CA details 'remarkably sophisticated' Web attack

IDG News Service - A new "remarkably sophisticated" attack that uses three pieces of malware to turn PCs into zombies that can be sold to criminal groups appeared on the Internet this week, security vendor Computer Associates International Inc. said yesterday.

A version of the Bagle worm downloader that the company has dubbed Glieder is serving as a "beachhead" to install more serious malware on computers, CA said. Demonstrating a new level of coordination between Glieder and other attacks, infected computers can have their antivirus and firewall software disabled and can be turned into remotely controlled zombies used to mount large cyberattacks, CA said.

"This is so coordinated that it's remarkably sophisticated," said Roger Thompson, CA's director of malicious content research.

CA noted eight variants of Glieder released one after the other on Wednesday, "dazzling the Internet with their speed and deployment to maximize the number of compromised victims," the company said. "The whole point is to get to as many victims as fast as possible with a lightweight piece of malware."

The Glieder downloader then directs the infected computer to a Web site to download the Fantibag Trojan, which targets computers' networking features to prevent their systems from communicating with antivirus vendor update tools and with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Update Web site. Then the infected computer downloads the Mitglieder Trojan, which disables firewalls and antivirus software and opens a back door, allowing the computer to be controlled remotely by the hackers.

"It turns computers into zombies," Thompson said of the attack. "It's all about these guys building their botnet. It's all about making money."

As soon as antivirus vendors update their programs to detect the latest version of Glieder, the attackers will modify the downloader program, resulting in an arms race, Thompson said. The use of three separate pieces of malware to attack a computer shows a new level of coordination, he said. A black market for compromised computers drives these types of zombie attacks, with criminals paying for groups of machines to use as spam relays or as sources of personal information used in identity-theft schemes.


Other Internet security experts were less impressed with the Glieder attacks. While the pairing of Glieder with Fantibag may be new, Glieder and older Bagle variants are designed to work as downloader programs that can secretly install software on compromised machines, said Ken Dunham, director of malicious code at iDefense Inc., another cybersecurity vendor.

CA warned that the new attacks may be the work of criminals. "There's plenty of evidence to suggest that all these things

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