Analysis by: Cris Nowell Pantanilla

ALIASES:

W32.Mandaph (NORTON)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

 OVERALL RISK RATING:
 REPORTED INFECTION:

  • Threat Type: Coinminer

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel: Dropped by other malware

This Coinminer may be dropped by other malware.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 49,200 bytes
File Type: EXE
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 05 Feb 2019
Payload: Connects to URLs/IPs

Arrival Details

This Coinminer may be dropped by the following malware:

Installation

This Coinminer adds the following mutexes to ensure that only one of its copies runs at any one time:

  • tihs yloh si ti

Other Details

This Coinminer connects to the following possibly malicious URL:

  • {BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.4.49

It does the following:

  • It executes %System%\drivers\svchost.exe (copy of Trojan.Win32.INFOSTEAL.ADS)
  • It reads the content of the file downloaded by svchost.exe (saved as svchost.mlz) which contains encrypted coinminer routine.
  • It uses the following credentials:
    • login : "x"
    • pass : "x"

(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, where it usually is C:\Windows\System32 on all Windows operating system versions.)

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine: 9.850
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE: 14.796.06
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE: 06 Feb 2019
VSAPI OPR PATTERN File: 14.797.00
VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date: 07 Feb 2019

Step 1

Before doing any scans, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.

Step 2

Remove the malware/grayware file that dropped/downloaded Coinminer.Win32.MALXMR.ADS. (Note: Please skip this step if the threat(s) listed below have already been removed.)

Step 3

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as Coinminer.Win32.MALXMR.ADS. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check the following Trend Micro Support pages for more information:


Did this description help? Tell us how we did.