{"id":222662,"date":"2025-10-10T17:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T00:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=222662"},"modified":"2025-10-10T17:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T00:50:55","slug":"astaroth-banking-trojan-abusing-github-for-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/other-blogs\/mcafee-labs\/astaroth-banking-trojan-abusing-github-for-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"Astaroth: Banking Trojan Abusing GitHub for Resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>by Harshil Patel and Prabudh Chakravorty<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\"><strong>*EDITOR&#8217;S NOTE:<\/strong> Special thank you to the GitHub team for working with us on this research. All malicious GitHub repositories mentioned in the following research have been reported to GitHub and taken down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Digital banking has made our lives easier, but it&#8217;s also handed cybercriminals a golden opportunity. Banking trojans are the invisible pickpockets of the digital age, silently stealing credentials while you browse your bank account or check your crypto wallet. Today, we&#8217;re breaking down a particularly nasty variant called Astaroth, and it&#8217;s doing something clever: abusing GitHub to stay resilient.<\/p>\n<p>McAfee\u2019s Threat Research team recently uncovered a new Astaroth campaign that&#8217;s taken infrastructure abuse to a new level. Instead of relying solely on traditional command-and-control (C2) servers that can be taken down, these attackers are leveraging GitHub repositories to host malware configurations. When law enforcement or security researchers shut down their C2 infrastructure, Astaroth simply pulls fresh configurations from GitHub and keeps running. Think of it like a criminal who keeps backup keys to your house hidden around the neighborhood. Even if you change your locks, they&#8217;ve got another way in.<\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Key Findings<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McAfee recently discovered a new Astaroth campaign abusing GitHub to host malware configurations.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Infection begins with a phishing email containing a link that downloads a zipped Windows shortcut (.lnk) file. When executed, it installs Astaroth malware on the system.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Astaroth detects when users access a banking\/cryptocurrency website and steals the credentials using keylogging. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It sends the stolen information to the attacker using the Ngrok reverse proxy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Astaroth uses GitHub to update its configuration when the C2 servers become inaccessible, by hosting images on GitHub which uses steganography to hide this information in plain sight.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The GitHub repositories were reported to GitHub and are taken down.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Key Takeaways\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Don\u2019t open attachments and links in emails from unknown sources.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Use 2 factor authentication (2FA) on banking websites where possible.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Keep your antivirus up to date.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Geographical Prevalence<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Astaroth is capable of targeting many South American countries like Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Panama. It can also target Portugal and Italy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But in the recent campaign, it seems to be largely focused on Brazil.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-222663 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM-1024x660.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM-1024x660.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM-768x495.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM-200x129.png 200w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.14.16\u202fAM.png 1244w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW25415899 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">1<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW25415899 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Geographical Prevalence<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW25415899 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2880,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Conclusion<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Astaroth is a password-stealing malware family that targets South America. The malware leverages GitHub to host configuration files, treating the platform as resilient backup infrastructure when primary C2 servers become inaccessible. McAfee reported the findings to GitHub and worked with their security research team to remove the malicious repositories, temporarily disrupting operations.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Technical Analysis<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222678\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM-1024x787.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM-1024x787.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM-768x591.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM-168x129.png 168w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.18.50\u202fAM.png 1324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW162231054 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">2<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW162231054 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\"> : Infection chain<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW162231054 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2880,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Phishing Email<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The attack starts with an e-mail to the victim which contains a link to a site that downloads a zip file. Emails with themes such as DocuSign and resumes are used to lure the victims into downloading a zip file.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-222693 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.20.09\u202fAM-300x230.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.20.09\u202fAM-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.20.09\u202fAM-768x589.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.20.09\u202fAM-168x129.png 168w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.20.09\u202fAM.png 892w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Figure 3: Phishing Email<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-222708 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.08\u202fAM-300x210.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.08\u202fAM-300x210.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.08\u202fAM-768x539.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.08\u202fAM-184x129.png 184w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.08\u202fAM.png 918w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Figure 4: Phishing Email<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-222723 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.46\u202fAM-300x243.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.46\u202fAM-300x243.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.46\u202fAM-159x129.png 159w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.22.46\u202fAM.png 698w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Figure 5: Phishing Email<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">JavaScript Downloader<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The downloaded zip file contains a LNK file, which has obfuscated javascript command run using mshta.exe.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222738\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM-1024x241.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM-1024x241.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM-300x71.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM-768x181.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM-205x48.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.23.42\u202fAM.png 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This command simply fetches more javascript code from the following URL:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-222753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.24.56\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"948\" height=\"62\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.24.56\u202fAM.png 948w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.24.56\u202fAM-300x20.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.24.56\u202fAM-768x50.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.24.56\u202fAM-205x13.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To impede analysis, all the links are geo-restricted, such that they can only be accessed from the targeted geography.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The downloaded javascript then downloads a set of files in ProgramData from a randomly selected server:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-222768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.29\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"662\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.29\u202fAM.png 662w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.29\u202fAM-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.29\u202fAM-205x89.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM-1024x131.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM-1024x131.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM-300x38.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM-768x98.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM-205x26.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.40\u202fAM.png 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-222798\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.46\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"944\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.46\u202fAM.png 944w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.46\u202fAM-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.46\u202fAM-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.25.46\u202fAM-205x87.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 944px) 100vw, 944px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Figure 6: Downloaded Files<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Here,\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201dCorsair.Yoga.06342.8476.366.log\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is\u00a0 AutoIT compiled script, <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cCorsair.Yoga.06342.8476.366.exe\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is AutoIT interpreter,<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cstack.tmp\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is an encrypted payload (Astaroth),<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cdump.log\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is an encrypted malware configuration.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">AutoIt script is executed by javascript, which builds and loads a shellcode in the memory of AutoIT process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"TextRun SCXW148324796 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148324796 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 3\">Shellcode Analysis<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW148324796 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222815\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM-1024x296.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM-1024x296.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM-768x222.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM-205x59.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.29.10\u202fAM.png 1246w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW251553551 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">7<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW251553551 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: AutoIt script building shellcode<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The shellcode has 3 entrypoints and $LOADOFFSET is the one using which it loads a DLL in memory.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To run the shellcode the script hooks Kernel32: LocalCompact, and makes it jump to the entrypoint.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-1024x146.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-1024x146.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-300x43.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-768x110.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-1536x219.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM-205x29.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.32.15\u202fAM.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW13652326 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">8<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW13652326 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: Hooking LocalCompact API<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW13652326 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW183599181 BCX0\"><span class=\"SCXW183599181 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><br class=\"SCXW183599181 BCX0\" \/><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">Shellcode<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">\u2019s $LOADOFFSET <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">starts by resolving a set of API<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">s that are used for loading a DLL in mem<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">ory.<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">The<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\"> API addresses are stored <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">in a jump table <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">at the very be<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">ginning of the <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">shellcode memory<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW183599181 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW183599181 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-222845\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.34.29\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.34.29\u202fAM.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.34.29\u202fAM-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.34.29\u202fAM-768x389.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.34.29\u202fAM-205x104.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW221285761 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">9<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW221285761 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: APIs resolved by shellcode<\/span><\/span><\/em><span class=\"LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW221285761 BCX0\"><em><span class=\"SCXW221285761 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><br class=\"SCXW221285761 BCX0\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">Here shellcode is <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">made<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\"> to load a DLL file(Delphi) and t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">his DLL <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">de<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">crypts and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">inject<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\"> the final payload into <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">newly created <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">RegSvc.exe process<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW48939747 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW48939747 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Payload Analysis<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The payload, Astaroth malware is written in Delphi and uses various anti-analysis techniques and shuts down the system if it detects that it is being analyzed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It checks for the following tools in the system:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222860\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-1024x301.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-1024x301.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-768x226.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-1536x452.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM-205x60.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.38.12\u202fAM.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW72346893 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">10<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72346893 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: List of analysis tools<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW72346893 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It also makes sure that system locale is not related to the United States or English.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Every second it checks for program windows like browsers, if that window is in foreground and has a banking related site opened then it hooks keyboard events to get keystrokes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222875\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-1024x184.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-1024x184.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-300x54.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-768x138.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-1536x276.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM-205x37.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.39.05\u202fAM.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW120782655 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">11<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW120782655 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: Hooking keyboard events<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW120782655 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Programs are targeted if they have a window class name containing chrome, ieframe, mozilla, xoff, xdesk, xtrava or sunawtframe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Many banking-related sites are targeted, some of which are mentioned below:<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">caixa.gov.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">safra.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Itau.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">bancooriginal.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">santandernet.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">btgpactual.com<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We also observed some cryptocurrency-related sites being targeted:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">etherscan.io<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">binance.com<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">bitcointrade.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">metamask.io<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">foxbit.com.br<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">localbitcoins.com<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">C2 Communication &amp; Infrastructure<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The stolen banking credentials and other information are sent to C2 server using a custom binary protocol.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-222890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.40.55\u202fAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.40.55\u202fAM.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.40.55\u202fAM-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.40.55\u202fAM-768x473.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.40.55\u202fAM-205x126.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW20798464 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">12<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW20798464 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: C2 communication<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW20798464 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"TextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\">Astaroth<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\">\u2019s <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\">C2 infrastructure and malware configuration<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\">are<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92782423 BCX0\"> depicted below.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW92782423 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-1024x651.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-1024x651.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-768x489.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-1536x977.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM-203x129.png 203w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.52.21\u202fAM.png 1616w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW112939189 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">13<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW112939189 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: C2 infrastructure<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW112939189 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\">Malware config is <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\">store<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\">d<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\"> in dump.log encrypted, following is <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\">the information stored in it<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211410455 BCX0\">:<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW211410455 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222921\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-1024x328.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-1024x328.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-300x96.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-768x246.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-1536x492.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM-205x66.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.54.12\u202fAM.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span class=\"TextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">Figure <\/span><\/span><span class=\"FieldRange SCXW91356487 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">14<\/span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW91356487 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"caption\">: Malware configuration<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW91356487 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Every 2 hours the configuration is updated by fetching an image file from config update URLs and extracting the hidden configuration from the image.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hxxps:\/\/bit[.]ly\/4gf4E7H &#8212;&gt; <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hxxps:\/\/raw.githubusercontent[.]com\/\/dridex2024\/\/razeronline\/\/refs\/heads\/main\/razerlimpa[.]png<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Image file keeps the configuration hidden by storing it in the following format:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-222936\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM-1024x93.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"93\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM-1024x93.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM-300x27.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM-768x69.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM-205x19.png 205w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-09-at-9.55.16\u202fAM.png 1482w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We found more such GitHub repositories having image files with above pattern and reported them to GitHub, which they have taken down.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"3\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Persistence Mechanism\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For persistence, Astaroth drops a LNK file in startup folder which runs the AutoIT script to launch the malware when the system starts.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:2160,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">McAfee Coverage<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McAfee has extensive coverage for Astaroth:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Shortcut\/SuspiciousLNK.OSRT<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Shortcut\/Astaroth.OJS<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Script\/Astaroth.DL<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Script\/Astaroth.AI<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Script\/AutoITLoader.LC!2<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trojan:Shortcut\/Astaroth.STUP<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Indicator Of Compromise(s)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"font-weight: 400; height: 1643px;\" width=\"892\" data-tablestyle=\"MsoNormalTable\" data-tablelook=\"1184\" aria-rowcount=\"13\">\n<tbody>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"1\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">IOC<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hash \/ URL<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"2\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Email<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">7418ffa31f8a51a04274fc8f610fa4d5aa5758746617020ee57493546ae35b70<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">7609973939b46fe13266eacd1f06b533f8991337d6334c15ab78e28fa3b320be<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">11f0d7e18f9a2913d2480b6a6955ebc92e40434ad11bed62d1ff81ddd3dda945<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"3\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ZIP URL<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/91.220.167.72.host.secureserver[.]net\/peHg4yDUYgzNeAvm5.zip<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"4\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LNK<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">34207fbffcb38ed51cd469d082c0c518b696bac4eb61e5b191a141b5459669df<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"5\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JS Downloader<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">28515ea1ed7befb39f428f046ba034d92d44a075cc7a6f252d6faf681bdba39c<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"6\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Download server<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">clafenval.medicarium[.]help<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">sprudiz.medicinatramp[.]click<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">frecil.medicinatramp[.]beauty<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">stroal.medicoassocidos[.]beauty<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">strosonvaz.medicoassocidos[.]help<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">gluminal188.trovaodoceara[.]sbs<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">scrivinlinfer.medicinatramp[.]icu<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">trisinsil.medicesterium[.]help<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">brusar.trovaodoceara[.]autos<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">gramgunvel.medicoassocidos[.]beauty<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">blojannindor0.trovaodoceara[.]motorcycles<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"7\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">AutoIT compiled script<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a235d2e44ea87e5764c66247e80a1c518c38a7395291ce7037f877a968c7b42b<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"8\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Injector dll<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">db9d00f30e7df4d0cf10cee8c49ee59a6b2e518107fd6504475e99bbcf6cce34<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"9\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">payload<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">251cde68c30c7d303221207370c314362f4adccdd5db4533a67bedc2dc1e6195<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"10\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Startup LNK<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">049849998f2d4dd1e629d46446699f15332daa54530a5dad5f35cc8904adea43<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"11\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">C2 server<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1.tcp.sa.ngrok[.]io:20262<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">1.tcp.us-cal-1.ngrok[.]io:24521<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">5.tcp.ngrok[.]io:22934<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">7.tcp.ngrok[.]io:22426<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">9.tcp.ngrok[.]io:23955<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">9.tcp.ngrok[.]io:24080<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"12\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Config update URL<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/bit[.]ly\/49mKne9<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/bit[.]ly\/4gf4E7H<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/raw.githubusercontent[.]com\/dridex2024\/razeronline\/refs\/heads\/main\/razerlimpa.png<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr aria-rowindex=\"13\">\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">GitHub Repositories hosting config images<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/dridex2024\/razeronline<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/Config2023\/01atk-83567z<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/S20x\/m25<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/Tami1010\/base<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/balancinho1\/balaco<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/fernandolopes201\/675878fvfsv2231im2<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/polarbearfish\/fishbom<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/polarbearultra\/amendointorrado<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/projetonovo52\/master<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">https:\/\/github[.]com\/vaicurintha\/gol<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Harshil Patel and Prabudh Chakravorty *EDITOR&#8217;S NOTE: Special thank you to the GitHub team for working with us on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":695,"featured_media":156030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10661,442],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4136],"class_list":["post-222662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-security","category-mcafee-labs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Astaroth: Banking Trojan Abusing GitHub for Resilience | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"by Harshil Patel and Prabudh Chakravorty *EDITOR&#039;S NOTE: Special thank you to the GitHub team for working with us on this research. All malicious GitHub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Astaroth: Banking Trojan Abusing GitHub for Resilience | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Harshil Patel and Prabudh Chakravorty *EDITOR&#039;S NOTE: Special thank you to the GitHub team for working with us on this research. 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