The emergence of SnakeKeylogger, a covert tool utilized by threat actors to surreptitiously gather sensitive information by recording keystrokes, triggers a heightened state of alertness within the cybersecurity community. Unveiled by the Splunk Threat Research Team, SnakeKeylogger’s multifaceted attack techniques include credential theft, keystroke logging, capturing screenshots, and extraction of clipboard data, browser credentials, and system information. Operating within a diverse Command and Control (C2) infrastructure, SnakeKeylogger’s capabilities establish a formidable challenge for traditional defenses.
This odus operandi is further augmented through its utilization of phishing tactics and obfuscated code, effectively evading sandboxes and complicating the analysis process. The SnakeKeylogger’s distinctive loader flow, characterized by a series of encrypted payloads and a sophisticated environment detection system, culminates in its core capability of covertly logging keystrokes to harvest sensitive information and credentials. Furthermore, the keylogger’s elaborate tactics encompass environment evasion, persistent registry run keys, ‘Kill Switch’ as an anti-sandbox method, and the utilization of choice.exe to prompt user choices. Moreover, it targets specific IP addresses, exfiltrates diverse data to the C2 server, including system, network, and browser credentials, and even harvests Outlook profiles for usernames/passwords and clipboard data for data theft, reflecting the comprehensive nature of its threat.
The SnakeKeylogger’s modus operandi, combining sophisticated techniques and covert tactics, demands a proactive and comprehensive response from the cybersecurity community to mitigate its potential impact and safeguard digital assets against this Stealthy and dangerous threat.
