After WannaCry: Other 2 Windows malware by CIA AfterMidnight & Assassin

While the world is trying to cope with the threat of WannaCry's destructive ransomware, WikiLeaks has released a new batch of CIA leaks in Vault 7. This time it describes two other CIA malware for the Windows platform.

Are called AfterMidnight and Assassin. Both malicious apps are designed to track and report actions from the victim's computer to a remote host apparently controlled by the CIA.

Since March, to WikiLeaks has published hundreds of thousands of documents and secret hacking tools that claim to come from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

This latest batch is the 8 version of the Vault 7 series.

AfterMidnight

According to WikiLeaks, AfterMidnight allows its operators to dynamically load and execute malicious payload on the target system.

The master controller of the malicious payload is a disguised DLL (Dynamic Link Library) file and executes "Gremlins" (small payloads hidden in the target machine), undermining the functionality of the targeted software, or providing services to others. Gremlins.

Once installed, AfterMidnight uses a Post Listening Post (LP) based on HTTPS called Octopus to check for any scheduled events. If someone is found, malware downloads and saves all necessary data before loading all new gremlins into memory.

According to the user guide provided in the last leak of WikiLeaks, the local storage made by AfterMidnight is encrypted with a key that is not stored on the target machine.

A special payload, called AlphaGremlin, contains a custom script, which allows operators to schedule custom tasks to run on the target system.

Assassin

Assassin is similar to AfterMidnight and is described as "an automated implant that provides a simple collection platform on remote computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system."

Once installed on the victim's computer, the tool inserts malicious "implants" into a Windows service process, allowing operators to perform malicious work on an infected machine, just like AfterMidnight.

Assassin consists of four subsystems: Implant, Builder, Command and Control, and Listening Post.

The 'Implant' provides the basic logic and functionality of this tool to the victim's machine, and is' interested in communications and any task execution. It is configured using the "Builder" and developed on the destination computer through a specific vector.

Builder configures 'implants' and 'Deployment Executables' before executing and "provides a custom command line interface to configure the implant before configuration," he says. tool guide.

The "Command and Control" subsystem acts as an interface between the operator and the Post Listening (LP), while the LP allows the Implant Assassin to communicate with the Command and Control subsystem via a Web server.

Please be reminded that last week WikiLeaks released a tool for man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, called Archimedes, allegedly created by the CIA to target computers within a local area network (LAN).

_____________________________________

This practice by US intelligence services that knows the weaknesses and does not disclose it to development companies is also the cause of its spread WannaCry ransomware. The SMB flaw discovered by the NSA has never been revealed where it should be until the leaked Shadow Brokers one month ago.

Here, let's mention that Microsoft, through Brad Smith, condemned the practice of the US intelligence service, saying that the "widespread" damage caused by WannaCry occurred because of the NSA, the CIA and other intelligence services.

Since March, WikiLeaks has made 8 publications in the "Vault 7" series, which include large leaks:

"Year Zero"The CIA is using popular hardware and software.
"Weeping Angel"The spying tool that the service uses to penetrate smart TVs, turning them into disguised microphones.
"Dark Matter"Exploits targeting iPhones and Mac.
"Marble"The source code of a secret anti-forensic framework. It's essentially a obfuscator that the CIA uses to hide the real source of malware.
"Grasshopper"A framework that allows the information service to easily create custom malicious software to violate Microsoft Windows and bypass any virus protection.

"Scribbles"A software that is designed to add 'web beacons' to secret documents to allow for leakage control by secret services.