DCRat

20
Global rank
9
Month rank
6
Week rank
2095
IOCs

DCrat, also known as Dark Crystal RAT, is a remote access trojan (RAT), which was first introduced in 2018. It is a modular malware that can be customized to perform different tasks. For instance, it can steal passwords, crypto wallet information, hijack Telegram and Steam accounts, and more. Attackers may use a variety of methods to distribute DCrat, but phishing email campaigns are the most common.

Remote Access Trojan
Type
ex-USSR
Origin
1 July, 2018
First seen
25 September, 2023
Last seen
Also known as
Dark Crystal RAT

How to analyze DCRat with ANY.RUN

Remote Access Trojan
Type
ex-USSR
Origin
1 July, 2018
First seen
25 September, 2023
Last seen

IOCs

Hashes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http://t2bhehedn.000webhostapp.com/@=EmN0YGN4ETY
http://934062cm.nyashnyash.top/@0J3bwBXdzh2chlnb
http://co14383.tw1.ru/_Defaultwindows.php
http://co14383.tw1.ru/@zd3bk5Wa3RHb1FmZlR0X
http://185.106.92.110/_Defaultwindows.php
http://f0861908.xsph.ru/L1nc0In.php
http://mykolateam.ddns.net:51005/dcs/b7bc20fe.php
http://mykolateam.ddns.net:51005/dcs/@=UmZwIzYidjY
http://478225cm.nyashnyash.top/nyashsupport.php
http://478225cm.nyashnyash.top/@0J3bwBXdzh2chlnb
http://61839.clmonth.nyashteam.ru/nyashsupport.php
http://a0861346.xsph.ru/@==gbJBzYuFDT
http://185.246.64.16/geoprofile/temporaryfiles/Vmdownloads.php
http://124014cm.nyashnyash.top/nyashsupport.php
http://124014cm.nyashnyash.top/@0J3bwBXdzh2chlnb
http://a0863208.xsph.ru/L1nc0In.php
http://a0863208.xsph.ru/@==gbJBzYuFDT
http://395882cm.nyashtyan.top/@0J3bwBXdzh2chlnb
https://pastebin.com/raw/xRCW5spZ
http://cm09470.tw1.ru/L1nc0In.php
Last Seen at

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What is DCRat malware?

DCRat, also known as Dark Crystal RAT, is a remote access trojan (RAT) that lets threat actors take control over an infected machine and extract users’ data, such as the information copied to the clipboard and personal credentials from apps. The malware is known for its stealthiness and its ability to evade detection by security software. DCrat has been in operation since 2018, yet it regularly undergoes changes aimed at advancing and expanding its capabilities.

The malware consists of several components each responsible for a certain type of malicious activity, including stealing of cryptocurrency and keylogging. On top of that, the authors of DCrat have published a special software called DCRat Studio, which serves as a tool for developing new modules for the malware.

DCrat's popularity can be attributed in part to its low cost. Its one-month license goes for a mere $5, while a lifetime one is available for $40. This is a stark contrast to other malware-as-a-service options. For instance, a lifetime AgentTesla subscription will require forking out $120. According to researchers, such prices are due to the malware being simply a pet project of a single developer, who does not work on it full-time. The developer is likely based in the ex-USSR region.

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Technical details of the DCRat malicious software

Although back in 2018, the malicious program utilized Java, it switched to C# in 2019. As a result, nowadays, the majority of Dark Crystal RAT’s modules are written in the C# programming language. However, the administrative server for this malware is developed with JPHP, which is an implementation of PHP that relies on the Java Virtual Machine.

Different samples of the malware have been observed to be outfitted with evasion and obfuscation techniques. For instance, in order to create a layer of protection against malware analysts’ attempts to reverse engineer its code, DCrat’s payload can be obfuscated with Enigma Protector.

The standard set of tools available to threat actors using DCrat includes:

  • DCRat can record the victim's keystrokes, which can be used to steal passwords and other sensitive information.
  • The separate CryptoStealer module of the malware allows attackers to get access to users’ crypto wallet information.
  • It can collect information about the system (CPU and GPU stats, etc.)
  • It can take screenshots of the victim's computer, which can be used to monitor their activity.
  • DCRat can exfiltrate information from browsers, such as session cookies, auto-fill credentials, and credit card details.
  • The malware can transmit the contents of the victim's clipboard to its command-and-control server (C&C).
  • It can hijack Telegram, Steam, Discord accounts.
  • DCrat can function as a loader, dropping other types of malware on the infected computer.

Additionally, DCrat can execute a persistence algorithm to retain control over the system. For instance, the malware can copy itself to a random running process and to the root directory (C:). It then can create shortcuts to these copies in the user's Startup folder. It can also add registry values that point to these shortcuts. This allows DCrat to start automatically when the computer boots up.

It is important to note that Dark Crystal RAT is polymorphic, meaning that attackers can use its builder functionality to add changes to the malware’s code to make it difficult to detect using traditional methods, such as file hash.

Execution process of DCRat

Uploading Dark Crystal RAT to the ANY.RUN sandbox lets you quickly see the malicious activities triggered by the malware. Here is a sample of DCrat executed in the interactive sandbox.

DCrat's flexibility makes it challenging to handle, but there are things that can help us pinpoint it. For example, DCrat rarely produces malicious activity in its current process. Like most malware, it prefers to create large process trees and then infiltrate a harmless process at some point to detonate later. By using ANY.RUN, we can easily identify the process targeted by the malware.

DCRat process tree DCRat's process tree

On top of that, it can delay execution for a period of time after the infection, drop executables, run embedded payloads, and use WMI queries to detect a virtualized environment or or to gain persistence in the system.

DCRat process tree DCRat's WMI queries

Distribution methods of the DCRat malware

Since Dark Crystal RAT is sold openly on the Internet, cyber criminals of all skill levels have access to it. Subsequently, there are many different methods they implement to drop the payload on victims’ computers. Yet, as is the case with most remote access trojans, including Vidar, njRAT, and QuasarRAT, DCrat’s main way of infecting a system is via phishing emails.

Threat actors devise sophisticated multi-staged attacks intended to manipulate the victim into believing that the fake email is actually legitimate and the attachment file it contains is safe to open. These downloadable files are usually in an office suite format, such as .docx or .xls, and have built-in macros or other mechanisms that can trigger the chain reaction which will result in DCRat being dropped onto the system.

There are also accounts of users unsuspectingly downloading a DCrat executable from websites distributing torrent files. In such cases, the malware can be disguised as a legitimate program. Once executed, the program installs the malicious program and runs it, stealing the user’s data often without them being aware of it.

Conclusion

Dark Crystal RAT is a remote access trojan that constitutes a significant concern for organizations and individuals worldwide. The malware’s low price tag and modular design make it an in-demand tool among cyber criminals. To protect your system from DCrat, you should be very careful about opening links or attachments from unknown senders.

Instead of taking the risk of downloading and opening potentially harmful files or clicking on malicious links, you can first analyze them in a sandbox environment like ANY.RUN. This will allow you to quickly and safely determine whether the file is malicious or not. ANY.RUN will also provide you with a detailed report about the malware, including its indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). This information can be used to protect your organization from future attacks.

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