tool

Helminth S0170

Type: malware
Platform: Windows
Created: 16 January 2018
Last modified: 11 April 2024

Helminth is a backdoor that has at least two variants - one written in VBScript and PowerShell that is delivered via a macros in Excel spreadsheets, and one that is a standalone Windows executable. [1]

TechniquesTop 18%

TacticsTop 6%

Threat groupunranked

CampaignsNone recorded

Enterprise ATT&CK only. Any Mobile or ICS rows on the same ATT&CK page are not carried.

MITRE reference S0170

Encrypted/Encoded File T1027.013↗

The Helminth config file is encrypted with RC4.2

Stealth1 detection rules

Data Transfer Size Limits T1030↗

Helminth splits data into chunks up to 23 bytes and sends the data in DNS queries to its C2 server.3

Exfiltration5 detection rules

Scheduled Task T1053.005↗

Helminth has used a scheduled task for persistence.4

Execution · Persistence · Privilege Escalation79 detection rules

Keylogging T1056.001↗

The executable version of Helminth has a module to log keystrokes.5

Credential Access · Collection3 detection rules

Process Discovery T1057↗

Helminth has used Tasklist to get information on processes.6

Discovery10 detection rules

PowerShell T1059.001↗

One version of Helminth uses a PowerShell script.7

Execution297 detection rules

Standing S0170

Reach is how much of ATT&CK this tool touches. Coverage is how well defended each thing it does is, as a median per technique rather than a total — a total would just restate the reach. Each figure is ranked against all 825 ATT&CK software entries only where that population actually spreads. Where most of the population shares one value, a percentile would rank the tie instead of the entity, so the raw value is shown and no rank is claimed.

Reach

Techniques21Top 18%

82nd percentile · 82% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many Enterprise techniques or fewer.

Tactics10Top 6%

94th percentile · 94% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many tactics spanned or fewer.

Threat group161% tie · 22 values

61% of the population shares a single value across only 22 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.

Campaigns085% tie · 8 values

85% of the population shares a single value across only 8 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.

Coverage

Rules / technique12medBottom 21%

21st percentile · 79% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more detection rules per technique.

Tests / technique4med

Detection coverage S0170

771 distinct rules cover the 21 techniques recorded for this tool. The 860 technique-to-rule mappings resolve to 771 distinct rules, because one rule can cover several techniques. 560 Sigma · 211 Splunk.

20 covered by at least one rule1 with no coverage771 distinct rules in total

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MITRE reference S0170

Reach

Coverage

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