Microsoft Malware Protection Center reports about a widespread threat that is used to steal users’ confidential information.
Win32/Dorkbot is an IRC-based botnet that features rootkit component and password stealer. Despite using a quite basic IRC protocol to communicate with C&C servers the botnet operators managed to build a botnet with substantial number of zombies just in a couple of years.
Microsoft experts compare Win32/Dorkbot with the infamous Win32/EyeStye due to congeniality. Dorkbot leverages an advanced user-level rootkit, very similar to the hooking technique of EyeStye. Both worms create an Impression as if they were being developed by dedicated and experienced teams for long periods of time.
Dorkbot is relatively simple to configure and operate because of its low aggressiveness and affordable price.
The virus is spread via three major vectors – USB drives, Instant Messaging (IM) services and social media. Win32/Dorkbot hooks several important APIs and monitors IM or social network communication. If a user chats with someone in his contacts it intercepts the massages that are being sent and includes malicious links. If a user clicks on that link his system may be compromised by the virus.
See Microsoft advisory here.
