Cybersecurity researchers have recently highlighted a short-lived DarkGate malware campaign that took place from March to April 2024. This campaign utilized Samba file shares to initiate infections, targeting regions in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. The malware spread through Visual Basic Script and JavaScript files hosted on publicly accessible Samba servers, demonstrating how threat actors can misuse legitimate tools for malicious purposes.
DarkGate, which has been active since 2018, functions as a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) and is used by a select group of customers. It provides various capabilities such as remote control of compromised hosts, code execution, cryptocurrency mining, and payload deployment. The recent surge in DarkGate attacks follows the takedown of QakBot infrastructure in August 2023, illustrating the evolving nature of malware threats.
The campaign began with Microsoft Excel files that, when opened, prompted users to click on an embedded button. This action triggered the execution of VBS code from a Samba file share. The malware then used PowerShell scripts to download and run a DarkGate package, with alternate methods involving JavaScript files achieving similar results.
Researchers noted that DarkGate’s command-and-control traffic uses unencrypted HTTP requests but is obfuscated with Base64 encoding. The malware is designed to detect and avoid analysis by scanning for anti-malware programs, CPU information, and reverse engineering tools. The campaign’s global reach and sophisticated methods underscore the importance of proactive cybersecurity defenses.
