Malware

Mehcrypt

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

MITRE ATT&CK

Techniques & procedures

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

Execution

2 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1059Command and Scripting InterpreterEvidence1

The threat arrives as an archive file containing autoit.exe and a heavily obfuscated, randomly named .au3 script. Opening the archive file launches autoit.exe, which decodes the .au3 script in memory.

Persistence

2 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

Privilege Escalation

3 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1055.012Process HollowingEvidence1

After adding persistence mechanisms, the script then loads malicious code into VBC.exe via process hollowing and connects to a C2 server to listen for commands. Based on the C2 response, the script loads its cryptojacking code into notepad.exe, likewise via process hollowing.

T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

Stealth

3 techniques

T1027Obfuscated Files or InformationEvidence1

The threat arrives as an archive file containing autoit.exe and a heavily obfuscated, randomly named .au3 script... the script further decodes several layers of obfuscation and loads additional decoded scripts in memory.

T1055.012Process HollowingEvidence1

T1218System Binary Proxy ExecutionEvidence1

recent cryptojackers have become stealthier, leveraging living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins) to evade detection.

Impact

1 technique

T1496Resource HijackingEvidence1

The three most common approaches used by cryptojackers are the following: Executable... Browser-based... Fileless... These cryptojackers perform mining in a device’s memory and achieve persistence by misusing legitimate tools and LOLBins.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

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

1 SOURCESView more in app

microsoft generalNews

Aug 18, 2022

Hardware-based threat defense against increasingly complex cryptojackers | Microsoft Security Blog

A cryptojacker/coin miner that arrives in an archive containing autoit.exe and an obfuscated .au3 script, decodes multiple layers in memory, establishes persistence via scheduled tasks and autostart registry entries, performs process hollowing into VBC.exe and notepad.exe, connects to a C2 server for commands, and then runs mining code that drives sustained high CPU utilization.

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.

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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 mapping7

Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.

Researcher chatter

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

Back to malware

Malware

Mehcrypt

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

MITRE ATT&CK

Techniques & procedures

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

Execution

2 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1059Command and Scripting InterpreterEvidence1

Persistence

2 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

Privilege Escalation

3 techniques

T1053Scheduled Task/JobEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

T1055.012Process HollowingEvidence1

T1547.001Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderEvidence1

The script creates a scheduled task to delete the original files and adds autostart registry entries to run the script every time the device starts.

Stealth

3 techniques

T1027Obfuscated Files or InformationEvidence1

T1055.012Process HollowingEvidence1

T1218System Binary Proxy ExecutionEvidence1

recent cryptojackers have become stealthier, leveraging living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins) to evade detection.

Impact

1 technique

T1496Resource HijackingEvidence1

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

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

1 SOURCESView more in app

microsoft generalNews

Aug 18, 2022

Hardware-based threat defense against increasingly complex cryptojackers | Microsoft Security Blog

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

Start free trial

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 mapping7

Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.

Researcher chatter

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