again.

Some variants of Vobfus will exploit a Windows shortcut vulnerability known as CPLINK to execute arbitrary commands an a device. Both Vobfus and Beebone have variants with polymorphic capabilities.

Remediation advice

Disabling Windows Autorun will prevent Vobfus from propagating to new drives. Additionally, 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. 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.
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 12:56 pm