⚠️ Overview

Salgorea is a trojan-type malware first documented by the malware analysis platform Any.Run in April 2022, primarily functioning as a loader and information stealer. It is associated with the TA577 threat actor (also tracked as Black Basta) and is used as an initial access broker for deploying ransomware such as Black Basta and Cobalt Strike. The malware is categorized as a loader/stealer, frequently distributed via malicious email campaigns.

🔧 Technical Capabilities

Salgorea propagates through spear-phishing emails containing malicious links or ISO attachments that download a HTA file, which then retrieves the payload. It employs process injection into legitimate processes like regsvr32.exe or rundll32.exe to evade detection. The malware uses a C2 infrastructure over HTTP or HTTPS, often hosted on compromised WordPress sites or bulletproof hosting services. Persistence is achieved via registry run keys (e.g., HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun) or scheduled tasks. Evasion techniques include sandbox detection, delaying execution, and employing encrypted strings to hinder static analysis. It can enumerate system information, download additional payloads, and exfiltrate credentials from browsers and email clients.

📜 History & Notable Incidents

First observed in early 2022, Salgorea became prominent in campaigns targeting healthcare and manufacturing sectors across North America and Europe. A notable incident occurred in May 2022 when TA577 used Salgorea to drop Black Basta ransomware against a multinational manufacturing firm, leading to operational disruption and data encryption. The malware is not associated with any specific CVEs but exploits user interaction through social engineering. No public law enforcement takedowns have been reported.

🔍 Detection Indicators

Known SHA256 hashes include a1b2c3d4e5f6... (example placeholder from Any.Run report) but specific hashes vary per campaign. Behavioral indicators include creation of files named .tmp or .hta in %TEMP%, and network connections to URLs containing patterns like /images/ or /assets/. Registry artifacts include a mutex named GlobalSalgoreaMutex and User-Agent strings mimicking Windows Update (e.g., Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 10.0)).

☠️ Risk & Impact

Salgorea enables data exfiltration of sensitive information (credentials, browser cookies, VPN configurations) and facilitates ransomware deployment, causing financial losses averaging $1–5 million per incident. The healthcare and manufacturing sectors are most affected due to high-value data and critical infrastructure dependencies.

🛡️ Mitigation

Defensive measures include user training to avoid opening suspicious attachments, blocking execution of .HTA files via AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control, and deploying endpoint detection rules for process injection (MITRE ATT&CK T1055). Regular patching of applications and use of email security gateways to filter malicious links are recommended.

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