WatchBog cryptomining botnet now uses Pastebin for C2
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2018-1000861 | Unauthenticated RCE in Jenkins Stapler Web Framework via Crafted URLs CVE-2018-1000861 is a critical flaw (CVSS 3.1: 9.8) in the Stapler web framework used by Jenkins, located in stapler/core/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/stapler/MetaClass.java, where crafted URLs cause the framework to invoke Java object methods that were never intended to be reachable over HTTP (CWE-502, deserialization of untrusted data). By chaining these unintended method invocations, an unauthenticated remote attacker can achieve code execution on the affected Jenkins instance. All Jenkins releases up to and including 2.153 (weekly line) and 2.138.3 (LTS line) are affected, and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform deployments that ship bundled Jenkins/Stapler components are also in scope. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-02-10, EPSS assigns a 98.3% probability of exploitation within 30 days, and related reporting documents hackers exploiting this Jenkins flaw, with coverage of the WatchBog cryptomining botnet known to target it. No public proof-of-concept exploit is catalogued and ransomware use is unknown, but the KEV listing alone confirms real-world exploitation. Do: Upgrade Jenkins to a release newer than 2.153 (weekly) or newer than 2.138.3 (LTS), per vendor instructions (fixed releases are 2.154 / 2.138.4 or later), and apply Red Hat updates for OpenShift Container Platform images that bundle Jenkins. Until patched, keep Jenkins controllers off the open internet, restrict unauthenticated/anonymous access to the Jenkins UI, and review controller logs for crafted URLs that invoke unintended methods on Java objects. Because the flaw is in CISA KEV with a 98.3% EPSS score, treat patching as urgent and check internet-exposed controllers for signs of compromise such as cryptomining activity. | 9.8 | 98% | KEV |
| mass≈100,000+ internet-exposed Jenkins instances; total Jenkins deployments likely >1M | |
| CVE-2019-0192 | In Apache Solr versions 5.0.0 to 5.5.5 and 6.0.0 to 6.6.5, the Config API allows to configure the JMX server via an HTTP POST request. In Apache Solr versions 5.0.0 to 5.5.5 and 6.0.0 to 6.6.5, the Config API allows to configure the JMX server via an HTTP POST request. By pointing it to a malicious RMI server, an attacker could take advantage of Solr's unsafe deserialization to trigger remote code execution on the Solr side. NVD description · AI analysis pending | 9.8 | 78% |
| — | ||
| CVE-2019-10149 | Unvalidated Email Recipient Enables Remote Command Execution in Exim MTA CVE-2019-10149 is an improper input validation flaw (CWE-78, OS command injection) in the deliver_message() function in /src/deliver.c of the Exim mail transfer agent, where email recipient addresses are not safely validated before use. A remote attacker triggers it by sending mail whose recipient address contains crafted Exim string-expansion syntax (such as ${run{...}}), causing Exim to expand and execute attacker-supplied operating-system commands during recipient verification or delivery. An attacker gains arbitrary remote command execution on the mail server, commonly with elevated privileges, enabling full system compromise, data theft, ransomware deployment (e.g., the Trinity ransomware campaign), or installation of botnet implants. Any organization running an internet-exposed Exim MTA in the affected version range is at risk, and Exim is widely deployed as the default mail server on many Linux distributions. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: mass scanning and compromise campaigns began shortly after the June 2019 disclosure, CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-10, and its EPSS score of 100% (100th percentile) reflects near-certain near-term exploitation risk. Do: Upgrade Exim to 4.92 or later, or install your distribution's patched Exim package, as required by CISA's KEV action ('apply updates per vendor instructions'); if patching must be delayed, restrict internet-facing SMTP access and tighten recipient-verification configuration. Check mail logs for suspicious MAIL FROM/RCPT TO addresses containing expansion syntax such as ${run{...}} or shell-like commands, and audit patched servers for post-compromise artifacts such as unusual cron jobs, downloaded binaries, or new authorized SSH keys. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV PoC ×5 |
| mass≈500,000+ internet-exposed Exim SMTP servers, with hundreds of thousands likely running vulnerable versions | |
| CVE-2019-11581 | Unauthenticated SSTI RCE in Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center contain a server-side template injection (CWE-74) in the ContactAdministrators and SendBulkMail actions, rated critical at CVSS 9.8. The flaw is triggered by sending crafted, template-syntax input to these mail-related actions over the network; because the vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction per the CVSS vector, any attacker who can reach the Jira web interface can trigger it. Successful exploitation yields unauthenticated remote code execution on the server hosting Jira, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations running any Jira Server or Data Center release in the 4.4–7.6, 7.7–7.13, 8.0, 8.1, or 8.2 lines prior to the listed fixed versions are affected, and the exposure is concentrated among instances reachable from the internet. The flaw is actively exploited: it was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-07 with a required action to apply vendor updates, and EPSS places it in the 100th percentile (~84.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days). Do: Apply the vendor updates per Atlassian/CISA instructions — upgrade to Jira 7.6.14, 7.13.5, 8.0.3, 8.1.2, or 8.2.3 (or later) as applicable, since this is a KEV item with a required patching action. As an interim mitigation, disable the 'Allow users to contact administrators' option in Jira's General Configuration to close the ContactAdministrators path and restrict SendBulkMail access, and limit exposure of the Jira web interface to the internet. Review access logs for requests hitting ContactAdministrators/SendBulkMail endpoints containing template injection payloads and hunt for signs of post-exploitation code execution on affected servers. | 9.8 | 85% | KEV |
| largetens of thousands of internet-exposed Jira Server/Data Center instances | |
| CVE-2019-7238 | Incorrect Access Control in Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager before 3.15.0 CVE-2019-7238 is an incorrect access control flaw in Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager versions before 3.15.0 that is triggerable over the network by unauthenticated attackers with no user interaction, earning a critical CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Any attacker who can reach a vulnerable instance can gain high-impact access to the repository server, consistent with full compromise of the system and the software artifacts it hosts and serves. All deployments running Nexus Repository Manager releases prior to 3.15.0 are affected, whether exposed to the internet or hosted internally as part of build and CI/CD pipelines. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on 2021-12-10 (ransomware use unknown), EPSS assigns a 77.1% probability of exploitation within 30 days, no public PoC is known, and the related WatchBog Linux botnet headlines are consistent with the cryptomining campaigns that targeted Nexus Repository Manager deployments in this period. Do: Upgrade all Nexus Repository Manager deployments to version 3.15.0 or later per Sonatype and CISA instructions, and inventory any 3.x instances still running older releases, prioritizing internet-facing ones. Restrict network access to the Nexus service to trusted networks and users, and check instances for signs of compromise such as unexpected cryptomining processes or outbound connections to Pastebin, consistent with the botnet campaigns referenced in related reporting. | 9.8 | 77% | KEV |
| large≈10,000–100,000 internet-exposed Nexus Repository Manager instances, with a likely larger total installed base including internal-only deployments |
Full article646 words · extracted from securityaffairs.com · click to collapse
Pierluigi Paganini
September 13, 2019

A new cryptocurrency-mining botnet tracked as WatchBog is heavily using the Pastebin service for command and control (C&C) operations.
Cisco Talos researchers discovered a new cryptocurrency-mining botnet tracked as WatchBog is heavily using the Pastebin service for command and control.
The WatchBog bot is a Linux-based malware that is active since last year, it targets systems to mine for the Monero virtual currency.
“Cisco Incident Response (CSIRS) recently responded to an incident involving the Watchbog cryptomining botnet. The attackers were able to exploit CVE-2018-1000861 to gain a foothold and install the Watchbog malware on the affected systems.” states the analysis published by Cisco Talos.
“This Linux-based malware relied heavily on Pastebin for command and control (C2) and operated openly. CSIRS gained an accurate understanding of the attacker’s intentions and abilities on a customer’s network by analyzing the various Pastebins.”
Recently, experts at Intezer researchers have spotted a strain of the Linux mining that also scans the Internet for Windows RDP servers vulnerable to the Bluekeep.
The new WatchBog variant includes a new spreader module along with exploits for the following recently patched vulnerabilities in Linux applications:
- CVE-2019-11581 (Jira)
- CVE-2019-10149 (Exim)
- CVE-2019-0192 (Solr)
- CVE-2018-1000861 (Jenkins)
- CVE-2019-7238 (Nexus Repository Manager 3)
The malware also includes scanners for Jira and Solr flaws along with Brute-forcing module for CouchDB and Redis installs.
The operators behind the WatchBog botnet claim to be able to identify vulnerabilities in enterprise systems “before any ‘real’ hackers could do so,” and offer their protection services. However, every time the operators identify vulnerable hosts, the systems are recruited in the crypto-mining botnet,
“During the investigation, Cisco IR found signs of hosts becoming a part of a separate botnet around the time of the Watchbog activity. This raises serious doubts about the “positive” intentions of this adversary.” continues Talos.
During the installation phase, the bot checks for running processes associated with other cryptocurrency miners, then it will use a script to terminate them.
Then determines whether it can write to various directories, checks the system architecture, and then makes three attempts to download and install a ‘kerberods’ dropper using wget or curl. .
The installation script also retrieves the contents of a Pastebin URL containing a Monero wallet ID and mining information, then it downloads the miner. The script also checks if the ‘watchbog‘ process is running, if it is not founb, the ‘testa‘ or ‘download’ functions are called to install the version of the miner that match the target architecture.
The ‘testa‘ function is used to facilitate the infection process, is responsible for writing the various configuration data used by the miner.
The script downloads encoded Pastebins as a text file and gives it execution permissions. The script finally starts the Watchbog process and deletes the text file.
The ‘download’ function performs similar operations by writing the contents retrieved from various file locations, once determined the target architecture it installs the appropriate miner.
The WatchBog uses SSH for lateral movements, a specific script also checks for the existence of SSH keys into the target systems in the attempt to use it while targeting other systems.
Talos researchers also noticed that threat actors leverage a Python script that scans for open Jenkins and Redis ports on the host’s subnet for lateral movement. Attackers also rely on cron jobs to achieve persistence and attempt to cover their tracks by erasing or overwriting files and logs.
“Unpatched web applications vulnerable to known CVEs are a major target for attackers. Adversaries can leverage the vulnerability to gain a foothold into the web server and network environment in which the web server is deployed.” concludes the report. “The best way to prevent such activity would be to ensure that all enterprise web applications are up to date,” Talos notes.
| [adrotate banner=”9″] | [adrotate banner=”12″] |
(SecurityAffairs – WatchBog, malware)
[adrotate banner=”5″]
[adrotate banner=”13″]
Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://securityaffairs.com/91196/hacking/watchbog-cryptomining-botnet-pastebin.html