Cybercriminals actively exploit Google and Bing ads in the Nitrogen campaign to target users searching for specific IT tools. Their objective is to infiltrate enterprise environments and inject tools like Cobalt Strike. The attackers aim to gain unauthorized access to these environments and potentially conduct further nefarious activities.
What is Nitrogen?
The Nitrogen malvertising campaign utilizes Google and Bing Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertisements to imitate genuine websites, deceiving users into downloading malicious installers (Windows Installer files).
Threat actors mimic well-known software, such as AnyDesk, Cisco AnyConnect VPN, TreeSize Free, and WinSCP, with the goal of luring unsuspecting users into using trojanized installers. When users download these trojanized installers, an ISO image file is created on their computers.
Inside this ISO file, an executable file appears harmless. However, when executed, it secretly loads a malicious file, initiating the infection. As previously mentioned, the cybercriminals orchestrating the Nitrogen campaign intend to deploy second-stage attack tools such as Cobalt Strike.
Cobalt Strike is a powerful commercial penetration testing tool widely used in cybersecurity. However, threat actors have misused Cobalt Strike for conducting advanced and sophisticated cyberattacks due to its capabilities and popularity.
With Cobalt Strike, threat actors can simulate genuine user behavior, conduct reconnaissance, steal sensitive data, launch ransomware attacks, and deploy other malware payloads. It is essential to note that cybercriminals behind Nitrogen may use other tools to achieve their goals.
| Name | Nitrogen Malvertising Campaign |
| Detection | Trojan:Win64/Meterpreter, Trojan:Win64/Cobaltstrike |
| Damage | The attackers aim to infiltrate enterprise environments and inject tools like Cobalt Strike, potentially gaining unauthorized access and conducting sophisticated cyberattacks. Users can be tricked into downloading trojanized installers, leading to the execution of harmful files and potential compromise of their systems. Vigilance and caution are crucial to protect against this threat, along with downloading software only from reputable sources and maintaining up-to-date security measures. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Nitrogen Virus |
In conclusion, the Nitrogen malvertising campaign demonstrates the ingenuity and cunning of cybercriminals who exploit Google and Bing ads to target IT users. By impersonating reputable software and distributing trojanized installers, these attackers aim to infect systems with tools like Cobalt Strike, giving them the means to execute sophisticated cyberattacks.
The campaign highlights the importance of vigilance and caution among users when downloading software and interacting with online advertisements. Emphasizing the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such threats is crucial.
How Nitrogen Infiltrated My Computer
The infection chain begins with cybercriminals using malvertising through Google and Bing Ads to attract users’ attention. These ads direct users to compromised WordPress sites and phishing pages pretending to be legitimate software distribution websites.
On these fake sites, users are enticed into downloading trojanized ISO installers, which appear to be harmless files. However, once executed, these trojanized installers deploy malicious content.
Threat actors often use fake websites disguised as download sites for Cisco AnyConnect VPN, TreeSize Free, WinSCP, and other legitimate tools.
How to Avoid Installing Malware
To avoid installing malware, download software only from reputable sources, such as official websites and stores. Before proceeding with the download, check the website’s URL for spelling errors or suspicious domain names. Exercise caution when opening links or attachments within unsolicited emails from unknown senders. Keep your operating system, software, and antivirus programs up to date.
Avoid interacting with advertisements on suspicious websites. If you believe that your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Remove Nitrogen with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware
We have also been using this software on our systems ever since, and it has always been successful in detecting viruses. It has blocked the most common Stealers as shown from our tests with the software, and we assure you that it can remove Nitrogen as well as other malware hiding on your computer.
To use Gridinsoft for remove malicious threats, follow the steps below:
1. Begin by downloading Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, accessible via the blue button below or directly from the official website gridinsoft.com.
2.Once the Gridinsoft setup file (setup-gridinsoft-fix.exe) is downloaded, execute it by clicking on the file.
3.Follow the installation setup wizard's instructions diligently.
4. Access the "Scan Tab" on the application's start screen and launch a comprehensive "Full Scan" to examine your entire computer. This inclusive scan encompasses the memory, startup items, the registry, services, drivers, and all files, ensuring that it detects malware hidden in all possible locations.
Be patient, as the scan duration depends on the number of files and your computer's hardware capabilities. Use this time to relax or attend to other tasks.
5. Upon completion, Anti-Malware will present a detailed report containing all the detected malicious items and threats on your PC.
6. Select all the identified items from the report and confidently click the "Clean Now" button. This action will safely remove the malicious files from your computer, transferring them to the secure quarantine zone of the anti-malware program to prevent any further harmful actions.
8. If prompted, restart your computer to finalize the full system scan procedure. This step is crucial to ensure thorough removal of any remaining threats. After the restart, Gridinsoft Anti-Malware will open and display a message confirming the completion of the scan.
Remember Gridinsoft offers a 6-day free trial. This means you can take advantage of the trial period at no cost to experience the full benefits of the software and prevent any future malware infections on your system. Embrace this opportunity to fortify your computer's security without any financial commitment.
Trojan Killer for “Nitrogen” removal on locked PC
In situations where it becomes impossible to download antivirus applications directly onto the infected computer due to malware blocking access to websites, an alternative solution is to utilize the Trojan Killer application.
There is a really little number of security tools that are able to be set up on the USB drives, and antiviruses that can do so in most cases require to obtain quite an expensive license. For this instance, I can recommend you to use another solution of GridinSoft - Trojan Killer Portable. It has a 14-days cost-free trial mode that offers the entire features of the paid version. This term will definitely be 100% enough to wipe malware out.
Trojan Killer is a valuable tool in your cybersecurity arsenal, helping you to effectively remove malware from infected computers. Now, we will walk you through the process of using Trojan Killer from a USB flash drive to scan and remove malware on an infected PC. Remember, always obtain permission to scan and remove malware from a computer that you do not own.
Step 1: Download & Install Trojan Killer on a Clean Computer:
1. Go to the official GridinSoft website (gridinsoft.com) and download Trojan Killer to a computer that is not infected.
2. Insert a USB flash drive into this computer.
3. Install Trojan Killer to the "removable drive" following the on-screen instructions.
4. Once the installation is complete, launch Trojan Killer.
Step 2: Update Signature Databases:
5. After launching Trojan Killer, ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet.
6. Click "Update" icon to download the latest signature databases, which will ensure the tool can detect the most recent threats.
Step 3: Scan the Infected PC:
7. Safely eject the USB flash drive from the clean computer.
8. Boot the infected computer to the Safe Mode.
9. Insert the USB flash drive.
10. Run tk.exe
11. Once the program is open, click on "Full Scan" to begin the malware scanning process.
Step 4: Remove Found Threats:
12. After the scan is complete, Trojan Killer will display a list of detected threats.
13. Click on "Cure PC!" to remove the identified malware from the infected PC.
14. Follow any additional on-screen prompts to complete the removal process.
Step 5: Restart Your Computer:
15. Once the threats are removed, click on "Restart PC" to reboot your computer.
16. Remove the USB flash drive from the infected computer.
Congratulations on effectively removing Nitrogen and the concealed threats from your computer! You can now have peace of mind, knowing that they won't resurface again. Thanks to Gridinsoft's capabilities and commitment to cybersecurity, your system is now protected.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Nitrogen campaign is a malicious cyber operation in which cybercriminals exploit Google and Bing ads to target users searching for specific IT tools. The objective is to infiltrate enterprise environments and inject tools like Cobalt Strike to gain unauthorized access and conduct nefarious activities.
In the Nitrogen malvertising campaign, cybercriminals utilize Google and Bing Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertisements to imitate genuine websites, tricking users into downloading malicious installers (Windows Installer files). These trojanized installers create an ISO image file on users’ computers, which contains an apparently harmless executable file. When executed, it secretly loads a malicious file, starting the infection process.
The cybercriminals orchestrating the Nitrogen campaign deploy second-stage attack tools such as Cobalt Strike. Cobalt Strike is a powerful commercial penetration testing tool widely used in cybersecurity. Unfortunately, due to its capabilities and popularity, it has also been misused by threat actors for conducting advanced and sophisticated cyberattacks.
With Cobalt Strike, threat actors can simulate genuine user behavior, conduct reconnaissance, steal sensitive data, launch ransomware attacks, and deploy other malware payloads. The tool’s versatility makes it attractive for cybercriminals seeking to carry out various malicious activities.
The Nitrogen campaign targets users searching for specific IT tools and software. Threat actors mimic well-known software like AnyDesk, Cisco AnyConnect VPN, TreeSize Free, WinSCP, among others, to lure unsuspecting users into downloading trojanized installers.
The infection chain begins with cybercriminals using malvertising through Google and Bing Ads to attract users’ attention. These ads direct users to compromised WordPress sites and phishing pages that pretend to be legitimate software distribution websites. On these fake sites, users are enticed into downloading trojanized ISO installers, which contain hidden malicious content.
To avoid installing malware, users should download software only from reputable sources, such as official websites and stores. They should also check the website’s URL for spelling errors or suspicious domain names before proceeding with the download. Additionally, exercise caution when opening links or attachments from unknown senders and keep operating systems, software, and antivirus programs up to date.
The Nitrogen campaign underscores the importance of vigilance and caution among users when interacting with online advertisements and downloading software. It emphasizes the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such threats.
If you believe your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Gridinsoft Anti-Malware. This tool can automatically detect and eliminate infiltrated malware, including variants of the Nitrogen campaign. It’s important to take action promptly to prevent further damage to your system.
Organizations should implement strong cybersecurity measures, including regular security training for employees to recognize and avoid phishing attempts and malicious ads. Employing up-to-date antivirus software, conducting regular system patching, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities are also crucial steps in protecting against such campaigns.
How to Remove Nitrogen Malware
Name: Nitrogen
Description: The Nitrogen campaign is a malicious cyber operation in which cybercriminals exploit Google and Bing ads to target users searching for specific IT tools. The objective is to infiltrate enterprise environments and inject tools like Cobalt Strike to gain unauthorized access and conduct nefarious activities.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Malware
