Memory-Heavy Runtime and Console Execution Define Gentlemen Deployment Pattern

  • February 6, 2026
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Zero‑Dwell Threat Intelligence Report

A narrative, executive‑ready view into the malware’s behavior, exposure, and reliable defenses.
Generated: 2026-02-06 11:46:06 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
6bxljka.exe
Type
Win64 Executable (generic)
SHA‑1
d6aaed67606d6dab0f652c755d3d363025f60adb
MD5
de1a114a2c5552387a1bbb61501bf129
First Seen
2026-02-04 10:42:11.822059
Last Analysis
2026-02-04 11:42:13.644526
Dwell Time
0 days, 7 hours, 33 minutes

Extended Dwell Time Impact

For 1+ 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
2025-12-01 15:12:54 UTC First VirusTotal submission
2026-02-06 07:32:47 UTC Latest analysis snapshot 66 days, 16 hours, 19 minutes
2026-02-06 11:46:06 UTC Report generation time 66 days, 20 hours, 33 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: 69. Detected as malicious: 47. Missed: 22. Coverage: 68.1%.

Detected Vendors

  • Xcitium
  • +46 additional vendors (names not provided)

List includes Xcitium plus an additional 46 vendors per the provided summary.

Missed Vendors

  • Acronis
  • APEX
  • Avira
  • Baidu
  • CMC
  • DrWeb
  • F-Secure
  • Fortinet
  • google_safebrowsing
  • Jiangmin
  • NANO-Antivirus
  • SentinelOne
  • SUPERAntiSpyware
  • TACHYON
  • tehtris
  • Trapmine
  • VBA32
  • VirIT
  • 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.

Behavioral Storyline — How the Malware Operates

Dominant system-level operations (72.22% 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 13 72.22%
Process 2 11.11%
Registry 2 11.11%
File System 1 5.56%

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

  • T1027 – encode data using XOR
  • T1027 – encrypt data using Salsa20 or ChaCha
  • T1027 – reference AES constants
  • T1129 – get kernel32 base address
  • T1027 – encode data using Base64
  • T1129 – access PEB ldr_data
  • T1027 – encrypt data using AES
  • T1140 – decrypt data using AES via x86 extensions
  • T1027 – reference Base64 string
  • T1027 – encrypt data using AES via x86 extensions
  • T1027 – encrypt data using RC4 PRGA
  • T1064 – A scripting utility was executed
  • T1064 – Attempts to execute suspicious powershell command arguments
  • 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
  • T1082 – Checks available memory
  • T1071 – Reads from the memory of another process
  • T1071 – At least one IP Address, Domain, or File Name was found in a crypto call
  • T1106 – Guard pages use detected – possible anti-debugging.
  • T1059 – A scripting utility was executed
  • T1059 – Attempts to execute suspicious powershell command arguments
  • T1059.001 – Attempts to execute suspicious powershell command arguments
  • T1045 – Manalize Local SandBox Packer Harvesting
  • T1036 – Creates files inside the user directory
  • T1497 – May sleep (evasive loops) to hinder dynamic analysis
  • T1027.002 – PE file has section (not .text) which is very likely to contain packed code (zlib compression ratio < 0.011)
  • T1057 – Queries a list of all running processes
  • T1082 – Queries the volume information (name, serial number etc) of a device
  • T1090 – Found Tor onion address

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
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 7.334889888763428 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 49563 5355 7.267052888870239 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 54650 5355 7.267449855804443 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 55601 5355 7.83794093132019 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 60205 5355 7.273988962173462 udp
192.168.56.11 224.0.0.252 62798 5355 9.835479021072388 udp
192.168.56.11 239.255.255.250 62184 3702 7.270771026611328 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51690 53 10.725298881530762 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.4.4 51899 53 9.990871906280518 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51690 53 11.725499868392944 udp
192.168.56.11 8.8.8.8 51899 53 10.990479946136475 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

122

Registry Set

0

Services Started

2

Services Opened

1

Registry Opened (Top 25)

Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\ActivationType
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CI\Config\WeakMD5AllFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\powershell.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{0AC5DF4B-CE07-4DE2-B76E-23C839A09FD1}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProgramFilesDir (x86)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\powershell.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Managed\S-1-5-21-4005801669-2598574594-602355426-1001\Installer\Assemblies\Global
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{00000134-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ProxyStubClsid32
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\ActivateInSharedBroker
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\InstallRoot
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\COM3\Com+Enabled
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\DllPath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\Default\WeakMD5ThirdPartyFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\OnlyUseLatestCLR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\MinRsaPubKeyBitLength
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\AppCompat\RaiseActivationAuthenticationLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Managed\S-1-5-21-4005801669-2598574594-602355426-1001\Installer\Assemblies\C:|Windows|System32|WindowsPowerShell|v1.0|powershell.exe.Config
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{00000134-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\EnableWeakSignatureFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CI\Config\Default
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{000C10F1-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\UseLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicyDefaultValue
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\AppCompat
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\DisableConfigCache
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{00000134-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ProxyStubClsid32\(Default)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{1A610570-38CE-11D4-A2A3-00104BD35090}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\ActivateAsUser
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full\Release
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{1629F04E-2799-4DB5-8FE5-ACE10F17EBAB}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\ActivateOnHostFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 1
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Assemblies\C:|Windows|System32|WindowsPowerShell|v1.0|powershell.exe.Config
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{C689AABA-8E78-11D0-8C47-00C04FC295EE}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{06C9E010-38CE-11D4-A2A3-00104BD35090}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\Wintrust\Config
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\AMSI\Providers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\WeakMD5ThirdPartyFlags
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Assemblies\Global
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 1\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\Default
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{5598CFF1-68DB-4340-B57F-1CACF88C9A51}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{DE351A42-8E59-11D0-8C47-00C04FC295EE}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\Permissions
Show all (122 total)
Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\EnableStrictChecksFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CommonFilesDir (x86)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\COM3
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\Default\WeakMD5ThirdPartyAfterTime
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{DE351A43-8E59-11D0-8C47-00C04FC295EE}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{0F5F58B3-AADE-4B9A-A434-95742D92ECEB}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\CustomAttributes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\MaxSxSHashCount
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{603BCC1F-4B59-4E08-B724-D2C6297EF351}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\UseRyuJIT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\CryptnetPreFetchTriggerPeriodSeconds
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\RemoteServer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\StrongName
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\ChainCacheResyncFiletime
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\NGen\Policy\v4.0\OptimizeUsedBinaries
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\DefaultAccessPermission
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OLE\Diagnosis
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\3
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\AppContext
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\MDMEnabled
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx\AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\TrustLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\WeakMD5AllFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\AppCompat\RaiseDefaultAuthnLevel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\Enabled
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\Threading
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\Server
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OLE
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\HillClimbing_TargetSignalToNoiseRatio
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\DevOverrideEnable
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CommonFilesDir
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\ResourcePolicies
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProgramW6432Dir
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock\AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\STE
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsRuntime\ActivatableClassId\Windows.Foundation.Diagnostics.AsyncCausalityTracer\ActivateInBrokerForMediumILContainer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework\NGen\Policy\v4.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CryptSIPDllPutSignedDataMsg\{9BA61D3F-E73A-11D0-8CD2-00C04FC295EE}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AMSI\FeatureBits
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\OID\EncodingType 0\CertDllCreateCertificateChainEngine\Config\WeakRsaPubKeyTime
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Safer\CodeIdentifiers
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\AppCompatFlags\SdbUpdates\ManifestedMergeStubSdbs
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Disallowed
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\TrustedPeople
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\OSDATA\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MUI\Settings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Wow64\x86\xtajit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\trust
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\powershell.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\SdbUpdates
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Segment Heap
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WinTrust\Trust Providers\Software Publishing
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\Root

Registry Set (Top 25)

Services Started (Top 15)

Service
BITS
WSearch

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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