Who’s Behind the NetWire Remote Access Trojan? – Krebs on Security

A Croatian nationwide has been arrested for allegedly working NetWire, a Distant Entry Trojan (RAT) marketed on cybercrime boards since 2012 as a stealthy option to spy on contaminated methods and siphon passwords. The arrest coincided with a seizure of the NetWire gross sales web site by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Whereas the defendant on this case hasn’t but been named publicly, the NetWire web site has been leaking details about the doubtless true identification and placement of its proprietor for the previous 11 years.

Usually put in by booby-trapped Microsoft Workplace paperwork and distributed through electronic mail, NetWire is a multi-platform risk that’s able to focusing on not solely Microsoft Home windows machines but additionally Android, Linux and Mac methods.

NetWire’s reliability and comparatively low value ($80-$140 relying on options) has made it a particularly in style RAT on the cybercrime boards for years, and NetWire infections persistently rank among the many high 10 most energetic RATs in use.

NetWire has been offered brazenly on the identical web site since 2012: worldwiredlabs[.]com. That web site now encompasses a seizure discover from the U.S. Division of Justice, which says the area was taken as a part of “a coordinated legislation enforcement motion taken in opposition to the NetWire Distant Entry Trojan.”

“As a part of this week’s legislation enforcement motion, authorities in Croatia on Tuesday arrested a Croatian nationwide who allegedly was the administrator of the web site,” reads an announcement by the U.S. Division of Justice as we speak. “This defendant will likely be prosecuted by Croatian authorities. Moreover, legislation enforcement in Switzerland on Tuesday seized the pc server internet hosting the NetWire RAT infrastructure.”

Neither the DOJ’s assertion nor a press launch on the operation revealed by Croatian authorities talked about the identify of the accused. However it’s pretty outstanding that it has taken so lengthy for authorities in the US and elsewhere to maneuver in opposition to NetWire and its alleged proprietor, provided that the RAT’s writer apparently did little or no to cover his real-life identification.

The WorldWiredLabs web site first got here on-line in February 2012 utilizing a devoted host with no different domains. The positioning’s true WHOIS registration information have all the time been hidden by privateness safety providers, however there are many clues in historic Area Identify System (DNS) information for WorldWiredLabs that time in the identical path.

In October 2012, the WorldWiredLabs area moved to a different devoted server on the Web tackle 198.91.90.7, which was dwelling to only one different area: printschoolmedia[.]org, additionally registered in 2012.

Based on DomainTools.com, printschoolmedia[.]org was registered to a Mario Zanko in Zapresic, Croatia, and to the e-mail tackle zankomario@gmail.com. DomainTools additional exhibits this electronic mail tackle was used to register one different area in 2012: wwlabshosting[.]com, additionally registered to Mario Zanko from Croatia.

A overview of DNS information for each printschoolmedia[.]org and wwlabshosting[.]com exhibits that whereas these domains have been on-line they each used the DNS identify server ns1.worldwiredlabs[.]com. No different domains have been recorded utilizing that very same identify server.

The WorldWiredLabs web site, in 2013. Supply: Archive.org.

DNS information for worldwiredlabs[.]com additionally present the positioning forwarded incoming electronic mail to the tackle tommaloney@ruggedinbox.com. Constella Intelligence, a service that indexes info uncovered by public database leaks, exhibits this electronic mail tackle was used to register an account on the clothes retailer romwe.com, utilizing the password “123456xx.”

Operating a reverse search on this password in Constella Intelligence exhibits there are greater than 450 electronic mail addresses identified to have used this credential, and two of these are zankomario@gmail.com and zankomario@yahoo.com.

A search on zankomario@gmail.com in Skype returns three outcomes, together with the account identify “Netwire” and the username “Dugidox,” and one other for a Mario Zanko (username zanko.mario).

Dugidox corresponds to the hacker deal with most incessantly related to NetWire gross sales and help dialogue threads on a number of cybercrime boards over time.

Constella ties dugidox@gmail.com to quite a lot of web site registrations, together with the Dugidox deal with on BlackHatWorld and HackForums, and to IP addresses in Croatia for each. Constella additionally exhibits the e-mail tackle zankomario@gmail.com used the password “dugidox2407.”

In 2010, somebody utilizing the e-mail tackle dugidox@gmail.com registered the area dugidox[.]com. The WHOIS registration information for that area listing a “Senela Eanko” because the registrant, however the tackle used was the identical avenue tackle in Zapresic that seems within the WHOIS information for printschoolmedia[.]org, which is registered in Mr. Zanco’s identify.

Previous to the demise of Google+, the e-mail tackle dugidox@gmail.com mapped to an account with the nickname “Netwire wwl.” The dugidox electronic mail additionally was tied to a Fb account (mario.zanko3), which featured check-ins and images from numerous locations in Croatia.

That Fb profile is now not energetic, however again in January 2017, the administrator of WorldWiredLabs posted that he was contemplating including sure Android cell performance to his service. Three days after that, the Mario.Zank3 profile posted a photograph saying he was chosen for an Android instruction course — together with his dugidox electronic mail within the photograph, naturally.

Incorporation information from the U.Ok.’s Firms Home present that in 2017 Mr. Zanko turned an officer in an organization referred to as Godbex Options LTD. A Youtube video invoking this company identify describes Godbex as a “subsequent era platform” for exchanging gold and cryptocurrencies.

The U.Ok. Firms Home information present Godbex was dissolved in 2020. It additionally says Mr. Zanko was born in July 1983, and lists his occupation as “electrical engineer.”

Mr. Zanko didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.