Lynx Ransomware Sample Exhibiting Dropper And Injector Behavior


Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report

A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2026-01-09 15:07:18 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
28lap7.exe
Type
Generic CIL Executable (.NET, Mono, etc.)
SHA‑1
1a48db34a4f269d65ef7b081106750d6532ce978
MD5
d15fa4c71c3026fb3965e5609eae62c2
First Seen
2026-01-08 12:59:28.075813
Last Analysis
2026-01-08 13:06:36.751740
Dwell Time
0 days, 7 hours, 33 minutes

Extended Dwell Time Impact

For 7+ 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
2025-12-06 23:19:59 UTC First VirusTotal submission
2026-01-09 14:18:04 UTC Latest analysis snapshot 33 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes
2026-01-09 15:07:18 UTC Report generation time 33 days, 15 hours, 47 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: 52. Missed: 20. Coverage: 72.2%.

Detected Vendors

  • Xcitium
  • +51 additional vendors (names not provided)

List includes Xcitium plus an additional 51 vendors per the provided summary.

Missed Vendors

  • Acronis
  • Antiy-AVL
  • Baidu
  • CAT-QuickHeal
  • CMC
  • Cynet
  • Fortinet
  • Gridinsoft
  • Jiangmin
  • Panda
  • Skyhigh
  • SUPERAntiSpyware
  • TACHYON
  • tehtris
  • TrendMicro
  • VBA32
  • Webroot
  • Yandex
  • 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.

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

  • T1620 – load .NET assembly
  • 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
  • T1027 – The binary likely contains encrypted or compressed data
  • T1027.002 – The binary likely contains encrypted or compressed data
  • 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 23.219.36.108 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 3.2669739723205566 udp
192.168.56.13 224.0.0.252 49311 5355 5.744431018829346 udp
192.168.56.13 224.0.0.252 55150 5355 3.1903891563415527 udp
192.168.56.13 224.0.0.252 60010 5355 5.198838949203491 udp
192.168.56.13 224.0.0.252 62406 5355 3.19378399848938 udp
192.168.56.13 224.0.0.252 63527 5355 4.454545021057129 udp
192.168.56.13 239.255.255.250 52252 3702 3.2031869888305664 udp
192.168.56.13 8.8.4.4 54879 53 7.761198043823242 udp
192.168.56.13 8.8.4.4 54881 53 7.023431062698364 udp
192.168.56.13 8.8.8.8 54879 53 8.759645938873291 udp
192.168.56.13 8.8.8.8 54881 53 8.009793996810913 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

1

Registry Opened (Top 25)

Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{85e0acd9-809a-482b-b60b-bcad1f8d0cd7}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{63e0d0f7-ac2f-493b-a7f2-2f3ccdb66fca}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{7a54f16f-a73a-4258-ba46-a1e998a6aa74}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5EE64AFB-398D-4edb-AF71-3B830219ABF7}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\BinarySignaturePolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{50e3b0eb-5780-49de-9eb5-8d53a51fd146}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Parameters\ServiceDll
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{284ddb2f-beea-4c9d-91e8-e3670ed91517}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{88d4896f-f553-446a-9c75-9dec124ff8b7}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\STE
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{4d21da64-fd02-4b82-a0a5-783266e430ab}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{45DE1EA9-10BC-4f96-9B21-4B6B83DBF476}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5EE64AFB-398D-4edb-AF71-3B830219ABF7}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{15fba3b8-a37a-4f91-bdba-fbb98fe804bf}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\AuthenticationLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityAllowComCapability
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{67f1ec80-6c5b-43bb-860b-d47ae85242b1}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Diagnostics\PerfTrack\TraceProfile
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{85e0acd9-809a-482b-b60b-bcad1f8d0cd7}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{63e0d0f7-ac2f-493b-a7f2-2f3ccdb66fca}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{50e3b0eb-5780-49de-9eb5-8d53a51fd146}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{7a54f16f-a73a-4258-ba46-a1e998a6aa74}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{85e0acd9-809a-482b-b60b-bcad1f8d0cd7}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{72dbb5ac-6a91-46e6-885b-d429828bea2e}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Parameters
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{88d4896f-f553-446a-9c75-9dec124ff8b7}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5C85A128-86F7-41a4-B655-BEE3F2ADEF46}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityParam
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5C85A128-86F7-41a4-B655-BEE3F2ADEF46}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{15fba3b8-a37a-4f91-bdba-fbb98fe804bf}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx\AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{88d4896f-f553-446a-9c75-9dec124ff8b7}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5C85A128-86F7-41a4-B655-BEE3F2ADEF46}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{284ddb2f-beea-4c9d-91e8-e3670ed91517}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityAppID
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{3EA6B3DF-393E-41C3-9885-29EC5A701926}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\DynamicCodePolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{67f1ec80-6c5b-43bb-860b-d47ae85242b1}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\RpcExceptionFilterMode
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5EE64AFB-398D-4edb-AF71-3B830219ABF7}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\AuthenticationCapabilities
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{284ddb2f-beea-4c9d-91e8-e3670ed91517}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\SystemCritical
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\MDMEnabled
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{282396b2-6c46-4d66-b413-70b0445df33c}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{284ddb2f-beea-4c9d-91e8-e3670ed91517}
Show all (101 total)
Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{67f1ec80-6c5b-43bb-860b-d47ae85242b1}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5EE64AFB-398D-4edb-AF71-3B830219ABF7}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Parameters\LegacyCOMBehavior
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\COM_UnmarshalingPolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{3EA6B3DF-393E-41C3-9885-29EC5A701926}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\COMAccessPermissionsSD
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{72dbb5ac-6a91-46e6-885b-d429828bea2e}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{4d21da64-fd02-4b82-a0a5-783266e430ab}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{15fba3b8-a37a-4f91-bdba-fbb98fe804bf}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\AppCompat\RaiseActivationAuthenticationLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\AppCompat
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{282396b2-6c46-4d66-b413-70b0445df33c}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{45DE1EA9-10BC-4f96-9B21-4B6B83DBF476}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{85e0acd9-809a-482b-b60b-bcad1f8d0cd7}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{4d21da64-fd02-4b82-a0a5-783266e430ab}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Parameters\ServiceManifest
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{63e0d0f7-ac2f-493b-a7f2-2f3ccdb66fca}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityAllowLowBox
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{72dbb5ac-6a91-46e6-885b-d429828bea2e}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\ImpersonationLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{3EA6B3DF-393E-41C3-9885-29EC5A701926}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{3EA6B3DF-393E-41C3-9885-29EC5A701926}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{45DE1EA9-10BC-4f96-9B21-4B6B83DBF476}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Parameters\ServiceMain
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\svchost.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\Enabled
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{282396b2-6c46-4d66-b413-70b0445df33c}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityAllowCrossContainer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{7a54f16f-a73a-4258-ba46-a1e998a6aa74}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\NoGuiAccess
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\SCMConfig\EnableSvchostMitigationPolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{282396b2-6c46-4d66-b413-70b0445df33c}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{5C85A128-86F7-41a4-B655-BEE3F2ADEF46}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\ExtensionPointsPolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\CoInitializeSecurityAllowInteractiveUsers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{4d21da64-fd02-4b82-a0a5-783266e430ab}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{7a54f16f-a73a-4258-ba46-a1e998a6aa74}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\COM_RoSettings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{63e0d0f7-ac2f-493b-a7f2-2f3ccdb66fca}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{67f1ec80-6c5b-43bb-860b-d47ae85242b1}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WdiSystemHost\Alias
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{45DE1EA9-10BC-4f96-9B21-4B6B83DBF476}\NeverLowerPagePriority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{15fba3b8-a37a-4f91-bdba-fbb98fe804bf}\ImagePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{50e3b0eb-5780-49de-9eb5-8d53a51fd146}\NameResource
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock\AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost\LocalSystemNetworkRestricted\DefaultRpcStackSize
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\SCMConfig\SvchostHeapReportingThresholdInKB
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{50e3b0eb-5780-49de-9eb5-8d53a51fd146}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WDI\DiagnosticModules\{72dbb5ac-6a91-46e6-885b-d429828bea2e}\NameResource

Registry Set (Top 25)

Services Started (Top 15)

Service
lfsvc
WSearch
BITS

Services Opened (Top 15)

Service
VaultSvc

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.

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