{
  "family": "kolabc",
  "sample_count": 143,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "Backdoor:Win32/Kolabc is a variant of the highly sophisticated Kolab trojan, engineered to establish a covert backdoor on compromised endpoints, facilitating credential theft, data exfiltration, and the silent delivery of secondary payloads.<br><br><b>Understanding Kolabc</b><br>To the victim, Kolabc provides zero visual indicators of compromise. For threat intelligence analysts, Kolabc represents a severe, capable RAT (Remote Access Trojan) frequently utilized in targeted espionage and ransomware precursor operations. It is designed to bypass initial security controls, harvest comprehensive system intelligence, and maintain long-term, undetected access to the victim network.<br><br><b>Execution and Evasion Strategies</b><br>Kolabc is typically delivered via spearphishing campaigns containing weaponized Office documents or dropped as a secondary payload by advanced exploit kits. Upon execution, it utilizes intense packing, encryption, and dynamic API resolution to evade static antivirus signatures. It drops a randomized executable into the <code>%AppData%</code> or <code>%SystemRoot%</code> directories. Persistence is achieved by creating a hidden scheduled task, modifying the Registry Run keys, or installing a malicious Windows Service. Kolabc frequently injects its core modules into legitimate system processes (like <code>svchost.exe</code> or <code>explorer.exe</code>) to mask its outbound network traffic.<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)</b><br>Threat hunters should investigate EDR alerts for 'Suspicious Process Injection', 'Service Creation', or 'Anomalous Child Process Spawning'. Network logs will often reveal Kolabc reaching out to compromised domains using custom-encrypted HTTP/HTTPS traffic. The presence of unexpected, hidden scheduled tasks designed to execute randomly named binaries in the user's profile is a strong IoC. Memory analysis is absolutely crucial to extract the injected modules and identify the specific C2 infrastructure.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1105",
    "T1056.001",
    "T1027",
    "T1055",
    "T1543.003"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1055",
      "name": "Process Injection",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1105",
      "name": "Ingress Tool Transfer",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1056.001",
      "name": "Input Capture: Keylogging",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1543.003",
      "name": "Create or Modify System Process: Windows Service",
      "tactic": "Persistence"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1027",
      "name": "Obfuscated Files or Information",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Instantly isolate the endpoint from the network to sever the attacker's interactive, remote-control session.",
    "Capture a full forensic memory image of the machine to extract the decrypted Kolabc payload and its C2 configuration.",
    "Audit the Windows Task Scheduler, Registry Run keys, and Windows Services to identify and remove the Kolabc persistence mechanisms.",
    "Assume total endpoint compromise; perform a clean OS rebuild and force global password resets for all accounts that accessed the machine."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not leave the machine connected to the network during triage; the attacker has live access and will likely destroy evidence or move laterally.",
    "Avoid relying solely on static file deletion, as the injected processes will likely just recreate the dropped binaries."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}