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Butter Cryptomining Campaign

First observed in 2015, Butter is a cryptocurrency mining campaign that has links to Singapore and Hong Kong. It has previously utilised the XOR.DDOS remote access trojan (RAT)

Threat ID:
CC-2825
Category:
Trojan
Threat Severity:
Medium
Threat Vector:
Backdoor
Published:
5 December 2018 12:00 AM
Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

This content has been archived

This article no longer conforms to NHS Digital's standards for cyber alerts, and may contain outdated or inaccurate information. Use of this information contained in this page is at your own risk

Summary

First observed in 2015, Butter is a cryptocurrency mining campaign that has links to Singapore and Hong Kong. It has previously utilised the XOR.DDOS remote access trojan (RAT)

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Linux

Linux Distributions

Threat details

However, it has recently been observed targeting Linux machines using a new RAT, known as Samba.

The threat actors operating the Butter campaign are using brute force SSH attacks on Linux devices that are exposed to the internet. If successful, the attackers will add a user, Butter, and create a backdoor. They will then download the payload, either Samba or XOR.DDOS, change its file permissions and execute it.

Once installed, Samba will delete log files to evade detection and add itself to configuration and start up systems to maintain persistence. It will then implement an update mechanism and execute a miner via a command and control server. The miner utilises the CPU of infected devices to mine for the Monero cryptocurrency. Additionally, Samba can execute shell commands, download files and also possesses the same features as XOR.DDOS. XOR.DDOS can perform distributed denial-of-service attacks, implement measures to maintain persistence, kill any competing malware and install a rootkit.

Remediation steps

Type Step

To prevent and detect a trojan 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.
  • Regular anti-virus and security scans are performed on your organisation’s estate.
  • 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.

To protect against a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, organisations should ensure:

Should an organisation suspect it is subject to an active DDoS attack, they should ensure that every effort is made to stop the attack and restore service. However, care should be taken to ensure that the attackers are not using the DDoS attack as a distraction whilst other, potentially more sensitive, systems are exploited. Monitoring of critical systems is recommended, including the use of host-based intrusion prevention and detection systems (HIPS/HIDS) where appropriate.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 1:00 pm