MAR-10322463-3.v1 - AppleJeus: Union Crypto
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NotificationThis report is provided "as is" for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained herein. The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service referenced in this bulletin or otherwise. This document is marked TLP:WHITE--Disclosure is not limited. Sources may use TLP:WHITE when information carries minimal or no foreseeable risk of misuse, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures for public release. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP:WHITE information may be distributed without restriction. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP), see http://www.us-cert.gov/tlp. SummaryDescriptionThis Malware Analysis Report (MAR) is the result of analytic efforts among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) to highlight the cyber threat to cryptocurrency posed by North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and provide mitigation recommendations. Working with U.S. government partners, FBI, CISA, and Treasury assess that Lazarus Group—which these agencies attribute to North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors—is targeting individuals and companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial service companies, through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that have been modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency. This MAR highlights this cyber threat posed by North Korea and provides detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs) used by the North Korean government. The U.S. Government refers to malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government as HIDDEN COBRA. For more information on other versions of AppleJeus and recommended steps to mitigate this threat, see Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA21-048A: AppleJeus: Analysis of North Korea's Cryptocurrency Malware at https://www.us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/AA21-048A. There have been multiple versions of AppleJeus malware discovered since its initial discovery in August 2018. In most versions, the malware appears to be from a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading company and website, whereby an unsuspecting individual downloads a third-party application from a website that appears legitimate. The U.S. Government has identified AppleJeus malware version—Union Crypto—and associated IOCs used by the North Korean government in AppleJeus operations. Union Crypto, discovered by a cybersecurity company in December 2019, is a legitimate-looking cryptocurrency trading software that is marketed and distributed by a company and website—Union Crypto and unioncrypto[.]vip, respectively—that appear legitimate. For a downloadable copy of IOCs, see: MAR-10322463-3.v1.stix. Submitted Files (8)01c13f825ec6366ac2b6dd80e5589568fa5c8685cb4d924d1408e3d7c178902f (UnionCryptoUpdater.exe) 0967d2f122a797661c90bc4fc00d23b4a29f66129611b4aa76f62d8a15854d36 (UnionCryptoTrader.exe) 2ab58b7ce583402bf4cbc90bee643ba5f9503461f91574845264d4f7e3ccb390 (UnionCryptoTrader.dmg) 631ac269925bb72b5ad8f469062309541e1edfec5610a21eecded75a35e65680 (unioncryptoupdater) 6f45a004ad6bb087f733feb618e115fe88164f6db9562cb9b428372c9add75f0 (UnionCryptoTrader) 755bd7a3765efceb8183ffade090ef2637a85c4505f8078dda116013dd5758f3 (NodeDLL.dll) af4144c1f0236e6b59f40d88635ec54c2ef8034f6a96a83f5dbfd6b8ea2c0d49 (UnionCryptoTrader.msi) e3623c2440b692f6b557a862719dc95f41d2e9ad7b560e837d3b59bfe4b8b774 (UnionCryptoSetup.exe) Domains (1)unioncrypto.vip IPs (1)216.189.150.185 Findingse3623c2440b692f6b557a862719dc95f41d2e9ad7b560e837d3b59bfe4b8b774Tagstrojan Details
Antivirus
YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. PE Metadata
PE Sections
Packers/Compilers/Cryptors
Relationships
DescriptionThis Windows program from the Union Crypto Trader site is a Windows executable. This executable is actually an installer, and will first extract a temporary MSI named UnionCryptoTrader.msi (af4144c1f0236e6b59f40d88635ec54c2ef8034f6a96a83f5dbfd6b8ea2c0d49) to the “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\{82E4B719-90F7-4BD1-9CF1-56CD777E0C42}” folder, which will be executed by "UnionCryptoTraderSetup.exe" and deleted after it successfully completes the installation. unioncrypto.vipTagscommand-and-control URLs
WhoisWhois for unioncrypto.vip had the following information on December 8, 2019: Relationships
DescriptionWhile this site is no longer available, a download link of hxxps[:]//www[.]unioncrypto.vip/download/W6c2dq8By7luMhCmya2v97YeN was discovered by a cyber-security researcher and is recorded on VirusTotal for the OSX version of UnionCryptoTrader. In contrast, open source reporting disclosed the Windows version may have been downloaded via Telegram, as it was found in a “Telegram Downloads” folder on an unnamed victim. Union Crypto Trader has a legitimately signed Sectigo SSL certificate, which was “Domain Control Validated” just as the previous version certificates. . The domain is registered with NameCheap at the IP address 104.168.167.16 with ASN 54290. Screenshots Figure 1 - Screenshot of the Union Crypto Trader website. af4144c1f0236e6b59f40d88635ec54c2ef8034f6a96a83f5dbfd6b8ea2c0d49Tagsdropper Details
Antivirus
YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. Relationships
DescriptionThis Windows program is a Windows MSI Installer. The MSI installer will install "UnionCryptoTrader.exe"(0967d2f122a797661c90bc4fc00d23b4a29f66129611b4aa76f62d8a15854d36) in the “C:\Program Files\UnionCryptoTrader” folder and also install UnionCryptoUpdater.exe (01c13f825ec6366ac2b6dd80e5589568fa5c8685cb4d924d1408e3d7c178902f) in the “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\UnionCryptoTrader” folder. Immediately after installation, the installer launches "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe." Screenshots Figure 2 - Screenshot of the UnionCryptoTrader Installation. 0967d2f122a797661c90bc4fc00d23b4a29f66129611b4aa76f62d8a15854d36Tagstrojan Details
AntivirusNo matches found. YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. PE Metadata
PE Sections
Packers/Compilers/Cryptors
Relationships
DescriptionThis file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer "UnionCryptoTrader.msi." When executed, "UnionCryptoTrader.exe" loads a legitimate cryptocurrency arbitrage application with no signs of malicious activity. (Note: arbitrage is defined as “the simultaneous buying and selling of securities, currency, or commodities in different markets or in derivative forms in order to take advantage of differing prices for the same asset”). This application does not appear to be a modification of the Windows QT Bitcoin Trader, but may be a modification of Blackbird Bitcoin Arbitrage. In addition to the "unioncrypto.vip" site describing "UnionCryptoTrader.exe" as a “Smart Cryptocurrency Arbitrage Trading Platform," many of the strings found in "UnionCryptoTrader.exe" have references to Blackbird Bitcoin Arbitrage including but not limited to: --Begin similarities-- The strings also contain the links and references to all fourteen exchanges listed as implemented or potential on the Blackbird GitHub page. In addition, the "config.txt" file found in the “C:\Program Files\UnionCryptoTrader” folder with "UnionCryptoTrader.exe" also contains references to all fourteen exchanges, as well as sets the database file to "blackbird.db." The file "blackbird.db" is also found in the same folder. Screenshots Figure 3 - Screenshot of the "UnionCryptoTrader.exe"application. 01c13f825ec6366ac2b6dd80e5589568fa5c8685cb4d924d1408e3d7c178902fTagstrojan Details
Antivirus
YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. PE Metadata
PE Sections
Packers/Compilers/Cryptors
Relationships
DescriptionThis file is a 64-bit Windows executable contained within the Windows MSI Installer "UnionCryptoTrader.msi." When executed, "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" first installs itself as a service, which will automatically start when any user logs on. The service is installed with a description stating it “Automatically installs updates for Union Crypto Trader." After installing the service, "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" collects different information about the system the malware is running on. Specifically, it uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Query Language (WQL) to collect this information. "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" first finds the BIOS Serial Number by using the “SELECT * FROM Win32_Bios” WMI filter as a WQL Query String (Figure 4). This returns SMBBIOSBIOSVersion, Manufacturer, Name, SerialNumber, and Version. The function later pulls the “SerialNumber” from this returned data (Figure 5). The same process is followed to pull the operating system version and build number. The WQL Query String is “SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem," and the fields pulled are “Caption” and “BuildNumber." Note that the “Caption” field contains the OS version for the computer running the malware. After collecting the system data, "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" then builds a string consisting of the current time and the hard-coded value “12GWAPCT1F0I1S14." The current time is stored in the "auth_timestamp" variable. This combined string is MD5 hashed and stored in the "auth_signature" variable. These variables are sent in the first communication to the command and control (C2) server, and are likely used to verify any connections to the server are actually originating from the "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" malware. These variables are sent via a POST the C2 hxxps[:]//unioncrypto.vip/update along with the collected system data. The system data is sent in this specific format: --Begin format-- These values, along with a hard-coded User Agent String of “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/75.0.3770.142 Safari/537.36” can be found in the malware data section. If the POST is successful (i.e. returns an HTTP response status code of 200), but returns a string of “0”, UnionCryptoUpdater.exe will sleep for ten minutes and then regenerate the "auth_timestamp" and "auth_signature" to contact the C2 again. If the POST is successful and the C2 server does not return the string “0”, the malware will decode the base64 payload and decrypt it. It then uses built in C++ functions to allocate memory, write the payload to memory, and executes the payload. If this is successful, the malware will send another POST to the C2 with the value “act=done” replacing the “act=check” for the previously specified format (Figure 9). Screenshots Figure 4 - Screenshot of the "UnionCryptoUpdater" Service. Figure 5 - Screenshot of the "SELECT * FROM Win32_Bios" query string. Figure 6 - Screenshot of the "SerialNumber" selection. Figure 7 - Screenshot of the "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe" getting current time and combining with hard-coded value. Figure 8 - Screenshot of the hard-coded values and User Agent in "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe." Figure 9 - Screenshot of the hard-coded "&act=done" value. 755bd7a3765efceb8183ffade090ef2637a85c4505f8078dda116013dd5758f3Tagstrojan Details
AntivirusNo matches found. YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. PE Metadata
PE Sections
Relationships
DescriptionThis file is a 64-bit dynamic-link library (DLL). This file was identified as a payload for the Windows malware. This stage 2 is not immediately downloaded by "UnionCryptoUpdater.exe," but instead is downloaded after a period of time likely specified by the C2 server at "hxxps[:]//unioncrypto.vip/update." This delay could be implemented to prevent researchers from immediately obtaining the stage 2 malware. The C2 and build path are visible from the "NodeDLL.dll" strings. The C2 for the malware is hxxp[:]//216.189.150.185:8080/push.jsp. The build path found in the strings is “Z:\Opal\bin\x64_Release\NodeDll.pdb." This stage 2 is likely part of a project named “Opal” by the actors, due to the folder in the build path. NodeDLL.dll has multiple functionalities which can be verified by examining the program imports and strings. Functionalities with corresponding strings/imports include but are not limited to: The "NodeDLL.dll" strings also show a hard-coded user agent string: “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/64.0.3282.140 Safari/537.36 Edge/17.17134”. Finally, a format string which matches the HostUS C2 is found in the strings: "%s://%s%s%s:%d%s%s%s," along with many references to proxies or proxy configurations. 216.189.150.185Tagscommand-and-control URLs
Ports
WhoisQueried whois.arin.net with "n 216.189.150.185"... NetRange: 216.189.144.0 - 216.189.159.255 OrgName: HostUS OrgNOCHandle: HOSTU2-ARIN OrgAbuseHandle: HAD18-ARIN OrgTechHandle: HOSTU2-ARIN Relationships
DescriptionThe C2 identified for NodeDLL.dll. The IP address 216.189.150.185 has ASN 7489 and is owned by HostUS. 2ab58b7ce583402bf4cbc90bee643ba5f9503461f91574845264d4f7e3ccb390Tagsbackdoordownloaderloadertrojan Details
Antivirus
YARA RulesNo matches found. ssdeep MatchesNo matches found. Relationships
DescriptionThis OSX program from the "UnionCrypto" download link is an Apple DMG installer. The OSX program does not have a digital signature, and will warn the user of that before installation. Just as previous versions, the UnionCrypto installer appears to be legitimate and installs both “UnionCryptoTrader” (6f45a004ad6bb087f733feb618e115fe88164f6db9562cb9b428372c9add75f0) in the “/Applications/UnionCryptoTrader.app/Contents/MacOS/” folder and a hidden program named “.unioncryptoupdater” (631ac269925bb72b5ad8f469062309541e1edfec5610a21eecded75a35e65680) in the “/Applications/UnionCryptoTrader.app/Contents/Resources/” folder. The installer contains a postinstall script (see figure 10). This postinstall script is identical in functionality to the postinstall script for the second version. It moves the hidden plist file (.vip.unioncrypto.plist) to the LaunchDaemons folder and changes the file permissions for the plist to be owned by root. Once in the LaunchDaemons folder, this program will be ran on system load as root for every user. This will launch the unioncryptoupdater program. The postinstall script also moves the hidden “.unioncryptoupdater” binary to a new location “/Library/UnionCrypto/unioncryptoupdater” and makes the file executable. As the LaunchDaemon will not be run immediately after the plist file is moved, the postinstall script then launches the unioncryptoupdater program in the background (&). In contrast to the CelasTradePro “Updater” binary and JMTTrader “CrashReporter” binary, the unioncryptoupdater binary is not launched with any parameters. Screenshots
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