What is Snake Keylogger and Are You at Risk?

In our modern technological age, crime has gone beyond what it used to be. Today, criminals can steal data and money through various types of malware, including keyloggers.

A well-known example of this type of malware is Snake Keylogger. But where does Snake Keylogger come from, how does it work and how to avoid it?

What is Snake Keylogger?

To fully understand snake keyloggers, let’s first examine what keyloggers are in general.

A keylogger is a type of malicious program used to log keystrokes. In other words, keyloggers can record every key pressed on a keyboard. If you enter a password, engage in a text-based conversation, enter your payment information, or literally do anything else with your keyboard, the keylogger will notice if your device is infected.

This logging allows the malicious operator controlling the program to see what you are typing into your device, giving it the potential to steal lots of data.

Examples of well-known keyloggers are Spyrix, Ardamax and of course Snake Keylogger.

Snake Keylogger is a modular malware program built using the .NET developer platform. It was first detected in the wild in November 2020 and is known for stealing credentials, clipboard data, and other types of information. Both individuals and organizations are at risk of being attacked by Snake keylogger which can be bought on malicious marketplaces like hacking forums.

How does Snake Keylogger work?

Snake Keylogger is often distributed via phishing campaigns. Phishing is a popular scam tactic used by cyber criminals to steal victims’ data via malicious links and attachments. Phishing is common via email, but can also be done via SMS and posts or messages on social media. Snake keyloggers can also be distributed via spear phishing, which targets specific victims for a specific goal.

When Snake Keylogger is sent to a potential victim, it is included in an attachment. When the recipient opens the attachment, they are then prompted to open a .docx file. This DOCX file contains a macro (a type of computer virus) that allows Snake Keylogger to launch. If the victim uses a version of Microsoft Office that has security flaws (which often take the form of software bugs), the keylogger can exploit them and infect the device. PDF readers with such flaws can also be exploited for use by Snake Keylogger.

Snake keylogger can also take screenshots on the infected device, giving the operator even more opportunities to steal valuable information.

Snake Keylogger can then pass the recorded data on to the attacker, who can then exploit it in any way they like. The attacker could either exploit them directly (e.g. by hacking a bank account with stolen credentials) or sell the hidden information to other malicious actors on illicit marketplaces. The dark web is full of such platforms, where all kinds of data are available, including payment information, login information, email addresses, and even social security numbers.

Snake Keylogger has another aspect that makes it particularly dangerous. In fact, Snake Keylogger has the ability to bypass antivirus protection, which is often the first line of defense for most people. In fact, many antivirus programs only use them as protection on their devices, since antivirus programs are often assumed to be able to detect and remove all malware.

Thus, if Snake Keylogger manages to bypass this software and no other lines of defense are in place, the target device could be quickly infected and exploited.

In the past, Snake Keylogger was often distributed via malicious PDF files. In such a campaign acc ThreatPosta 22-year-old Office RCE vulnerability, was exploited to proliferate snake keyloggers on devices.

There are also variants of Snake Keylogger, which is the norm for popular malware programs. For example, at the end of 2021, a new variant of Snake Keylogger was discovered. As reported by FortinetThis variant comes in the form of a Microsoft Excel template that is sent to victims as an email attachment.

How to Avoid Snake Keyloggers

Although Snake Keylogger can prove to be a sneaky form of malware, there are things you can do to stay away from it.

In order to avoid Snake Keylogger, you need to take a number of security measures, the first of which is to install antivirus software. While Snake Keylogger can bypass antivirus programs in certain scenarios, having a legitimate and effective antivirus provider on your devices is of the utmost importance to detect keyloggers and other forms of malware.

Also, always be careful with email attachments you receive, especially those from new or suspicious senders. Attachments are very commonly used to distribute malware, Snake Keylogger being just one example among many. If you ever receive an email attachment from a sender you don’t fully trust, you should run it through an attachment scanner that will detect all possible threats inside.

You should also pay attention to the file extension used in the attachments sent to you. There are certain file extensions that are commonly used in malware distribution, including .exe, .pdf, .zip, .doc, and .rar.

Make sure your email provider’s spam filter is enabled to avoid spam emails (which are often used to spread malware). This ensures that any email that shows signs of spam is sent to a separate folder and not your main inbox.

You should also ensure that your device’s operating system is updated regularly, as well as all your installed apps. As mentioned above, Snake Keylogger infects devices by exploiting software vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are often ironed out by updates so that they can no longer be misused by cybercriminals. You can schedule your apps and operating system for automatic updates, or simply periodically check your settings and default app store to see if updates are due.

Signs of Snake Keylogger

There are warning signs that may indicate the presence of Snake Keylogger on your device, including…

• overheating
• Slow performance.
• Delayed keystrokes.
• Frequent crashes.
• Keystrokes and/or cursors do not appear on your screen.

If you think your device is infected with Snake Keylogger, check out our handy removal guide to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Snake Keylogger poses great dangers

With the ability to log data, take screenshots, extract valuable information and even bypass antivirus protection, Snake Keylogger is an undeniably dangerous program. This form of keylogger has already targeted many victims and could be used for malicious exploits in the future. So, be sure to follow the advice above to protect yourself from Snake Keylogger.