At this point the client can use any of the features which the GUI contains. When DarkComet executes, the server connects to the client and allows the client to control and monitor the server.

The uninfected computer with a GUI enabling control of infected ones is the client, while the infected systems (without a GUI) are servers. DarkComet was spotted within 24 hours of the attack.ĭarkComet, like many other RATs, uses a reverse-socket architecture. Hackers took advantage of the disaster to compromise as many systems as possible. DarkComet was disguised as a picture of a newborn baby whose wristband read 'Je suis Charlie.' Once the picture was downloaded, the users became compromised. In the wake of the January 7, 2015, attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, hackers used the ' #JeSuisCharlie' slogan to trick people into downloading DarkComet. At the time, they mainly targeted the United States. In 2012 Arbos Network company found evidence of DarkComet being used to target military and gamers by unknown hackers from Africa. “If I had known that, I would never have created such a tool.” Target Gamers, Military and Governments Once DarkComet was linked to the Syrian regime, Lesueur stopped developing the tool, stating, “I never imagined it would be used by a government for spying,” he said. Once infected, the victim's machine would try to send the message to other people with the same booby-trapped Skype chat message. The RAT was distributed via a 'booby-trapped Skype chat message' which consisted of a message with a Facebook icon which was actually an executable file that was designed to install DarkComet. Many believe that this is what caused the arrests of many activists within Syria. This caused the Syrian Government to resort to using RATs to spy on its civilians. People in Syria began using secure connections to bypass the government's censorship and the surveillance of the internet. In 2014 DarkComet was linked to the Syrian conflict. DarkComet is commonly used to spy on the victims by taking screen captures, key-logging, or password stealing. It has many features which allows a user to use it as administrative remote help tool however, DarkComet has many features which can be used maliciously. ĭarkComet allows a user to control the system with a graphical user interface. As of August 2018, the program's development 'has ceased indefinitely', and downloads are no longer offered on its official website. The program was discontinued, partially due to its use in the Syrian civil war to monitor activists but also due to its author's fear of being arrested for unnamed reasons. Although the RAT was developed back in 2008, it began to proliferate at the start of 2012. DarkComet is a remote access trojan (RAT) developed by Jean-Pierre Lesueur (known as DarkCoderSc ), an independent programmer and computer security coder from France.

Darkcomet how to use