MVISION Insights: Multiple APTs using template inject technique
Technical Articles ID:
KB95239
Last Modified: 1/25/2022
Last Modified: 1/25/2022
Environment
IMPORTANT: This Knowledge Base article discusses a specific threat that is being automatically tracked by MVISION Insights technology. The content is intended for use by MVISION Insights users, but is provided for general knowledge to all customers. Contact us for more information about MVISION Insights.
Summary
Multiple threat groups, including DoNot Team, TA423, and Gamaredon, were discovered using the template injection technique in attachments to pull down malicious content from remote URLs. By creating or altering an existing RTF file's document property bytes using a hex editor, an actor can weaponize the RTF file. The threat actors targeted multiple entities across Malaysia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka with the malicious files as the initial infection vector in their operations.
The McAfee Enterprise ATR Team gathers and analyzes information from multiple open and closed sources before disseminating intelligence reports. This campaign was researched by Proofpoint and shared publicly here.
How to use this article:
- If a Threat Hunting table has been created, use the rules contained to search for malware related to this campaign.
- Review the product detection table and confirm that your environment is at least on the specified content version.
To download the latest content versions, go to the Security Updates page. - Scroll down and review the "Product Countermeasures" section of this article. Consider implementing them if they are not already in place.
- Review
KB91836 - Countermeasures for entry vector threats . - Review KB87843 - Dynamic Application Containment rules and best practices.
- Review KB82925 - Identify what rule corresponds to an Adaptive Threat Protection and Threat Intelligence Exchange event.
Threat Hunting:
| YARA | { meta: author = "Proofpoint Threat Research" description = "Detects malicious RTFs using RTF Template Injection to Retrieve Remote Content from a URL" disclaimer = "Yara signature created for hunting purposes - not quality controlled within enterprise environment" hash1 = " 43538d9010462668721f178efaeca89f95f6f35a " hash2 = " b5ec74e127ce9dfcb1b3bd9072c1d554b59b4005 " strings: $rtf = { 7b 5c 72 74 66 } //rtf_bytes $s1 = "{\\*\\template http" ascii nocase //https_intentionally_not_specified condition: $rtf at 0 and $s1 } |
| YARA | { meta: author = "Proofpoint Threat Research" description = "Detects malicious RTFs using RTF Template Injection to Retrieve Remote Content from Unicode 16 Bit Encoded URL" disclaimer = "Yara signature created for hunting purposes - not quality controlled within enterprise environment" hash1 = " fbc8064399008fe20f350f0de5e4bbf5833847c7 " hash2 = "6c01fe16e8cffa3049e84707672b82dc32f1cf72 " strings: $rtf = { 7b 5c 72 74 66 } //rtf_bytes $s1 = {7B 5C 2A 5C 74 65 6D 70 6C 61 74 65 20 0D 0A 5C 75 2D } //{\*\template \u- condition: $rtf at 0 and $s1 } |
This Knowledge Base article discusses a specific threat that is being tracked. The list of IOCs will change over time; check MVISION Insights for the latest IOCs.
Campaign IOC
| Type | Value |
| SHA256 | 694D433A729B65993DAE758E862077C2D82C92018E8E310E121E1FA051567DBA |
| SHA256 | 801402FFA0F0DB6CC8FC74C68C4B707A625205F25BC2C379F6A8B8329231EB56 |
| SHA256 | B9AEFE12015489B94E9E7D2CC19FD5E81A471DA93A320477F1C8E362344F6BDE |
| SHA256 | 066B2B884B250A3BDA4FEB19AAA71616C19BF6387ED2767B633521647ADA29F8 |
| SHA256 | 8F4A91ECFB9190461459A2D05E5CB944DA80EC30A2B1D69F9817ECB431A5AC8F |
| SHA256 | DF203B04288AF9E0081CD18C7C2DAEC2BC4686E2E21DCAF415BB70BBD12169A0 |
| SHA256 | A33CCC612A03DE4F42A6F5AB5277470F6A7E8EE7ABE52725B13704366E8DA48B |
| SHA256 | EDC84BBF13B8300540DAF7CD203DC12EEDE6286A1AC5CE2175031FBA3125D354 |
| URL | http://pretence77.glorious.nonima.ru/ELENAPC/principles/nearly.mp3 |
| URL | http://intense52.faithful.onihik.ru/elenapc/ |
| URL | http://intense52.faithful.onihik.ru/ELENAPC/bikes.conf |
Minimum Content Versions:
| Content Type | Version |
| V2 DAT (VirusScan Enterprise) | 10192 |
| V3 DAT (Endpoint Security) | 4644 |
Detection Summary
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| 694D433A729B65993DAE758E862077C2D82C92018E8E310E121E1FA051567DBA | AVEngine V2 | RTF/Exploit.c |
| AVEngine V3 | RTF/Exploit.c | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| 801402FFA0F0DB6CC8FC74C68C4B707A625205F25BC2C379F6A8B8329231EB56 | AVEngine V2 | Cve2017-11882.dh |
| AVEngine V3 | Cve2017-11882.dh | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| B9AEFE12015489B94E9E7D2CC19FD5E81A471DA93A320477F1C8E362344F6BDE | AVEngine V2 | Trojan-DoNot |
| AVEngine V3 | Trojan-DoNot | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| 066B2B884B250A3BDA4FEB19AAA71616C19BF6387ED2767B633521647ADA29F8 | AVEngine V2 | Exploit-GDR!3588AFA83948 |
| AVEngine V3 | Exploit-GDR!3588AFA83948 | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| 8F4A91ECFB9190461459A2D05E5CB944DA80EC30A2B1D69F9817ECB431A5AC8F | AVEngine V2 | Trojan-DoNot |
| AVEngine V3 | Trojan-DoNot | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| DF203B04288AF9E0081CD18C7C2DAEC2BC4686E2E21DCAF415BB70BBD12169A0 | AVEngine V2 | Trojan-DoNot |
| AVEngine V3 | Trojan-DoNot | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| A33CCC612A03DE4F42A6F5AB5277470F6A7E8EE7ABE52725B13704366E8DA48B | AVEngine V2 | Trojan-DoNot |
| AVEngine V3 | Trojan-DoNot | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
| IOC | Scanner | Detection |
| EDC84BBF13B8300540DAF7CD203DC12EEDE6286A1AC5CE2175031FBA3125D354 | AVEngine V2 | Exploit-GDR!3588AFA83948 |
| AVEngine V3 | Exploit-GDR!3588AFA83948 | |
| JTI (ATP Rules) | - | |
| RP Static | - | |
| RP Dynamic | - |
Minimum set of Manual Rules to improve protection to block this campaign
IMPORTANT: Always follow best practices when you enable new rules and signatures.
When you implement new rules or signatures, always set them to Report mode first and check the alerts generated. Resolve any issues that arise and then set the rules to Block. This step mitigates against triggering false positives and allows you to refine your configuration.
For more information, see KB87843 - List of and best practices for Endpoint Security Dynamic Application Containment rules.
Endpoint Security - Exploit Prevention:
Rule ID: 2844 Microsoft Word WordPerfect5 Converter Module Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Rule ID: 6135 Unmanaged Powershell Detected
Host Intrusion Prevention:
Rule ID: 6135 Unmanaged Powershell Detected
Rule ID: 2844 Microsoft Word WordPerfect5 Converter Module Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Aggressive set of Manual Rules to improve protection to block this campaign
IMPORTANT: Always follow best practices when you enable new rules and signatures.
When you implement new rules or signatures, always set them to Report mode first and check the alerts generated. Resolve any issues that arise and then set the rules to Block. This step mitigates against triggering false positives and allows you to refine your configuration.
For more information, see KB87843 - List of and best practices for Endpoint Security Dynamic Application Containment rules.
Host Intrusion Prevention:
Rule ID: 6011 Generic Application Invocation Protection
Rule ID: 1148 CMD Tool Access by a Network Aware Application
Rule ID: 6010 Generic Application Hooking Protection
Rule ID: 1020 Windows Agent Shielding - File Access
