defection.io

malware

TRAILBLAZE S9012

Type: malware
Platforms: Linux, Network Devices
Created: 14 April 2026
Last modified: 23 April 2026

TRAILBLAZE is an in-memory dropper used to deploy the passive backdoor BRUSHFIRE. First reported in March 2025, TRAILBLAZE has been observed in operations attributed to People's Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored affiliated actors, including UNC5221 and SYLVANITE. [1][2][3]

TechniquesBottom 17%

Tactics32nd pct

Threat groupsNone recorded

CampaignsNone recorded

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

defection.io

malware

TRAILBLAZE S9012

Type: malware
Platforms: Linux, Network Devices
Created: 14 April 2026
Last modified: 23 April 2026

TechniquesBottom 17%

Tactics32nd pct

Threat groupsNone recorded

CampaignsNone recorded

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

TRAILBLAZE MITRE reference S9012

Process Hollowing T1055.012 ↗

TRAILBLAZE has injected a hook into an existing process to load BRUSHFIRE in the spaces allocated memory to include the Ivanti Connect Secure (ICS) web process named web.4 5

Privilege Escalation · Stealth6 detection rules

Process Discovery T1057 ↗

TRAILBLAZE has conducted process discovery by searching for specific named processes such as /home/bin/web.6 7

Discovery10 detection rules

File Deletion T1070.004 ↗

TRAILBLAZE has the ability to delete temporary files and contents in specified directories to cover its tracks.8 9

Stealth30 detection rules

Native API T1106 ↗

TRAILBLAZE has leveraged raw syscalls to execute commands.10 11

Execution14 detection rules

Standing S9012

Reach is how much of ATT&CK this malware 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

Techniques4Bottom 17%

17th percentile · 83% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more Enterprise techniques.

Tactics432nd pct

32nd percentile · 68% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more tactics spanned.

Threat groups061% 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 22%

22nd percentile · 78% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more detection rules per technique.

Tests / technique7.5med64th pct

64th percentile · 64% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have this many atomic tests per technique or fewer.

Data comps / technique4.5med54% tie · 11 values

54% of the population shares a single value across only 11 distinct values, so a percentile here would rank the tie, not the entity.

Mitigations / technique0.5medBottom 23%

23rd percentile · 77% of 825 ATT&CK software entries have more mitigations per technique.

5 of 8 axes carry an honest rank on this page. Coverage medians are taken across this malware’s 4 Enterprise techniques.

Range

Technique Campaign use over its cumulative rule count.

Campaigns · 0Sigma rules (cumulative) · 43Splunk ESCU (cumulative) · 17