Initially detailed in 2016 as a piece of malware targeting Android devices, LokiBot arrived on Windows in 2018 and has evolved into a prevalent threat, targeting corporate mailboxes and employing innovative distribution methods.
In an alert on Tuesday, CISA warned of “a notable increase in the use of LokiBot malware by malicious cyber actors since July 2020,” saying that it has detected persistent malicious activity associated with the malware.
Focused on stealing credentials and other information, the threat is often distributed as malicious attachments. Simple but effective, the malware is employed by “a broad range of cyber actors across a wide variety of data compromise use cases,” CISA says.
Also referred to as Lokibot, Loki PWS, and Loki-bot, the Trojan targets sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and cryptocurrency wallets, along with other credentials. It employs a keylogger that monitors both browser and desktop activity, but can also create a backdoor into infected systems, thus allowing attackers to deploy and install additional malware.