Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report
A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2025-09-05 10:49:03 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
NOST.exe
Type
PE32+ executable (GUI) x86-64 (stripped to external PDB), for MS Windows
SHA‑1
7a2e87a6bb0e78861d9d1085a00741b89c5788da
MD5
273049ebd2f34acedc3e0ec798866951
First Seen
2025-08-26 00:25:01.158319
Last Analysis
2025-08-26 11:53:14.118262
Dwell Time
0 days, 11 hours, 28 minutes
Extended Dwell Time Impact
For 11+ hours, this malware remained undetected — a several-hour window that allowed the adversary to complete initial compromise and begin early-stage persistence establishment.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-25 22:22:23 UTC | First VirusTotal submission | — |
| 2025-08-29 09:10:42 UTC | Latest analysis snapshot | 3 days, 10 hours, 48 minutes |
| 2025-09-05 10:49:03 UTC | Report generation time | 10 days, 12 hours, 26 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: 46. Missed: 27. Coverage: 63.0%.
Detected Vendors
- Xcitium
- +45 additional vendors (names not provided)
List includes Xcitium plus an additional 45 vendors per the provided summary.
Missed Vendors
- Acronis
- AhnLab-V3
- Alibaba
- Antiy-AVL
- APEX
- Baidu
- ClamAV
- CMC
- Gridinsoft
- huorong
- Jiangmin
- Microsoft
- Panda
- SentinelOne
- SUPERAntiSpyware
- TACHYON
- tehtris
- Trapmine
- TrendMicro
- VBA32
- VirIT
- ViRobot
- Webroot
- Yandex
- Zillya
- 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 (88.89% 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 | 104 | 88.89% |
| Process | 5 | 4.27% |
| Threading | 3 | 2.56% |
| Registry | 2 | 1.71% |
| Misc | 1 | 0.85% |
| File System | 1 | 0.85% |
| Device | 1 | 0.85% |
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1027 – encrypt data using AES via x86 extensions
- T1129 – parse PE header
- T1129 – access PEB ldr_data
- T1129 – get kernel32 base address
- T1071 – The PE file contains an overlay
- T1071 – Yara detections observed in process dumps, payloads or dropped files
- T1027 – The binary contains an unknown PE section name indicative of packing
- T1027.002 – The binary contains an unknown PE section name indicative of packing
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 | 23.200.3.27 | 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192.168.56.11 | 192.168.56.255 | 137 | 137 | 8.079113006591797 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 224.0.0.252 | 49563 | 5355 | 8.006962060928345 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 224.0.0.252 | 51899 | 5355 | 12.115921974182129 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 224.0.0.252 | 54650 | 5355 | 8.008995056152344 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 224.0.0.252 | 55601 | 5355 | 10.57056999206543 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 224.0.0.252 | 60205 | 5355 | 8.017416000366211 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 239.255.255.250 | 62184 | 3702 | 8.014348030090332 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 8.8.4.4 | 51690 | 53 | 14.91746211051941 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 8.8.4.4 | 62798 | 53 | 10.578418016433716 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 8.8.8.8 | 51690 | 53 | 15.927937030792236 | udp |
| 192.168.56.11 | 8.8.8.8 | 62798 | 53 | 11.578613996505737 | 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
78
Registry Set
0
Services Started
0
Services Opened
0
Registry Opened (Top 25)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize\AppsUseLightTheme |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\Enabled |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\MDMEnabled |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\STE |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\ResourcePolicies |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\SmartCardRoot\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\SmartCardRoot |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates\CA |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\CRLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates\Disallowed |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\SmartCardRoot\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\CTLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\AuthRoot\CRLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\CTLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates\trust |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WBEM\CIMOM |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\Certificates |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Classes\Local Settings\MuiCache |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\CTLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\CRLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\CRLs |
Show all (78 total)
| Key |
|---|
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\WBEM\CIMOM |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\AuthRoot |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\CRLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\SmartCardRoot\Certificates |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\SmartCardRoot |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates\Root |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\CTLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\Certificates |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople\CTLs |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Classes\Local Settings\MuiCache\3e\52C64B7E |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\Certificates |
| \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-20\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust\CRLs |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\EnterpriseCertificates\TrustedPeople |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\AuthRoot\CTLs |
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.