MageCart malware has become a significant threat to e-commerce websites, targeting online shoppers and compromising their sensitive payment information. As an e-commerce store owner, it’s crucial to understand the tactics used by MageCart groups and implement effective measures to protect your customers’ data. In this article, we will explore how MageCart works, its impact on your website, different types of MageCart attacks, detection methods, and steps to clean up and safeguard your e-commerce store.
How Does MageCart Work?
MageCart attacks follow a systematic four-step process to achieve their goal:
Gain Access to an E-commerce Website
Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in a website’s infrastructure or server or target weaker security measures of third-party vendors. By doing so, they inject malicious code that executes when a checkout page is loaded or during the checkout process.
Skim Sensitive Information from a Form
When users visit a webpage containing a skimmer, the malware captures payment details, credit card information, account credentials, and personal information. Different MageCart groups employ various techniques to collect data, such as monitoring keystrokes or intercepting input in specific sections of a web form.
Send Stolen Information to the Attacker
The harvested data is then transmitted from the users’ browser to the attacker’s server, telegram bot, email address, or local destination.
Receive Transmitted Information
At this stage, the attackers have completed their mission, and the stolen data can be used for fraudulent purposes or sold on the black market.
Initially, MageCart attacks were easier to identify, but cybercriminals have evolved their tactics by concealing malicious code within seemingly harmless sources. This includes encoding and obfuscation techniques within images, audio files, favicons, and even GitHub repositories. They also encrypt stolen data to bypass pattern detection systems designed to identify credit card numbers.
What is the Impact of a MageCart Malware Infection?
A MageCart malware infection can have several detrimental effects on an e-commerce website, particularly those related to online transactions. It’s important to be aware of the potential impacts and symptoms of a MageCart attack. Here are some key consequences:
Theft of Customer Information
- Primarily targets credit card information but can also steal other personal data.
- This potentially affects millions of shoppers, leading to significant breaches of privacy.
Legal and Compliance Damages
- Exposes companies to possible lawsuits by affected customers.
- This may result in legal penalties for non-compliance with regulations like GDPR.
- This can lead to industry penalties such as fines and the inability to process credit cards.
Revenue Loss
- E-commerce retailers may experience a decrease in online sales due to customer mistrust.
- Loss of customer confidence in the retailer’s ability to prevent future breaches.
Further Infection
- MageCart groups can exploit stolen user login and administrator credentials.
- This can lead to the expansion of the attack, infecting additional sites in shared server environments.
It’s important to note that even large brands are not immune to MageCart attacks. Renowned brands have fallen victim to these attacks, highlighting the need for robust security measures.
Different Types of MageCart Attacks
MageCart attacks can be categorized into three main types:
1. Client-Side MageCart Attacks:
- These attacks occur solely on the client side, within the user’s browser.
- Hackers use JavaScript to harvest and exfiltrate customer information from checkout forms and payment pages.
- Two common forms of MageCart JavaScript injections are injecting a standalone malicious JavaScript file or injecting malicious JavaScript code into an existing file on the website.
2. Server-Side MageCart Attacks:
- If attackers compromise the website’s file system, they may inject a PHP-based skimmer.
- These attacks are more challenging to detect as they are not visible in a web browser.
- Server-side MageCart attacks can occur through compromised PHP files related to the checkout process or malicious or infected plugins, themes, or core files.
3. Hybrid MageCart Attacks:
- Hybrid attacks involve both client-side JavaScript code and server-side PHP code.
- The malicious JavaScript captures payment details in the web browser and sends it back to the server-side portion of the skimmer.
- This type of attack evades detection from monitoring services as the exfiltration occurs behind the scenes, preventing visible requests to third-party resources.
How to Detect MageCart?
Detecting a MageCart infection on a website depends on the type of malware used, whether it’s JavaScript-based or PHP-based. Here are some detection methods:
JavaScript Infections
Use script blocker browser extensions like NoScript to check for JavaScript loading from malicious or unfamiliar third-party domains on the checkout page. Tools like EKFiddle can help inspect web traffic and identify any injected malicious JavaScript.
PHP Infections
Employ server-side scanning and file integrity monitoring to detect malicious PHP injections and file modifications. Regularly review recently modified files or those modified within the reported timeframe of credit card theft/fraud related to your website.
It’s important to note that attackers continuously develop new malware to evade existing security signatures. Therefore, any unrecognized file modifications should be thoroughly investigated, even in the absence of explicit malware or security warnings.
How to Clean Up MageCart Malware
Cleaning up MageCart malware can be a complex task, and it’s recommended to seek professional assistance. However, if you choose to tackle the infection yourself, consider the following steps:
- Review recently modified files or those modified during the reported timeframe of credit card theft/fraud related to your website.
- Inspect your checkout page for any unusual behavior.
- Check for any JavaScript injected into the database.
- Run integrity checks on your core files and payment module files.
- Compare plugin, theme, or core files against known-good checksums.
- Before making any changes, ensure you have a full backup of your website.
How to Protect Your E-commerce Store from MageCart
To safeguard your e-commerce store from MageCart attacks and protect your customers’ data, implement the following essential precautions:
Regularly Update Software
Keep your CMS, plugins, themes, and other third-party code current. Regular updates often include security patches that address known vulnerabilities.
Use Strong and Unique Passwords
Set strong, unique passwords for all accounts, including administrators, sFTP, and database credentials. Avoid using common passwords or reusing them across multiple platforms.
Be Selective with Third-Party JavaScript
Only use JavaScript from reputable sources, and carefully evaluate the necessity and security of each third-party script you add to your website.
Implement monitoring systems that detect any unauthorized access attempts or modifications to your website’s files or configurations.
Utilize a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Deploy a robust WAF and IDS to block malicious bots, virtually patch known vulnerabilities, and protect against malware infections.
Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) Headers
Set up CSP headers on your e-commerce store to add an extra layer of protection against clickjacking, cross-site scripting (XSS), and data exfiltration. A CSP
Practice the principle of least privilege to mitigate risk. Implement a robust security solution that controls all API calls made by your website to the browser. This ensures that only approved access to sensitive data is granted, preventing malicious or non-essential third-party scripts from obtaining customer information.
Implement Monitoring and Alert Systems
Your security solution should include monitoring features that send alerts when any indicators of compromise are detected. Prompt detection and response are crucial in mitigating the impact of MageCart attacks.
