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pesieve_bluehat.pdf

hasherezade
February 07, 2019

 pesieve_bluehat.pdf

hasherezade

February 07, 2019
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  1. #whoami •Malware intelligence Analyst, technical blogger at Malwarebytes •open source

    & free software developer (PE-bear, PE-sieve, and many others) •writer/solver of crackmes •wrote some ransomware decryptors •makes videos related to malware analysis •wrote a chapter to a book about RE HASHEREZADE.NET
  2. agenda 1. PE-sieve – brief history 2. Capabilities & usecases

    3. Various approaches to finding code implants 4. PE-sieve implementation details
  3. Why I made PE-sieve? There is a sample that couldn’t

    be automatically unpacked/identified Part of my work is about unpacking unidentified samples... ursnif
  4. Why I made PE-sieve? • When I started, I used

    to unpack samples manually • Over the years, I learned a lot about how the malware unpacks itself in the memory, and saw the patterns
  5. Why I made PE-sieve? • I am originaly a programmer,

    so I put my experience into action by automating daily tasks
  6. Why I made PE-sieve? • I collected many small, simple

    tools for particular tasks (i.e. pe_unmapper, hook_finder) • Around Christmas 2017 I combined them, creating the first version of PE- sieve: a dynamic unpacker and patch finder Memory scanner Hook_finder Pe_unmapper
  7. Why I made PE-sieve? • I use it every day,

    and keep improving it • Other malware researchers also liked it...
  8. PE-sieve in other projects • PE-sieve is a light-weight component

    • Can be used as a standalone application, or as DLL • Became a base for my other projects: • Hollows Hunter (https://github.com/hasherezade/hollows_hunter) • MalUnpack (https://github.com/hasherezade/mal_unpack)
  9. PE-sieve stole my job... • We save a lot of

    time from manual sample unpacking: • Almost all the dumped samples allow for a malware family identification • Majority of the dumped payloads are suitable for dynamic analysis of the next stage • (minority doesn’t run properly and still needs manual unpacking) ursnif
  10. Beyond unpacking... • finding what the implanted code is •

    reconstructing the corrupt parts of the payload • converting PE into a raw format • pointing out where the hooks/patches are installed ursnif
  11. PE-sieve: capabilities • Works on a live system • Focus:

    speed and simplicity of use • Passive scan, not hooking any APIs • Can be used post-infection • Generates material ready to be analyzed: not only detection, but precise details • Free & open source: https://github.com/hasherezade/pe-sieve https://github.com/hasherezade/hollows_hunter
  12. What does PE-sieve detect? • Inline hooks • Packed and

    self-modifying PE files • Replaced processes: i.e. Process Hollowing, Process Doppelgänging • Manually loaded PE-files (Reflective DLL Injection and others) • Shellcodes
  13. What PE-sieve is NOT? • Not an automated anti-malware scanner

    • It collects raw material and some indicators • but does not do automated classification • it is conceptually similar to GMER • Not a tool for analyzing memory dumps and process post-mortem analysis (try Volatility+plugins instead)
  14. Inline hooking detection Test case: a crackme with inline hooks

    The hooked/patched module is automatically dumped Report about patches
  15. Inline hooking detection • The TAG file, along with the

    dumped module, can be loaded to PE-bear or IDA and further analyzed
  16. Inline hooking detection Generated tags allow viewing the patches in

    their original context, and analyzing with typical tools
  17. Use-Cases • Unpacking malware (selected sample), examining a single process:

    PE-sieve • Scanning a full system to detect hidden implants: HollowsHunter • Unpacking a big set of samples: MalUnpack (https://youtu.be/hoyHz9qSCY8)
  18. Code implants • Malicious and non-malicious purposes: • Micro-patching applications

    without recompiling code • Packed executables • Self-modifying code • Hooking: userland rootkits, data interception, sandboxes
  19. Infecting a running process • Malware impersonates processes to run

    under their cover • Examples of the techniques: • Process Hollowing (RunPE) • Manual PE loading (various variants, including Reflective DLL injection) • Process Doppelgänging • Combinations of multiple techniques (i.e. Transacted Hollowing)
  20. Approach #1: monitoring and blocking API calls • Many AV

    products monitor called APIs to prevent installing malicious implants Blocked by AV
  21. Approach #1: monitoring and blocking API calls • Malware authors/offensive

    researchers try to evade it by finding uncommon APIs that can be used to make injection. Some newer examples: • AtomBombing technique • Process Doppelgänging
  22. Approach #1: monitoring and blocking API calls • What if

    some unknown API was used for injection? • What if we want to scan a system post-factum? • How to detect and implant without knowing how it was injected?
  23. Approach #2: search implants post-infection • Some applications use another

    approach: • search implants in the memory post-infection • Examples: • MalFind (a Volatility plugin) • RunPE detector • PE-sieve
  24. Just follow the artefacts... • No impersonation technique is perfect:

    they all leave some suspicious artefacts • See what was modified, see how the code area was mapped...
  25. Detection: inline hooking, self- modifying code • Code scan •

    Load the PE from the disk that corresponds to the module within the process • Detect all the sections containing code • Transform both sections into the same format (relocate to the same base, remove IAT, etc.) • Compare
  26. Code scan • Normalize and compare... After the difference is

    found, the offset and size are stored for further analysis... ec7c;CreateWindowExW->402551[400000+2551:KeygenMe V7.exe:0]
  27. Detection: impersonated process • Headers scan • Load the PE

    from the disk that corresponds to the module within the process • Are their headers matching? • When it works? • For all the techniques that rely on connecting the implanted PE to the PEB • Covers Process Hollowing, Process Doppelgänging...
  28. Headers scan • Header on disk vs header in memory

    View in memory (via Process Hacker) Corresponding file on the disk (via HxD)
  29. Detection: manually mapped PE • Working Set scan • Search

    executable memory pages that are not a part of any module • Suspicious mapping type? Other indicators? • Are they part of a PE file? Detection of PE headers /artefacts
  30. #1: Find the odd thing... [-] PE in MEM_PRIVATE (vs

    typical: MEM_IMAGE) [-] RWX – very unusual protection Reflective DLL injection
  31. #2: Find the odd thing... [-] PE in MEM_PRIVATE (vs

    typical: MEM_IMAGE) Process Hollowing or manually mapped PE
  32. #3: Find the odd thing... [-] PE in MEM_MAPPED (vs

    typical: MEM_IMAGE) Kronos Loader
  33. #4: Find the odd thing... [+] MEM_IMAGE -> OK [-]

    PE Image has no path! Process Doppelganging
  34. PE-sieve: current status • Detecting anomalies • Dumping payloads from

    memory • Reconstructing corrupt payloads • Read more: • https://github.com/hasherezade/pe-sieve/wiki
  35. PE-sieve - TODO • IAT/EAT hooking detection • Classic DLL

    injection detection • Whitelisting known hooks • Bugs? Ideas? • https://github.com/hasherezade/pe-sieve/issues