CrowdStrike, a leader in cybersecurity, uncovered a sophisticated phishing campaign that leverages its recruitment branding to propagate malware disguised as an “employee CRM application.”
This alarming attack vector begins with a fraudulent email impersonating CrowdStrike’s hiring team, coaxing recipients into visiting a malicious website.
Once there, victims are unwittingly prompted to download and execute a harmful application that operates as a downloader for the cryptominer XMRig.
How the Scam Works
The phishing scam kicks off with an enticing email that claims to be part of a recruitment process. The initial communication often features professional branding and a direct link to a fabricated website designed to mimic CrowdStrike’s legitimate recruitment portal.
Upon clicking the link, victims land on a malicious site that presents download options for both Windows and macOS.
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However, regardless of the selection made, the downloaded file is a Windows executable, ingeniously crafted in Rust, designed to evade detection while functioning as a downloader for the XMRig cryptominer.
According to the Crowdstrike report, the executable employs several advanced techniques to evade security mechanisms and analysis. Notably, it performs the following environment checks:
- Debugger Detection: It uses the IsDebuggerPresent Windows API to determine if it is being monitored by a debugger.
- Process Count Verification: The software checks that a minimum number of active processes are running, which can indicate a secure or monitored environment.
- CPU Core Check: The malware ensures that the CPU has at least two cores, targeting more capable systems for its operations.
- Process Scanning: It scans the active processes for known malware analysis tools and virtualization software, avoiding execution in sandboxed environments.
If these checks are successfully passed, the program displays a fake error message to avoid suspicion before proceeding with its malicious activities.
Payload Delivery
Following the fake pop-up, the malicious executable downloads a configuration text file from a specified URL. This text file contains essential command-line arguments for XMRig, which are then used to execute the mining operation efficiently.
The executable then retrieves XMRig from its GitHub repository and extracts the ZIP file to the %TEMP%System directory. Once unpacked, the primary XMRig miner is launched using the configuration parameters retrieved earlier.
To establish persistence, the downloader creates a Windows batch script in the Start Menu Startup directory.
This script executes the downloaded miner each time the system boots up. Additionally, it modifies the Windows Registry to ensure that the malicious downloader operates upon every logon, thus maintaining a continuous mining operation without the user’s knowledge.
This incident underscores the critical need for vigilance against phishing scams, particularly for job seekers.
Candidates involved in the recruitment process are urged to verify the legitimacy of any communication claiming to be from CrowdStrike. Downloading unsolicited files from unknown sources poses significant risks.
Organizations can mitigate these threats by educating employees on identifying phishing attempts, monitoring network traffic for unusual activity, and implementing robust endpoint protection solutions.
CrowdStrike also wants to remind the community about other prevalent scams that misrepresent employment offers.
Fraudulent interviews and offers often use fake websites, email addresses, and even group chat platforms. CrowdStrike confirms that it does not conduct interviews via instant messaging or require any financial transactions as part of the hiring process.
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