Among other malware, StripedFly can steal access credentials from targeted systems, and take capture screenshots, obtain databases, private files, movies, or other relevant data, and record audio in real time by breaking into a target's microphone. Interestingly, StripedFly conceals communication and exfiltration between the malware and its command-and-control servers using a novel, proprietary Tor client. 

Additionally, there is a ransomware component that has occasionally been used by attackers. Using a modified version of the infamous EternalBlue exploit that was published by the US National Security Agency, it first infects targets.

While StripFly can steal Monera cryptocurrency, that is only a portion of what it is capable of. The researchers found this out last year and thoroughly examined it before making their results public.

Kaspersky researchers Sergey Belov, Vilen Kamalov, and Sergey Lozhkin wrote in the post, "What we discovered was completely unexpected; the cryptocurrency miner was just one component of a much larger entity."

According to the researchers, the platform is essentially "a hallmark of APT malware" since it has update and delivery capabilities via reliable services like Bitbucket, GitHub, and GitLab—all of which use specially encrypted archives—as well as an integrated Tor network tunnel for communication with command-and-control (C2) servers./ The researchers further notes that discovering the breadth of StripedFly is ‘astonishing,’ taking into account its successful evasion from getting detected in six years. 

How Does StripedFly Operates? 

The main structural component of the malware is a monolithic binary code that could be expanded by the attackers through different pluggable modules. Every module, whether for added functionality or to offer a service, is in charge of setting up and maintaining its own callback function in order to communicate with a C2 server.

The platform initially emerges on a network as a PowerShell that seems to leverage a server message block (SMB) attack, which looks to be a modified variant of EternalBlue. EternalBlue was first discovered in April 2017 and is still a danger to unpatched Windows systems.

Depending on the availability of its PowerShell interpreter and certain privileges made available in the process, the malware uses a variety of methods for persistence. The researchers notes that, "typically, the malware would be running with administrative privileges when installed via the exploit, and with user-level privileges when delivered via the Cygwin SSH server," the researchers wrote.

The functionality modules are wide and varied, giving attackers a range of options that enable them to continuously monitor a victim's network activity. The modules include the Monero cryptominer mentioned earlier, as well as a variety of command handlers, a credential harvester, repeatable tasks that can record microphone input, take screenshots, and carry out other tasks on a scheduled basis, a reconnaissance module that gathers a lot of system data, and SMBv1 and SSH infectors for worming and penetration capabilities.