BASHLITE

BASHLITE (also known as Gafgyt, Lizkebab, PinkSlip, Qbot, Torlus and LizardStresser) is malware which infects Linux systems in order to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS).[1] Originally it was also known under the name Bashdoor,[2] but this term now refers to the exploit method used by the malware. It has been used to launch attacks of up to 400 Gbps.[3]

BASHLITE
Technical nameAs BashLite

As Gafgyt

  • ELF/Gafgyt.[letter]!tr (Fortinet)
  • HEUR:Backdoor.Linux.Gafgyt.[letter] (Kaspersky)
  • DDoS:Linux/Gafgyt.YA!MTB (Microsoft)
  • ELF_GAFGYT.[letter] (Trend Micro)

As QBot

  • Trojan-PSW.Win32.Qbot (Kaspersky)
  • Backdoor.Qbot (Malwarebytes)
  • Win32/Qakbot (Microsoft)
  • Bck/QBot (Panda)
  • Mal/Qbot-[letter] (Sophos)
  • W32.Qakbot (Symantec)
  • BKDR_QAKBOT (Trend Micro)
  • TROJ_QAKBOT (Trend Micro)
  • TSPY_QAKBOT (Trend Micro)
  • WORM_QAKBOT (Trend Micro)
  • Backdoor.Qakbot (VirusBuster)

As PinkSlip

  • W32/Pinkslipbot (McAfee)
As Torlus
AliasesGafgyt, Lizkebab, PinkSlip, Qbot, Torlus, LizardStresser
TypeBotnet
Author(s)Lizard Squad
Operating system(s) affectedLinux
Written inC

The original version in 2014 exploited a flaw in the bash shell - the Shellshock software bug - to exploit devices running BusyBox.[4][5][6][7] A few months later a variant was detected that could also infect other vulnerable devices in the local network.[8] In 2015 its source code was leaked, causing a proliferation of different variants,[9] and by 2016 it was reported that one million devices have been infected.[10][11][12][13]

Of the identifiable devices participating in these botnets in August 2016 almost 96 percent were IoT devices (of which 95 percent were cameras and DVRs), roughly 4 percent were home routers - and less than 1 percent were compromised Linux servers.[9]

Design

BASHLITE is written in C, and designed to easily cross-compile to various computer architectures.[9]

Exact capabilities differ between variants, but the most common features[9] generate several different types of DDoS attacks: it can hold open TCP connections, send a random string of junk characters to a TCP or a UDP port, or repeatedly send TCP packets with specified flags. They may also have a mechanism to run arbitrary shell commands on the infected machine. There are no facilities for reflected or amplification attacks.

BASHLITE uses a client–server model for command and control. The protocol used for communication is essentially a lightweight version of Internet Relay Chat (IRC).[14] Even though it supports multiple command and control servers, most variants only have a single command and control IP-address hardcoded.

It propagates via brute forcing, using a built-in dictionary of common usernames and passwords. The malware connects to random IP addresses and attempts to login, with successful logins reported back to the command and control server.

See also

References
  1. Cimpanu, Catalin (30 August 2016). "There's a 120,000-Strong IoT DDoS Botnet Lurking Around". Softpedia. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. Tung, Liam (25 September 2014). "First attacks using shellshock Bash bug discovered". ZDNet. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  3. Ashford, Warwick (30 June 2016). "LizardStresser IoT botnet launches 400Gbps DDoS attack". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  4. Kovacs, Eduard (14 November 2014). "BASHLITE Malware Uses ShellShock to Hijack Devices Running BusyBox". SecurityWeek.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  5. Khandelwal, Swati (November 17, 2014). "BASHLITE Malware leverages ShellShock Bug to Hijack Devices Running BusyBox". The Hacker News. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. Paganini, Pierluigi (16 November 2014). "A new BASHLITE variant infects devices running BusyBox". Security Affairs. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. "Bash Vulnerability (Shellshock) Exploit Emerges in the Wild, Leads to BASHLITE Malware". Trend Micro. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  8. Inocencio, Rhena (13 November 2014). "BASHLITE Affects Devices Running on BusyBox". Trend Micro. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  9. "Attack of Things!". Level 3 Threat Research Labs. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  10. "BASHLITE malware turning millions of Linux Based IoT Devices into DDoS botnet". Full Circle. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  11. Masters, Greg (31 August 2016). "Millions of IoT devices enlisted into DDoS bots with Bashlite malware". SC Magazine. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. Spring, Tom (30 August 2016). "BASHLITE Family of Malware Infects 1 Million IoT Devices". Threatpost.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  13. Kovacs, Eduard (31 August 2016). "BASHLITE Botnets Ensnare 1 Million IoT Devices". Security Week. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  14. Bing, Matthew (29 June 2016). "The Lizard Brain of LizardStresser". Arbor Networks. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
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