Spyware is one of the scariest threats on the Internet. The thought that your own computer may be spying on you is pretty unnerving. Worse yet, spyware tools aren’t that hard to get a hold of. Once example would be iSpy, a keyboard logger that received a major update recently. The malicious software was put up for sale in the past two weeks. The new version of the spyware was reported by Zscaler.
iSpy Keylogger Returns on the Cybercrime Scene
A previous version of iSpy was reported by ProofPoint in May 2016. The keylogger is written in .Net 2.0. As usual, the malicious tool is sold on underground forums. The developers offer different subscription packages:
- Bronze – $25 for one-month access
- Platinum – $35 for six-month access
- Diamond – $45 for a full year access
The crooks receive a spyware tool that can serve as a keystroke logger, screenshot stealer, and a webcam hijacker. iSpy lives up to its name – it turns people’s computers into a surveillance machines.
The malicious software also offers a few other tricks – it can download files, block webcams, and run other malicious files. iSpy is distributed through email spam that includes malicious attachments (JavaScripts or infectious documents.)
Like most malware, iSpy will put its executable into the Windows system folders. The most likely locations are:
%APPDATA%
%LOCALAPPDATA%
%USERPROFILE%\Documents
%TEMP%
The spyware will also create a new entry in the “SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run” Windows registry key. That will start the malware along with the infected system. After this process finishes, all the pieces are in pace for the spyware to start doing its job. The spyware sends out the collected information through FTP, HTTP or SMTP.
Spyware as Product
Spyware programs are becoming very easy to get a hold of. Nowadays, all sorts of information float around in the cyberspace, and it’s right there for the picking for whoever has access to it. Often, that person may end up being a hacker. Spyware is especially dangerous because it can steal data that’s very private, like passwords and other confidential codes. An expert keylogging scam can cost the victim a lot of money.
Cameras are also a favorite target for spyware tools. Most people dread the possibility of someone spying on them through their webcam, but in reality, the device is more often used to see whether there is someone currently sitting on the computer. If the PC is functioning alone, hackers can take it over to install more viruses or retrieve data with the help of remote access tools (or RATs.)
There are prevention methods that some people may find extreme. One is to put some tape on your camera’s lens. The other is to plug the camera off the computer. That may seem crazy, but spyware tools are so easily available that pretty much anyone can get spied on.
