HotRat: A dangerous malware strikes again!

Have you ever downloaded an app from untrusted publishers and it asks you to trust it? Well, in most cases you can trust that they will bring you harm. Most of their appeal is that their app is free and doesn’t require any complicated installation process. Through this appeal, they ensnare unsuspecting people and by that point, your data has potentially been stolen. That’s why it’s crucial to never download an app from an untrusted publisher.

In correlation with not to trust untrusted apps, there has been a new variant of an existing malware spreading through pirated software. How did this come to be? Let’s find out…

A new variant of AsyncRAT malware dubbed HotRat is being distributed via free, pirated versions of popular software and utilities such as video games, image and sound editing software, and Microsoft Office. Avast security researcher, Martin a Milánek, stated that HotRat malware equips attackers with a wide array of capabilities, such as stealing login credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, screen capturing, keylogging, installing more malware, and gaining access to or altering clipboard data. The firm itself has mentioned that the trojan has been prevalent in the wild since at least in October 2022, with a majority of the infections concentrated in Thailand, Guyana, Libya, Suriname, Mali, Pakistan, Cambodia, South Africa, and India.?

What does this malware actually do? HotRat, described as a comprehensive RAT malware, comes with nearly 20 commands, each of which executes a .NET module retrieved from a remote server, allowing the threat actors behind the campaign to extend its features as and when required. The attacks entail bundling the cracked software available online via torrent sites with a malicious AutoHotkey (AHK) script that initiates an infection chain designed to deactivate antivirus solutions on the compromised host and ultimately launch the HotRat payload using a Visual Basic Script loader. Milanek did add that despite the substantial risks involved, the irresistible temptation to acquire high-quality software at no cost persists, leading many people to download illegal software, therefore, distributing such software remains an effective method for widely spreading malware.

Surely, based on this phenomenon people should stay clear from downloading pirated apps from untrusted sources. Always remember, if something is free, you might be the product!