The Remote Access Trojan, or RAT, is one of the most malicious types of malware you can think of. They can cause all sorts of damage and can also be responsible for costly data loss. They must be actively combated because, in addition to being very dangerous, they are quite common. Today we'll do our best to explain what they are and how they work and let you know what you can do to protect yourself from them. We'll start our discussion today by explaining what RAT is. We won't go into technical details, but we'll do our best to explain how they work and how they get to you. Further, while trying not to sound too paranoid, we will see that the RAT can be seen almost like a weapon. In fact, some of them have been used as such. After that, we will introduce some of the most famous RATs. This will give you a better idea of what they are capable of. We'll then see how intrusion detection tools can be used to protect against RATs and take a look at some of the best of these tools.
What is a RAT?
A remote access Trojan is a type of malware that allows a hacker (hence the name) to take control of a computer remotely. Let's analyze the name. The Trojan part tells about how the malware spreads. This refers to the ancient Greek story of a Trojan horse that Ulysses built to reclaim the city of Troy, which had been besieged for ten years. In the context of computer malware, a Trojan horse (or simply Trojan) is malware that is distributed in some other way. For example, a game that you download and install on your computer may in fact be a Trojan horse and contain some malicious code. As far as RAT remote access is concerned, it has to do with what the malware does. Simply put, it allows its author to have remote access to the infected computer. And when he gets remote access, he has little or no limit to what he can do. This can range from examining your file system, viewing your actions on a screen, collecting your login credentials, or encrypting your files so that you can demand a ransom. It can also steal your data, or worse, your customer's data. Once the RAT is installed, your computer can become a hub from where attacks can be launched against other computers on the local network, thus bypassing any perimeter defense.
RAT in History
Unfortunately, the rat has been around for over ten years. This technology is believed to have played a role in the large-scale looting of American technology by Chinese hackers back in 2003. An investigation at the Pentagon uncovered data theft from US defense contractors, with classified development and test data being transferred to locations in China. You may remember the power outages on the US East Coast in 2003 and 2008. They have also been traced back to China and appear to have been promoted by the RAT. A hacker who can launch a RAT on a system can use any software that users of the infected system have at their disposal, often without even noticing it.
RAT as a Weapon
A malicious RAT developer can take control of power plants, telephone networks, nuclear facilities, or gas pipelines. Thus, RATs not only pose a threat to corporate security. They can also allow nations to attack an enemy country. As such, they can be viewed as weapons. Hackers around the world use the RAT to spy on companies and steal their data and money. Meanwhile, the RAT problem has now become a national security issue for many countries, including Russia. Originally used for industrial espionage and sabotage by Chinese hackers, the US has come to appreciate the power of the RAT and has integrated it into its military arsenal. They are now part of an offensive strategy known as hybrid warfare.
Several Famous RATs
Let's take a look at some of the most famous RATs. Our idea here is not to glorify them but to give you an idea of how diverse they are.
Back Orifice
Back Orifice is an American RAT that has been around since 1998. It's kind of RAT grandfather. The original scheme exploited a vulnerability in Windows 98. The following versions that ran on newer Windows operating systems were called Back Orifice 2000 and Deep Back Orifice. This RAT is capable of hiding itself in the operating system, making it particularly difficult to detect. However, most antivirus systems today use Back Orifice executables and occlusion behavior as signatures. The distinctive feature of this software is that it has an easy-to-use console that an attacker can use to navigate and view the infected system. Once installed, this server program communicates with the client console using standard network protocols. For example, the port number is known to be 21337.
DarkComet
DarkComet was created back in 2008 by French hacker Jean-Pierre Lesueur, but only came to the notice of the cybersecurity community in 2012 when it was discovered that an African hacker unit was using the system to target the US government and military. DarkComet features an easy-to-use interface that allows users with little or no technical skill to carry out hacker attacks. It allows you to spy through keylogging, screen capture, and password collection. A controlling hacker can also control the power functions of a remote computer, allowing the computer to be turned on or off remotely. The network functions of an infected computer can also be used to use the computer as a proxy server and disguise its identity during raids on other computers. The DarkComet project was abandoned by its developer in 2014 when it was discovered that it was being used by the Syrian government to spy on its citizens.
Mirage
Mirage is a well-known RAT used by a government-sponsored Chinese hacker group. After a very active spy campaign from 2009 to 2015, the group went silent. Mirage has been the band's main instrument since 2012. The discovery of the Mirage variant, dubbed MirageFox in 2018, is a hint that the group may return to action. MirageFox was discovered in March 2018 when it was being used to spy on UK government contractors. As for the original Mirage RAT, it was used to strike an oil company in the Philippines, the Taiwanese military, a Canadian energy company, and other targets in Brazil, Israel, Nigeria, and Egypt. This RAT comes embedded in PDF. Opening it will execute scripts that install the RAT. After installation, its first action is to report to the command and control system and check the capabilities of the infected system. This information includes processor speed, memory size and usage, system name, and username.
RAT Protection - IDS Intrusion Detection Tools
Antivirus Software is sometimes useless in detecting and preventing RATs. This is due in part to their nature. They hide like something perfectly legal. For this reason, they are often best detected by systems that analyze computers for abnormal behavior. Such systems are called IDS intrusion detection systems. We searched the market for the best intrusion detection systems. Our list contains a collection of bona fide intrusion detection systems and other software that has an intrusion detection component or that can be used to detect intrusion attempts. They are generally better at identifying remote access Trojans than other types of anti-malware.
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