STATS Backdoor Family

Beginning with POWERSTATS v1 in 2011, STATS is a family of backdoor malware created and used by the MuddyWater advanced persistent threat group for use in their campaigns against governmental, telecoms and transportation organisations.

Threat ID:: CC-3092
Category:: Backdoor
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:: Spear phishing
Published:: 12 June 2019 12:00 AM

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

Summary

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

As with most MuddyWater malware, the STATS family are delivered as malicious Microsoft Office attachments distributed via sophisticated spear-phishing attacks. When opened, these attachments will execute embedded macros containing base64 encoded PowerShell commands, which in turn extract STATS.

Once installed, all STATS variants will collect system information and send it to a command and control (C2) server. They will then install a number of post-exploitation tools including Mimikatz, Meterpreter and Empire before awaiting further instructions. At the time of publication there are four observed STATS family variants:

CLOUDSTATS - PowerShell-based variant. Uses cloud file hosting platforms for command and control communications.
DELPHSTATS - Delphi-based variant. Typically used to retrieve payloads from a MuddyWater controlled C2 server before executing them.
POWERSTATS - Primary STATS variant used in most MuddyWater campaigns. Currently on version 3.
SHARPSTATS - .NET-based variant. Can locate and extract target files and folders.

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	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. 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.

Type

Step

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.
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.

Last edited: 14 February 2020 2:50 pm