MirageFox is a sophisticated malware, believed to be an updated version of the Remote Access Trojan (RAT) known as Mirage, which originated in 2012. The malware has been attributed with high confidence to Advanced Persistent Threat group 15 (APT15), due to code and other similarities found in the MirageFox binaries. Interestingly, the name MirageFox was derived from a string found in the Export directory for the modules, labeled as "MirageFox_Server.dat". This suggests that this new variant is not just an upgrade, but a distinct entity within the same family.
In a recent campaign involving MirageFox, researchers discovered a binary uploaded on June 8, 2018, which was almost identical to a RAT mentioned in the RoyalAPT report related to the 2017 campaign. This binary was barely detected, with only 7 out of 66 detections on VirusTotal. The MirageFox binaries export a function called dll_wWinMain, similar to a module by McAfee. This strongly indicates some form of DLL hijacking, where a legitimate McAfee binary is likely distributed with MirageFox to load the DLL properly into a seemingly legitimate process.
MirageFox operates similarly to previous malware created by APT15, initially collecting information about the targeted computer, such as the username, CPU information, and architecture. The malware then uses this information for various malicious activities, including data theft and disruption of operations. Given its sophistication and ability to evade detection, MirageFox poses a significant threat to cybersecurity.