Internet Criminals Drop Angler In Favor of Neutrino EK To Spread CryptXXX

The evolution of Bitcoin ransomware is spectacular to behold, yet it’s also very annoying to deal with at the same time. CryptXXX has been making a lot of media headlines throughout the years, and it looks like the developer shave added a new twist. Instead of being spread through the Angler exploit kit, the payload is now bundled with Neutrino.

CryptXXX Version 3.100 is here

As if the evolution from CryptXXX version 2.0 to version 3.0 was not worrying enough, another version has been hitting the Internet. Switching up the distribution method will increase the chances of infecting computer users all over the world. That being said, the Neutrino Exploit Kit is a rather peculiar choice.

Up until this point, the ransomware used to spread itself through the Angler exploit kit. That is not entirely surprising, considering how this toolset if the fan favorite among internet criminals. Moreover, Angler bundles some hard to patch vulnerabilities which hackers can make use of. So far, Angler has been far more successful than any other version.

But if it is up to Neutrino, that situation will come to change. Apparently, it is rather common for target campaigns to switch between Angler and Neutrino. That being said, spreading CryptXXX through Neutrino is a definite first. It looks as if the developers of CryptXXX want to stake their claim in the malware world by continuing to revamp their pet project.

It remains unclear as to why hacker collective using the Angler exploit kit have made the switch, though. Security experts have not noticed any Angler samples containing the CryptXXX payload for several days now. Then again, internet criminality is a business model like any other, and hackers will have to keep switching up tactics to achieve their goals.

What makes the Neutrino Exploit Kit so appealing is the targeting of java runtime environments. Angler, on the other hand, goes after Java and Flash Player, as well as Silverlight. A most peculiar evolution of CryptXXX, that much is certain. Who knows what will be the next for the malware?

Source: Threatpost

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