{
  "family": "hawkeyekeylogger",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "backdoor",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nHawkEye Keylogger (often simply referred to as HawkEye) is a highly prolific, commercially available information stealer and keylogger sold extensively on hacking forums and the Dark Web. Initially marketed as a legitimate monitoring tool, it evolved into a sophisticated malware suite utilized by both novice \"script kiddies\" and organized cybercriminal gangs. Its primary objective is the silent extraction of credentials, financial data, and sensitive intellectual property from compromised endpoints.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities</h3>\nHawkEye is predominantly distributed via high-volume, socially engineered spam campaigns (Business Email Compromise or BEC). These emails typically contain malicious attachments—often weaponized Microsoft Office documents containing VBA macros or archive files (ZIP, RAR) containing heavily obfuscated executables.\n\nUpon execution, HawkEye employs advanced surveillance capabilities:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Comprehensive Keylogging:</strong> It hooks into the Windows operating system to record every keystroke, specifically targeting passwords entered into web browsers, email clients (Outlook), and FTP software.</li>\n<li><strong>Credential Harvesting:</strong> Beyond keylogging, HawkEye actively extracts saved passwords directly from the credential stores of popular web browsers (Chrome, Firefox) and local software configurations.</li>\n<li><strong>Data Exfiltration:</strong> The stolen data is compiled into logs and exfiltrated to the attacker via SMTP (email), FTP, or directly to a web panel via HTTP/HTTPS.</li>\n<li><strong>Evasion Techniques:</strong> Modern variants utilize advanced process injection (often injecting into `RegAsm.exe` or `MSBuild.exe`) and Anti-Analysis techniques to bypass traditional antivirus software.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Assessment</h3>\nA HawkEye infection is a severe security incident. The malware's focus on credential theft means that an infection often acts as the precursor to a wider network breach. Stolen VPN or RDP credentials can be sold to Initial Access Brokers (IABs) or used directly by the attacker to move laterally across the corporate network.\n\n<h3>Incident Response and Remediation</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Immediate Network Severance:</strong> Isolate the compromised endpoint immediately to halt the exfiltration of sensitive data and credentials.</li>\n<li><strong>Global Credential Reset:</strong> It must be assumed that all credentials stored on or entered into the compromised machine have been stolen. A mandatory, immediate reset of all associated enterprise and personal passwords is required.</li>\n<li><strong>Complete Re-imaging:</strong> Due to the sophisticated injection techniques and the risk of undetected secondary backdoors, attempting to clean the machine is insufficient. A complete bare-metal wipe and re-image from a trusted baseline is necessary.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan.HawkEye",
    "Spyware.HawkEye",
    "Win32/HawkEye"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1056.001",
    "T1552.001",
    "T1114",
    "T1055"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-02T07:03:23Z",
  "type": "Info Stealer / Keylogger",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}