Anchor

Upon execution it installs itself as a cron job, determines the public ip for the host and then begins to beacon via DNS queries to its C2 server.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors creating, modifying, or invoking Windows scheduled tasks via Task Scheduler or schtasks for persistence, execution, and lateral movement.

What is out of the question, however, is the sophistication of this technology including an integrated methodology of loading such frameworks Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, TerraLoader, and PowerShell Empire to perform further victim post-exploitation.

What is out of the question, however, is the sophistication of this technology including an integrated methodology of loading such frameworks Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, TerraLoader, and PowerShell Empire to perform further victim post-exploitation.

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware using cmd.exe, the Windows command shell, to execute commands, launch payloads, run batch files, and automate actions on compromised hosts.

The module comes in two flavors: one as a “downloader” that will download and execute an arbitrary file and another as a “dropper” that embeds another malware within the mexec body to be dropped on the system.

Upon execution it installs itself as a cron job, determines the public ip for the host and then begins to beacon via DNS queries to its C2 server.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors creating, modifying, or invoking Windows scheduled tasks via Task Scheduler or schtasks for persistence, execution, and lateral movement.

The sample also has a Windows version of the malware embedded inside that it can install on remote windows shares and then execute as a service.

Upon execution it installs itself as a cron job, determines the public ip for the host and then begins to beacon via DNS queries to its C2 server.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors creating, modifying, or invoking Windows scheduled tasks via Task Scheduler or schtasks for persistence, execution, and lateral movement.

The sample also has a Windows version of the malware embedded inside that it can install on remote windows shares and then execute as a service.

Anchor consists of several segments each with a specific function: anchorInstaller anchorDeInstaller AnchorBot Bin2hex psExecutor memoryScraper. This structure is designed to secretly upload the malware and clean up all the evidence of the attack.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors deleting files, directories, droppers, logs, scripts, temporary files, exfiltrated archives, and uninstalling themselves to cover tracks or reduce forensic artifacts.

Anchor has used NTFS to hide files. APT32 used NTFS alternate data streams to hide their payloads. Astaroth can abuse alternate data streams (ADS) to store content for malicious payloads.

All of these (malicious tools) are used to gain access to corporate networks, steal files and network credentials, and ultimately deploy ransomware on the network.

However, the Anchor is also be used for large cyber heists and point-of-sale card theft operations leveraging its custom card scraping malware.

AdFind can extract subnet information from Active Directory; actors used ipconfig /all, netsh.exe, ifconfig, arp, route, nbtstat, and related APIs/commands to gather IP, MAC, DNS, DHCP, gateway, proxy, routing, ARP, and adapter information.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors collecting OS version, computer name, architecture, CPU, memory, disk, BIOS, language, and other host details; examples include use of commands such as ver, systeminfo, hostname, uname -m, and WMI to gather host information.

it also contains support for windows execution via smb shares and IPC. The sample also has a Windows version of the malware embedded inside that it can install on remote windows shares and then execute as a service.

The new executor mexec module delivers tertiary malware and allows TrickBot to pivot within a network, deploy a variety of payloads and evade common detection methods.

However, the Anchor is also be used for large cyber heists and point-of-sale card theft operations leveraging its custom card scraping malware.

APT41 used the Steam community page as a fallback mechanism for C2. Bazar has the ability to use an alternative C2 server if the primary server fails. BISCUIT malware contains a secondary fallback command and control server that is contacted after the primary command and control server.

U.S. Cyber Command worked to disrupt ITG23’s operations by poisoning configuration files on its command-and-control (C2) servers. Microsoft, the following month, announced its own efforts to disrupt ITG23 by taking down a large number of their C2 servers.

The content is a long ATT&CK-style listing showing numerous malware families and threat groups that 'use HTTP,' 'use HTTPS,' 'HTTP POST requests,' 'HTTP GET requests,' or 'HTTP/S' for command and control communications.

Anchor DNS malware uses DNS queries to stealthily communicate to C2 servers... The pcap contains several DNS queries with long strings for sub-domain of sluaknhbsoe[.]com .

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors that can "download files from C2," "download additional payloads," "upload and download files," "retrieve payloads from the C2 server," and "copy files to remote machines."

This type of DNS tunneling does not rely on direct contact with the the C2 domain. Malware families like Anchor use this method to disguise tunneling from an Windows infected host.

We did not witness collection events but we do believe files were collected and exfiltrated over encrypted C2 channels.

The TrickBot cybercrime group is responsible for a variety of sophisticated malware targeting Windows and Linux devices to gain access to victim's networks, steal data, and deploy other malware, such as ransomware.

All of these (malicious tools) are used to gain access to corporate networks, steal files and network credentials, and ultimately deploy ransomware on the network.

One of the most well-known methods is the deletion of Windows Volume Shadow Copies... Since then, almost all ransomware deletes VSCs and uses other techniques to prohibit system recovery.