C2 via Social Networks

Created the Tuesday 23 April 2019. Updated 6 months, 2 weeks ago.

Malware often relies on a communication channel with its operator in order to receive instructions and updates. This channel is known as a command and control (C&C or C2) channel. C&C channels can take various forms, such as internet relay chat (IRC), peer-to-peer protocols, and even social media. The use of C&C channels allows the operator to remotely control the malware and direct its actions.

Technique Identifier

U0901

Technique Tags

Command and control (C&C) Communication channel Operator Internet relay chat (IRC) Peer-to-peer protocols Social media

Code Snippets

Description

This code uses the tweepy library to access the Twitter API and search for tweets containing the specified keyword (in this case, #command). It then iterates over the resulting tweets and checks for specific commands, such as run and update. You can replace the code in the if and elif blocks with your own code to execute the corresponding commands.

Note that this is just an example, and there are many different ways that Twitter could be used as a C&C channel. This code should not be used in production without further testing and security measures.

import tweepy

# Replace with your Twitter API keys
consumer_key = "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY"
consumer_secret = "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET"
access_key = "YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"
access_secret = "YOUR_ACCESS_SECRET"

# Authenticate with Twitter
auth = tweepy.OAuthHandler(consumer_key, consumer_secret)
auth.set_access_token(access_key, access_secret)
api = tweepy.API(auth)

# Search for tweets with the specified keyword
tweets = api.search("#command")

# Iterate over the tweets and execute the commands
for tweet in tweets:
  command = tweet.text.split(" ")[1]
  if command == "run":
    # Run the specified command
    # Replace with your code here
    pass
  elif command == "update":
    # Update the malware
    # Replace with your code here
    pass

Additional Resources

External Links

The resources provided below are associated links that will give you even more detailed information and research on current evasion technique. It is important to note that, while these resources may be helpful, it is important to exercise caution when following external links. As always, be careful when clicking on links from unknown sources, as they may lead to malicious content.

When Bots Use Social Media for Command and Control