One of the antivirus world’s more recognisable names, Kaspersky Technologies, detected a new style of trojan (a malicious code hidden within regular code), embedded in a popular messenger application and targeted at Kazakhstan’s political parties.

The trojan named “Octopus”, was attracting users amid reports of a ban on Telegram, a chat program popular for its privacy standards. The malicious code was distributed disguised with the logo of a political opposition party in Kazakhstan.

Once infected, the trojan gained access to sensitive data and allowed backdoor access into the operating system of affected computers. This attack was like Zoo Park, where malware was hidden in unofficial Telegram apps, and used to spy on infected victims. Most likely, victims would not be aware of the vulnerabilities in their systems and would unwittingly host the malicious code for a long time before being detected.

Kaspersky has released recommended measures to ensure the spread of this new trojan;

• Ensuring that employees know the dangers of downloading and running external apps and links.
• Utilise robust endpoint security applications that feature Application Control functionality which limits an application’s ability to launch or access critical systems.
• Implement early warning systems that detect malicious activity and respond to attacks by blocking progress.
• Provide access to professional threat analysis to IT security teams.