Malware Campaign Exploiting WMIC

A new campaign has been observed using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool to install a variety of different malware.

Threat ID:: CC-2652
Category:
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:
Published:: 5 September 2018 12:00 AM

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Summary

A new campaign has been observed using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool to install a variety of different malware.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions
Microsoft Windows Server - All versions

Threat details

WMIC provides administrative capabilities for local and remote systems. It can run and terminate processes, execute files and alter system parameters. WMIC has previously been used by various threat actors to traverse an affected network but is not commonly used as an infection vector.

The campaign uses WMIC scripts delivered via .lnk files. When opened, these scripts download .xsl file containing a JavaScript script that then generates a unique URL. The URLs are used to download an HTML Application (.hta) file that contains the malware payload.

Various payloads have been delivered using this method, including a keylogger, an email and browser password stealer, a cryptocurrency miner, a backdoor and a spam botnet.

Remediation advice

To prevent and detect an infection, ensure that:

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails. All operating systems, anti-virus and other security products are kept up-to-date. All day-to-day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts. Strong password policies are in place. Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity. User accounts accessed from affected devices should be reset on a clean computer. Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Type

Step

A robust program of education and awareness training is delivered to users to ensure they don’t open attachments or follow links within unsolicited emails.
All operating systems, anti-virus and other security products are kept up-to-date.
All day-to-day computer activities such as email and internet are performed using non-administrative accounts.
Strong password policies are in place.
Network, proxy and firewall logs should be monitored for suspicious activity.
User accounts accessed from affected devices should be reset on a clean computer.
Your organisation adopts a holistic all-round approach to Cyber Security as advocated by the 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:47 pm