Topinambour

The Turla APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) is a hacking group that appears to have been active since 2008. This APT has been linked to the Russian government and is likely being sponsored by them as this highly-skilled hacking group has proven to be useful in furthering the interests of the Kremlin. Recently, the Turla APT has added a new hacking tool to their rich arsenal – the Topinambour Trojan dropper. In campaigns, the Topinambour malware is not the main actor but serves as a backdoor to allow additional, more sophisticated threats on the compromised system.

Propagation Method

It seems that the propagation method chosen by the Turla hacking group is via legitimate program installers, which carry the payload of the Topinambour. Once the user installs the desired software, it will run normally, and thus the threatening activity that had gone on behind the curtains will remain under the radar of the victim. It is likely that the Turla hacking group has set up fraudulent Web pages where they would host these infected installers. Samples of the Topinambour Trojan also were found embed in pirated versions of popular software suites, as well as in illicit activators for products like Microsoft Office.

Hijacked WordPress Installations

As soon as the Topinambour dropper penetrates a system, it will seek to establish contact with the C&C (Control & Command) servers of the attackers. Then, it will lay low and await commands quietly. The Command & Control servers used by the attackers appear to be WordPress installations that they have taken control of successfully. This way, non-suspecting victims may end up having their servers used to operate the Topinambour Trojan.

Dropping Additional Malware

As we mentioned, the Topinambour malware is used as a first-stage payload, and its purpose is to allow access to other hacking tools to the compromised host. Malware experts have detected that among these other tools is the KopiLuwak JavaScript Trojan among various other Trojan versions. The KopiLuwak JavaScript Trojan can be used for:

• Taking screenshots.
• Collecting files.
• Planting more malware.
• Executing remote commands.
• Gathering system information.

The Turla hacking group is a very well-equipped APT. However, as they tend to be used to further the political goals of the Russian government, they do not target regular users but high-end targets like foreign officials or large corporations. However, it is crucial that you have installed a reputable anti-virus application as there are countless other threats lurking the Internet, which are just awaiting an unprepared and unprotected user to show up in their realm.