Technically speaking it is hidden in a SRT subtitle file, but it's not the like you can execute the SRT file, since it's just text.
If you are downloading pirates movies, it makes sense to not click on on random stuff in the torrent/download that's clearly not a media file.
Couldn't even include the real movie... that's just rude.
So it only works if you open a file with a .lnk extension?
TL;DR: Don't open .lnk files.
Here's a list of blocked file names I'm using on my Qbittorrent. Contains executables and other junk I don't want getting downloaded, maybe y'all get some use out of it too:
Super long list
*(sample).*
*.0xe
*.73k
*.73p
*.7z
*.89k
*.89z
*.8ck
*.a7r
*.ac
*.acc
*.ace
*.acr
*.actc
*.action
*.actm
*.ade
*.adp
*.afmacro
*.afmacros
*.ahk
*.ai
*.aif
*.air
*.alz
*.api
*.apk
*.app
*.appimage
*.applescript
*.application
*.appx
*.arc
*.arj
*.arscript
*.asb
*.asp
*.aspx
*.aspx-exe
*.atmx
*.azw2
*.ba_
*.bak
*.bas
*.bash
*.bat
*.bdjo
*.bdmv
*.beam
*.bin
*.bmp
*.bms
*.bns
*.bsa
*.btm
*.bz2
*.c
*.cab
*.caction
*.cci
*.cda
*.cdb
*.cel
*.celx
*.cfs
*.cgi
*.cheat
*.chm
*.ckpt
*.cla
*.class
*.clpi
*.cmd
*.cof
*.coffee
*.com
*.command
*.conf
*.config
*.cpl
*.crt
*.cs
*.csh
*.csharp
*.csproj
*.css
*.csv
*.cue
*.cur
*.cyw
*.daemon
*.dat
*.data-00000-of-00001
*.db
*.deamon
*.deb
*.dek
*.diz
*.dld
*.dll
*.dmc
*.dmg
*.doc
*.docb
*.docm
*.docx
*.dot
*.dotb
*.dotm
*.drv
*.ds
*.dw
*.dword
*.dxl
*.e_e
*.ear
*.ebacmd
*.ebm
*.ebs
*.ebs2
*.ecf
*.eham
*.elf
*.elf-so
*.email
*.emu
*.epk
*.es
*.esh
*.etc
*.ex4
*.ex5
*.ex_
*.exe
*.exe-only
*.exe-service
*.exe-small
*.exe1
*.exopc
*.exz
*.ezs
*.ezt
*.fas
*.fba
*.fky
*.flac
*.flatpak
*.flv
*.fpi
*.frs
*.fxp
*.gadget
*.gat
*.gif
*.gifv
*.gm9
*.gpe
*.gpu
*.gs
*.gz
*.h5
*.ham
*.hex
*.hlp
*.hms
*.hpf
*.hta
*.hta-psh
*.htaccess
*.htm
*.html
*.icd
*.icns
*.ico
*.idx
*.iim
*.img
*.index
*.inf
*.ini
*.ink
*.ins
*.ipa
*.ipf
*.ipk
*.ipsw
*.iqylink
*.isp
*.isu
*.ita
*.izh
*.jar
*.java
*.jpeg
*.jpg
*.js
*.js_be
*.js_le
*.jse
*.jsf
*.json
*.jsp
*.jsx
*.kix
*.ksh
*.kx
*.lck
*.ldb
*.lib
*.link
*.lnk
*.lo
*.lock
*.log
*.loop-vbs
*.ls
*.m3u
*.m4a
*.mac
*.macho
*.mamc
*.manifest
*.mcr
*.md
*.mda
*.mdb
*.mde
*.mdf
*.mdn
*.mdt
*.mel
*.mem
*.meta
*.mgm
*.mhm
*.mht
*.mhtml
*.mid
*.mio
*.mlappinstall
*.mlx
*.mm
*.mobileconfig
*.model
*.moo
*.mpa
*.mpk
*.mpls
*.mrc
*.mrp
*.ms
*.msc
*.msh
*.msh1
*.msh1xml
*.msh2
*.msh2xml
*.mshxml
*.msi
*.msi-nouac
*.msix
*.msl
*.msp
*.mst
*.msu
*.mxe
*.ncl
*.net
*.nexe
*.nrg
*.num
*.nzb.bz2
*.nzb.gz
*.nzbs
*.ocx
*.odt
*.ore
*.ost
*.osx
*.osx-app
*.otm
*.out
*.ova
*.paf
*.pak
*.pb
*.pcd
*.pdb
*.pdf
*.pea
*.perl
*.pex
*.phar
*.php
*.php5
*.pif
*.pkg
*.pl
*.plsc
*.plx
*.png
*.pol
*.pot
*.potm
*.powershell
*.ppam
*.ppkg
*.pps
*.ppsm
*.ppt
*.pptm
*.pptx
*.prc
*.prg
*.ps
*.ps1
*.ps1xml
*.ps2
*.ps2xml
*.psc1
*.psc2
*.psd
*.psd1
*.psh
*.psh-cmd
*.psh-net
*.psh-reflection
*.psm1
*.pst
*.pt
*.pvd
*.pwc
*.pxo
*.py
*.pyc
*.pyd
*.pyo
*.python
*.pyz
*.qit
*.qpx
*.ram
*.raw
*.rb
*.rbf
*.rbx
*.reg
*.resources
*.resx
*.rfs
*.rfu
*.rgs
*.rm
*.rox
*.rpg
*.rpj
*.rpm
*.ruby
*.run
*.rxe
*.s2a
*.sample
*.sapk
*.savedmodel
*.sbs
*.sca
*.scar
*.scb
*.scf
*.scpt
*.scptd
*.scr
*.script
*.sct
*.seed
*.server
*.service
*.sfv
*.sh
*.shb
*.shell
*.shortcut
*.shs
*.shtml
*.sit
*.sitx
*.sk
*.sldm
*.sln
*.smm
*.snap
*.snd
*.spr
*.sql
*.sqx
*.srec
*.ssm
*.sts
*.sub
*.svg
*.swf
*.sys
*.tar
*.tar.gz
*.tbl
*.tbz
*.tcp
*.text
*.tf
*.tgz
*.thm
*.thmx
*.thumb
*.tiapp
*.tif
*.tiff
*.tipa
*.tmp
*.tms
*.toast
*.torrent
*.tpk
*.txt
*.u3p
*.udf
*.upk
*.upx
*.url
*.uvm
*.uw8
*.vb
*.vba
*.vba-exe
*.vba-psh
*.vbapplication
*.vbe
*.vbs
*.vbscript
*.vbscript
*.vcd
*.vdo
*.vexe
*.vhd
*.vhdx
*.vlx
*.vm
*.vmdk
*.vob
*.vocab
*.vpm
*.vxp
*.war
*.wav
*.wbk
*.wcm
*.webm
*.widget
*.wim
*.wiz
*.wma
*.workflow
*.wpk
*.wpl
*.wpm
*.wps
*.ws
*.wsc
*.wsf
*.wsh
*.x86
*.x86_64
*.xaml
*.xap
*.xbap
*.xbe
*.xex
*.xig
*.xla
*.xlam
*.xll
*.xlm
*.xls
*.xlsb
*.xlsm
*.xlsx
*.xlt
*.xltb
*.xltm
*.xlw
*.xml
*.xqt
*.xrt
*.xys
*.xz
*.ygh
*.z
*.zip
*.zipx
*.zl9
*.zoo
*sample.avchd
*sample.avi
*sample.mkv
*sample.mov
*sample.mp4
*sample.webm
*sample.wmv
Trailer.*
What would happen if you tried to play the movie (which I assume loads the subs and parses the commands — maybe) on a Mac or a PC running Linux? The article says PowerShell and it mentions Windows dependencies but I'm not sure it requires a Windows system.
I feel like my Macs would ask permission before running the code (Macs ask permission a lot, or straight up say something isn't going to run, you have to go into Settings, Security to make it run). I feel like Linux boxes wouldn't be as susceptible as Windows, either.
I'm not gonna try it because I'm not as sure about restoring a Mac system as I am with Windows. Relatively new to this system.
It really is One Battle After Another in cybersecurity…
When the CD shortcut is executed, it launches Windows commands that extract and run a malicious PowerShell script embedded in the subtitle file between lines 100 and 103.
This PowerShell script will then extract numerous AES-encrypted data blocks from the subtitles file again to reconstruct five PowerShell scripts that are dropped to 'C:\Users<USER>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Diagnostics.'
The extracted PowerShell scripts act as a malware dropper, performing the following actions on the host:
...
Very interesting approach
She said what now?
So wait, literally all it took was putting command line commands on their own line in a subtitles file? Am I interpreting this right
Why would you try to open a movie with .m2ts ??
all 5 comments