Digital Attacks On Oil Traders Without Malware

Researchers from the Spanish anti-virus company Panda Security discovered a digital attack on oil traders with no malware was used and the traders also were not the ultimate target. The attack starts with an executable file that looks like a PDF document.

In reality, it is a self-extracting archive file with several files, including various scripts, batch files and .exe files. Yet these files themselves are not malicious. "These are all legitimate applications that anyone can use," the researchers said that the threat of "The Phantom Menace" ( pdf call). The applications are created to store user names and passwords in the e-mailcient and browser in a text file and send it via FTP.

On the FTP server of the attackers, the researchers discovered more than 80,000 text files. It turned out to be files from ten companies in the oil sector. However, these companies were not the ultimate target. These are namely oil buyers. And especially oil buyers seeking special oil from the Nigerian city of Bonny. This oil is very popular because of its composition.In Nigeria holds the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on each transaction oil supervision.

Anyone who wants to sell in Nigeria oil must also be registered with the NNPC. Fraudsters operating in this market approaching traders and brokers and, for example offer a large amount of oil from Bonny at a very attractive rate. The potential buyer requests for documents that the product also exists. For this, several documents can be issued by the NNPC.

To use to inform the buyers on the scammers legitimate documents they captured at the previously attacked oil traders. Then the buyer will see this document and pay a deposit, for example, 50,000 to 100,000 dollars, but gets its oil never see.Eventually Panda Security was able to trace the possible culprit behind the attacks. The problem is that none of the attacked oil traders will report it, for fear of damage to reputation and the fact that they themselves have become a victim. This allows the police can not start investigation and the alleged perpetrator is still at large.