Netwalker

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware using WMI/WMIC/wmiexec for remote execution, lateral movement, discovery, persistence, and administrative actions; e.g., 'APT41 used WMI in several ways, including for execution of commands via WMIEXEC as well as for persistence via PowerSploit' and 'Scattered Spider used Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to move laterally via Impacket.'

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware using PowerShell scripts/commands for execution, download, staging, reconnaissance, persistence, credential access, lateral movement, and defense evasion; e.g., "Sandworm Team used PowerShell scripts to run a credential harvesting tool in memory to evade defenses."

APT1 has used the Windows command shell to execute commands, and batch scripting to automate execution. Blue Mockingbird has used batch script files to automate execution and deployment of payloads. During HomeLand Justice, threat actors used Windows batch files for persistence and execution.

Citrix ADC maintains a vulnerable Perl script (newbm.pl) that, when accessed via HTTP POST request ... allows local operating system (OS) commands to execute. Attackers can use this functionality to upload/execute command and control (C2) software ... and gain unauthorized access to the OS.

"Anchor can create and execute services to load its payload"; "APT32's backdoor has used Windows services as a way to execute its malicious payload"; "Ragnar Locker has used sc.exe to execute a service that it creates"; "Shamoon creates a new service named 'ntssrv' to execute the payload"

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware modifying, creating, deleting, or storing data in Windows Registry keys and values for persistence, configuration storage, defense evasion, credential access, privilege escalation, and execution.

"APT37 leverages the Windows API calls: VirtualAlloc(), WriteProcessMemory(), and CreateRemoteThread() for process injection"; "IcedID has called ZwWriteVirtualMemory... ZwQueueApcThread... to inject itself into a remote process"; "Havoc can use NtAllocateVirtualMemory and NtCreateThreadEx to aid process injection"

"Action RAT's commands, strings, and domains can be Base64 encoded within the payload." / "ADVSTORESHELL... strings... encrypted with an XOR-based algorithm; some strings are also encrypted with 3DES and reversed." / "APT29 has used encoded PowerShell commands." / "APT41 used VMProtected binaries..."

"APT37 leverages the Windows API calls: VirtualAlloc(), WriteProcessMemory(), and CreateRemoteThread() for process injection"; "IcedID has called ZwWriteVirtualMemory... ZwQueueApcThread... to inject itself into a remote process"; "Havoc can use NtAllocateVirtualMemory and NtCreateThreadEx to aid process injection"

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors decoding, decrypting, or deobfuscating payloads, strings, configuration data, commands, and C2 traffic prior to execution or use, e.g., 'APT28 macro uses the command certutil -decode to decode contents of a .txt file storing the base64 encoded payload' and 'Action RAT can use Base64 to decode actor-controlled C2 server communications.'

“APT41 used certutil to download additional files.”; “Astaroth uses certutil and BITSAdmin to download additional malware.”; “CARROTBAT… download and execute a remote file via certutil.”; “Netwalker… used psexec and certutil to retrieve the Netwalker payload.”

"Sandworm Team used PowerShell scripts to run a credential harvesting tool in memory to evade defenses," "Deep Panda has used PowerShell scripts to download and execute programs in memory, without writing to disk," and "Turla has also used PowerShell scripts to load and execute malware in memory."

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware modifying, creating, deleting, or storing data in Windows Registry keys and values for persistence, configuration storage, defense evasion, credential access, privilege escalation, and execution.

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors collecting host details such as OS version, hostname, architecture, CPU, memory, BIOS, domain, language, and other configuration data; e.g., "APT41 uses multiple built-in commands such as systeminfo and net config Workstation to enumerate victim system basic configuration information."

"PsExec ... can be used to execute binaries on remote systems using a temporary Windows service"; "RemoteCMD can execute commands remotely by creating a new service on the remote system"; "Winexe installs a service on the remote system, executes the command, then uninstalls the service"

The data is held for ransom through encryption... operators continue to add new twists to their methods, from deleting backup systems simultaneously to encrypting the primary data set. | Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to deny access to an information system or its resident data until a ransom is paid. The data is held for ransom through encryption...

Examples include 'Avaddon uses wmic.exe to delete shadow copies,' 'BlackCat can use wmic.exe to delete shadow copies on compromised networks,' and 'WannaCry utilizes wmic to delete shadow copies.'

The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware disabling, stopping, uninstalling, or modifying antivirus, EDR, Windows Defender, AMSI, logging, and other security controls.

Examples include 'Aquatic Panda has attempted to stop endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools', 'BlackByte disabled security tools such as Windows Defender', 'Scattered Spider has uninstalled and disabled security tools', and many malware families terminating AV/EDR processes or services.