U.S. Department of Homeland Security US-CERT

National Cyber Awareness System:

TA15-337A: Dorkbot
12/03/2015 06:40 PM EST


Original release date: December 03, 2015

Systems Affected
Microsoft Windows

Overview
Dorkbot is a botnet used to steal online payment, participate in distributed
denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and deliver other types of malware to
victims’ computers. According to Microsoft, the family of malware used in this
botnet “has infected more than one million personal computers in over 190
countries over the course of the past year.” The United States Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and Microsoft, is releasing this Technical Alert to
provide further information about Dorkbot.

Description
Dorkbot-infected systems are used by cyber criminals to steal sensitive
information (such as user account credentials), launch denial-of-service (DoS)
attacks, disable security protection, and distribute several malware variants
to victims’ computers. Dorkbot is commonly spread via malicious links sent
through social networks instant message programs or through infected USB
devices.

In addition, Dorkbot’s backdoor functionality allows a remote attacker to
exploit infected system. According to Microsoft’s analysis, a remote attacker
may be able to:

Download and run a file from a specified URL;
Collect logon information and passwords through form grabbing, FTP, POP3, or
Internet Explorer and Firefox cached login details; or
Block or redirect certain domains and websites (e.g., security sites).
Impact
A system infected with Dorkbot may be used to send spam, participate in DDoS
attacks, or harvest users' credentials for online services, including banking
services.

Solution
Users are advised to take the following actions to remediate Dorkbot
infections:

Use and maintain anti-virus software – Anti-virus software recognizes and
protects your computer against most known viruses. Even though Dorkbot is
designed to evade detection, security companies are continuously updating
their software to counter these advanced threats. Therefore, it is important
to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. If you suspect you may be a
victim of Dorkbot, update your anti-virus software definitions and run a
full-system scan. (See Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information.)
Change your passwords – Your original passwords may have been compromised
during the infection, so you should change them. (See Choosing and Protecting
Passwords for more information.)
Keep your operating system and application software up-to-date – Install
software patches so that attackers cannot take advantage of known problems or
vulnerabilities. You should enable automatic updates of the operating system
if this option is available. (See Understanding Patches for more information.)
Use anti-malware tools – Using a legitimate program that identifies and
removes malware can help eliminate an infection. Users can consider employing
a remediation tool (see example below) to help remove Dorkbot from their
systems. 
Disable Autorun­ – Dorkbot tries to use the Windows Autorun function to
propagate via removable drives (e.g., USB flash drive). You can disable
Autorun to stop the threat from spreading.
Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

The above example does not constitute an exhaustive list. The U.S. Government
does not endorse or support any particular product or vendor.

References
Microsoft Malware Protection Center – Worm: Win32/Dorkbot
Microsoft Malware Protection Center – Microsoft assists law enforcement to
help disrupt Dorkbot botnets
Revision History
December 3, 2015: Initial Publication

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