Dridex Malware – Mode of Operation, How to Detect

A type of malware called Dridex targets the financial data of its victims. Software that is meant to harm a user is known as malware or malicious software. The Dridex malware is specifically categorized as a Trojan that conceals dangerous code within seemingly benign data.

• The primary objective of the Dridex malware is to steal private information from the bank accounts of its victims, such as their login information for online banking and financial access.

• It sends spam email campaigns to Windows users to trick people into opening an email attachment containing a Word or Excel file.

• Because it exposes users to the possibility of financial theft, this banking Trojan is a sort of malware that should be avoided.

• The malware has also been systematically updated over the last ten years, indicating that it was probably created and updated by a team. Dridex is supposedly the work of a group called EvilCorp.

How Does the Dridex Malware Spread?

There are several ways to spread the Dridex malware. A few frequent instances are phishing emails, exploit kits, and second-stage infection by malware from other malware families like Emotet.

• Dridex employs "process injection" and "hooking" after it has been executed on an infected PC to obtain screenshots and keystroke data.

• Additionally, it has the ability to download and run other malware as well as gather data from web browsers and be remotely controlled by the attacker.

• Dridex frequently uses web injection modules to carry out man-in-the-browser attacks and lets hackers steal login information for social media, email accounts, and banking accounts.

Dridex Malware Development

The Dridex malware originally functioned as a banking trojan, stealing the login information for online banking services from affected computers. While the majority of Dridex attacks are directed at the financial services sector, and this remains a key component of its functionality, it has recently added new features.

Like TrickBot and Qbot, Dridex now has information stealing and botnet capabilities. Even while the malware seems to be waning in comparison to these rivals, it is still actively being developed. A new phishing campaign that distributed malicious Excel documents used a new variant of the malware that was discovered in September 2021. This variant expanded the malware's information-stealing capabilities.

Dridex's Mode of Operation

Cybercriminals will use spam emails to distribute Dridex. The victim will be prompted to open an attached Microsoft Word or Excel file in the emails that appear to be official correspondence. When the file is opened, a macro that is embedded in it will activate and begin a Dridex download. The malware will start stealing banking credentials and unauthorized financial activities.

The malware will Insert a keylogger, which will track and record each keystroke made on a computer's keyboard in order to collect information. The attackers will be able to obtain login and password details, as well as login information for online banking, thanks to this.

Dridex also has a variety of other abilities. Additionally, it is possible to enable injection attacks, which enable the downloading of additional malware to execute remote commands or insert code into a particular software. Then, depending on the version, the malware will bundle and encrypt the stolen data before sending it across P2P networks in binary or XML.

Dridex is challenging to find since it frequently gets past antivirus detections.

How to Detect a Dridex Malware Infection?

Software for threat detection that relies on signatures might be unable to recognize Dridex. It is challenging to identify the danger because it continually changes and employs new signatures.

People can utilize technologies that don't focus on signature-based threat detection to potentially detect Dridex. For instance, certain technologies may make use of machine learning, which can model network traffic in order to comprehend user behavior patterns. Then, unusual traffic can be noted and examined further. If malware detection software detects unusual behavior or.exe files, it might also be effective. As a result, some anti-malware programs will be able to find Dridex.

How You Can Defend Yourself Against Dridex?

Preventing a Dridex infection is simpler than detecting it. Among the possible defenses are −

• When opening email attachments from senders, you don't know, exercise caution.

• Open no files received from unverified or dubious email addresses.

• Only download files from reliable sources.

• Update your browsers and programs.

• Teach other people or staff members how to spot dangerous mail.

• Use a malware detection program that employs additional techniques in addition to signature-based threat detection.

How to Get Rid of the Dridex Malware?

Dridex can be manually removed, although anti-malware solutions that are capable of detecting and removing Dridex are typically advised instead.

You can use software tools like the Trojan from Malwarebytes to find and get rid of Dridex. The software will place a quarantine when a threat is discovered to eliminate the infection. Once the operation is finished, anti-malware solutions could urge the user to restart the computer.

It is advised that people change their banking account passwords after the threat has been identified and eliminated.