Analysis
- user interaction
yes - max time kernel
600s - max time network
545s - platform
windows11-21h2_x64 - resource
win11-20260513-es - resource tags
- submitted
10/08/2026, 04:30
General
- Target ProjectLightningInstaller.exe
- Size 48.8MB
- Sample260810-e5axhs1drc
- SHA256 3b62707c64fed70a5254e0f6963e07b8a2316ab529e9c52b3cb2262c13f4c39c
Malware Config
Signatures
- Modifies visibility of hidden/system files in Explorer 2 TTPs 2 IoCs
- Executes dropped EXE 8 IoCs
- Loads dropped DLL 4 IoCs
- Adds Run key to start application 2 TTPs 4 IoCs
- Checks installed software on the system 1 TTPs
Looks up Uninstall key entries in the registry to enumerate software on the system.
- Contacts third-party web service commonly abused for C2 1 TTPs 2 IoCs
Legitimate web (hosting) services can be abused by malware authors to host malware or C2s.
- Enumerates connected drives 3 TTPs 23 IoCs
Attempts to read the root path of hard drives other than the default C: drive.
- Drops file in System32 directory 2 IoCs
- Drops file in Windows directory 5 IoCs
- Enumerates physical storage devices 1 TTPs
Attempts to interact with connected storage/optical drive(s).
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery 1 TTPs 9 IoCs
Attempt gather information about the system language of a victim in order to infer the geographical location of that host.
- Inno Setup is an open-source installation builder for Windows applications. 4 IoCs
Inno Setup installer
- Modifies registry class 1 IoCs
- Suspicious behavior: EnumeratesProcesses 64 IoCs
- Suspicious behavior: GetForegroundWindowSpam 2 IoCs
- Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken 29 IoCs
- Suspicious use of FindShellTrayWindow 1 IoCs
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx 13 IoCs
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory 8 IoCs
Processes
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C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\ProjectLightningInstaller.exe"C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\ProjectLightningInstaller.exe"1⤵
- Drops file in Windows directory
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious behavior: EnumeratesProcesses
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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\??\c:\users\admin\appdata\local\temp\projectlightninginstaller.exec:\users\admin\appdata\local\temp\projectlightninginstaller.exe2⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\is-X8RYDD07MK.tmp\projectlightninginstaller.tmp"C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\is-X8RYDD07MK.tmp\projectlightninginstaller.tmp" /SL5="$402F2,49659519,842240,c:\users\admin\appdata\local\temp\projectlightninginstaller.exe "3⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious use of FindShellTrayWindow
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Roaming\ProjectLightning\Project Lightning.exe"C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Roaming\ProjectLightning\Project Lightning.exe"4⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- Loads dropped DLL
- Enumerates connected drives
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Modifies registry class
- Suspicious use of AdjustPrivilegeToken
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C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\icsys.icn.exeC:\Windows\Resources\Themes\icsys.icn.exe2⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- Drops file in Windows directory
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious behavior: EnumeratesProcesses
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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\??\c:\windows\resources\themes\explorer.exec:\windows\resources\themes\explorer.exe3⤵
- Modifies visibility of hidden/system files in Explorer
- Executes dropped EXE
- Adds Run key to start application
- Drops file in System32 directory
- Drops file in Windows directory
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious behavior: GetForegroundWindowSpam
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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\??\c:\windows\resources\spoolsv.exec:\windows\resources\spoolsv.exe SE4⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- Drops file in Windows directory
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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\??\c:\windows\resources\svchost.exec:\windows\resources\svchost.exe5⤵
- Modifies visibility of hidden/system files in Explorer
- Executes dropped EXE
- Adds Run key to start application
- Drops file in System32 directory
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious behavior: GetForegroundWindowSpam
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
- Suspicious use of WriteProcessMemory
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\??\c:\windows\resources\spoolsv.exec:\windows\resources\spoolsv.exe PR6⤵
- Executes dropped EXE
- System Location Discovery: System Language Discovery
- Suspicious use of SetWindowsHookEx
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Network
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v16
Privilege Escalation
Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
1Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder
1Defense Evasion
Hide Artifacts
1Hidden Files and Directories
1Modify Registry
2Replay Monitor
Loading Replay Monitor...
Downloads
CurrentDatabase_400.wmdb
WMSDKNS.XML.bak
projectlightninginstaller.tmp
projectlightninginstaller.exe
Newtonsoft.Json.dll
Project Lightning.exe
Project Lightning.exe.config
WpfAnimatedGif.dll
red_porsche.mp4
sponsors.txt
steam-force-sponsor.png
explorer.exe
icsys.icn.exe
spoolsv.exe
svchost.exe
memory/1060-224-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/2644-225-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/3184-17-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/3184-53-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/3392-62-0x0000000003670000-0x0000000003671000-memory.dmp
memory/3392-166-0x0000000000C10000-0x000000000107A000-memory.dmp
memory/3392-160-0x0000000000C10000-0x000000000107A000-memory.dmp
memory/3392-21-0x0000000003670000-0x0000000003671000-memory.dmp
memory/3560-51-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/4300-0-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/4300-54-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/4388-52-0x0000000000400000-0x000000000041F000-memory.dmp
memory/4836-167-0x0000000000860000-0x000000000093D000-memory.dmp
memory/4836-159-0x0000000000860000-0x000000000093D000-memory.dmp
memory/4836-8-0x0000000000860000-0x000000000093D000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-179-0x0000000009C30000-0x0000000009D40000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-185-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-183-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-188-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-187-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-193-0x000000000CA40000-0x000000000CA50000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-192-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-190-0x000000000CA40000-0x000000000CA50000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-195-0x00000000105D0000-0x00000000105DE000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-194-0x0000000010610000-0x0000000010648000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-191-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-189-0x000000000CA40000-0x000000000CA50000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-186-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-213-0x00000000182C0000-0x0000000018372000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-214-0x0000000018380000-0x00000000183F6000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-184-0x0000000009A90000-0x0000000009AA0000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-218-0x000000000F010000-0x000000000F020000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-182-0x000000000C930000-0x000000000C950000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-181-0x000000000C2D0000-0x000000000C2D8000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-178-0x0000000009AA0000-0x0000000009C28000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-220-0x0000000006280000-0x000000000628A000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-219-0x00000000064F0000-0x0000000006530000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-221-0x0000000015E50000-0x0000000015F52000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-168-0x00000000075F0000-0x000000000760C000-memory.dmp
memory/5176-165-0x0000000000300000-0x0000000000D90000-memory.dmp