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GodRAT Trojan targets trading firms using steganography and Gh0st RAT code

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1 unique sources, 1 articles

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A new remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed GodRAT has been identified targeting financial institutions, specifically trading and brokerage firms. The malware is delivered via malicious .SCR files disguised as financial documents sent through Skype messenger. It employs steganography to conceal shellcode within image files, which downloads the malware from a command-and-control (C2) server. The campaign has been active since at least September 2024, targeting regions including Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Jordan. GodRAT is based on Gh0st RAT and is linked to the Chinese threat actor Winnti (APT41). The malware uses a plugin-based approach to harvest sensitive information and deliver secondary payloads such as AsyncRAT. The screen saver files act as self-extracting executables that sideload a malicious DLL. The DLL extracts shellcode from a .JPG image file, facilitating the deployment of GodRAT. The trojan communicates with the C2 server over TCP, collects system information, and can execute various commands, including injecting plugins, downloading files, and opening URLs.

Timeline

  1. 19.08.2025 17:33 1 articles · 1mo ago

    GodRAT Trojan targets trading firms using steganography and Gh0st RAT code

    A new remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed GodRAT has been identified targeting financial institutions, specifically trading and brokerage firms. The malware is delivered via malicious .SCR files disguised as financial documents sent through Skype messenger. It employs steganography to conceal shellcode within image files, which downloads the malware from a command-and-control (C2) server. The campaign has been active since at least September 2024, targeting regions including Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Jordan. GodRAT is based on Gh0st RAT and is linked to the Chinese threat actor Winnti (APT41). The malware uses a plugin-based approach to harvest sensitive information and deliver secondary payloads such as AsyncRAT. The screen saver files act as self-extracting executables that sideload a malicious DLL. The DLL extracts shellcode from a .JPG image file, facilitating the deployment of GodRAT. The trojan communicates with the C2 server over TCP, collects system information, and can execute various commands, including injecting plugins, downloading files, and opening URLs.

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