Predator Trojan

First observed in 2018, Predator (also known as Predator the Thief, Predator the Stealer or PTST) is an information stealing trojan sold through several Russian-language dark web forums and Telegram boards.

Threat ID:: CC-2970
Category:: Trojan
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:: Email spam, Phishing
Published:: 13 March 2019 12:00 AM

Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

Summary

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows - All versions

Threat details

Its developers appear to be highly proactive in adding new capabilities and offer a comprehensive control and configuration panel for use alongside Predator.

At the time of publication, Predator has only been observed being delivered in spam or phishing campaigns, although threat actors using it may employ other distribution methods in future.

Once delivered, Predator will perform a series of checks to detect if it is running in a virtual environment. It will then attempt to escalate its privileges before beginning to collect information. Predator has the following data-gathering capabilities:

Credential, cookie, search history and form entry extraction from most Chromium- or Gecko-based browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Newer versions are also able to extract information from Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.
Credential extraction from gaming, FTP, VPN, messaging and authentication applications.
Keylogging, although this behaviour has not been observed in the wild.
System log and clipboard data collection.
Webcam and microphone recording.
Collection of WALLET and DAT files associated with most popular cryptocurrencies.

This information is then packaged into a single file, along with a unique identifier, and sent to a threat actor-specified command and control server.

Update 23 Apr 2019

A new Predator variant has been observed in a campaign primarily targeting Eastern European countries. This new variant appears to be controlled by a new threat actor, who is offering the malware through a number of video game hacking forums.

For further information:

CVE-2018-20250

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	To prevent and detect a trojan infection, ensure that: 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. Regular anti-virus and security scans are performed on your organisation’s estate. 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

To prevent and detect a trojan infection, ensure that:

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.
Regular anti-virus and security scans are performed on your organisation’s estate.
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.

CVE Vulnerabilities

Status

CVE-2018-20250

Last edited: 14 February 2020 2:49 pm