Collector

Overview

Spyware:Win32/Collector is a specialized Information Stealer (Infostealer) trojan designed to silently harvest and exfiltrate highly specific sets of data from infected endpoints. Unlike broad keyloggers, Collector often targets specific configuration files, proprietary databases, saved web browser credentials, and cryptocurrency wallet `.dat` files, packaging the stolen data for exfiltration.

Understanding the Collector Spyware
To an end-user, a Collector infection is entirely invisible. The system continues to function normally. For a security analyst, a Collector detection is a critical data breach event. The malware is designed for rapid execution; it 'smash and grabs' the targeted files and immediately exfiltrates them, often completing its objective within seconds of execution.

Execution and Data Harvesting Mechanics
Collector is typically distributed via weaponized phishing attachments (`T1566.001`) or as a secondary payload dropped by an Initial Access Broker. Upon execution (`T1204.002`), it attempts to evade detection by disabling local antivirus (`T1562.001`). It systematically searches the hard drive for specific file extensions (`T1083`) or queries the SQLite databases used by Chromium and Firefox browsers to store saved passwords and cookies (`T1555.003`). It specifically targets directories known to house cryptocurrency wallets (e.g., `%AppData%\Bitcoin`). The harvested data is compressed into an archive and exfiltrated via HTTP POST requests to a Command and Control (C2) server or a Telegram bot channel (`T1048.003`).

Indicators of Compromise & Impact
The primary impact is the catastrophic loss of user credentials, sensitive proprietary data, and potentially financial theft (if crypto wallets are stolen). EDR logs will flag an anomalous process accessing multiple database files (`Login Data`, `Cookies`, `wallet.dat`) in rapid succession. Network IoCs include a brief burst of outbound HTTP/HTTPS traffic containing an encrypted archive immediately following the execution of an unknown binary.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework:

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_COLLECTOR {
    meta:
        description = "Detects Collector (trojan)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Boilerplate Generator"
        date = "2026-07-06"
    strings:
        $s1 = "collector" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Collector Activity
id: 91e3a7ff9f5676ed6ae6fcd8a6b455ec
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the collector malware family.
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\cmd.exe'
            - '\powershell.exe'
        CommandLine|contains:
            - "*collector*"
    condition: selection
level: medium

Containment & Response Steps

Ordered checklist for responders. Adapt to your environment and engage professional support for active incidents.

1. Instantly isolate the endpoint, though the exfiltration of credentials has likely already occurred within seconds of execution.
2. Enforce a mandatory, immediate password reset for *every* account the user has saved in their browser.
3. Revoke all active web session cookies for the user to prevent attackers from bypassing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) using stolen cookies.
4. If cryptocurrency wallets were present on the machine, assume they are compromised and move funds to a secure wallet immediately.

What to Avoid

Common mistakes during response to this family that can destroy evidence, spread the infection, or worsen recovery.

1. Do not assume MFA will protect the compromised accounts; infostealers specifically target session cookies to perform 'Pass-the-Cookie' attacks.
2. Avoid focusing solely on malware removal; the primary incident response must focus on credential revocation and monitoring for anomalous logins.

References & External Analysis

• Search "collector" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Families (Category: trojan)

Explore other malware families in the same category:

• Installflash
• Delfinject
• Esfury
• Netdevil
• Qqlogger

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://jordanricky1604-ship-it.github.io/malware-families-catalog/api/collector.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.