Malware

KARAE

KARAE is malware that has been observed using public cloud-based storage providers for command-and-control communications. It was distributed to South Korean victims through torrent file-sharing websites, where it was disguised as or bundled with a YouTube video downloader application as a lure. The available content directly associates KARAE with abuse of legitimate cloud services for C2 and with torrent-based delivery targeting South Korean users. No additional high-confidence details on payload capabilities, specific operators, or indicators of compromise are provided in the source content.

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MITRE ATT&CK

Techniques & procedures

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

Initial Access

1 technique

T1189Drive-by CompromiseEvidence1

Discovery

1 technique

T1082System Information DiscoveryEvidence9

The content repeatedly describes malware and threat actors collecting OS version, computer name, architecture, CPU, memory, disk, BIOS, language, and other host details; examples include use of commands such as ver, systeminfo, hostname, uname -m, and WMI to gather host information.

Command and Control

3 techniques

T1102Web ServiceEvidence2

The adversaries had communicated to both Dropbox and Pastebin. APT28 has used Google Drive for C2. APT37 leverages social networking sites and cloud platforms (AOL, Twitter, Yandex, Mediafire, pCloud, Dropbox, and Box) for C2.

T1102.002Bidirectional CommunicationEvidence1

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."

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

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

4 SOURCESView more in app

mitre attack websiteNews

Oct 1, 2019

Web Service: Bidirectional Communication, Sub-technique T1102.002 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Backdoor that can use public cloud storage providers for command-and-control.

mitre attack websiteNews

Oct 1, 2019

Web Service: Bidirectional Communication, Sub-technique T1102.002 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware that uses public cloud-based storage providers for command and control.

mitre attackNews

Jan 25, 2026

Drive-by Compromise, Technique T1189 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware distributed via torrent sites using a trojanized YouTube downloader lure, targeting South Korean victims.

mitre attackNews

Jan 25, 2026

Drive-by Compromise, Technique T1189 - Enterprise | MITRE ATT&CK®

Malware distributed via torrent sites using a trojanized YouTube video downloader lure, targeting South Korean victims.

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IOC matching

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

Threat actor attribution

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 mapping5

Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.

Researcher chatter

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

KARAE