Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report
A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2026-01-09 15:06:49 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
n4tvf2.exe
Type
Generic CIL Executable (.NET, Mono, etc.)
SHA‑1
0fef222d01697b2536e7a7a9c55ae2e466537eac
MD5
b21fbf2d242d5f8072cd3ff61de25548
First Seen
2026-01-08 13:00:48.642224
Last Analysis
2026-01-08 13:06:36.642096
Dwell Time
0 days, 7 hours, 33 minutes
Extended Dwell Time Impact
For 5+ minutes, this malware was rapidly detected — demonstrating excellent security controls that intercepted the threat during initial execution phases, severely limiting adversary capabilities.
Comparative Context
Industry studies report a median dwell time closer to 21–24 days. This case represents extremely rapid detection within minutes.
Timeline
| Time (UTC) | Event | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-11 18:42:33 UTC | First VirusTotal submission | — |
| 2026-01-09 14:17:36 UTC | Latest analysis snapshot | 28 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes |
| 2026-01-09 15:06:49 UTC | Report generation time | 28 days, 20 hours, 24 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: 72. Detected as malicious: 51. Missed: 21. Coverage: 70.8%.
Detected Vendors
- Xcitium
- +50 additional vendors (names not provided)
List includes Xcitium plus an additional 50 vendors per the provided summary.
Missed Vendors
- Acronis
- Antiy-AVL
- Baidu
- CAT-QuickHeal
- CMC
- Cynet
- google_safebrowsing
- Gridinsoft
- Jiangmin
- MaxSecure
- Skyhigh
- SUPERAntiSpyware
- TACHYON
- tehtris
- Trapmine
- TrendMicro
- VBA32
- Webroot
- Yandex
- Zillya
- 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.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1129 – link function at runtime on Windows
- T1140 – decode data using Base64 in .NET
- T1562 – Tries to unhook or modify Windows functions monitored by CAPE
- T1562.001 – Tries to unhook or modify Windows functions monitored by CAPE
- T1539 – Touches a file containing cookies, possibly for information gathering
- T1082 – Checks available memory
- T1071 – Terminates another process
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 | 23.44.129.37 | United States | Akamai 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 |
DNS Queries
| Request | Type |
|---|---|
| 5isohu.com | A |
| www.msftncsi.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 |
Port Distribution
| Port | Count | Protocols |
|---|---|---|
| 137 | 1 | udp |
| 5355 | 5 | udp |
| 53 | 4 | udp |
| 3702 | 1 | udp |
UDP Packets
| Source IP | Dest IP | Sport | Dport | Time | Proto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192.168.56.13 | 192.168.56.255 | 137 | 137 | 3.2447519302368164 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 49311 | 5355 | 5.7337939739227295 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 55150 | 5355 | 3.1734941005706787 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 60010 | 5355 | 5.183799982070923 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 62406 | 5355 | 3.1758689880371094 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 224.0.0.252 | 63527 | 5355 | 4.112353086471558 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 239.255.255.250 | 52252 | 3702 | 3.182574987411499 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 54879 | 53 | 7.744445085525513 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.4.4 | 54881 | 53 | 6.679009914398193 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 54879 | 53 | 8.744468927383423 | udp |
| 192.168.56.13 | 8.8.8.8 | 54881 | 53 | 7.665954113006592 | 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
101
Registry Set
0
Services Started
3
Services Opened
2
Registry Opened (Top 25)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoCommonGroups |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\TreatAs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\CallForAttributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\RestrictedAttributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\InstallRoot |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Security_HKLM_only |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoPropertiesMyComputer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoInternetIcon |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\Attributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\FolderValueFlags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SessionInfo\1\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\LocalServer |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\OnlyUseLatestCLR |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\Elevation |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SessionInfo\1\Desktop\NameSpace |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\FolderValueFlags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\FolderValueFlags |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoControlPanel |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\InprocHandler32 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\AppID |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoInternetIcon |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\Interface\{4278CCC0-8710-543A-9036-F37DA6245536}\ProxyStubClsid32 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D} |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{4278CCC0-8710-543A-9036-F37DA6245536} |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoPropertiesRecycleBin |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\Attributes |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
Show all (101 total)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\EnablePunycode |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters\RpcCacheTimeout |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\Attributes |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoPropertiesMyComputer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\RestrictedAttributes |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\ActivateOnHostFlags |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Fod |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoCommonGroups |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SessionInfo\1 |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoPropertiesRecycleBin |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\CallForAttributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoSetFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\LocalServer32 |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\Interface\{4278CCC0-8710-543A-9036-F37DA6245536}\ProxyStubClsid32\(Default) |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\CreateUriCacheSize |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellCompatibility\Applications\software.exe |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoSetFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\DelegateFolders |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\CallForAttributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoControlPanel |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\ |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\ValidateRegItems |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\UseLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicyDefaultValue |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsSystemLauncherTestHooks |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\(Default) |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Advertised |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\Attributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\StorageDelegate |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\DelegateFolders\StorageDelegateSuppressionPolicy |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder\RestrictedAttributes |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\MonitorRegistry |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID\{95E15D0A-66E6-93D9-C53C-76E6219D3341}\InprocHandler |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\ErrorDialog |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes |
Registry Set (Top 25)
Services Started (Top 15)
| Service |
|---|
| lfsvc |
| WSearch |
| BITS |
Services Opened (Top 15)
| Service |
|---|
| VaultSvc |
| clipsvc |
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.