{
  "family": "trick",
  "sample_count": 10,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "Trojan:Win32/Trick (universally known as **Trickbot**) is one of the most successful, devastating, and modular malware families in history. Originally emerging in 2016 as a banking trojan designed to steal financial credentials via web injects, Trickbot evolved into a massive, modular botnet. Crucially, the operators of Trickbot transitioned to an 'Initial Access Broker' (IAB) model, using their massive network of infected enterprise machines to deploy devastating ransomware (specifically **Ryuk** and **Conti**) on behalf of top-tier cybercriminal syndicates.<br><br><b>Understanding Trickbot</b><br>To an end-user, the infection is invisible until the ransomware payload drops. For security analysts, a Trickbot detection is a 'code red' emergency. It means the organization's perimeter has been breached, lateral movement is likely already occurring, and a massive, enterprise-wide ransomware encryption event is imminent, often within 24-48 hours.<br><br><b>Execution, Modularity, and Ransomware Mechanics</b><br>Trickbot was distributed massively via Emotet malspam campaigns (`T1566.001`). Upon execution (`T1204.002`), Trickbot establishes persistence via Scheduled Tasks (`T1053.005`) and disables Windows Defender (`T1562.001`). Its true power lies in its modularity (`T1105`); it pulls down specific plugins (DLLs) from the C2 server based on the target. It uses modules like `pwgrab` to steal browser credentials, `networkDll` to map the corporate network (`T1046`), and `mshare` to aggressively move laterally via SMB exploits like EternalBlue (`T1210`). Finally, once domain admin privileges are secured, the operators push the final payload: a Cobalt Strike beacon, followed rapidly by Ryuk or Conti ransomware deployment across the entire domain (`T1486`).<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise & Impact</b><br>The impact is total enterprise destruction via ransomware. The primary EDR IoCs include `svchost.exe` making anomalous outbound connections to known Trickbot C2s, the creation of specific Scheduled Tasks (often mimicking legitimate Windows tasks), and massive, rapid lateral SMB scanning originating from a single endpoint.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1555",
    "T1210",
    "T1562.001",
    "T1486",
    "T1105"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1105",
      "name": "Ingress Tool Transfer (Downloading modular plugins/ransomware)",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1210",
      "name": "Exploitation of Remote Services (Lateral movement via SMB)",
      "tactic": "Lateral Movement"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1486",
      "name": "Data Encrypted for Impact (Deploying Ryuk/Conti Ransomware)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1562.001",
      "name": "Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools (Disabling Defender)",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1555",
      "name": "Credentials from Password Stores (pwgrab module)",
      "tactic": "Credential Access"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Initiate maximum incident response immediately. Isolate the infected endpoint, but assume the entire domain is compromised and lateral movement has occurred.",
    "Disconnect the entire corporate network from the internet to sever the C2 connection and prevent the final ransomware payload from being downloaded.",
    "Enforce a mandatory, immediate password reset for all Domain Administrators, as Trickbot specifically targets high-privilege accounts.",
    "Perform a deep forensic hunt across the entire domain for Cobalt Strike beacons and Trickbot lateral movement artifacts."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do NOT treat a Trickbot alert as a routine commodity malware infection; it is almost always the precursor to a targeted ransomware attack.",
    "Avoid relying solely on deleting the initial dropper; the modular plugins are injected into memory across multiple machines."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}