Valak

Valak is a piece of malware that is likely to be used in the initial stages of a cyber attack – it is meant to gain persistence on the compromised system, and then keep a low profile while waiting for further instructions from the command and control server. However, this malware also supports additional features that allow it to perform additional tasks on top of executing secondary payloads – it also can:

• Collect system information.
• Receive geographical information based on the victim's IP address.
• Grab a screenshot.
• List running processes.
• Try to grab passwords stored in the Web browser.
• Receive network configuration information.

The Valak is already being spread with the help of corrupted email attachments, which pose as important company correspondence – the emails claim that the attached file contains important information, but, in reality, it executes a macro script designed to exploit an old Microsoft Office vulnerability that would allow the installation and execution of the Valak malware.

The Valak implant is able to function in the background silently, and its victims are unlikely to be aware of anything out of the ordinary unless they use specialized software to scan their system for threats. It is strongly recommended to keep your system safe by using an up-to-date anti-malware application at all times.