Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key malware is a Trojan that allows a remote attacker to bypass password-based security for Active Directory networks. Although the Skeleton Key malware is highly-specialized malware with minimal functions beyond the above scope, the Skeleton Key malware enables third parties to have potentially extensive access to an advertisement network's systems. The Skeleton Key malware also may be supported by other threats that include routines for its activation. Removing the Skeleton Key malware with anything less than strict anti-malware protocols could allow other attacks to continue, or for other persons to continue to browse or make modifications to all systems using your Active Directory setup.

A Key to Your Network that You'll Never See Coming

The Skeleton Key malware is a tool meant to subvert single-factor authentication systems (or, systems protected only by passwords) using Microsoft's advertisement Windows networking system. Although the Skeleton Key malware has a crucial limitation in that it requires administrator access to deploy, with that restriction resolved, third parties are granted nearly unlimited usage of all remote access functions. This shortcoming also carries with it some benefits for the Skeleton Key malware, by making it harder to identify as threatening, since the Skeleton Key malware doesn't subvert the standard setup for Windows account permissions.

Third parties can make use of the Skeleton Key malware's granted network access without delivering any symptoms that would make the compromise visible to the ordinary network users. The Skeleton Key malware also fails to generate network traffic, which often is a telltale sign of backdoor Trojans, spyware and other threats with similar capabilities. However, the access granted by the Skeleton Key malware is sufficient to allow outsiders to modify system settings or look for sensitive information worth stealing.

Unusually, the Skeleton Key malware also lacks persistence – or the ability to relaunch itself after the Domain Controller restarts. This omission makes the Skeleton Key malware's stay on any advertisement network and inherently temporary one. However, malware researchers also find samples of the Skeleton Key malware being deployed alongside other threats that do include functions for reinitializing the Skeleton Key malware when necessary.

The Extra Factor in Protecting Your PCs

The Skeleton Key malware's most important weakness is the fact that it the Skeleton Key malware only is effective against advertisement systems using single passwords (or SFA) to protect themselves from security breaches. Businesses and other organizations that use MFA, or multi-factor authentication (such as passwords in conjunction with ID cards or biometrics) are beyond the Skeleton Key malware's capabilities to unlock. Other restrictions on the Skeleton Key malware's usage imply that its programmers may intend the Skeleton Key malware as a utility for bribed employees or other 'insiders' in an organization, who have prior access to accounts with admin permissions. Regardless of all speculation on its intended abuses, the Skeleton Key malware only targets Windows advertisement systems, leaving other network management systems unharmed.

Besides removing the Skeleton Key malware from affected machines via anti-malware tools, you also should restart your Domain Controller and conduct scans on all associated PCs. The Skeleton Key malware is unlikely to be the only threatening software in an individual network. Even after cleaning your PCs, passwords and other, sensitive information all should be taken for granted as being likely to be compromised, and appropriate precautions should be taken against future attacks using that data.