Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report
A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2025-10-21 12:45:10 UTC
Executive Overview — What We’re Dealing With
This specimen has persisted long enough to matter. Human experts classified it as Malware, and the telemetry confirms a capable, evasive Trojan with real impact potential.
File
w4qbr6xf.exe
Type
PE32+ executable (GUI) x86-64, for MS Windows
SHA‑1
a5a8b4e5e20f3207b6b217f638728f8cdea04dc8
MD5
463b2f50d1211b6bef32d768b32f0891
First Seen
2025-09-14 13:48:20.787611
Last Analysis
2025-09-15 07:15:23.924559
Dwell Time
0 days, 7 hours, 33 minutes
Extended Dwell Time Impact
For 17+ hours, this malware remained undetected — a half-day window that permitted the adversary to complete initial execution, establish basic persistence, and perform initial system enumeration.
Comparative Context
Industry studies report a median dwell time closer to 21–24 days. This case represents rapid detection and containment within hours rather than days.
Timeline
| Time (UTC) | Event | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-03 19:44:38 UTC | First VirusTotal submission | — |
| 2025-09-19 06:46:51 UTC | Latest analysis snapshot | 15 days, 11 hours, 2 minutes |
| 2025-10-21 12:45:10 UTC | Report generation time | 47 days, 17 hours, 0 minutes |
Why It Matters
Every additional day of dwell time is not just an abstract number — it is attacker opportunity. Each day equates to more time for lateral movement, stealth persistence, and intelligence gathering.
Global Detection Posture — Who Caught It, Who Missed It
VirusTotal engines: 73. Detected as malicious: 61. Missed: 12. Coverage: 83.6%.
Detected Vendors
- Xcitium
- +60 additional vendors (names not provided)
List includes Xcitium plus an additional 60 vendors per the provided summary.
Missed Vendors
- Acronis
- Antiy-AVL
- Baidu
- CMC
- Jiangmin
- NANO-Antivirus
- SentinelOne
- TACHYON
- tehtris
- Trapmine
- ZoneAlarm
- Zoner
Why it matters: if any endpoint relies solely on a missed engine, this malware can operate with zero alerts. Prevention‑first controls close that gap regardless of signature lag.
Behavioral Storyline — How the Malware Operates
Dominant system-level operations (56.32% of behavior) suggest this malware performs deep system reconnaissance, privilege escalation, or core OS manipulation. It’s actively probing system defenses and attempting to gain administrative control.
Behavior Categories (weighted)
Weight values represent the frequency and intensity of malware interactions with specific system components. Higher weights indicate more aggressive targeting of that category. Each operation (registry access, file modification, network connection, etc.) contributes to the category’s total weight, providing a quantitative measure of the malware’s behavioral focus.
| Category | Weight | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| System | 361 | 56.32% |
| Registry | 183 | 28.55% |
| Device | 19 | 2.96% |
| Process | 18 | 2.81% |
| File System | 18 | 2.81% |
| Network | 17 | 2.65% |
| Com | 9 | 1.40% |
| Misc | 5 | 0.78% |
| Synchronization | 4 | 0.62% |
| Threading | 3 | 0.47% |
| Hooking | 2 | 0.31% |
| Services | 2 | 0.31% |
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1027 – encode data using XOR
- T1614 – get geographical location
- T1082 – query environment variable
- T1129 – parse PE header
- T1027 – reference Base64 string
- T1083 – get file size
- T1129 – link function at runtime on Windows
- T1027 – encode data using Base64
- T1083 – enumerate files on Windows
- T1071 – HTTP traffic contains suspicious features which may be indicative of malware related traffic
- T1071 – Attempts to connect to a dead IP:Port
- T1071 – Yara detections observed in process dumps, payloads or dropped files
- T1071 – Performs HTTP requests potentially not found in PCAP.
- T1129 – The process tried to load dynamically one or more functions.
- T1082 – Queries for the computername
- T1059 – Apparent Internal Usage of CMD.EXE
- T1063 – It Tries to detect injection methods
- T1124 – Potential time zone aware malware
- T1082 – Queries the volume information (name, serial number etc) of a device
- T1095 – Posts data to webserver
- T1071 – Posts data to webserver
Following the Trail — Network & DNS Activity
Outbound activity leans on reputable infrastructure (e.g., CDNs, cloud endpoints) to blend in. TLS sessions and
HTTP calls show routine beaconing and IP‑lookup behavior that can masquerade as normal browsing.
Contacted Domains
| Domain | IP | Country | ASN/Org |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.msftncsi.com | 23.200.3.20 | United States | Akamai Technologies, Inc. |
| www.aieov.com | 13.248.169.48 | United States | Amazon Technologies Inc. |
Observed IPs
| IP | Country | ASN/Org |
|---|---|---|
| 224.0.0.252 | — | — |
| 239.255.255.250 | — | — |
| 8.8.4.4 | United States | Google LLC |
| 8.8.8.8 | United States | Google LLC |
| 91.196.32.97 | Russian Federation | Germany, Frankfurt |
DNS Queries
| Request | Type |
|---|---|
| 5isohu.com | A |
| www.msftncsi.com | A |
| www.aieov.com | A |
Contacted IPs
| IP | Country | ASN/Org |
|---|---|---|
| 224.0.0.252 | — | — |
| 239.255.255.250 | — | — |
| 8.8.4.4 | United States | Google LLC |
| 8.8.8.8 | United States | Google LLC |
| 91.196.32.97 | Russian Federation | Germany, Frankfurt |
Port Distribution
| Port | Count | Protocols |
|---|---|---|
| 137 | 1 | udp |
| 5355 | 6 | udp |
| 53 | 8 | udp |
| 3702 | 1 | udp |
UDP Packets
| Source IP | Dest IP | Sport | Dport | Time | Proto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192.168.56.13 | 192.168.56.255 | 137 | 137 | 3.244220018386841 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 49311 | 5355 | 5.548276901245117 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 54881 | 5355 | 5.757045030593872 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 55150 | 5355 | 3.174989938735962 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 60010 | 5355 | 5.183265924453735 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 62406 | 5355 | 3.1847498416900635 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 63527 | 5355 | 4.824873924255371 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 239.255.255.250 | 52252 | 3702 | 3.195039987564087 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 54879 | 53 | 7.399760007858276 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 58697 | 53 | 7.767736911773682 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 62493 | 53 | 37.13471698760986 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 62849 | 53 | 22.74405598640442 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 54879 | 53 | 8.38434886932373 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 58697 | 53 | 8.759814977645874 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 62493 | 53 | 36.135254859924316 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 62849 | 53 | 21.744958877563477 | udp |
Hunting tip: alert on unknown binaries initiating TLS to IP‑lookup services or unusual CDN endpoints — especially early in execution.
Persistence & Policy — Registry and Services
Registry and service telemetry points to policy awareness and environment reconnaissance rather than noisy persistence. Below is a compact view of the most relevant keys and handles; expand to see the full lists where available.
Registry Opened
255
Registry Set
3
Services Started
0
Services Opened
0
Registry Opened (Top 25)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ZoneMap\Ranges\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4\Flags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3\1A10 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\1 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\2\Flags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters\RpcCacheTimeout |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyServer |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyOverride |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\1 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttpLowerCaseHost |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\IntranetName |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\MigrateProxy |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProxyBypass |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3\Flags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\SystemSetupInProgress |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Security_HKLM_only |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
Show all (255 total)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyEnable |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0\Flags |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\UNCAsIntranet |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\1 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1\Flags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\0 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ZoneMap\Ranges\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\AutoConfigURL |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\AutoDetect |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\ |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\AutoDetect |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\4 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Lockdown_Zones\0 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\4 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp\AutoProxyAutoLogonIfChallenged |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_SCH_SEND_AUX_RECORD_KB_2618444 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_EXCLUDE_INVALID_CLIENT_CERT_KB929477 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISABLE_UNICODE_HANDLE_CLOSING_CALLBACK |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_PERMIT_CACHE_FOR_AUTHENTICATED_FTP_KB910274 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\Extensible Cache |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_FIX_CHUNKED_PROXY_SCRIPT_DOWNLOAD_KB843289 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\RETRY_HEADERONLYPOST_ONCONNECTIONRESET |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ALWAYS_USE_DNS_FOR_SPN_KB3022771 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{D9DC8A3B-B784-432E-A781-5A1130A75963}\PropertyBag |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Rpc\Extensions |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\GRE_Initialize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_BYPASS_CACHE_FOR_CREDPOLICY_KB936611 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_BUFFERBREAKING_818408 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\ComputerName\ActiveComputerName |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2B0F765D-C0E9-4171-908E-08A611B84FF6}\PropertyBag |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\LocalServer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_INCLUDE_PORT_IN_SPN_KB908209 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_COMPAT_USE_CONNECTION_BASED_NEGOTIATE_AUTH_KB2151543 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173} |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\Cookies |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{352481E8-33BE-4251-BA85-6007CAEDCF9D}\PropertyBag |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Security |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PeerDist\Service |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISABLE_NOTIFY_UNVERIFIED_SPN_KB2385266 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\RestartManager |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\OSDATA\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\Elevation |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters\dnscache |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Rpc |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Containers |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{a168aadc-1674-49da-ad4f-4f27df8760d0}\ProxyStubClsid32 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\Tracing |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OLEAUT |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_LOCALMACHINE_LOCKDOWN |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ALLOW_REVERSE_SOLIDUS_IN_USERINFO_KB932562 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_PRESERVE_SPACES_IN_FILENAMES_KB952730 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_SCH_SEND_AUX_RECORD_KB_2618444 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ENABLE_PASSPORT_SESSION_STORE_KB948608 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISABLE_NOTIFY_UNVERIFIED_SPN_KB2385266 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_URI_DISABLECACHE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AppModel\Lookaside\machine |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\InprocServer32 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\History |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Security |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ENABLE_TOKEN_BINDING |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2B0F765D-C0E9-4171-908E-08A611B84FF6} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_IGNORE_MAPPINGS_FOR_CREDPOLICY |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-21-1070296143-2877979003-364783958-1001 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\software.exe |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Winsock\Setup Migration\Providers\Tcpip6 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_MIME_HANDLING |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_IGNORE_MAPPINGS_FOR_CREDPOLICY |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_IGNORE_POLICIES_ZONEMAP_IF_ESC_ENABLED_KB918915 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_UTF8_FOR_BASIC_AUTH_KB967545 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{D9DC8A3B-B784-432E-A781-5A1130A75963} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Ole\FeatureDevelopmentProperties |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ALWAYS_USE_DNS_FOR_SPN_KB3022771 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Segment Heap |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISALLOW_NULL_IN_RESPONSE_HEADERS |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\PolicyExtensions |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\COM3 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{F1B32785-6FBA-4FCF-9D55-7B8E7F157091} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{F1B32785-6FBA-4FCF-9D55-7B8E7F157091}\PropertyBag |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ZONES_CHECK_ZONEMAP_POLICY_KB941001 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_IETLDLIST_FOR_DOMAIN_DETERMINATION |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\Content |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_BYPASS_CACHE_FOR_CREDPOLICY_KB936611 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ALLOW_REVERSE_SOLIDUS_IN_USERINFO_KB932562 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\InprocHandler32 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{352481E8-33BE-4251-BA85-6007CAEDCF9D} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Ole |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\LanguageOverlay\OverlayPackages\en-US |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_EXCLUDE_INVALID_CLIENT_CERT_KB929477 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock\Parameters |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{A168AADC-1674-49DA-AD4F-4F27DF8760D0} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Security |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ZONES_CHECK_ZONEMAP_POLICY_KB941001 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{5E6C858F-0E22-4760-9AFE-EA3317B67173}\PropertyBag |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\AppCompat |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\PolicyExtensions\TenantRestrictionsPlugin.dll |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_INCLUDE_PORT_IN_SPN_KB908209 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\RETRY_HEADERONLYPOST_ONCONNECTIONRESET |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_HTTP_USERNAME_PASSWORD_DISABLE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISALLOW_NULL_IN_RESPONSE_HEADERS |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SessionInfo\1 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_IETLDLIST_FOR_DOMAIN_DETERMINATION |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SessionInfo\1\KnownFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\LocalServer32 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_SKIP_POST_RETRY_ON_INTERNETWRITEFILE_KB895954 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_HTTP_USERNAME_PASSWORD_DISABLE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock\Setup Migration\Providers |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide\AssemblyStorageRoots |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_RETURN_FAILED_CONNECT_CONTENT_KB942615 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\SdbUpdates |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_CNAME_FOR_SPN_KB911149 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\SdbUpdates\ManifestedMergeStubSdbs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_MIME_HANDLING |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\TreatAs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OLE |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_FIX_CHUNKED_PROXY_SCRIPT_DOWNLOAD_KB843289 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DIGEST_NO_EXTRAS_IN_URI |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ENABLE_TOKEN_BINDING |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_UTF8_FOR_BASIC_AUTH_KB967545 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\KnownFolderSettings |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_PRESERVE_SPACES_IN_FILENAMES_KB952730 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_COMPAT_USE_CONNECTION_BASED_NEGOTIATE_AUTH_KB2151543 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_USE_CNAME_FOR_SPN_KB911149 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Security |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_LOCALMACHINE_LOCKDOWN |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AppModel\Lookaside\user |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_BUFFERBREAKING_818408 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_URI_DISABLECACHE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies\Microsoft\Cryptography\Configuration |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_SKIP_POST_RETRY_ON_INTERNETWRITEFILE_KB895954 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_IGNORE_POLICIES_ZONEMAP_IF_ESC_ENABLED_KB918915 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_PERMIT_CACHE_FOR_AUTHENTICATED_FTP_KB910274 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\3 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\TenantRestrictions\Payload |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Winsock\Setup Migration\Providers\Tcpip |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\2 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_RETURN_FAILED_CONNECT_CONTENT_KB942615 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\software.exe |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DISABLE_UNICODE_HANDLE_CLOSING_CALLBACK |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{057EEE47-2572-4AA1-88D7-60CE2149E33C}\InprocHandler |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DIGEST_NO_EXTRAS_IN_URI |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows |
Registry Set (Top 25)
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-575823232-3065301323-1442773979-1000\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Connections\SavedLegacySettings | 46 00 00 00 04 01 00 00 03 00 00 00 14 00 00 00 65 78 74 72 61 63 74 6F 72 2E 70 72 6F 78 79 3A 38 30 38 30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 D0 5C 01 4D C1 D5 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |
| HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-575823232-3065301323-1442773979-1000\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyServer | %HTTP_PROXY%:8080 |
| HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-575823232-3065301323-1442773979-1000\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyEnable | 1 |
Services Started (Top 15)
Services Opened (Top 15)
What To Do Now — Practical Defense Playbook
- Contain unknowns: block first‑run binaries by default — signatures catch up, containment works now.
- EDR controls: alert on keyboard hooks, screen capture APIs, VM/sandbox checks, and command‑shell launches.
- Registry watch: flag queries/sets under policy paths (e.g., …\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\*).
- Network rules: inspect outbound TLS to IP‑lookup services and unexpected CDN endpoints.
- Hunt broadly: sweep endpoints for the indicators above and quarantine positives immediately.
Dwell time equals attacker opportunity. Reducing execution privileges and egress shrinks that window even when vendors disagree.