MalwareUsed by 1 actor

firewalld

For your environment

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THREAT ACTORS

Groups observed using it

1 distinct threat actor attributed by public researchers. Open in Mallory to see the full evidence chain and overlapping campaigns.

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UNC4540

The main module, named 'firewalld,' executes SQL commands against the appliance's database to steal the hashed credentials of all logged-in users.

via bleeping computerbleepingcomputer.com

MITRE ATT&CK

Techniques & procedures

5 distinct techniques documented for this family, organized by ATT&CK tactic.

Initial Access

1 technique

T1190Exploit Public-Facing ApplicationEvidence1

TacticInitial Access

A suspected Chinese hacking campaign has been targeting unpatched SonicWall Secure Mobile Access (SMA) appliances... While it is unclear what vulnerability was used to compromise devices, Mandiant says that the targeted devices were unpatched, making them likely vulnerable to older flaws.

Execution

1 technique

T1059.004Unix ShellEvidence1

TacticExecution

The malware used on SonicWall devices consists of an ELF binary, the TinyShell backdoor, and several bash scripts... The threat actors achieved this by using scripts that offer redundancy and ensure long-term access to breached devices.

Persistence

1 technique

T1037Boot or Logon Initialization ScriptsEvidence1

TacticsPersistence Privilege Escalation

For example, there's a script named 'iptabled' that is essentially the same module as firewalld but will be only called by the startup script ('rc.local') if the primary malware process exits, crashes, or can't be launched.

Privilege Escalation

1 technique

T1037Boot or Logon Initialization ScriptsEvidence1

TacticsPersistence Privilege Escalation

Credential Access

1 technique

T1003OS Credential DumpingEvidence1

TacticCredential Access

The main module, named 'firewalld,' executes SQL commands against the appliance's database to steal the hashed credentials of all logged-in users. The stolen credentials are copied on a text file created by the attacker at 'tmp/syslog.db' and are later retrieved to be cracked offline.

Command and Control

1 technique

T1219Remote Access ToolsEvidence1

TacticCommand and Control

Additionally, firewalld launches other malware components, like TinyShell, to establish a reverse shell on the appliance for easy remote access.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

1 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

1 SOURCESView more in app

bleeping computerNews

Mar 9, 2023

SonicWall devices infected by malware that survives firmware upgrades

A custom main malware module for SonicWall devices that steals hashed user credentials from the appliance database, writes them to a file for offline cracking, launches TinyShell for reverse shell access, and patches a legitimate SonicWall binary to improve persistence or stability.

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IOC matching

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Threat actor attribution1

Named campaigns wielding this family, with evidence pinned to each claim.

Exploited vulnerabilities

CVEs this family uses for access and lateral movement.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

MITRE ATT&CK mapping5

Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.

Researcher chatter

Reddit, Mastodon, and CTI community discussion around this family.