NCC warns Nigerians of new hacking strategy on Windows, Routers

The Computer Security Incidents Response Team (CSIRT) set up by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the telecoms sector, has discovered two new separate cyber threats targeting Windows Platforms and a particular kind of routers respectively.

The discoveries were made known in two separate advisories released by the cyber-space protection team earlier this week.

The first cyber threat is ransomware known as ‘Lokilocker’, which is capable of wiping data from all versions of Windows systems or platforms. It causes data loss, and denial of service (DoS), which reduces user productivity.

“Lokilocker”, is a relatively new ransomware that has been discovered by security researchers and belongs to the ransomware family. Lokilocker operates by encrypting user files and renders the compromised system useless if the victim does not pay the demanded ransom in time.

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To hide the malicious activity, the ransomware displays a fake window update screen, cancels specific processes and services, and completely disables the task manager, windows error reporting, machine firewall and windows defender of the compromised system.

Sadly, it also has in-built processes that prevent data recovery as it deletes backup files, shadow copies, and removes system restore points. It also overwrites the user login note and modifies original equipment manufacturer (OEM) information in the registry of the compromised system.

This botnet exploits an already-known vulnerability, which allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary files and authenticated remote attackers to write arbitrary files, due to a directory traversal vulnerability in the WinBox interface. The vulnerability which was previously fixed allowed the perpetrators to enslave all the routers and then rent them out as a service.

In accordance with new research published by Avast, a cryptocurrency mining campaign taking advantage of the newly disrupted Glupteba botnet as well as the famed Trickbot malicious software was found to have been disseminated by the very same command-and-control (C2) server. The C2 server functions as botnet-as-a-service, which controls nearly 230,000 vulnerable MicroTik routers. The Botnet, however, has been linked to what is now called the Meris Botnet.

The threat types emanating from the botnet include bypass authentication, data loss, denial of service, remote code execution, sniff password and unauthorized access. These situations result in dangers to victims of this cyber threat including malware distribution, mining cryptocurrency, thereby increasing the use of system resources, remote code execution and data theft.

To be protected against this botnet, NCC CISRT advised users to update or apply the latest patches to their routers early, set strong router passwords, disable the administration interface of the routers from the public, stay away from illegitimate or cracked software versions of legitimate applications, and use decent antivirus software with in-built web-filtering, and apply the latest patches as soon as they arrive.