{ "id": "52cf02d0-6b7a-4f55-9b96-2d303a614986", "created_at": "2026-04-06T00:12:18.161264Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:28:46.78871Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "ae9b07dd537bdcc9dee48abaac7f7b8ae8e7e93e", "title": "Redline Stealer Masquerades as Photo Editing Software", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 569198, "plain_text": "Redline Stealer Masquerades as Photo Editing Software\r\nBy eSentire Threat Response Unit (TRU)\r\nArchived: 2026-04-05 19:43:23 UTC\r\nAdversaries don’t work 9-5 and neither do we. At eSentire, our 24/7 SOCs are staffed with Elite Threat Hunters\r\nand Cyber Analysts who hunt, investigate, contain and respond to threats within minutes.\r\nWe have discovered some of the most dangerous threats and nation state attacks in our space – including the\r\nKaseya MSP breach and the more_eggs malware.\r\nOur Security Operations Centers are supported with Threat Intelligence, Tactical Threat Response and Advanced\r\nThreat Analytics driven by our Threat Response Unit – the TRU team.\r\nIn TRU Positives, eSentire’s Threat Response Unit (TRU) provides a summary of a recent threat investigation. We\r\noutline how we responded to the confirmed threat and what recommendations we have going forward.\r\nHere’s the latest from our TRU Team…\r\nWhat did we find?\r\nRedline Stealer malware impacting a customer in the software industry.\r\nThe malware was disguised as an installer for a photo editing software and was inadvertently\r\nexecuted by the user.\r\nWhen executed, the fake installer communicated with the command-and-control, performed anti-analysis\r\nchecks and then injected code into the legitimate Windows binary MSBuild.exe using the process\r\nhollowing technique. Using the hollowed process, the malware retrieves additional files hosted on the\r\nDiscord chat service and configures a scheduled task for persistence.\r\nHow did we find it?\r\neSentire MDR for Endpoint identified the process-hollowing activity.\r\nWhat did we do?\r\nOur 24/7 SOC Cyber Analysts investigated and confirmed the activity was malicious.\r\nWe also provided remediation recommendations and support to the customer.\r\nWhat can you learn from this TRU positive?\r\neSentire has observed an increase in Redline Stealer infections since March 2022.\r\nRedline Stealer is a general-purpose information stealer capable of collecting credentials and sensitive data\r\nfrom compromised systems.\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 1 of 6\n\nIt was initially advertised on various hacking forums in early 2020 for $150 and $200 USD for a “lite” and\r\npro version respectively (Figure 1).\r\nCredentials stolen by information stealing malware can be used to further infiltrate networks or monetized\r\nthrough sale on various underground markets.\r\nIt’s well-established that extortion groups such as LAPSUS$ use stolen credentials or session\r\ncookies purchased from these markets.\r\nAccording to Microsoft, LAPSUS$ has used Redline Stealer directly as part of their initial access\r\nphase.\r\nFigure 1 Early advertisement for Redline Stealer\r\nRecommendations from our Threat Response Unit (TRU) Team:\r\nProtecting against information stealers requires a multi-layered defense approach to defend endpoints from\r\nmalware and detect or block unauthorized login activity against applications and remote access services.\r\nTherefore, we recommend:\r\nProtect all endpoints against malware.\r\nEnsure antivirus signatures are up-to-date.\r\nUse a Next-Gen AV (NGAV) or Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) product to detect and\r\ncontain threats.\r\nIn the event information stealing malware is identified, reset user credentials and terminate logon\r\nsessions.\r\nRestrict access to enterprise applications from personal devices outside the scope of security monitoring.\r\nEnsure adequate logging is in place for remote access services such as VPN and use modern authentication\r\nmethods which support MFA and conditional access.\r\nAsk Yourself...\r\nCan you identify Redline Stealer in time to minimize credential compromise?\r\nDo you have the visibility to identify use of compromised credentials in your organization?\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 2 of 6\n\neSentire’s Threat Response Unit (TRU) is a world-class team of threat researchers who develop new detections\r\nenriched by original threat intelligence and leverage new machine learning models that correlate multi-signal data\r\nand automate rapid response to advanced threats.\r\nIf you are not currently engaged with an MDR provider, eSentire MDR can help you reclaim the advantage and\r\nput your business ahead of disruption.\r\nLearn what it means to have an elite team of Threat Hunters and Researchers that works for you. Connectwith an\r\neSentire Security Specialist.\r\nTo learn how your organization can build cyber resilience and prevent business disruption with eSentire’s Next\r\nLevel MDR, connect with an eSentire Security Specialist now.\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 3 of 6\n\nGET STARTED\r\nABOUT ESENTIRE’S THREAT RESPONSE UNIT (TRU)\r\nThe eSentire Threat Response Unit (TRU) is an industry-leading threat research team committed to helping your\r\norganization become more resilient. TRU is an elite team of threat hunters and researchers that supports our 24/7\r\nSecurity Operations Centers (SOCs), builds threat detection models across the eSentire XDR Cloud Platform, and\r\nworks as an extension of your security team to continuously improve our Managed Detection and Response\r\nservice. By providing complete visibility across your attack surface and performing global threat sweeps and\r\nproactive hypothesis-driven threat hunts augmented by original threat research, we are laser-focused on defending\r\nyour organization against known and unknown threats.\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 4 of 6\n\nBack to blog\r\nTake Your Cybersecurity Program to the Next Level with eSentire MDR.\r\nBUILD A QUOTE\r\nin this blog\r\nWhat did we find?How did we find it?What did we do?What can you learn from this TRU positive?\r\nRecommendations from our Threat Response Unit (TRU) Team:\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 5 of 6\n\nSource: https://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nhttps://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software\r\nPage 6 of 6", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "Malpedia" ], "references": [ "https://www.esentire.com/blog/redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software" ], "report_names": [ "redline-stealer-masquerades-as-photo-editing-software" ], "threat_actors": [ { "id": "be5097b2-a70f-490f-8c06-250773692fae", "created_at": "2022-10-27T08:27:13.22631Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.311385Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "LAPSUS$", "aliases": [ "LAPSUS$", "DEV-0537", "Strawberry Tempest" ], "source_name": "MITRE:LAPSUS$", "tools": [ "Mimikatz" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "d4b9608d-af69-43bc-a08a-38167ac6306a", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:39.335061Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.291149Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "LAPSUS", "aliases": [ "Lapsus", "LAPSUS$", "DEV-0537", "SLIPPY SPIDER", "Strawberry Tempest", "UNC3661" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:LAPSUS", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "2347282d-6b88-4fbe-b816-16b156c285ac", "created_at": "2024-06-19T02:03:08.099397Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.663831Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "GOLD RAINFOREST", "aliases": [ "Lapsus$", "Slippy Spider ", "Strawberry Tempest " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:GOLD RAINFOREST", "tools": [ "Mimikatz" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "52d5d8b3-ab13-4fc4-8d5f-068f788e4f2b", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:24.503878Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.014316Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Lapsus$", "aliases": [ "DEV-0537", "G1004", "Slippy Spider", "Strawberry Tempest" ], "source_name": "ETDA:Lapsus$", "tools": [], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null } ], "ts_created_at": 1775434338, "ts_updated_at": 1775791726, "ts_creation_date": 0, "ts_modification_date": 0, "files": { "pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/ae9b07dd537bdcc9dee48abaac7f7b8ae8e7e93e.pdf", "text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/ae9b07dd537bdcc9dee48abaac7f7b8ae8e7e93e.txt", "img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/ae9b07dd537bdcc9dee48abaac7f7b8ae8e7e93e.jpg" } }