Startp

Category: trojan · Aliases: Trojan.StartPage, Trojan.Startp, Win32/Startp · Sample count (EMBER 2018): 1 · Enrichment: insufficient_information · Updated: 2026-07-01T17:38:56Z

Category: TrojanActor: Unknown / CybercriminalIndustry: Global / OpportunisticMotivation: Opportunistic

Overview

Executive Summary

Startp is a specialized Trojan component primarily designed to manipulate the Windows boot process and startup configuration. Its singular goal is to establish deep, resilient persistence for itself or a secondary malware payload, ensuring that malicious code is executed automatically every time the operating system initializes or a user logs in.

Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities

Startp is rarely a standalone threat; it is usually dropped by an initial access broker, a downloader, or as part of a larger malware framework (like a botnet client) to guarantee survival across reboots. Upon execution, Startp employs multiple techniques to anchor itself to the system:

Registry Manipulation: The most common method involves adding values to the standard Windows Autostart Extension Points (ASEPs), specifically `HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run` or the `RunOnce` keys.
Startup Folder Abuse: It may copy a malicious executable or a VBScript shortcut directly into the user's or the system's `Startup` folder (`shell:startup`).
Service Creation: More advanced variants of Startp will install themselves as a hidden Windows Service, allowing the malware to execute with `SYSTEM` privileges before any user even logs into the machine.
Winlogon Hijacking: It may modify the `Winlogon\Userinit` or `Shell` registry keys to force the execution of its payload alongside the legitimate `explorer.exe` process.

Threat Assessment

The presence of Startp indicates that a threat actor has successfully escalated privileges (to modify `HKLM` or create services) and established a permanent foothold. The persistence mechanism must be completely eradicated; otherwise, the primary malware payload will simply regenerate upon the next reboot.

Incident Response and Remediation

Identify the Payload: The Startp component itself is just the anchor. Responders must trace the persistence mechanism (the registry key or scheduled task) to identify the actual malicious executable it is launching.
Break the Chain of Persistence: Boot the system into Safe Mode or use offline registry editing tools. Delete the malicious entries in the `Run` keys, remove unauthorized Scheduled Tasks, and disable any rogue Windows Services.
Endpoint Eradication: Once the persistence mechanisms are severed, utilize EDR or anti-malware tools to quarantine the core malware executables and perform a full system sweep.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1547.001 T1543.003 T1547.004

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_STARTP {
    meta:
        description = "Detects Startp (trojan)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Boilerplate Generator"
        date = "2026-07-06"
    strings:
        $s1 = "startp" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "trojan.startpage" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "trojan.startp" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32/startp" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Startp Activity
id: d72f17c6b51bc47b73b41d00678ba207
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the startp malware family.
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\cmd.exe'
            - '\powershell.exe'
        CommandLine|contains:
            - "*startp*"
            - "*trojan.startpage*"
            - "*trojan.startp*"
            - "*win32/startp*"
    condition: selection
level: medium

References & External Analysis

Search "startp" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove the Startp Trojan from Windows?

Manual removal of Startp is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.

Is Startp a virus or a Trojan?

Startp is classified as a Trojan. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Startp typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.

What are the main symptoms of a Startp infection?

Symptoms of Startp can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.

Related Families (Category: trojan)

Explore other malware families in the same category:

Protect Your Network Against Trojans

Want to prevent Startp and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Banking Trojan Protection.

Need help with an active incident? Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.

Machine-readable

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