Sign0Fmisery

Category: trojan · Aliases: Trojan.Sign0fmisery, HackTool.Sign0fmisery, Win32/Sign0fmisery · Sample count (EMBER 2018): 1 · Enrichment: insufficient_information · Updated: 2026-07-01T17:33:16Z

Category: TrojanActor: Unknown / CybercriminalIndustry: Global / OpportunisticMotivation: Opportunistic

Overview

Executive Summary

Sign0fmisery is a classification typically assigned to a specific HackTool or highly destructive Trojan framework. It is designed to aggressively disrupt system operations, corrupt data, or facilitate unauthorized remote access for an attacker. The dramatic naming convention often suggests a "Joke" program or a rudimentary destructive payload (like a wiper), but in an enterprise context, it must be treated as a severe security incident.

Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities

Malware in this category is frequently distributed via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, disguised within cracked software installers, or deployed directly by an attacker who has already achieved initial access via brute-force (RDP/SMB) or exploiting a public-facing vulnerability. Upon execution, Sign0fmisery prioritizes system disruption over stealth:

Destructive Payload: Depending on the specific variant, the primary payload may involve mass file deletion, overwriting the Master Boot Record (MBR) to prevent the OS from booting, or forcefully terminating critical Windows services (like the Print Spooler or Windows Defender).
System Instability: The malware often induces severe system instability, triggering Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) or freezing the user interface by launching infinite loops or consuming all available CPU and RAM resources.
Backdoor Functionality: Some variants classified under this name also open undocumented network ports, establishing a rudimentary backdoor that allows the attacker to execute remote command-line instructions.

Threat Assessment

A Sign0fmisery infection is a high-severity event resulting in immediate denial of service and potential data loss. Even if the payload is poorly written or deemed "amateur," its presence indicates a complete failure of endpoint execution controls and user awareness training.

Incident Response and Remediation

Emergency Network Isolation: Isolate the machine immediately to prevent the malware from attempting to spread laterally via open network shares or exploiting vulnerabilities on adjacent systems.
System Triage and Data Recovery: Because the primary intent is often destructive, attempting to "clean" the OS is not recommended. The system should be booted from an offline rescue environment to assess data damage and attempt file recovery before a complete wipe.
Complete Re-imaging: The only secure remediation is a bare-metal wipe and re-image from a trusted backup. Thoroughly investigate the initial infection vector to patch the vulnerability or address the social engineering tactic that allowed the execution.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1485 T1489 T1490

Generated Detections (Boilerplate)

These YARA and Sigma rules are auto-generated based on the family name and aliases. They must be heavily tuned before deployment in a production environment.

YARA Rule

rule MALWARE_WIN_SIGN0FMISERY {
    meta:
        description = "Detects Sign0Fmisery (trojan)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Boilerplate Generator"
        date = "2026-07-06"
    strings:
        $s1 = "sign0fmisery" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "trojan.sign0fmisery" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "hacktool.sign0fmisery" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32/sign0fmisery" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Sign0Fmisery Activity
id: 8e6fb4672514ee3b647451d252a3ba46
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the sign0fmisery malware family.
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\cmd.exe'
            - '\powershell.exe'
        CommandLine|contains:
            - "*sign0fmisery*"
            - "*trojan.sign0fmisery*"
            - "*hacktool.sign0fmisery*"
            - "*win32/sign0fmisery*"
    condition: selection
level: medium

References & External Analysis

Search "sign0fmisery" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove the Sign0Fmisery Trojan from Windows?

Manual removal of Sign0Fmisery is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.

Is Sign0Fmisery a virus or a Trojan?

Sign0Fmisery is classified as a Trojan. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Sign0Fmisery typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.

What are the main symptoms of a Sign0Fmisery infection?

Symptoms of Sign0Fmisery can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.

Related Families (Category: trojan)

Explore other malware families in the same category:

Protect Your Network Against Trojans

Want to prevent Sign0Fmisery and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Banking Trojan Protection.

Need help with an active incident? Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://jordan123234-malware-families-explorer.static.hf.space/api/sign0fmisery.json

Ecosystem & Interactive Environments

This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.