MalwareUsed by 1 actor

AuditCred

Also known asRoptimizer

AuditCred, also known as ROPTIMIZER, is a Windows malware family associated with the Lazarus threat ecosystem. It functions as a remote access capability used in post-compromise operations, providing operators with interactive control over infected systems and support for follow-on payload delivery. Observed behaviors include installation as a new Windows service for persistence, opening a reverse shell to execute commands, downloading additional files and malware, searching folders and files on the host, deleting files, and injecting code from files into other running processes. AuditCred also supports proxy-aware communications and uses XOR and RC4 routines to decrypt code functions during execution, indicating built-in obfuscation and defense-evasion features. Its combination of service-based persistence, process injection, host discovery, command execution, and payload retrieval makes it suitable for sustained intrusion activity and broader post-exploitation objectives.

For your environment

Hunt this family in your stack

Mallory pivots from this family to the IOCs, detections, and named campaigns that touch your stack, and pages you when something new lands.

Start free trial

THREAT ACTORS

Groups observed using it

1 distinct threat actor attributed by public researchers. Open in Mallory to see the full evidence chain and overlapping campaigns.

View more details

Lazarus

Similarly, they have been using the set of software below ... S0347 AuditCred

via lexfo blogblog.lexfo.fr

MITRE ATT&CK

Techniques & procedures

12 distinct techniques documented for this family, organized by ATT&CK tactic.

Execution

1 technique

T1059.003Windows Command ShellEvidence4

Numerous entries state malware can create a remote shell or reverse shell, for example 4H RAT, BLACKCOFFEE, DarkComet, PlugX, QuasarRAT, and others. | The content repeatedly describes threat actors and malware using cmd.exe, the Windows command shell, to execute commands, launch payloads, run batch files, and automate actions on compromised hosts.

Persistence

1 technique

T1543.003Windows ServiceEvidence3

During the 2016 Ukraine Electric Power Attack, Sandworm Team used an arbitrary system service to load at system boot for persistence for Industroyer. They also replaced the ImagePath registry value of a Windows service with a new backdoor binary.

Privilege Escalation

2 techniques

T1055Process InjectionEvidence5

The content repeatedly describes adversaries and malware injecting code, shellcode, DLLs, or payloads into legitimate processes such as svchost.exe, explorer.exe, iexplore.exe, wuauclt.exe, lsass.exe, and browser processes.

T1543.003Windows ServiceEvidence3

Stealth

5 techniques

T1027Obfuscated Files or InformationEvidence4

The content repeatedly describes payloads, strings, configuration files, scripts, URLs, and binaries being obfuscated or encoded using Base64, XOR, RC4, AES, RSA, hex encoding, custom algorithms, and other methods across many malware families and threat actors.

T1027.013Encrypted/Encoded FileEvidence2

Examples throughout the content include 'encrypted payloads decrypted and executed in memory,' 'encrypts its configuration file,' 'AES-encrypted resource,' 'RC4 encrypted embedded scripts,' and 'payload includes an encrypted main component.'

T1055Process InjectionEvidence5

T1070.004File DeletionEvidence8

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors deleting files, directories, droppers, logs, scripts, temporary files, exfiltrated archives, and uninstalling themselves to cover tracks or reduce forensic artifacts.

T1140Deobfuscate/Decode Files or InformationEvidence8

The content is a long ATT&CK-style listing of malware and threat groups that 'decrypt', 'decode', 'deobfuscate', 'unpack', or 'decompress' payloads, strings, configuration data, shellcode, and files prior to execution or use.

Discovery

1 technique

T1083File and Directory DiscoveryEvidence5

The content is a long ATT&CK-style listing of groups and malware that can 'list files and directories,' 'search for files,' 'enumerate drives,' 'gather file metadata,' or 'browse file systems' on compromised hosts.

Command and Control

4 techniques

T1090ProxyEvidence2

AuditCred can utilize proxy for communications... FunnyDream can identify and use configured proxies in a compromised network for C2 communication... Kapeka can identify system proxy settings via WinHttpGetIEProxyConfigForCurrentUser() during initialization and utilize these settings for subsequent command and control operations... PoshC2 contains modules that allow for use of proxies in command and control.

T1090.001Internal ProxyEvidence2

"APT41 used a tool called CLASSFON to covertly proxy network communications." / "BADCALL functions as a proxy server between the victim and C2 server." / "Sandworm Team's BCS-server tool can create an internal proxy server to redirect traffic..."

T1105Ingress Tool TransferEvidence2

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors that can "download files from C2," "download additional payloads," "upload and download files," "retrieve payloads from the C2 server," and "copy files to remote machines."

T1219Remote Access ToolsEvidence1

4H RAT has the capability to create a remote shell. AuditCred can open a reverse shell on the system to execute commands. PlugX allows actors to spawn a reverse shell on a victim. QuasarRAT can launch a remote shell to execute commands on the victim’s machine.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

20 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

20 SOURCESView more in app

mitre attack websiteNews

Apr 25, 2023

Process Injection, Technique T1055 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware capable of injecting code from files into other running processes.

mitre attack websiteNews

Oct 21, 2021

Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information, Technique T1140 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware that uses XOR and RC4 to decrypt code functions.

mitre attack websiteNews

Oct 21, 2021

Indicator Removal on Host: File Deletion, Sub-technique T1070.004 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Credential-focused malware/tool that can delete files from the system.

mitre attack websiteNews

Jan 1, 2021

Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information, Technique T1140 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware that uses XOR and RC4 to decrypt code functions.

+16 more in the timeline

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets match these IOCs, which detections are missing, which campaigns to expect next, and what to do in the next 30 minutes.

Start free trial

IOC matching

Match every observed IP, domain, and hash against your live telemetry.

Threat actor attribution1

Named campaigns wielding this family, with evidence pinned to each claim.

Exploited vulnerabilities

CVEs this family uses for access and lateral movement.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

MITRE ATT&CK mapping12

Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.

Researcher chatter

Reddit, Mastodon, and CTI community discussion around this family.

AuditCred

Also known asRoptimizer