Introduction
DarkGate is a malware family, dating back to 2018, that gained prominence after the demise of Qakbot with a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering advertised in underground cybercrime forums starting in the summer of 2023. This blog examines DarkGate intrusion trends observed by ThreatLabz between June and October 2023.
Key Takeaways
DarkGate activity surged in late September and early October 2023.
According to our customer telemetry, the technology sector is the most impacted by DarkGate attack campaigns.
Most DarkGate domains are 50 to 60 days old, which may indicate a deliberate approach where threat actors create and rotate domains at specific intervals.
Trend 1: DarkGate activity surges in late September, early October
To better understand DarkGate distribution trends, the ThreatLabz team analyzed hostnames, registration information, IP addresses, website content, and any recent patterns that emerged.
Increase in DarkGate domains
Our analysis revealed that there was a significant rise in the number of active DarkGate domains during the last week of September 2023. This means that more DarkGate websites associated with illegal activities were active during this specific time period.
Uptick in DarkGate transactions
DarkGate transactions increased in late September and into October. Notably, there was a substantial spike in transactions on October 10, 2023. This suggests that the threat actors behind Darkgate were particularly active during this time, possibly executing a series of attacks.
This DarkGate transaction data was compiled by observing the Zscaler cloud. Each time an infected machine made contact with a C2 server was counted as a transaction.
Figure 1: Illustrates spikes in DarkGate command-and-control (C2) activity by date
Trend 2: Technology sector most targeted by DarkGate
Based on analysis of our customer telemetry, the technology industry is the most targeted by DarkGate at 36.7%. Food, beverage, and tobacco come in second at 12.7%.
Figure 2: Industries most targeted by DarkGate
Trend 3: Most DarkGate domains are 50 to 60 days old
ThreatLabz found a concentrated level of activity (such as serving websites, handling transactions, or participating in network communications) among hostnames that have been in existence for 50-60 days. The fact that DarkGate domains follow this pattern could indicate that threat actors are taking a systematic approach where they create and rotate domains at specific intervals. Most likely, this intentional pattern perpetrated by threat actors is a way of evading security measures that target known malicious domains.
Figure 3: Age distribution of DarkGate domains based on transaction volume
Conclusion
The recent surge in DarkGate’s activity can be attributed to its use as a replacement for Qakbot. In addition to staying on top of the threat of DarkGate malware, Zscaler’s ThreatLabz team continuously monitors for new and emerging threats and shares its findings with the wider security community.
Zscaler Coverage & Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
Zscaler’s multilayered cloud security platform detects indicators related to DarkGate at various levels. Zscaler Sandbox played a particularly crucial role in analyzing the behavior of various files. Through this sandbox analysis, the threat scores and specific MITRE ATT&CK techniques triggered were identified, as illustrated in the screenshot provided below. Zscaler’s advanced threat protection capabilities and comprehensive zero trust approach empowers cybersecurity professionals with critical insights into malware behavior, enabling them to effectively detect and counter the threats posed by malicious actors.
Win64.Downloader.DarkGate
Win32.Trojan.DarkGate
Win64.Trojan.DarkGate
LNK.Downloader.DarkGate
VBS.Downloader.DarkGate
JS.Downloader.DarkGate
Figure 4: Zscaler Cloud Sandbox
MITRE ATT&CK TTP’s
Tactic
Technique ID
Technique ID
Initial Access
T1566
Phishing
Execution
T1204
T1059
T1569
User Execution
Command and Scripting Interpreter
System Services
Persistence
T1547
Boot or Logon Start Execution
Defense Evasion
T1027
T1070.004
T1202
T1564.001
T1140
Obfuscated Files or Information
File Deletion
Indirect Command Execution
Hidden Files and Directories
Deobfuscate/Decode Files for Information
Credential Access
T1555.003
Credentials from Web Browsers
Discovery
T1016
T1083
T1057
T1082
System Network Configuration Discovery
File and Directory Discovery
Process Discovery
System Information Discovery
Command and Control
T1071
Application Layer Protocol
Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
Phishing PDF: 55f16d7f0a1683f32b946c03bdda79ca
Malicious DLL: a2fb0b0d34d71073cd037e872d40ea14
Encoded AutoIt Script: 0ea7d1a7ad1b24835ca0b2fc6c51c15a
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: f242ce468771de8c7a23568a3b03a5e2
Malicious ZIP: d2efccdb50c7450e8a99fec37a805ce6
LNK File: 7791017a97289669f5f598646ef6d517
Phishing PDF: 803103fe4b32c86fb3f382ee17dfde44
Malicious ZIP: 0a341353e5311d8f01f582425728e1d7
VBS File: 3df59010997ed2d70c5f7095498b3b3f
Encoded AutoIt Script: 660bc32609a1527c90990158ef449757
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: 9bf2ae2da16e9a975146c213abd7cd4f
Malicious ZIP: 9f93952e425110de34e00ebd6d6daab3
VBS File: c78dfe0f9b4fd732c8e99eb495ed9958
Encoded AutoIt Script: 660bc32609a1527c90990158ef449757
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: 9bf2ae2da16e9a975146c213abd7cd4f
Malicious ZIP: 54e65e96d2591106a2c41168803c77ff
JS File: 57cfc3b0b53e856c78b47867d7013516
Phishing Email: 0a50d4ea1a9d36f0c65de0e78eacbe95
PDF document: 097cbe9af6e66256310023ff2fbadac6
Malicious CAB File: 6ecd98dfd52136cff6ed28ef59b3f760
MSI File: 8ef6bc142843232614b092fac948562d
CAB file dropped from MSI: a169cebb4009ecfb62bb8a1faf09182f
Command-and-control (C2)
luxury-event-rentals[.]com
drvidhya[.]in
alianzasuma[.]com
cpm.com[.]py
corialopolova[.]com
skylineprodutora[.]com.br
medsure[.]com.br
humanrecruitasia[.]com
journeotravel[.]com
skylineprodutora.com[.]br
ahantadevnet[.]org
yellowstone[.]com.mm
asiaprofessionals[.]net
axecapital[.]ro
semquedagotas[.]com.br
reverasuplementos[.]fun
tikwave[.]site
grupec[.]com.co
chatpipoca[.]net
ncsinternationalcollege[.]com
gatraders.com[.]pk
ibuytech[.]pk
winstonandfriendz[.]ca
skincaremulher[.]fun
adam-xii-rpl.my[.]id
mycopier.com[.]my
japaaesthetics[.]com
msteamseyeappstore[.]com
youth[.]digital
roundstransports[.]com
mfleader.com[.]ar
fefasa[.]hn
nile-cruiise-egypt[.]com
flyforeducation[.]com
expertaitalia[.]eu
plataformaemrede[.]com.br
runnerspacegifts[.]com/umn/
kiwifare[.]net
getldrrgoodgame[.]com
hmas[.]mx
darkgate[.]com
5.188.87.58
5.42.77.33
45.144.28.244
94.228.169.123
94.228.169[.]143[:]2351/
94.228.169[.]143[:]8080/
66.42.110.147
94.131.106.78
88.119.175.245
45.32.222.253
grupowcm[.]com[.]br
thekhancept[.]com
eelontech[.]com
bligevale[.]co[.]zw
dhtech[.]ae
techs[.]com
gsrhrservices[.]com
glowriters[.]com
a2zfortextile[.]com
alpileannn[.]com
boutiquedhev[.]com
hypothequeswestisland[.]com
onetabmusic[.]com
sirishareddy[.]info
appapi[.]store
sictalks[.]com
nia-dbrowntestserver[.]com[.]ng
ofc[.]ai
unasd[.]org
plusmag[.]ro
beautifullike[.]com
gsrglobal[.]org
winstonandfriendz[.]ca
divinfosystem[.]com
supershuttles[.]co[.]za
ziaintegracion[.]com
themarijuanashow[.]com
blackshine[.]lk
deroze[.]net
vtektv[.]com
dna-do-gamer[.]com
kalismprivateltd[.]co[.]uk
arshany[.]com
kelotecnologia[.]com
millennialradio[.]es
phomecare.co.uk
Introduction
DarkGate is a malware family, dating back to 2018, that gained prominence after the demise of Qakbot with a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering advertised in underground cybercrime forums starting in the summer of 2023. This blog examines DarkGate intrusion trends observed by ThreatLabz between June and October 2023.
Key Takeaways
DarkGate activity surged in late September and early October 2023.
According to our customer telemetry, the technology sector is the most impacted by DarkGate attack campaigns.
Most DarkGate domains are 50 to 60 days old, which may indicate a deliberate approach where threat actors create and rotate domains at specific intervals.
Trend 1: DarkGate activity surges in late September, early October
To better understand DarkGate distribution trends, the ThreatLabz team analyzed hostnames, registration information, IP addresses, website content, and any recent patterns that emerged.
Increase in DarkGate domains
Our analysis revealed that there was a significant rise in the number of active DarkGate domains during the last week of September 2023. This means that more DarkGate websites associated with illegal activities were active during this specific time period.
Uptick in DarkGate transactions
DarkGate transactions increased in late September and into October. Notably, there was a substantial spike in transactions on October 10, 2023. This suggests that the threat actors behind Darkgate were particularly active during this time, possibly executing a series of attacks.
This DarkGate transaction data was compiled by observing the Zscaler cloud. Each time an infected machine made contact with a C2 server was counted as a transaction.
Figure 1: Illustrates spikes in DarkGate command-and-control (C2) activity by date
Trend 2: Technology sector most targeted by DarkGate
Based on analysis of our customer telemetry, the technology industry is the most targeted by DarkGate at 36.7%. Food, beverage, and tobacco come in second at 12.7%.
Figure 2: Industries most targeted by DarkGate
Trend 3: Most DarkGate domains are 50 to 60 days old
ThreatLabz found a concentrated level of activity (such as serving websites, handling transactions, or participating in network communications) among hostnames that have been in existence for 50-60 days. The fact that DarkGate domains follow this pattern could indicate that threat actors are taking a systematic approach where they create and rotate domains at specific intervals. Most likely, this intentional pattern perpetrated by threat actors is a way of evading security measures that target known malicious domains.
Figure 3: Age distribution of DarkGate domains based on transaction volume
Conclusion
The recent surge in DarkGate’s activity can be attributed to its use as a replacement for Qakbot. In addition to staying on top of the threat of DarkGate malware, Zscaler’s ThreatLabz team continuously monitors for new and emerging threats and shares its findings with the wider security community.
Zscaler Coverage & Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
Zscaler’s multilayered cloud security platform detects indicators related to DarkGate at various levels. Zscaler Sandbox played a particularly crucial role in analyzing the behavior of various files. Through this sandbox analysis, the threat scores and specific MITRE ATT&CK techniques triggered were identified, as illustrated in the screenshot provided below. Zscaler’s advanced threat protection capabilities and comprehensive zero trust approach empowers cybersecurity professionals with critical insights into malware behavior, enabling them to effectively detect and counter the threats posed by malicious actors.
Win64.Downloader.DarkGate
Win32.Trojan.DarkGate
Win64.Trojan.DarkGate
LNK.Downloader.DarkGate
VBS.Downloader.DarkGate
JS.Downloader.DarkGate
Figure 4: Zscaler Cloud Sandbox
MITRE ATT&CK TTP’s
Tactic
Technique ID
Technique ID
Initial Access
T1566
Phishing
Execution
T1204
T1059
T1569
User Execution
Command and Scripting Interpreter
System Services
Persistence
T1547
Boot or Logon Start Execution
Defense Evasion
T1027
T1070.004
T1202
T1564.001
T1140
Obfuscated Files or Information
File Deletion
Indirect Command Execution
Hidden Files and Directories
Deobfuscate/Decode Files for Information
Credential Access
T1555.003
Credentials from Web Browsers
Discovery
T1016
T1083
T1057
T1082
System Network Configuration Discovery
File and Directory Discovery
Process Discovery
System Information Discovery
Command and Control
T1071
Application Layer Protocol
Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
Phishing PDF: 55f16d7f0a1683f32b946c03bdda79ca
Malicious DLL: a2fb0b0d34d71073cd037e872d40ea14
Encoded AutoIt Script: 0ea7d1a7ad1b24835ca0b2fc6c51c15a
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: f242ce468771de8c7a23568a3b03a5e2
Malicious ZIP: d2efccdb50c7450e8a99fec37a805ce6
LNK File: 7791017a97289669f5f598646ef6d517
Phishing PDF: 803103fe4b32c86fb3f382ee17dfde44
Malicious ZIP: 0a341353e5311d8f01f582425728e1d7
VBS File: 3df59010997ed2d70c5f7095498b3b3f
Encoded AutoIt Script: 660bc32609a1527c90990158ef449757
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: 9bf2ae2da16e9a975146c213abd7cd4f
Malicious ZIP: 9f93952e425110de34e00ebd6d6daab3
VBS File: c78dfe0f9b4fd732c8e99eb495ed9958
Encoded AutoIt Script: 660bc32609a1527c90990158ef449757
AutoIt Loader Benign: c56b5f0201a3b3de53e561fe76912bfd
DarkGate Payload: 9bf2ae2da16e9a975146c213abd7cd4f
Malicious ZIP: 54e65e96d2591106a2c41168803c77ff
JS File: 57cfc3b0b53e856c78b47867d7013516
Phishing Email: 0a50d4ea1a9d36f0c65de0e78eacbe95
PDF document: 097cbe9af6e66256310023ff2fbadac6
Malicious CAB File: 6ecd98dfd52136cff6ed28ef59b3f760
MSI File: 8ef6bc142843232614b092fac948562d
CAB file dropped from MSI: a169cebb4009ecfb62bb8a1faf09182f
Command-and-control (C2)
luxury-event-rentals[.]com
drvidhya[.]in
alianzasuma[.]com
cpm.com[.]py
corialopolova[.]com
skylineprodutora[.]com.br
medsure[.]com.br
humanrecruitasia[.]com
journeotravel[.]com
skylineprodutora.com[.]br
ahantadevnet[.]org
yellowstone[.]com.mm
asiaprofessionals[.]net
axecapital[.]ro
semquedagotas[.]com.br
reverasuplementos[.]fun
tikwave[.]site
grupec[.]com.co
chatpipoca[.]net
ncsinternationalcollege[.]com
gatraders.com[.]pk
ibuytech[.]pk
winstonandfriendz[.]ca
skincaremulher[.]fun
adam-xii-rpl.my[.]id
mycopier.com[.]my
japaaesthetics[.]com
msteamseyeappstore[.]com
youth[.]digital
roundstransports[.]com
mfleader.com[.]ar
fefasa[.]hn
nile-cruiise-egypt[.]com
flyforeducation[.]com
expertaitalia[.]eu
plataformaemrede[.]com.br
runnerspacegifts[.]com/umn/
kiwifare[.]net
getldrrgoodgame[.]com
hmas[.]mx
darkgate[.]com
5.188.87.58
5.42.77.33
45.144.28.244
94.228.169.123
94.228.169[.]143[:]2351/
94.228.169[.]143[:]8080/
66.42.110.147
94.131.106.78
88.119.175.245
45.32.222.253
grupowcm[.]com[.]br
thekhancept[.]com
eelontech[.]com
bligevale[.]co[.]zw
dhtech[.]ae
techs[.]com
gsrhrservices[.]com
glowriters[.]com
a2zfortextile[.]com
alpileannn[.]com
boutiquedhev[.]com
hypothequeswestisland[.]com
onetabmusic[.]com
sirishareddy[.]info
appapi[.]store
sictalks[.]com
nia-dbrowntestserver[.]com[.]ng
ofc[.]ai
unasd[.]org
plusmag[.]ro
beautifullike[.]com
gsrglobal[.]org
winstonandfriendz[.]ca
divinfosystem[.]com
supershuttles[.]co[.]za
ziaintegracion[.]com
themarijuanashow[.]com
blackshine[.]lk
deroze[.]net
vtektv[.]com
dna-do-gamer[.]com
kalismprivateltd[.]co[.]uk
arshany[.]com
kelotecnologia[.]com
millennialradio[.]es
phomecare.co.uk
