What Is Rig Exploit Kit? How To Remove Rig Exploit Kit?

What is Rig Exploit Kit?

Definition of Rootkit

Attackers can have ‘root’ access to the user’s computer using a Rootkit. So, Rootkit virus are considered tremendously dangerous for user’s privacy and personnel information and PC users need an anti-rootkit software. A Rootkit is a malicious software which provides a user with administrator access to a PC without being easily detected.

Once the rootkit is installed, it allows the attacker to mask disturbance and gain root or main access to the computer and, possibly, other machines on the network.

A rootkit may consist of spyware and other programs that: monitor traffic and keystrokes; create a "backdoor" into the system for the hacker's use; alter log files; attack other machines on the network; and alter existing system tools to escape detection.

The presence of a rootkit on a network was first documented in the early 1990s. When Sun and Linux operating systems were the primary targets for a hacker looking to install a rootkit. Rootkits are active and readily available for a number of operating systems, including Windows, and are increasingly difficult to detect on any network.

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Rootkits have become more common and their sources more surprising. In late October of 2005, security expert Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals discovered that he had a rootkit on his own computer that had been installed as part of the digital rights management (DRM) component on a Sony audio CD. Experts worry that the practice may be more widespread than the public suspects and that attackers could exploit existing rootkits.

A number of vendors offer software to dealing with rootkit like- Microsoft, F-Secure, and Sysinternals. If a rootkit is detected, however, the only sure way to get rid of it is to completely erase the computer's hard drive and reinstall the operating system.

The Rig Exploit Kit was discovered a few months ago and mainly exploits vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, Java, Adobe Flash, and Silverlight. We decided to take a closer look at how the exploit kit was used in this attack to find out what damage it could do to users’ computers.

 Rig Exploit Kit’s features

To set up the attack, the attackers injected malicious JavaScript into the website. This JavaScript generates random domain names based on the current date, which are used for contacting websites under the attacker’s control.

The domains generated have a pattern of eight hex digits (a CRC32 hash of the current date) followed by the .pw top-level domain (TLD) (.pw is the TLD for Palau, a Pacific island nation, for which Symantec has observed a rise in malicious usage). The domain is used to generate URLs requesting the file nbe.html along with a parameter.

In a deep analysis of RIG, Cisco Talos team confirmed the unique nature of the exploit kit which In a nutshell is that RIG uses gates to redirect their victims to their exploit kit. But what makes RIG unique, according Cisco Talos researchers is the way RIG combines different web technologies, such as DoSWF, JavaScript, Flash and VBscript to obfuscate the attack.

To deepen the issue, each separate attack strategy utilizes “dynamically changing encoding and encryption for all files transmitted. Talos dismemberment of RIG also reveals that this unique technique ensures scripts look different every time an attack session is launched. This, Cisco Talos said “ensures (attackers) can’t be detected by simple string matches or hash values.”

At the core of all the activities of the RIG attack, researchers say, is a three-pronged attack strategy that leverages either a JavaScript, Flash, VBscript-based attacks as needed.

With RIG, when it is time to deliver malware files, “the same malware file often gets written and executed multiple times on the victim’s PC. If one method doesn’t work or is blocked by an anti-malware solution, they have a couple of backup methods. All stages and methods are obfuscated, some more, some less,” Cisco Talos wrote.

The RIG Exploit Kit is a component that is used to install threats on the victims' computers. The RIG Exploit Kit has recently been implicated in the distribution of various Ransomware Trojans such as the Cryptowall and other Cryptolocker variants. Cryptolocker is a threatening ransomware infection that was stopped recently by PC security researchers. However, its creators have now started to distribute many variants of this threat that may use exploit kits such as the RIG Exploit Kit. These ransomware infections encrypt files on the victims' computers and then threaten the victim by withholding the decryption key until a ransom is paid using a money transfer service. You can avoid the RIG Exploit Kit attacks by maintaining your software fully upgraded and using a reliable security program that is up-to- date at all times while browsing the Web.

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 The Ransomware Linked to the RIG Exploit Kit

The RIG Exploit Kit has been linked closely with suspicious and intrusive advertisements that the RIG Exploit Kit may infect into legitimate websites. The exploits associated with the RIG Exploit Kit may exploit vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Silverlight, Flash and Java. Silverlight exploits have increased in number while Java exploits have become less common over time. Ransomware associated with the RIG Exploit Kit demands payments of between $300 USD and $600 USD from victims and may include a link to a specific page or instructions to make payments using TOR and BitCoin.

The RIG Exploit Kit is a grave threat to the computer security all around the world. Ransomware associated with the RIG Exploit Kit may cause data loss if the data is not properly backed up because the algorithm used to encrypt the files is nearly impossible to crack without the key used in the encryption process. Paying the ransom for ransomware infections associated with the RIG Exploit Kit or any other ransomware is never a good option. There is no warranty that you will be able to recover your data besides losing your money and funding additional attacks. Instead, prevent these infections in the first place by using suitable security to protect your computer and back up your data in case of a breach.