{
  "family": "negasteal",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nNegaSteal is a sophisticated Information Stealer (InfoStealer) and credential harvesting trojan. Often sold as Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) on dark web forums, it is designed to silently extract a massive variety of sensitive data from infected Windows endpoints, including saved passwords, session cookies, cryptocurrency wallets, and VPN configurations.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Extraction Methodology</h3>\nNegaSteal is heavily distributed via mass malspam campaigns. The phishing emails frequently utilize socially engineered lures (fake invoices, POs, or shipping manifests) containing malicious attachments—such as weaponized Excel documents, ISO images, or deeply obfuscated VBS/JavaScript droppers.\n\nUpon execution, NegaSteal performs rapid, automated data extraction:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Comprehensive Credential Theft:</strong> It systematically queries the internal databases of over 50 different applications, extracting stored passwords from major web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave), FTP clients (FileZilla), email clients (Outlook), and instant messaging programs.</li>\n<li><strong>Cryptocurrency Targeting:</strong> NegaSteal actively searches the file system for wallet files (`wallet.dat`) and browser extensions associated with popular cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum).</li>\n<li><strong>Data Exfiltration:</strong> The stolen intelligence is aggregated into an encrypted archive (often a ZIP file) and covertly transmitted to the attacker's command-and-control (C2) server via HTTP POST requests, FTP, or even Telegram bots.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Security and Privacy Implications</h3>\nA NegaSteal infection is a critical security breach resulting in the immediate compromise of both corporate and personal credentials. This stolen intelligence is frequently used immediately by the attackers to pivot laterally into corporate networks (via VPN or RDP) or sold on dark web marketplaces to Initial Access Brokers (IABs).\n\n<h3>Incident Response and Mitigation</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Credential Invalidation:</strong> Immediate, organization-wide password resets are mandatory following a confirmed NegaSteal infection. All active session tokens and VPN access keys must be forcibly revoked.</li>\n<li><strong>Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR):</strong> Deploy EDR solutions configured to alert on processes attempting unauthorized, bulk access to browser profile directories (`%LocalAppData%\\Google\\Chrome\\User Data`) and the `CryptUnprotectData` API.</li>\n<li><strong>Email Security:</strong> Implement strict email filtering and sandboxing to block malicious attachments before they reach the end-user, disrupting the primary NegaSteal distribution vector.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan.NegaSteal",
    "PasswordStealer.Nega",
    "Win32/NegaSteal"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1555.003",
    "T1003",
    "T1048.003",
    "T1566.001"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-01T16:29:46Z",
  "type": "InfoStealer",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}