How Does Tiny Banker Trojan (Tinba) Work?
Tiny Banker Trojan (Tinba Trojan) is a sophisticated malware that utilizes various network channels and methods to distribute and infiltrate computers. It uses phishing links, malicious email attachments, spoofed websites, and adware to infiltrate a system and collect financial data. When users interact with malicious content and take any action it leads the Tinba malware to slip into the system. It is one of the smallest malware having only 20KB size which makes it highly difficult to detect and remove in the system. As soon as the malware infiltrates the system it actively performs all malicious operations such as collecting sensitive data, keystrokes, banking credentials and other online activities.
What Malicious Activities Tiny Banker Trojan Perform?
Despite its small size Tinba is capable of performing catastrophic activities on the financial institution it targets. One wrong step and all is lost. It targets highly sensitive and deep system areas to target and run its malicious activities. Here malicious activities TBT performs:
Packet Sniffing
TBT intercepts data packets exchanged between user devices and online banking servers. This enables the malware to monitor and capture sensitive information like login credentials and other banking details such as session cookies, transaction details, Etc. Cybercriminals use this data to compromise bank accounts, and steal money. In addition to this, they sell this data to banking hackers on the dark web to earn money.
MITM Attacks
TBT infiltrates the communication channel to intercept and manipulate data in real-time. To do so it operates as a “man-in-the-browser” (MITB), embeds itself within the victim’s web browser, and monitors HTTPS traffic between the end user device and the banking server. Because of this position, it can easily access encrypted data in the browser even after HTTPS encryption. TBT uses this position to launch man-in-the-middle attacks. Along with this, it shows fake prompts on the user’s browser to seek confidential data including PINs, credit card numbers, and login credentials.
Dynamic Web Injection
Tinba uses complex web injection features to change HTML and JavaScript while the user is already browsing the site. It changes webpages in real-time and adds fake banking form fields or pop-ups at the same time while a user is interacting with the website. When these forms and pages appear all of a sudden on the website they become confused and end up revealing confidential bank data.
Keylogging
Tiny Banker Trojan installs a keylogger component on the target device to silently track every keystroke the user makes. When the user visits any banking website it captures all the keystrokes on the keyboard. This process of capturing keystrokes takes place in real-time. It captures usernames, passwords, login information and transaction details during the login session. After recording the information it sends all the data to the remote server using small packets. Attackers use this information to view account details, change security numbers and take out all the money without raising any alarm.
JavaScript Injection
Tinba is capable of injecting harmful JavaScript codes into banking sites to modify their appearance and give them a legitimate appearance. It mimics legitimate interfaces and processes. When users visit these websites they take them for real and enter all the sensitive details requested during the browsing session. Hackers grab all this information and successfully launch cyber-attacks and data theft.
Session Hijacking
Tiny Banker Trojan is capable of embedding itself in the browser and monitoring all the activities to intercept cookies. It impersonates the end user in an active banking session and attackers inject the cookie into the browser to hijack the browsing session. During this process, the bank server thinks it is still interacting with the real user. Hackers take advantage of this session hijacking and do all the malicious activities.
Botnet Integration
Tinba malware can add the infected device to the botnet network. When the device becomes a part of the botnet network cybercriminals can secretly remote control it using a command-and-control (C2) server. Botnets launch coordinated cyber attacks at a large scale on financial institutions. In this process, they overwhelm the targeted systems, disrupt critical operations, and steal all the sensitive data. Bad actors also use botnets to distribute malware and target new users. They exploit it to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks to disrupt the services and make the available device and network unavailable to the users.
How to Prevent Tiny Banker Trojan (TBT)?
TBT is a highly sophisticated malware that uses different channels and methods to enter a device. It is so small that it becomes quite difficult to detect and remove from a system. Not only this it runs all the malicious operations covertly without leaving any signs to the users. However, if you keep your eyes open and use best practices you can easily deal with the TBT malware. That’s why here are some effective tips that help prevent Tiny Banker Trojan:
Use Security Software
First thing first, equip your devices and networks with advanced antivirus software. Immunize your system with cutting-edge antimalware tools and technologies to deal with the latest and most complex malware attacks and infections. Keep your security software updated with the latest virus definitions and run deep device scans to find the anomalies and viruses hiding inside the system. You will get smart tools like, real-time protection, heuristic analysis, sandboxing, phishing protection, and browser security. These tools can detect the hidden TBT in the system and remove them without any failure.
Beware of Phishing Attempts
Phishing attacks are one of the major channels hackers use to infect your device with the tiny banker trojan. They use spoofed links, fake emails, and malicious attachments to trick you and infiltrate the malware on your device. Hence you must stay alert while opening an email, opening attachments, and clicking suspicious links placed in the email texts. It prevents the threats at the very inception from spreading to your devices and banking servers.
Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Make sure you protect your account with the multi-factor authentication service to ensure multilevel security. If hackers steal your banking details and credentials such as login passwords and user ID they will still not be able to access your account due to multi-factor authentication settings.
2FA includes OTPs, email alerts, and calls to approve access to the main accounts. Also, you will get timely security alerts if someone tries to access your account with the stolen credentials. As a result of this, you can reset the current passwords of compromised bank accounts and report the issue to the concerned authority in time. This way you can prevent the impending damage down the line.
Keep Your System Up-to-Date
Malware exploits the security vulnerabilities that develop over time in the device system and running software. These security flaws provide a vent for malicious programs to enter your device and its network. To fix these flaws and vulnerabilities vendors release security updates from time to time. Hence, it is highly important that you download these updates as soon as they are made available. It will prevent malware infiltrations and infections in your device and keep your sensitive data safe.
Inspect Browser Extensions
Malicious Browser extensions provide a convenient gateway for the complex TBT malware to infiltrate a system. They redirect the user to phishing websites, inject malware code into web pages, and move to the end-user device when they visit infected websites. Therefore, you must inspect your browser extensions and make sure they are not malicious. If you find any inconsistency then you must identify them and remove them from your browsers.
Regular Data Backup
Do not put all your eggs in one basket. The same goes for the PC data. You must maintain data backups on other devices or the cloud storage. You can always use the backup data to recover important information in case you lose it in a malware attack. copies of important files, documents, and system data prevent complete loss of information in condition of hardware failure, cyberattacks, accidental deletion, corruptions, or ransomware attacks. Also, do not depend only on one single backup. Backup data at multiple locations and devices. You will have various options to recover the data if you lose one backup.
Use Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A web Application Firewall (WAF) is an advanced security tool that monitors filters and blocks HTTP/HTTPS traffic on a web browser. It runs its operations at the app layer and protects your browsers from SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), java script injections, and session hijacking. It can detect, block, or register web traffic depending on suspicious activities and Predefined security policies. Using these policies it can detect known threats, identify and block traffic that deviates from normal user behavior, and control the requests made from a single IP address. Most importantly it is capable of identifying and preventing automated traffic or bots that exploit system vulnerabilities.
Incident Response Plan
Last, but not least, create an incident response plan to deal with the deadly cyberattacks. Build a systematic approach to deal with cyber attack incidents and minimize the damage. It involves regular updates, testing, and training on how to deal with a post-attack condition. With an effective incident plan, you can quickly respond to cyberattacks and take things into your control. A robust incident plan helps you maintain all the business operations in worst-case scenarios and stay on track.
What to do if Tiny Banker Trojan Attacks You?
If TBT attacked your device and network and compromised banking details then here are some quick steps you should take at once to prevent damage down the line:
- Disconnect from the Internet to prevent data exfiltration and communication between malware and the remote server.
- Use your updated antivirus software to scan the infected device and detect the hidden threats.
- Update your all sensitive passwords related to bank accounts, emails, social media, and business accounts.
- Activate a two-factor authentication service to safeguard access control on all sensitive accounts and payment gateways.
- Notify relevant authorities about the attack and ask them to freeze all the financial activities on your bank accounts.
- Find out which systems and networks are under attack. Knowing this will help you prevent the virus from spreading to other devices and networks.
- Restore data from the backups to start things afresh. Before you do so make sure the backup is clean and virus-free.
- Inform your friends and family members about the incident to help stay on alert. TBT employs bots to spread viruses to other devices and make them part of a botnet network to run more malicious activities.
