Threat Management, Threat Management, Threat Intelligence, Malware

US-CERT issues malware analysis on KEYMARBLE RAT, attributes threat to North Korea

Through its US-CERT division, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security yesterday issued a new analysis report on a remote access trojan called KEYMARBLE that the agency says has been attributed to Hidden Cobra, a suspected North Korean APT actor.

The 32-bit Windows executable file, when executed, "de-obfuscates its application programming interfaces (APIs) and, using port 443, attempts to connect" to a series of hard-coded IP addresses and then waits for additional instructions, the report states. KEYMARBLE's capabilities include accessing device configuration data, downloading additional files, executing commands, modifying the registry, capturing screen shots and exfiltrating data, the report continues.

The US-CERT adds that the RAT relies on a customized XOR cryptographic algorithm to secure data transfers and command-and-control sessions.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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