Summary
Havex is a Remote Access Tool (RAT) used in targeted attacks. Havex is known to have been used in attacks targeted against various industrial sectors, particularly the energy sector. Variants seen circulating in the spring of 2014 were modified to target organizations involved in developing or using industrial applications or appliances.
Removal
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
- Check for the latest database updates
First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
- Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
- Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
Technical Details
Once present on a machine, Havex scans the system and connected resources for information that may be of use in later attacks; the collected data is forwarded to remote servers.
Distribution
Havex is known to be distributed to targeted users through:
- Spam emails
- Exploit kits
- Trojanized installers planted on compromised vendor sites
For the last distribution channel, compromised vendor sites that were identified were related to companies involved in the development of applications and appliances used in industrial settings. The affected companies are based in Germany, Switzerland and Belgiëum.
Behavior
Once the Havex malware has been delivered to the targeted users and installed on a machine, it scans the system and connected resources accessible over a network for information of interest. This information includes the presence of any Industrial Control Systems (ICS) or Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems present in the network.
The collected data is then forwarded to compromised websites, which surreptitiously serve as remote command and control (C&C) servers.
For more technical details, see:
- Labs Weblog: Havex Hunts for ICS/SCADA Systems
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