{
  "family": "mapstosteal",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nMapsToSteal is a highly specialized Trojan and infostealer explicitly designed for rapid data exfiltration. Unlike broad-spectrum stealers that grab passwords and cookies, MapsToSteal targets specific, highly valuable internal corporate data structures, such as proprietary databases, network topology maps, source code repositories, or specific intellectual property files identified by the threat actors during a targeted espionage campaign.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities</h3>\nMapsToSteal is typically deployed manually by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors or highly skilled criminal syndicates *after* they have already achieved deep penetration into a corporate network, often utilizing compromised credentials or lateral movement tools like Cobalt Strike.\n\nOnce deployed, it focuses entirely on precision exfiltration:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Targeted Harvesting:</strong> The malware is often custom-configured with specific file paths, database connection strings, or regular expressions to locate high-value assets (e.g., searching for `.sln` files, `web.config` files containing credentials, or CAD diagrams).</li>\n<li><strong>Data Staging and Compression:</strong> To avoid triggering network Data Loss Prevention (DLP) alerts with massive, sudden transfers, the stealer quietly aggregates the stolen data into hidden staging directories and heavily compresses/encrypts it (often using custom algorithms or password-protected archives like 7zip or RAR).</li>\n<li><strong>Covert Exfiltration:</strong> The staged data is then slowly exfiltrated out of the network. MapsToSteal often abuses legitimate cloud services (e.g., Dropbox, Mega, Google Drive APIs) or uses standard, encrypted protocols (HTTPS/TLS) to blend the exfiltration traffic with normal corporate web usage.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Assessment</h3>\nThe detection of MapsToSteal is a catastrophic incident indicating that the final stage of a targeted data breach is actively occurring. The organization is facing an imminent loss of its most sensitive intellectual property or strategic data.\n\n<h3>Incident Response and Remediation</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Halt Exfiltration Immediately (Network Segmentation):</strong> The absolute highest priority is to stop the data loss. Instantly sever the internet connection of the infected host and any staging servers identified. Implement strict egress filtering on the corporate firewall to block connections to known cloud storage providers or unauthorized IP addresses.</li>\n<li><strong>Forensic Analysis of Staging Directories:</strong> Locate the hidden staging directories used by the malware to determine exactly what data was targeted and packaged for exfiltration. This is critical for regulatory breach notification and damage assessment.</li>\n<li><strong>Enterprise-Wide Eradication:</strong> The presence of a specialized exfiltration tool means the attacker has deep access. A coordinated, enterprise-wide incident response effort is required to identify all compromised accounts, establish a new security perimeter, and completely rebuild all affected systems from bare metal.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan.MapsToSteal",
    "Spyware.DataExfil",
    "Infostealer.Targeted"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1005",
    "T1074",
    "T1048.003",
    "T1567"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-02T07:36:34Z",
  "type": "Trojan / Infostealer",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}