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RipGof malicious code does not exist as a distribution in the underground, leading investigators |
to look into the original RipGof.A malicious code. Over a year prior to the 2006 targeted attacks |
RipGof.A emerges in the wild. RipGof.A attempted to exploit the Jet Engine Database exploit in |
March 2005. This proves attempted exploitation and installation of code through RipGof for a |
year prior to more sophisticated codes and attacks. |
In summary, RipGof and GinWui attacks both use the same private exploit code against |
Microsoft Word and both install rootkit based codes to steal and send information back to |
Chinese sources. This circumstantial evidence reveals that Wicked Rose and the NCPH group |
likely began their exploitation efforts at least a year and a half to two years prior to sophisticated |
attacks that commenced in 2006. Once the group found a vulnerability within Microsoft Word |
they were able to improve upon it and their targeted attack techniques to distribute multiple |
targeted attacks and malicious codes for criminal gain as hackers for hire. |
Timeline of Events |
Wicked Rose and the NCPH hacking group are implicated in multiple Office based attacks over |
a two year period. An attack in 2006 used RipGof.B in the attack. RipGof.A first emerged a |
year earlier using an exploit that is relatively unsophisticated. Over the next year the Evil |
Security Team, also out of China, creates the Dasher worm and uses the PcShares Trojan in an |
attack. Wicked Rose gives a recommendation on the Trojan the day it is updated in the spring of |
2006, showing a close affiliation between Wicked Rose and the Evil Security Team actors. |
Multiple attacks that take place in May and June and later 2006 are related to privately held |
exploit code for both Microsoft Word and Excel, proven to be developed by Wicked Rose. A |
timeline of proven associated events related to Wicked Rose attacks is below: |
April 22, 2005 - RipGof.A JetEngine DB Attack |
Dec. 19, 2005 |
Dasher worm and PcShare Trojan attack by Evil Security Team |
April 27, 2006 Update to windowsupdates.net attack site |
April 30, 2006 - Wicked Rose Drops out of School |
May 2, 2006 |
3.0beta3 NCPH remote control (GinWui) public release |
May 12, 2006 - Initial probing and GinWui.A exploitation attempts against US target |
May 15, 2006 - PcShare Trojan update recommended by Wicked Rose on day of new release |
May 16, 2006 - Update to windowsupdates.net attack site |
May 16, 2006 - Multiple GinWui.A attacks against US target |
May 18, 2006 - SANS reports zero-day attack |
May 19, 2006 Update to windowsupdates.net attack site |
May 20, 2006 - GinWui.B Attack |
May 20, 2006 - WZT Kicked out of NCPH |
May 29, 2006 - GinWui.C Attack |
June 1, 2006 Update to windowsupdates.net attack site |
June 9, 2006 |
Mdropper.F Attack |
June 14, 2006 |
Daserf.A Attack |
June 15, 2006 |
Mdropper.G Attack |
June 15, 2006 |
Booli.A Trojan Attack |
June 16, 2006 - Flux.E Attack |
June 18, 2006 - RipGof.B Attack |
June 23, 2006 |
PPDropper.A |
June 23, 2006 |
Booli.B Trojan attack |
June 25, 2006 - GinWui.D Attack |
June 26, 2006 - GinWui.E Attack |
Sept. 27, 2006 |
PPDropper.F Attack |
Sept. 30, 2006 |
GinWui.G Attack |
Oct. 9, 2006 |
Wicked Rose reports pay increase; likely in September |
A Pictorial Introduction to Wicked Rose and NCPH |
Just who are Wicked Rose and the NCPH hacker group? As it turns out, a collection of college |
students in China who likely room with one another and regularly support their hacking interests. |
In-depth research implicates Wicked Rose as the ring-leader of the group, responsible for |
managing hacker for hire relationships and paying group members for their work as hackers. |
During the time of targeted attacks in 2006 their income increased significantly, to full-time |
wages for part time hacking. Wicked Rose, leader of the group, is pictured below: |
(MeiGui HeiKe) |
Rose Hacker |
QQ number is 5372453 www.mghacker.com |
Wicked Rose maintains a personal site at www.mghacker.com. |
Wicked Rose's Website: www.mghacker.com |
Rose is an approximate 20-year-old (2006) student at the Sichuan University of Science & |
Engineering. In the spring of 2006 Wicked Rose claims to have dropped out of school for full |
time hacking opportunities. Specifically, on April 30, 2006 his blog entry claims he did not |
register for his university exam. He performed significant updates to his rootkit code from |
March through June 2006. He later returned to school by September 2006. |
Wicked Rose claims responsibility on his blog for targeted e-mail based attacks containing |
Microsoft Word and CHM exploits from the spring of 2006. |
Other NCPH-member websites include: http://rodag.blogbus.com, |
http://www.cppblog.com/charles and http://kungbim.blogbus.com. The main NCPH website is |
www.ncph.net: |
NCPH Studio website www.ncph.net |
Registration information for ncph.net reveals a Chinese registrant: |
Registrant Contact: ncph studio ([email protected]) si chuan li gong xue yuan |
zigong, Sichuan, cn 643000 P: +86.13154663992 F: +86.13154663992 |
The main location of the NCPH group is in Zigong, Sichuan Province, in south-central China. |
Zigong, Sichuan Province, in south-central China |
The NCPH group (NCPH Studio) in Zigong, China, is shown here: |
NCPH hackers at work in the |
ncph studio |
Left to right: |
Wicked Rose, |
KuNgBiM, Charles and Rodag |
Additional photos featuring Wicked Rose and NCPH hackers are below, captured from their |
various websites and blog entries in 2006. Chinese translation for each photo are below: |
"Wicked Rose" |
From an ancient Chinese poem, |
expressing the devotion of his heart for |