Early in 2025, a new and advanced malware-as-a-service (MaaS) threat known as Katz Stealer gained prominence quickly, becoming one of the leading infostealer threats. Priced from just $100/month, it enables cybercriminals to steal complete digital identities regardless of their skill level. Katz Stealer steals sensitive information such as passwords, cookies, autofill data, VPN settings, cryptocurrency wallets, and even encrypted browser data. It employs sophisticated evasion techniques including in-memory payload execution, steganography, process hollowing, and browser injection. The malware survives by injecting into legitimate processes like MSBuild.exe and creating scheduled tasks to ensure SYSTEM-level access without being detected. Katz Stealer's popularity stems from ease of use and availability. It has a web-based dashboard for campaign management, payload creation, and management of stolen data. Spread through phishing e-mails and trojanized downloads, it employs a multi-step infection chain with obfuscated JavaScript droppers and weaponized images. It is designed to steal cryptocurrency, with over 150 browser wallet extensions and decryption of secured credentials through the Windows Crypto API. The malware preserves an active connection to command-and-control servers, staging data in blocks and clearing traces after transfer. Recommendations: Organizations can deploy sophisticated endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that can detect process injection as well as in-memory execution. Phishing prevention can be the focus for email security gateways and user training. Patching regularly, abnormal PowerShell activity monitoring, and limiting the execution of cmstp.exe and MSBuild.exe can minimize exposure. Multi-factor authentication and password management in a secure manner can also limit the impact of credential theft.
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