Also known as: –
Category: Malware
Type: Trojan
Platform: Windows
Variants: DanaBot can have many variants because it’s often used as malware-as-a-service (MaaS)
Damage potential: Malware infection, stealing network requests, ransomware, making desktop screenshots, file corruption and loss, stolen keystrokes, system performance issues, network connectivity problems, unauthorized access, data theft
Overview
DanaBot is a banking trojan that is known for its evolving nature, with many new variants appearing every year. It is designed to steal sensitive information, often targeting online banking credentials. It can be also used as spyware or as a vessel to distribute other types of malware.
Possible symptoms
Most common DanaBot symptoms include sudden performance issues and unusual network activity. For example, the computer may be slower to load or slow down overall. While DanaBot is designed to steal data, you may also experience increased data usage.
Other DanaBot symptoms include:
- Changes in system settings or new files appearing.
- Unusual browser behavior such as unwanted redirects to suspicious websites or unauthorized transactions.
- More spam emails because some DanaBot variants are used to distribute spam.
- Browser extensions you didn’t install.
- Security software or updates disabled.
- Unauthorized transactions such as unfamiliar charges on bank statements.
Sources of the infection
DanaBot, like most other malware, is often spread through email as attachments. But DanaBot exploits are also known to be more sophisticated and more targeted. For example, an attacker can send their target a link to a compromised website. If the person visits the site, the malware is automatically installed without the victim’s knowledge.
Other sources of infection include:
- Social engineering. In a targeted attack, an attacker can pretend to be someone they’re not, such as a support agent, in order to get to the victim’s device and persuade them to connect to their device remotely.
- Peer-to-peer networks are frequently used to spread malware, including DanaBot.
- A scammer may trick their victim into downloading DanaBot by creating notifications for fake software updates.
- Websites offering cracked software for free, such as VPNs, graphics editors, and antivirus programs.
Protection
DanaBot can be challenging to remove due to its advanced evasion techniques such as polymorphism (the ability of a program to change its own code), anti-emulation, and anti-debugging as well as its rootkit capabilities.
To protect yourself against DanaBot:
- Always keep your antivirus and anti-malware software up to date.
- Use a firewall to manage your network traffic.
- Restrict or secure the use of system administrator tools.
- Be cautious whenever you are asked to click on a link, even if it’s been sent by someone you know.
- Avoid downloading files through P2P networks.
- Back up your data.
- Enable NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro, which scans files for malware before they’re downloaded to your device.
