#Invesco #Zee #ransomware

Threat actors can abuse the core features of Discord



Discord, a popular cross-platform application, hosted more than 19 million active servers related to different zhawnrus and topics (gaming, arts, marketing, finance, sports, etc.). As per a report, there are currently over 150 million monthly active users. Discord is a large-scale platform, used for chats, voice calls and videos. The platform has different features that allows users many functionalities in terms of management, data sharing, and connection preferences. However, these can also be used for malicious purposes like malware development, botnet setups, C2 communication and malicious file hosting. Check Point Software sees early indicators that threat actors are seeking to use Discord’s infrastructure for malicious intent, as malicious code geared for the Discord platform can be found on GitHub. In fact, threat actors can use malware to abuse the core features of Discord, including Discord API and Discord Bots. The potential outcome for a threat actor would be the enablement of malicious capabilities, such as screenshotting, key logging and executing files. The Discord API does not require any type of confirmation or approval and is open for everyone to use. Due to these Discord API freedoms, the only way to prevent Discord malware is by disabling all Discord bots. Preventing Discord malware can’t be done without harming the Discord community. As a result, it’s up to the users’ actions to keep their devices safe.



As of now, any type of file, malicious or not, whose size is less than 8MB can be uploaded and sent via Discord. Because the file content isn’t analyzed, malware can be easily spread via Discord. As Discord’s cache is monitored by modern AVs, it alerst a user in case a received file is considered malicious, the files remain available for download. In addition, the malware may be difficult to detect, as it can be classified.