Malware contained cryptomining capabilities.
A phishing campaign leveraged CrowdStrike as a lure, which downloaded cryptomining malware.
The email purported to be from a CrowdStrike employment agent, offering the next stage of a recruitment process. It included a link to download an employee CRM app, when clicked redirected to a CrowdStrike-spoofing website offering Windows and macOS versions of the app.
According to CrowdStrike, after conducting continuous sandbox checks upon downloading, the app displays a bogus error message while fetching a configuration text file for XMRig execution.
These checks include:
- Detecting if a debugger is attached to the process using the IsDebuggerPresent Windows API
- Ensuring the system has a minimum number of active processes
- Verifying that the CPU has at least two cores
- Scanning the list of running processes for common malware analysis or virtualization software tools, avoiding execution in sandboxed or monitored environments
If these checks are passed, the executable displays a fake error message pop-up before continuing. The ZIP archive - containing the cryptominer - is eventually deployed in the background to conceal malicious activity.
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
