Sality

Category: file_infector · Aliases: sector, kuku, kookoo, sectorx · Sample count (EMBER 2018): 18,572 · Enrichment: hand-curated · Updated: 2026-05-27

Overview

Sality is a long-running polymorphic file infector and peer-to-peer botnet family active since 2003 that infects executable files and connects victims to a decentralized P2P network used for spam, credential theft, and additional payload delivery. Its decentralized architecture makes Sality unusually resilient to takedown because there is no central command server to disrupt. Sality infects Windows PE files, modifies the registry for persistence, and disables security software. It remains a common finding in legacy or poorly-maintained Windows environments.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1027 T1547.001 T1559

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sality?

Sality is a long-running polymorphic file infector and peer-to-peer botnet family active since 2003 that infects executable files and connects victims to a decentralized P2P network used for spam, credential theft, and additional payload delivery. Its decentralized architecture makes Sality unusually resilient to takedown because there is no central command server to disrupt. Sality infects Windows PE files, modifies the registry for persistence, and disables security software. It remains a common finding in legacy or poorly-maintained Windows environments.

How does Sality spread?

Sality is a polymorphic file infector spreading through infected executables on network shares, removable media, and through peer-to-peer file sharing.

What are the signs of a Sality infection?

Modified executable files across the system, disabled security software, peer-to-peer botnet traffic, and AV detections for Sality, Sector, or Kookoo are signature.

What should I do if I think I have Sality on my system?

If you suspect this malware on your system, do not attempt manual removal. Contact SystemHelpdesk expert MSP support at 855-783-7555 for professional incident response guidance.

Need help with an active incident? If you suspect this malware on your system, do not attempt manual removal. Contact SystemHelpdesk expert MSP support at 855-783-7555 for professional incident response guidance.

Machine-readable

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

About this catalog

This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families extracted from the EMBER 2018 benchmark. The catalog is also published on Hugging Face and Kaggle.