Software Review Comodo Firewall Plays with RATs

[cruelsister]

Content source

https://youtu.be/clU0AIJZLgI

Remote Access Trojans (RATs) malware have increased significantly as of late with a great deal send via Email. Unlike in the past where the malicious file would be an exe or vbs, popular now (and confusing to some) are hta (hypertext markup language) and OneNote files.

Here are examples of both.

 

[The_King]

What is your opinion on Sandboxie or Sandboxie Plus?

Sandboxie is a sandbox-based isolation software for 32- and 64-bit Windows NT-based operating systems. It is being developed by David Xanatos since it became open source, before that it was developed by Sophos (which acquired it from Invincea, which acquired it earlier from the original author Ronen Tzur). It creates a sandbox-like isolated operating environment in which applications can be run or installed without permanently modifying the local or mapped drive. An isolated virtual environment allows controlled testing of untrusted programs and web surfing.

Sandboxie-Plus | Open Source sandbox-based isolation software

sandboxie-plus.com

I was always curious how something like Sandboxie or Sandboxie Plus would fair against Ransomware and RATs etc...

 

[LDogg]

Nice video. May have to look at Comodo Firewall again myself at some point!

~LDogg

 

[cruelsister]

Sandboxie is an excellent sandbox. The protection afforded by SBIE is equivalent to CF at Restricted, the major difference being one must choose in SBIE what to sandbox whereas CF is automatic.

 

[codswollip]

Alternate soundtrack

 

[Pico]

Sandboxie is an excellent sandbox. The protection afforded by SBIE is equivalent to CF at Restricted, the major difference being one must choose in SBIE what to sandbox whereas CF is automatic.

I'm also interested to know how well Sandboxie Plus performs against all types of (zero-day) malware.
For instance, if an unknown app/malware is run sandboxed with FW set to block all incoming and block all outgoing connections for all apps which run inside sandbox (to prevent keyloggers or data theft) how well does Sandboxie Plus protect my system then?

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

HTA is useless for home users. Just cripple mshta.exe by enabling all protections for it in Exploit Protection of Microsoft Defender (exploit protection works even when you use a different AV)

Spoiler: mshta.exe easy fix

Sandboxie is an excellent sandbox. The protection afforded by SBIE is equivalent to CF at Restricted, the major difference being one must choose in SBIE what to sandbox whereas CF is automatic.

David Xanatos claims Sandboxie protection is much stronger than Comodo's virtualization. I read at Wilders that the lowered SBIE protection should be as strong as Comodo FW. Now I am not a Sandboxie user nor Comodo user anymore and I am not testing any of them with malware, so I have no opinion on this (a respected software developer's word against a respected software tester's word), so maybe some Sandboxie users can chime in to explain this contradiction in claims.

Note: the automatic virtualization of Comodo is a great advantage over Sandboxie IMO, no matter what the ins and outs of the protection mechanisms are (kernel vs user).

 

[cruelsister]

Just cripple mshta.exe

The issue here is that disabling various things that malware could potentially use is like playing whack a mole- one never knows when something new could be exploited and pop up that isn't already blocked.

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

The issue here is that disabling various things that malware could potentially use is like playing whack a mole- one never knows when something new could be exploited and pop up that isn't already blocked.

General true, but does not apply for mshta.exe, you know that also. I am with you when it comes to recent OneNote abuses. They are a worry. It seems that every time Microsoft introduces a seamless computing mechanisme it has weaknesses and use cases which can be misused.

That is why every user should install Andy Ful's Simple Windows Hardening (to reduce the easy execution in user land of all those risky file extensions) and FirewallHardening (to prevent LolBins going outbound). Probably SimpleWindowsHardening + FirewallHardening would also have blocked those rats.

 

[ForgottenSeer 69673]

General true, but does not apply for mshta.exe, you know that also. I am with you when it comes to recent OneNote abuses. They are a worry. It seems that every time Microsoft introduces a seamless computing mechanisme it has weaknesses and use cases which can be misused.

That is why every user should install Andy Ful's Simple Windows Hardening (to reduce the easy execution in user land of all those risky file extensions) and FirewallHardening (to prevent LolBins going outbound). Probably SimpleWindowsHardening + FirewallHardening would also have blocked those rats.

I have been blocking this one for a very long time.
Besides, I like to wacky my mole

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

Alternate soundtrack

This one is more explicit (guidance advised)

 

[n8chavez]

Sandboxie is an excellent sandbox. The protection afforded by SBIE is equivalent to CF at Restricted, the major difference being one must choose in SBIE what to sandbox whereas CF is automatic.

Well, I don't think you can chose an isolated location, such as ram drive, with Comodo. You can in SBIE.

 

[Pico]

It can used portable which is nice.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

General true, but does not apply for mshta.exe, you know that also. I am with you when it comes to recent OneNote abuses. They are a worry. It seems that every time Microsoft introduces a seamless computing mechanisme it has weaknesses and use cases which can be misused.

That is why every user should install Andy Ful's Simple Windows Hardening (to reduce the easy execution in user land of all those risky file extensions) and FirewallHardening (to prevent LolBins going outbound). Probably SimpleWindowsHardening + FirewallHardening would also have blocked those rats.

 

[ForgottenSeer 69673]

Home users need cscript, wscript and PowerShell for what again? and what is wrong with blocking what is known to be bad and could be bad again?

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Home users need cscript, wscript and PowerShell for what again? and what is wrong with blocking what is known to be bad and could be bad again?

Microsoft says unmanaged (home users) do not need any of them. 11S and 10S Mode are Microsoft Security's favorite Windows flavor for home systems:

Spoiler

A user can easily replicate 11S or 10S mode by adding the above processes to Exploit Protection > Disable Win32 System Calls + set application installs to "Microsoft Store Only."

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

@Oerlink thanks for the info (you did not see that coming ay )

Your info confirms that SWH + FH of AndyFul would have blocked the RAT

On top of SWH hardening options I also disable CMD via registry tweak

Spoiler: Disable CMD

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System]
"DisableCMD"=dword:00000001

 

[Bumblebee Uncle]

@Oerlink thanks for the info (you did not see that coming ay )

Your info confirms that SWH + FH of AndyFul would have blocked the RAT

On top of SWH hardening options I also disable CMD via registry tweak

Spoiler: Disable CMD

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System]
"DisableCMD"=dword:00000001

Those tools are pure Gold!

 

[ForgottenSeer 69673]

Microsoft says unmanaged (home users) do not need any of them. 11S and 10S Mode are Microsoft Security's favorite Windows flavor for home systems:

View attachment 272864

A user can easily replicate 11S or 10S mode by adding the above processes to Exploit Protection > Disable Win32 System Calls + set application installs to "Microsoft Store Only."

View attachment 272865

Thank you. See how easy that was?

 

[cruelsister]

Home users need cscript, wscript and PowerShell for what again?

Various thingies most common being in install/uninstall routines.

I guess Whack-A-Mole is fine (as long as one can squish all of those little varmints), but CF is sooo much easier.