Gobot

Overview

Backdoor:Win32/Gobot is an older, but persistent, Remote Access Trojan (RAT) and Botnet agent that relies on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) protocol for Command and Control (C2). While IRC-based botnets are considered somewhat legacy compared to modern HTTP/S or peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures, Gobot is still utilized by lower-tier threat actors and script kiddies to assemble botnets for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and cryptocurrency mining.

Understanding Gobot (IRC Botnets)
To an end-user, a Gobot infection might cause unexplained high CPU usage or slow internet speeds. For a security analyst, Gobot represents a noisy, relatively unsophisticated intrusion. Its reliance on IRC (`T1071.002`) makes it highly visible to Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) and straightforward to block, provided the network boundary is adequately monitored.

Execution and Botnet Mechanics
Gobot is typically distributed via drive-by downloads or cracked software installers. Upon execution (`T1204.002`), it establishes persistence, often simply by dropping a copy of itself into the Startup folder or modifying the `Run` registry key (`T1547.001`). The malware then connects to a hardcoded IRC server and joins a specific, hidden channel, waiting for commands from the botmaster. It is capable of receiving commands to download and execute secondary payloads (`T1105`), launch volumetric DDoS attacks (like SYN floods or UDP floods) (`T1498.001`), or act as a proxy for the attacker.

Indicators of Compromise & Impact
The primary impact is the conscription of the endpoint into a criminal botnet and potential network degradation due to DDoS traffic. Host-based IoCs include the presence of anomalous executables in the `Startup` folder and EDR alerts for known Gobot process signatures. Network IoCs are highly distinct: consistent outbound traffic on standard (TCP 6667) or non-standard ports utilizing the cleartext IRC protocol, often directed to dynamic DNS domains or known bulletproof hosting providers.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

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

Tactical Mitigations

Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:

• T1071.002: Monitor network traffic for anomalous application layer protocols like non-standard HTTP/S patterns or unexpected DNS requests.
• T1105: Implement network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) and host-based firewalls to block unauthorized inbound or outbound file transfers.

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

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Gobot Activity
id: 28c69030a1a36ba9e7044bada8b27f92
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the gobot malware family.
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\cmd.exe'
            - '\powershell.exe'
        CommandLine|contains:
            - "*gobot*"
    condition: selection
level: medium

Containment & Response Steps

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

1. Isolate the endpoint to sever its connection to the IRC command server and halt its participation in DDoS attacks.
2. Review firewall and IDS logs to identify the IRC server IP address and port; block these enterprise-wide.
3. Scan the network to identify if other internal endpoints are communicating with the same IRC server.
4. Remove the persistence mechanisms from the Registry `Run` keys and the Windows Startup folder.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not allow outbound IRC traffic (TCP 6667, 6697) on corporate networks unless strictly necessary and explicitly proxied/monitored.
2. Avoid assuming a single isolated infection; botnets spread aggressively, and finding one Gobot often implies others.

References & External Analysis

• Search "gobot" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Families (Category: trojan)

Explore other malware families in the same category:

• Virtumonde
• Goobzo
• Securityshield
• Optimizer
• Messengerpass

Machine-readable

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