Posted by Virus Bulletin on Dec 13, 2011
PoisonIvy trojan sent attached to email warning about the same trojan.
Researchers at Symantec report that the 'Nitro attacks', which target a number of large companies, many of which are active in the chemical industry, are continuing, using the same methods as before.
In the most recent part of this attack, employees of the targeted companies received emails containing a password-protected zip archive. The archive contained an executable (although the filename suggested it was a PDF document) which installed a variant of the PoisonIvy trojan. At the same time, a harmless PDF was dropped onto the victim's machine, apparently in an attempt to distract the user from the malicious installation that had taken place.
None of these techniques are new, nor are they very sophisticated. What is remarkable in this case is that the emails contained a warning against the PoisonIvy trojan itself and claimed that the attachment contained 'a special kill poison Ivy Trojan anti-virus software', apparently released by Symantec. The harmless PDF dropped onto the victim's machine was the very document Symantec published earlier about these Nitro attacks.
It is important for users to be aware of such attacks, especially if they target the industry they are working in. This example shows, however, that one should never blindly install software even if it is supposed to provide protection.
More at Symantec's blog here.
At the 3rd VB 'Securing Your Organization in the Age of Cybercrime' Seminar, Symantec.cloud's Martin Lee will talk about targeted attacks. The seminar takes place on 19 April 2012 at the OU Campus in Milton Keynes, UK; registration is now open.
Posted on 13 December 2011 by Virus Bulletin
