5e0bc05f167914a11855c7cde0510b50523c1b3d


Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report

A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2025-09-18 06:48:54 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
cnmpaui.dll
Type
Win64 Executable (generic)
SHA‑1
5e0bc05f167914a11855c7cde0510b50523c1b3d
MD5
c412a6e9fe40c893f4d83907f42a99bd
First Seen
2025-09-05 07:18:14.299364
Last Analysis
2025-09-05 10:02:32.926709
Dwell Time
0 days, 7 hours, 33 minutes

Extended Dwell Time Impact

For 2+ hours, this malware remained undetected — a limited but sufficient window for the adversary to complete initial execution and establish basic system access.

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
2025-03-06 18:16:54 UTC First VirusTotal submission
2025-09-09 07:28:19 UTC Latest analysis snapshot 186 days, 13 hours, 11 minutes
2025-09-18 06:48:54 UTC Report generation time 195 days, 12 hours, 32 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: 48. Missed: 25. Coverage: 65.8%.

Detected Vendors

  • Xcitium
  • +47 additional vendors (names not provided)

List includes Xcitium plus an additional 47 vendors per the provided summary.

Missed Vendors

  • Acronis
  • Alibaba
  • Antiy-AVL
  • Avira
  • Baidu
  • ClamAV
  • CMC
  • DrWeb
  • F-Secure
  • google_safebrowsing
  • Gridinsoft
  • huorong
  • Jiangmin
  • Kingsoft
  • NANO-Antivirus
  • SentinelOne
  • SUPERAntiSpyware
  • TACHYON
  • tehtris
  • Trapmine
  • VBA32
  • VirIT
  • Webroot
  • Yandex
  • 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 (46.03% 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 29 46.03%
Process 14 22.22%
File System 10 15.87%
Registry 8 12.70%
Misc 2 3.17%

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

  • T1082 – query environment variable
  • T1082 – get memory capacity
  • T1082 – get number of processors
  • T1083 – enumerate files on Windows
  • T1129 – access PEB ldr_data
  • T1129 – parse PE header
  • T1129 – link function at runtime on Windows
  • T1129 – link many functions at runtime
  • T1027 – encrypt data using RC4 PRGA
  • T1027 – encode data using XOR
  • T1082 – get system information on Windows
  • T1071 – Adversaries may communicate using application layer protocols to avoid detection/network filtering by blending in with existing traffic.
  • T1027 – Adversaries may attempt to make an executable or file difficult to discover or analyze by encrypting, encoding, or otherwise obfuscating its contents on the system or in transit.
  • T1027.002 – Adversaries may perform software packing or virtual machine software protection to conceal their code.
  • T1574.002 – Tries to load missing DLLs
  • T1218.011 – Runs a DLL by calling functions
  • T1497 – Contains medium sleeps (>= 30s)
  • T1056 – Creates a DirectInput object (often for capturing keystrokes)
  • T1082 – Reads software policies

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.aieov.com 76.223.54.146 United States Amazon.com, Inc.
www.msftncsi.com 23.200.3.20 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
www.msftncsi.com A
5isohu.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

Port Distribution

Port Count Protocols
137 1 udp
138 1 udp
5355 5 udp
53 28 udp
3702 1 udp

UDP Packets

Source IP Dest IP Sport Dport Time Proto
192.168.56.11 192.168.56.255 137 137 3.2444939613342285 udp
192.168.56.11 192.168.56.255 138 138 9.244473934173584 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 49563 5355 3.1730599403381348 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 54650 5355 3.1776058673858643 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 55601 5355 3.9537458419799805 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 60205 5355 3.1835989952087402 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 62798 5355 5.735047817230225 udp
192.168.56.11 239.255.255.250 62184 3702 3.1813948154449463 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51628 53 112.15055990219116 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51663 53 173.4942388534546 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51690 53 6.526549816131592 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51899 53 5.7445068359375 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 56213 53 36.24369287490845 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 56473 53 97.79079985618591 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 58917 53 79.54068088531494 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 59770 53 50.8220489025116 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 60334 53 126.52540898323059 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 61507 53 144.77497386932373 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 62120 53 159.13431191444397 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 62329 53 65.18199801445007 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 63439 53 21.88472890853882 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 63550 53 191.74379587173462 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51628 53 111.15022397041321 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51663 53 172.49464893341064 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51690 53 7.525312900543213 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51899 53 6.74393892288208 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 56213 53 35.24421691894531 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 56473 53 96.79211497306824 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 58917 53 78.54113984107971 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 59770 53 49.82361698150635 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 60334 53 125.5378189086914 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 61507 53 143.77563285827637 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 62120 53 158.134831905365 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 62329 53 64.18302202224731 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 63439 53 20.884891033172607 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 63550 53 190.74517488479614 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

40

Registry Set

0

Services Started

0

Services Opened

0

Registry Opened (Top 25)

Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\GRE_Initialize\DisableMetaFiles
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\GRE_Initialize\DisableUmpdBufferSizeCheck
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\GRE_Initialize
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize\AppsUseLightTheme
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Disable8And16BitMitigation
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Segment Heap
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Display
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AppModel\Lookaside\Packages
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\OLEAUT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Safer\CodeIdentifiers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\system\CurrentControlSet\control\NetworkProvider\ProviderOrder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\cmd.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\system\CurrentControlSet\control\NetworkProvider\HwOrder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Ole\FeatureDevelopmentProperties
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies\Microsoft\Cryptography\Configuration
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\DllNXOptions
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsStore
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\MUI\UILanguages\en-US
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\CustomLocale
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Wow64\x86\xtajit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\GRE_Initialize
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\OLE
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\CTF\Compatibility\rundll32.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Wow64\x86
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\LanguageOverlay\OverlayPackages\en-US
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\MUI\Settings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\OLE\Tracing
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\rundll32.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Ole
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Show all (40 total)

Registry Set (Top 25)

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.

Scroll to Top