| File name: | Squidward.exe |
| Full analysis: | https://app.any.run/tasks/41758a45-ea9e-4cfc-84a5-2dba835d7b32 |
| Verdict: | Malicious activity |
| Threats: | XWorm is a remote access trojan (RAT) sold as a malware-as-a-service. It possesses an extensive hacking toolset and is capable of gathering private information and files from the infected computer, hijacking MetaMask and Telegram accounts, and tracking user activity. XWorm is typically delivered to victims' computers through multi-stage attacks that start with phishing emails. |
| Analysis date: | April 26, 2025, 23:19:17 |
| OS: | Windows 10 Professional (build: 19044, 64 bit) |
| Tags: | |
| Indicators: | |
| MIME: | application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable |
| File info: | PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386 Mono/.Net assembly, for MS Windows, 3 sections |
| MD5: | 75EB4BC3CF60DB6166CA18DDDB8DD9E2 |
| SHA1: | FF6764239503E0FB76539934E12B4E561B2BEF4C |
| SHA256: | 728D11C18659CAA7BB067DC364BC7B43BA2B1A7D1318567D44AC1243DB40D07F |
| SSDEEP: | 98304:IetTtxIjle13m3VLaSMWP81j8GyL/nkLV3ohCrw3CINp9JRekeL7BNYE9ZjAhgGf:kly+1YCRHAvCeRrcI0n |
MALICIOUS
Uses Task Scheduler to run other applications
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
XWORM has been detected (YARA)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
SUSPICIOUS
Reads the date of Windows installation
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
Reads security settings of Internet Explorer
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
Executable content was dropped or overwritten
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- squidward.exe (PID: 2392)
Process drops legitimate windows executable
- squidward.exe (PID: 2392)
There is functionality for taking screenshot (YARA)
- squidward.exe (PID: 660)
Connects to unusual port
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
INFO
Reads the computer name
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
- squidward.exe (PID: 660)
Reads the machine GUID from the registry
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
Checks supported languages
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
- squidward.exe (PID: 2392)
- squidward.exe (PID: 660)
Process checks computer location settings
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- COM Surrogate.exe (PID: 1276)
Creates files in the program directory
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
The sample compiled with english language support
- Squidward.exe (PID: 6816)
- squidward.exe (PID: 2392)
Create files in a temporary directory
- squidward.exe (PID: 2392)
Reads the software policy settings
- slui.exe (PID: 1056)
Find more information about signature artifacts and mapping to MITRE ATT&CK™ MATRIX at the full report
XWorm
(PID) Process(1276) COM Surrogate.exe
C2147.185.221.27:61136
Keys
AES<123456789>
Options
Splitter<Xwormmm>
Sleep time3
USB drop nameUSB.exe
MutexY8v0E7bbFqT9Sg5T
TRiD
| .exe | | | Generic CIL Executable (.NET, Mono, etc.) (63.1) |
|---|---|---|
| .exe | | | Win64 Executable (generic) (23.8) |
| .dll | | | Win32 Dynamic Link Library (generic) (5.6) |
| .exe | | | Win32 Executable (generic) (3.8) |
| .exe | | | Generic Win/DOS Executable (1.7) |
EXIF
EXE
| MachineType: | Intel 386 or later, and compatibles |
|---|---|
| TimeStamp: | 2025:04:26 19:40:51+00:00 |
| ImageFileCharacteristics: | Executable, 32-bit |
| PEType: | PE32 |
| LinkerVersion: | 11 |
| CodeSize: | 8472576 |
| InitializedDataSize: | 5632 |
| UninitializedDataSize: | - |
| EntryPoint: | 0x8167ce |
| OSVersion: | 4 |
| ImageVersion: | - |
| SubsystemVersion: | 4 |
| Subsystem: | Windows GUI |
| FileVersionNumber: | 1.0.0.0 |
| ProductVersionNumber: | 1.0.0.0 |
| FileFlagsMask: | 0x003f |
| FileFlags: | (none) |
| FileOS: | Win32 |
| ObjectFileType: | Executable application |
| FileSubtype: | - |
| LanguageCode: | Neutral |
| CharacterSet: | Unicode |
| FileDescription: | |
| FileVersion: | 1.0.0.0 |
| InternalName: | Squidward.exe |
| LegalCopyright: | |
| OriginalFileName: | Squidward.exe |
| ProductVersion: | 1.0.0.0 |
| AssemblyVersion: | 1.0.0.0 |
Total processes
137
Monitored processes
9
Malicious processes
2
Suspicious processes
0
Behavior graph
Click at the process to see the details
Process information
PID | CMD | Path | Indicators | Parent process | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 660 | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\squidward.exe | — | squidward.exe | |||||||||||
User: admin Company: Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Version: 1.0.0.0 Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 1056 | "C:\WINDOWS\System32\SLUI.exe" RuleId=3482d82e-ca2c-4e1f-8864-da0267b484b2;Action=AutoActivate;AppId=55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f;SkuId=4de7cb65-cdf1-4de9-8ae8-e3cce27b9f2c;NotificationInterval=1440;Trigger=TimerEvent | C:\Windows\System32\slui.exe | SppExtComObj.Exe | ||||||||||||
User: NETWORK SERVICE Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: SYSTEM Description: Windows Activation Client Version: 10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800) Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 1276 | "C:\ProgramData\COM Surrogate.exe" | C:\ProgramData\COM Surrogate.exe | Squidward.exe | ||||||||||||
User: admin Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: COM Surrogate Version: 6.2.26100.1 Modules
XWorm(PID) Process(1276) COM Surrogate.exe C2147.185.221.27:61136 Keys AES<123456789> Options Splitter<Xwormmm> Sleep time3 USB drop nameUSB.exe MutexY8v0E7bbFqT9Sg5T | |||||||||||||||
| 2392 | "C:\ProgramData\squidward.exe" | C:\ProgramData\squidward.exe | Squidward.exe | ||||||||||||
User: admin Company: Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Version: 1.0.0.0 Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 2600 | C:\WINDOWS\system32\SppExtComObj.exe -Embedding | C:\Windows\System32\SppExtComObj.Exe | — | svchost.exe | |||||||||||
User: NETWORK SERVICE Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: SYSTEM Description: KMS Connection Broker Version: 10.0.19041.3996 (WinBuild.160101.0800) Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 3008 | C:\WINDOWS\System32\slui.exe -Embedding | C:\Windows\System32\slui.exe | — | svchost.exe | |||||||||||
User: admin Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Windows Activation Client Version: 10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800) Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 5344 | "C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe" /create /f /sc minute /mo 1 /tn "COM Surrogate" /tr "C:\ProgramData\COM Surrogate.exe" | C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe | — | COM Surrogate.exe | |||||||||||
User: admin Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Task Scheduler Configuration Tool Exit code: 0 Version: 10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800) Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 6004 | \??\C:\WINDOWS\system32\conhost.exe 0xffffffff -ForceV1 | C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe | — | schtasks.exe | |||||||||||
User: admin Company: Microsoft Corporation Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Console Window Host Exit code: 0 Version: 10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800) Modules
| |||||||||||||||
| 6816 | "C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\Squidward.exe" | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\Squidward.exe | explorer.exe | ||||||||||||
User: admin Integrity Level: MEDIUM Description: Exit code: 0 Version: 1.0.0.0 Modules
| |||||||||||||||
Total events
1 747
Read events
1 740
Write events
7
Delete events
0
Modification events
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaProperties\PrivateProperties\DirectInput\VID_0627&PID_0001\Calibration\0 |
| Operation: | write | Name: | GUID |
Value: E0308CE5F422F0118001444553540000 | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\SQUIDWARD.EXE5AA7BF5700428E00 |
| Operation: | write | Name: | Name |
Value: SQUIDWARD.EXE | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\SQUIDWARD.EXE5AA7BF5700428E00 |
| Operation: | write | Name: | UsesMapper |
Value: 00000000 | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\MostRecentApplication |
| Operation: | write | Name: | Name |
Value: SQUIDWARD.EXE | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\MostRecentApplication |
| Operation: | write | Name: | Id |
Value: SQUIDWARD.EXE5AA7BF5700428E00 | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\MostRecentApplication |
| Operation: | write | Name: | Version |
Value: 00080000 | |||
| (PID) Process: | (660) squidward.exe | Key: | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectInput\MostRecentApplication |
| Operation: | write | Name: | MostRecentStart |
Value: B28AE4A701B7DB01 | |||
Executable files
5
Suspicious files
10
Text files
0
Unknown types
0
Dropped files
PID | Process | Filename | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\data.win | — | |
MD5:— | SHA256:— | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\s_bossdialogue.ogg | binary | |
MD5:C7A99EA54F5D19CF9C9669F1725E9CB2 | SHA256:9ED05D57509C5D6B93B36FFDCA08E95415E005AAA639D3D50F32FC31ACC46AAE | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\s_fart.ogg | binary | |
MD5:EA86B74EAA3F0D47C43911136F62D049 | SHA256:C4721582DC754C7D915854D265C93D78CA6EF06E373E91C897A58BE02B2E927E | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\mus_squidboss2.ogg | binary | |
MD5:9AF59FA3B6634F89C846D4CB42FB9030 | SHA256:501D4EA9F2AEE91499546A35535215824CECBC56392C3782790AB6D4DE4BF14A | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\options.ini | text | |
MD5:396F73A1185A5642F5F1E2538B64396A | SHA256:E267293F58D257D2DD1E00AD25425BDB798FCBF75256A7D45B7D7086159DBC58 | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\s_ouch.ogg | binary | |
MD5:08304FD443743118646C30302F5FCE3E | SHA256:CA6B5E2341CCD848CC21E84987450F819CB8906B42B395607A8B32AAB50AFA0D | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\s_gun.ogg | binary | |
MD5:B7027D61EA49B51879EF776FDBE583D1 | SHA256:A757EE64FE8D8BFB103B1213AE06C2C3624520CD610B6948EA2C90C2B09DA4C2 | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\s_squidouch.ogg | binary | |
MD5:A1C70C963936ACD9C29D417AB17D0057 | SHA256:5F5E18B1503CC46E0A8E95132095CB8A1BC0579E870ACC59E4B1C332E897EAE4 | |||
| 2392 | squidward.exe | C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\mus_squidboss1.ogg | binary | |
MD5:CCEDE4F723FA54A1A9B73B3104DD5947 | SHA256:9CA333DD99DAC1A620FA369DE6341AC0566AA260A2CD653F71EF79F121BAB201 | |||
| 6816 | Squidward.exe | C:\ProgramData\COM Surrogate.exe | executable | |
MD5:BA64FFF96214E22EABBBA9EEC96ECC04 | SHA256:6E80E07588029C6B112E36946CCE7DAD0CCA2C21EBBC813625AC7A2D03CB663A | |||
Download PCAP, analyze network streams, HTTP content and a lot more at the full report
HTTP(S) requests
5
TCP/UDP connections
25
DNS requests
16
Threats
0
HTTP requests
PID | Process | Method | HTTP Code | IP | URL | CN | Type | Size | Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | — | GET | 200 | 2.16.241.19:80 | http://crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicRooCerAut2011_2011_03_22.crl | unknown | — | — | whitelisted |
— | — | GET | 200 | 95.101.149.131:80 | http://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/crl/MicSecSerCA2011_2011-10-18.crl | unknown | — | — | whitelisted |
6544 | svchost.exe | GET | 200 | 2.23.77.188:80 | http://ocsp.digicert.com/MFEwTzBNMEswSTAJBgUrDgMCGgUABBSAUQYBMq2awn1Rh6Doh%2FsBYgFV7gQUA95QNVbRTLtm8KPiGxvDl7I90VUCEAJ0LqoXyo4hxxe7H%2Fz9DKA%3D | unknown | — | — | whitelisted |
728 | SIHClient.exe | GET | 200 | 184.30.21.171:80 | http://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/crl/Microsoft%20ECC%20Update%20Secure%20Server%20CA%202.1.crl | unknown | — | — | whitelisted |
728 | SIHClient.exe | GET | 200 | 184.30.21.171:80 | http://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/crl/Microsoft%20ECC%20Product%20Root%20Certificate%20Authority%202018.crl | unknown | — | — | whitelisted |
Download PCAP, analyze network streams, HTTP content and a lot more at the full report
Connections
PID | Process | IP | Domain | ASN | CN | Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2104 | svchost.exe | 20.73.194.208:443 | settings-win.data.microsoft.com | MICROSOFT-CORP-MSN-AS-BLOCK | NL | whitelisted |
4 | System | 192.168.100.255:137 | — | — | — | whitelisted |
— | — | 20.73.194.208:443 | settings-win.data.microsoft.com | MICROSOFT-CORP-MSN-AS-BLOCK | NL | whitelisted |
— | — | 2.16.241.19:80 | crl.microsoft.com | Akamai International B.V. | DE | whitelisted |
— | — | 95.101.149.131:80 | www.microsoft.com | Akamai International B.V. | NL | whitelisted |
4 | System | 192.168.100.255:138 | — | — | — | whitelisted |
2112 | svchost.exe | 20.73.194.208:443 | settings-win.data.microsoft.com | MICROSOFT-CORP-MSN-AS-BLOCK | NL | whitelisted |
3216 | svchost.exe | 172.211.123.249:443 | client.wns.windows.com | MICROSOFT-CORP-MSN-AS-BLOCK | FR | whitelisted |
6544 | svchost.exe | 20.190.159.75:443 | login.live.com | MICROSOFT-CORP-MSN-AS-BLOCK | IE | whitelisted |
6544 | svchost.exe | 2.23.77.188:80 | ocsp.digicert.com | AKAMAI-AS | DE | whitelisted |
DNS requests
Domain | IP | Reputation |
|---|---|---|
settings-win.data.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |
crl.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |
www.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |
google.com |
| whitelisted |
client.wns.windows.com |
| whitelisted |
login.live.com |
| whitelisted |
ocsp.digicert.com |
| whitelisted |
slscr.update.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |
fe3cr.delivery.mp.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |
activation-v2.sls.microsoft.com |
| whitelisted |