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- Sep 19, 2026
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Ramsay is a Windows malware framework associated with espionage operations against air-gapped or otherwise isolated networks.
Profile source: Mallory opens in a new tabRamsay
Ramsay is a Windows malware framework associated with espionage operations against air-gapped or otherwise isolated networks. It is designed to collect documents and system information from compromised hosts and to move commands and stolen data through offline channels rather than relying primarily on conventional network command-and-control. Public reporting has linked Ramsay to operations attributed to DarkHotel.
Ramsay has been delivered through malicious email attachments and weaponized documents, including embedded Visual Basic script content and exploits such as CVE-2017-0199 and CVE-2017-11882. It has also masqueraded as legitimate software installers. The framework can extract an embedded agent from a malicious document and execute additional components through standard Windows process-launching APIs.
A defining characteristic of Ramsay is its focus on environments with limited or no internet connectivity. It can scan removable media and network shares for specially prepared files used as an offline control channel, then read instructions from those files to execute commands. Its documented offline protocol supports actions including executing files, loading DLLs, and running batch scripts. Ramsay also scans local subnets for hosts vulnerable to CVE-2017-0144, although no observed component has been shown exploiting that vulnerability directly.
On infected Windows systems, Ramsay performs host and network reconnaissance by enumerating running processes and collecting network configuration details using native utilities and APIs. It can gather routing and ARP information, identify network drives, and search for documents of intelligence value. Document collection has included Microsoft Word files and other common office and text formats, including files recovered from browser cache locations. Ramsay also supports screenshot capture at regular intervals and when removable storage is connected, reinforcing its surveillance role in disconnected environments.
For persistence and stealth, Ramsay has used scheduled tasks through the Windows COM API, Registry Run keys, and DLL side-loading or dependency hijacking with malicious DLL payloads. It has also been observed using reflective DLL injection to deploy components and UACMe to obtain elevated privileges. Its communications and data handling have included Base64 encoding for command-and-control traffic in connected scenarios. Overall, Ramsay is best characterized as an espionage-oriented collection platform tailored for Windows systems in segmented or air-gapped networks.
C2 tracking
Derp observations, rolling seven-day window
Samples
Reported operators
安全厂商ESET 近日又披露了该组织新恶意框架Ramsay,Ramsay 框架是疑似专门用于针对隔离网络的恶意代码,主要通过感染正常软件进行传播,同时与常规恶意软件基于网络协议的C2 不同,Ramsay 框架采用的是自定义的文件传输控制指令,当扫描到被带入隔离网络的感染文件,则从文件特定位置读取指令执行。
Exploited software
MITRE ATT&CK
Reporting
Splunk published a Windows endpoint analytic that detects suspicious child processes launched by consent.exe, a behavior strongly associated with User Account Control (UAC) bypass and privilege escalation. Because consent.exe normally displays the UAC elevation prompt rather than spawning executables, the detection treats such process creation as anomalous, excluding WerFault.exe as a known crash-related exception. The analytic maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques T1548.002, T1068, and T1059, and is designed for telemetry from Sysmon, Windows Security Event ID 4688, and CrowdStrike ProcessRollup2 data normalized into Splunk's Endpoint data model. The release aligns with MITRE ATT&CK documentation showing UAC bypass remains a widely used post-compromise technique across ransomware operators, commodity malware, and state-linked intrusion groups. ATT&CK lists methods including COM abuse through CMSTPLUA, scheduled task abuse such as SilentCleanup, registry hijacks involving ms-settings and mscfile, and abuse of trusted Windows binaries including fodhelper.exe, eventvwr.exe, and sdclt.exe. Splunk also published supporting attack simulation data for suspicious child processes of consent.exe, giving defenders a way to test visibility for this privilege-escalation pattern, although the analytic is disabled by default and generates intermediate risk events rather than direct notable alerts.
eSentire reported that a June 2026 intrusion against a finance-sector customer began with a ClickFix-style social engineering lure that triggered a malicious command, an MSI installer, and a multi-stage malware chain attributed to TAG-150. The infection sequence used an apparently AI-generated PowerShell script, Griffin20.ps1, to install the Deno runtime and launch the Deno-based loader DinDoor, which then deployed DenoRAT and ultimately NightshadeC2. Investigators said the malware communicated with command-and-control infrastructure including webstizkgao[.]com and used hard-coded JWTs carrying campaign identifiers such as buildId 0def066f14754be9 and buildNote LearnV7msi. The tooling provided broad post-compromise capability, with DenoRAT functioning as a RAT, loader, and stealer that supported command execution, persistence, host fingerprinting, file operations, screenshots, PTY and VNC-style remote control, and theft from browsers and cryptocurrency wallets. eSentire said the malware could also bypass Chromium App-Bound Encryption through DLL injection, a technique widely associated with in-memory execution, evasion, and abuse of legitimate Windows processes in ATT&CK T1055.001. The final NightshadeC2 payload was delivered through a PowerShell-driven Python in-memory loader, decrypted from an encrypted container using AES-256-CBC with a key derived from MoscauHighSmoke, and reflectively mapped into a Python process before the affected host was isolated and remediated.
Researchers reported multiple financially motivated malware campaigns using SmokeLoader as a delivery mechanism for follow-on payloads including Gozi ISFB, ZLoader, Oski, AveMaria, Cobalt Strike, SystemBC, RecordBreaker, and the Laplas Clipper cryptocurrency hijacker. In one campaign set, attackers abused website contact forms and sent phishing lures posing as copyright complaints, directing victims to malicious documents hosted on legitimate services such as Google Drive. Talos found the initial payloads were wrapped in a shared crypter identified by the DOS-stub string "Salfram," indicating a common tooling layer across otherwise varied malware deliveries. The activity relied on evasive and modular infection chains designed to complicate detection and maximize monetization. The Salfram crypter used obfuscation methods including fake API calls, fragmented control flow, self-modifying code, and memory allocation through ZwAllocateVirtualMemory, while later-stage malware added persistence and theft capabilities. Cyble said Laplas Clipper monitored the clipboard for cryptocurrency wallet addresses, pulled regex patterns and replacement addresses from clipper[.]guru, and persisted by copying itself into %appdata% and creating a scheduled task that ran every minute. The combined use of phishing, legitimate hosting platforms, crypter-based obfuscation, and multi-payload delivery shows an adaptable criminal ecosystem built to steal credentials, proxy access, banking data, and cryptocurrency funds.
ESET disclosed KryptoCibule, a previously undocumented malware family active since at least late 2018 that primarily targeted users in Czechia and Slovakia through malicious torrents posing as cracked software installers. The malware combined several cryptocurrency-focused functions: it mined coins on infected systems, monitored the clipboard to replace copied wallet addresses and redirect payments, searched for cryptocurrency wallets and related files for exfiltration, and also exposed remote-access trojan (RAT) capabilities. The campaign relied heavily on Tor and BitTorrent infrastructure and either bundled or fetched legitimate tools including Tor, Transmission, Apache httpd, and Buru SFTP Server to support command-and-control and data theft through onion services hosted on compromised machines. ESET said KryptoCibule used layered evasion and persistence measures, including obfuscation, masquerading as Adobe Reader components, scheduled tasks, Windows Defender exclusions, firewall rule changes, and checks for analysis tools and antivirus products; although only hundreds of victims were observed, the malware remained active and continued to gain new capabilities.
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