Danabot: Analyzing a fallen empire

As introduced by the US Division of Justice – the FBI and US DoD’s Protection Legal Investigative Service (DCIS) have managed to disrupt the infrastructure of the infamous infostealer, Danabot. ESET is without doubt one of the many cybersecurity firms to take part on this long-term endeavor, turning into concerned again in 2018. Our contribution included offering technical analyses of the malware and its backend infrastructure, in addition to figuring out Danabot’s C&C servers. The joint takedown effort additionally led to the identification of people answerable for Danabot improvement, gross sales, administration, and extra. ESET took half within the effort alongside with Amazon, CrowdStrike, Flashpoint, Google, Intel471, PayPal, Proofpoint, Staff Cymru, Zscaler, Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt, the Netherlands’ Nationwide Police, and the Australian Federal Police.

These legislation enforcement operations have been performed beneath Operation Endgame – an ongoing international initiative geared toward figuring out, dismantling, and prosecuting cybercriminal networks. Coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, the operation efficiently took down crucial infrastructure used to deploy ransomware via malicious software program.

Since Danabot has largely been disrupted, we’ll use this chance to share our insights into the workings of this malware-as-a-service (MaaS) operation, protecting the options used within the newest variations of the malware, the authors’ enterprise mannequin, and an outline of the toolset provided to associates. Aside from exfiltrating delicate knowledge, we have now noticed that Danabot can also be used to ship additional malware – together with ransomware – to an already compromised system.

Key factors of the blogpost:

• ESET Analysis has been monitoring Danabot’s exercise since 2018 as a part of a worldwide effort that resulted in a serious disruption of the malware’s infrastructure.
• Whereas primarily developed as an infostealer and banking trojan, Danabot additionally has been used to distribute further malware, together with ransomware.
• Danabot’s authors promote their toolset via underground boards and provide numerous rental choices to potential associates.
• The standard toolset offered by Danabot’s authors to their associates consists of an administration panel software, a backconnect instrument for real-time management of bots, and a proxy server software that relays the communication between the bots and the precise C&C server.
• Associates can select from numerous choices to generate new Danabot builds, and it’s their duty to distribute these builds via their very own campaigns.

Background

Danabot, which belongs to a bunch of infostealer and/or banking malware households coded within the Delphi programming language, gained prominence in 2018 by being utilized in a spam marketing campaign focusing on Australian customers. Since then, Danabot has expanded to different markets via numerous campaigns, undergone a number of main updates of its internals and backend infrastructure, and skilled each peaks and downturns in reputation amongst cybercriminals.

All through our monitoring since 2018, ESET has tracked and analyzed a considerable variety of distinct samples and recognized greater than 1,000 distinctive C&C servers. Throughout that interval, ESET analyzed numerous Danabot campaigns everywhere in the world, with Poland traditionally being some of the focused nations, as seen in Determine 1.

Along with typical cybercrime, Danabot has additionally been utilized in much less typical actions corresponding to using compromised machines for launching DDoS assaults. For instance, a DDoS assault in opposition to Ukraine’s Ministry of Protection was noticed by Zscaler quickly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A really related DDoS module to the one utilized in that assault was additionally utilized by a Danabot operator to focus on a Russian web site devoted to Arduino improvement. These actions have been most likely motivated by the affiliate’s personal ambitions and political motivations.

Danabot group introduction

The authors of Danabot function as a single group, providing their instrument for hire to potential associates, who subsequently make use of it for their very own malicious functions by establishing and managing their very own botnets. The authors have even arrange a assist web page on the Tor community with detailed details about the capabilities of their instrument, as depicted in Determine 2.

To accumulate new clients, Danabot is continuously promoted in underground boards by the consumer JimmBee, who acts as one of many predominant builders and directors of the Danabot malware and its toolset. One other noteworthy individual from the Danabot group is a consumer identified in underground boards as Onix, who coadministers the Danabot infrastructure and can also be answerable for gross sales operations.

Function overview

Danabot’s authors have developed an unlimited number of options to help clients with their malevolent goals. Essentially the most distinguished options provided by Danabot embody:

• the power to steal numerous knowledge from browsers, mail purchasers, FTP purchasers, and different widespread software program,
• keylogging and display recording,
• real-time distant management of the victims’ programs,
• a FileGrabber command, generally used for stealing cryptocurrency wallets,
• assist for Zeus-like webinjects and kind grabbing, and
• arbitrary payload add and execution.

In addition to using its stealing capabilities, we have now noticed quite a lot of payloads being distributed via Danabot through the years, corresponding to:

• SystemBC,
• Rescoms,
• Ursnif,
• Smokeloader,
• Zloader,
• Lumma Stealer,
• RecordBreaker,
• Latrodectus, and
• NetSupportManager distant administration instrument.

Moreover, we have now encountered cases of Danabot getting used to obtain ransomware onto already compromised programs. We will title LockBit, Buran, Disaster, and a NonRansomware variant being pushed on a number of events.

Danabot’s skill to obtain and execute arbitrary payloads will not be the one function used to distribute further malware. Danabot was additionally noticed getting used as a instrument at hand off management of the botnet to a ransomware operator, as reported by Microsoft Menace Intelligence in late 2023.

Distribution strategies

All through its existence, based on our monitoring, Danabot has been a instrument of alternative for a lot of cybercriminals and every of them has used completely different technique of distribution. Danabot’s builders even partnered with the authors of a number of malware cryptors and loaders, and provided particular pricing for a distribution bundle to their clients, serving to them with the method. Matanbuchus is an instance of such a promoted loader.

Over time, we have now seen all types of distribution strategies being utilized by Danabot associates, together with:

• quite a few variants of electronic mail spam campaigns,
• different malware corresponding to Smokeloader, DarkGate, and Matanbuchus, and
• misuse of Google Adverts.

Lately, out of all distribution mechanisms we noticed, the misuse of Google Adverts to show seemingly related, however truly malicious, web sites among the many sponsored hyperlinks in Google search outcomes stands out as some of the distinguished strategies to lure victims into downloading Danabot. The most well-liked ploy is packing the malware with professional software program and providing such a bundle via bogus software program websites (Determine 3) or web sites falsely promising customers to assist them discover unclaimed funds (Determine 4).

The most recent addition to those social engineering strategies: misleading web sites providing options for fabricated pc points, whose solely function is to lure the sufferer into execution of a malicious command secretly inserted into the consumer’s clipboard. An instance of such an internet site resulting in downloading of Danabot in Determine 5.

Infrastructure

Overview

Initially, Danabot’s authors relied on a single centralized server to handle all bots’ connections and all associates’ knowledge, corresponding to command configurations and knowledge collected from their victims. This centralized strategy definitely had a detrimental impression on that server’s efficiency and was extra vulnerable to attainable disruptions. That is most likely one of many the reason why we noticed a shift within the enterprise and infrastructure fashions in newer variations. Along with renting locations on their very own infrastructure, Danabot’s authors now provide set up of a personal server, as marketed on their assist web site, to be operated by the affiliate (Determine 6).

The rental choices, as provided via an underground discussion board in July 2023, are illustrated in Determine 7.

It’s price mentioning that, based mostly on our monitoring, the rental of an account on the shared infrastructure managed by Danabot’s authors appears to be the preferred alternative for risk actors.

When associates buy a rental of one of many choices, they’re given instruments and credentials to connect with the C&C server and handle their very own botnet via an administration panel. Within the following sections, we cowl the completely different components of the standard toolset.

C&C server software

The standalone server software comes within the type of a DLL file and acts because the mind of the botnet. It’s put in on a Home windows server and makes use of a MySQL database for knowledge administration. Bots hook up with this server to transmit stolen knowledge and obtain instructions issued by associates. Associates hook up with this server by way of the administration panel software to handle their botnet. This C&C server software is obtainable for native set up just for associates paying for the upper tier private server possibility. Associates who select to function their botnets on Danabot’s infrastructure as a substitute are given connection particulars to the C&C server already arrange there, and don’t must host their very own C&C server.

Administration panel

The administration panel, displayed in Determine 8, is within the type of a GUI software, and represents an important instrument from the botnet operator’s perspective. It permits the affiliate to connect with the C&C server and carry out duties corresponding to:

• handle bots and retrieve statistics of the botnet,
• subject numerous instructions and superior configuration for bots,
• conveniently view and export knowledge gathered from victims,
• handle the notification system and arrange alerts on occasions triggered by bots,
• generate new Danabot builds, and
• arrange a sequence of proxy servers for communication between the bots and the C&C server.

We offer extra particulars and examples of essentially the most attention-grabbing capabilities of the administration panel within the upcoming sections.

Backconnect instrument

One other necessary instrument for administration is the standalone utility that allows botnet operators to remotely hook up with and management their on-line bots. Obtainable actions for distant management, as seen within the instrument, are illustrated in Determine 9. Most likely essentially the most attention-grabbing options for cybercriminals are the power to see and management the sufferer’s pc by way of a distant desktop connection and to carry out reconnaissance of the file system utilizing the built-in file supervisor.

Proxy server software

Bots usually don’t hook up with the principle C&C server instantly, however somewhat use a sequence of proxies to relay the site visitors and conceal the situation of the true backend C&C. To facilitate this technique, Danabot’s authors present a proxy server software, obtainable for each Home windows and Linux programs. Determine 10 exhibits the utilization message from the Linux model of this easy proxy server software. In addition to utilizing proxies, bots might be configured to speak with the server via the Tor community in case all proxy chains change into unavailable. An non-obligatory downloadable Tor module is then used for such communication.

Associates additionally continuously make the most of this proxy server software as an middleman between their administration panel and the C&C server to additional improve their anonymity. When all the things is put collectively, the standard infrastructure could look as proven in Determine 11.

Internals

Communication

Danabot employs its personal proprietary C&C communication protocol with its knowledge encrypted utilizing AES-256. Generated AES session keys, distinctive for each message, are then additional encrypted utilizing RSA key pairs, securing the entire communication. It’s price mentioning that there have been a number of updates to the communication protocol and the packet construction over time.

The present packet knowledge construction of the standard command, earlier than it’s encrypted, seems to be as proven in Desk 1 . We wish to level out that many of the fields are solely used throughout the first request within the communication loop to authenticate the bot, and are left unset within the subsequent instructions.

Desk 1. Packet construction utilized in Danabot communication

The most recent variations of Danabot additionally add, to additional disguise its communication, a random quantity of seemingly junk bytes to the top of the packet construction earlier than it’s encrypted. It’s price mentioning that Danabot authors don’t at all times comply with one of the best coding practices and the addition of this random variety of bytes was executed by resizing of the unique reminiscence buffer allotted to carry the packet construction as a substitute of clearing or initializing this newly acquired area. This led to unintentionally together with surrounding reminiscence areas of the method into the information packet being despatched from the bot to the server and, extra importantly, vice versa. These appended reminiscence areas captured and decrypted from the server-to-bot communication typically contained attention-grabbing data from the server’s course of reminiscence and gave researchers invaluable perception into Danabot’s infrastructure and its customers. This bug was launched in 2022 and was mounted within the newest variations of Danabot in February 2025.

Additional particulars in regards to the communication and its encryption have been already coated by numerous researchers, and we received’t dive into it extra on this blogpost.

Builds

Botnet operators have a number of choices for producing new Danabot builds to distribute to their victims. To one of the best of our information, whereas the operator could configure the construct course of and desired output via the administration panel software, the construct course of itself is carried out on the Danabot authors’ servers. After producing the chosen construct, the operator receives obtain hyperlinks for the builds and turns into answerable for their distribution in a marketing campaign.

Determine 12 exhibits an instance of a construct configuration window and obtainable choices, such because the C&C server checklist to be configured within the closing binary file, numerous obfuscation strategies, construct bitness, and many others.

Danabot at the moment provides 4 primary payload varieties, described in Desk 2.

Desk 2. Variants of accessible builds

Payload kind	Description
Major.dll	Generates a sole predominant element within the type of a DLL to be distributed and loaded by way of rundll32.exe or regsvr32.exe.
Major.exe	Generates a loader within the type of an EXE that will comprise the abovementioned predominant element DLL or obtain it from one of many configured C&C servers.
Drop.exe	Generates a dropper with an embedded predominant element DLL to be dropped to disk.
Drop.msi	Generates an MSI bundle with an embedded predominant element DLL to be loaded.

Instructions configuration

A botnet operator can subject a complicated configuration to the bots via the administration panel. Bots are then ordered to carry out numerous instructions based on the directions obtained. Determine 13 exhibits an instance of such a command configuration.

Desk 3 lists the obtainable instructions that may be issued. Every process has its personal particular choices to additional accommodate the operator’s wants.

Desk 3. Obtainable instructions

Command	Description
Video	Document a video of the chosen software or web site.
KeyLogger	Seize keystrokes from the chosen software.
PostFilter	Seize data from sure web sites’ kinds.
WebInject	Permit Zeus-like webinjects on sure loaded web sites to change their perform.
Redirect	Permit redirection of sure URLs.
Block	Block entry to configured URLs.
Screens	Take screenshots of a specific software or web site at sure intervals.
Alerts	Permit notifications to be despatched to a specific Jabber account on a configurable occasion.
Uninstall	Uninstall the bot from the system.
UAC	Present assist for privilege escalation.
FileGrabber	Permit sure information to be uploaded to the C&C if discovered on the sufferer’s laborious disk.
TorActive	Allow loading of a Tor module and permit connection by way of the Tor community if all C&C servers are inaccessible.
Stealer	Allow/disable the stealer performance and set its replace interval.
TimeOut	Set interval for the bot to contact its C&C server.
Set up	Configure the bot’s set up on the system and its persistence.
Exclusion	Set exclusions in Home windows Defender or Home windows Firewall for a specific course of.
ConfigSave	Save the bot’s configuration earlier than its termination.
HideProcess	Conceal the bot’s course of.
CoreProtect	Permit the principle element to be injected into an extra course of.

Extra payloads

Danabot additionally supplies the aptitude to obtain and execute additional executable information. This function permits the botnet operator to configure the set up of further malware to the compromised system, as talked about earlier. Determine 14 exhibits obtainable choices for this function within the administration panel software.

Conclusion

Danabot is a large-scale MaaS operation distributing a wide selection of instruments for the malware associates’ disposal. Our investigation of this infostealer, which began in 2018, resulted within the evaluation of Danabot’s toolset offered on this blogpost. The efforts of the authorities and a number of other cybersecurity firms, ESET included, led to the disruption of the malware’s infrastructure. It stays to be seen whether or not Danabot can get well from the takedown. The blow will, nonetheless, certainly be felt, since legislation enforcement managed to unmask a number of people concerned within the malware’s operations.

For any inquiries about our analysis printed on WeLiveSecurity, please contact us at threatintel@eset.com. 

ESET Analysis provides personal APT intelligence stories and knowledge feeds. For any inquiries about this service, go to the ESET Menace Intelligence web page.

IoCs

Information

Community

MITRE ATT&CK strategies

This desk was constructed utilizing model 17 of the MITRE ATT&CK framework.