Malware Using Google Docs As Proxy

Security researchers from antivirus vendor Symantec have uncovered a piece of malware that uses Google Docs, which is now part of Google Drive, as a bridge when communicating with attackers in order to hide the malicious traffic.

The malware -- a new version from the Backdoor.Makadocs family -- uses the Google Drive "Viewer" feature as a proxy for receiving instructions from the real command and control server. The Google Drive Viewer was designed to allow displaying a variety of file types from remote URLs directly in Google Docs.

Backdoor.Makadocs is distributed with the help of Rich Text Format (RTF) or Microsoft Word (DOC) documents, but does not exploit any vulnerability to install its malicious components, Katsuki said. "It attempts to pique the user's interest with the title and content of the document and trick them into clicking on it and executing it.