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Chasing an Angry Spark

0
Medium
Published: Wed Apr 15 2026 (04/15/2026, 09:21:55 UTC)
Source: AlienVault OTX General

Description

AngrySpark is a highly sophisticated backdoor malware discovered in spring 2022 on a single machine in the United Kingdom. It uses a three-stage architecture involving a DLL masquerading as a Windows Task Scheduler component, a custom virtual machine interpreter for bytecode, and a beacon that profiles systems while disguising command and control (C2) communications as PNG image requests. The malware incorporates advanced techniques such as VM-based obfuscation, dual encrypted C2 channels with RSA-4096 and XXTEA, direct syscalls to bypass usermode hooks, hypervisor detection, and CET-aware anti-analysis features. It was actively maintained from May 2022 to January 2023, with infrastructure expiring mid-2023 and the operation ceasing thereafter. No additional victims or samples have been identified beyond the initial UK machine despite the malware's complexity.

AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 04/15/2026, 17:47:13 UTC

Technical Analysis

AngrySpark is a backdoor malware campaign identified on a single UK machine in 2022. It employs a multi-stage infection chain: a DLL posing as a Windows Task Scheduler component, a custom virtual machine interpreter executing obfuscated bytecode, and a beacon that profiles infected systems while hiding C2 traffic as PNG image requests. The malware uses strong cryptographic protections (RSA-4096 and XXTEA) for its dual C2 channels, direct syscalls to evade usermode hooks, and advanced anti-analysis techniques including hypervisor detection and CET awareness. The campaign was maintained for about a year with active updates to syscall tables and configurations. The infrastructure was decommissioned in mid-2023, and no further infections or samples have been found. Indicators include multiple domains, IPs, hashes, and URLs linked to the campaign.

Potential Impact

The malware enables persistent backdoor access with sophisticated evasion and anti-analysis capabilities. It can profile infected systems and maintain stealthy communications with its C2 infrastructure. However, its impact was limited to a single known victim in the United Kingdom. The operation ceased after infrastructure expiration in mid-2023, and no further infections have been identified. There are no known exploits in the wild beyond this isolated case.

Mitigation Recommendations

No official patch or remediation is available as this is malware rather than a software vulnerability. The campaign has ceased following infrastructure expiration in mid-2023. Organizations should use the provided indicators of compromise (domains, IPs, hashes, URLs) to detect any potential remnants or related activity. Standard malware detection and incident response procedures apply. Patch status is not applicable. Monitor for any resurgence or new samples referencing AngrySpark.

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Technical Details

Author
AlienVault
Tlp
white
References
["https://www.gendigital.com/blog/insights/research/chasing-an-angry-spark"]
Adversary
null
Pulse Id
69df58b30a6bddb6a202695c
Threat Score
null

Indicators of Compromise

Domain

ValueDescriptionCopy
domainstorewebzone.net
domainserver-sys.com
domaincomp.id
domainpick.storewebzone.net
domains13035516.server-sys.com

Ip

ValueDescriptionCopy
ip185.151.31.111
ip185.151.31.6

Hash

ValueDescriptionCopy
hash068ab3cb0f28916ea64c27ea58a680c8
hash44a77bc78986f910d98491c0006b7be5
hash592d663ad71575e4c52e0c810008c3c2
hashcc32c78022525f12f5f407f0e1291003
hash20f19a37e17772c38b6f89af40fa941d55bad9ffcf3b3382206a0cadfa937025
hash491870264fa2d666fb8859508a6a44b80bcb868e2f43c00f03199df2651c757d
hash96883abd45eca3f076f1d5e2a9e75e37b588a37a99fe42ec4bedd34f7926760e
hash9c492a39823aa0ff14f3131a2346f833827a1c423e77dcc9682bb939aea0e215

Url

ValueDescriptionCopy
urlhttps://pick.storewebzone.net/assets/static/img/I4o8Pp_41.png
urlhttps://pick.storewebzone.net/prod/vUcLWuZF/8363/asb2dz_1dd4.php

Threat ID: 69dfcba782d89c981f8345df

Added to database: 4/15/2026, 5:32:23 PM

Last enriched: 4/15/2026, 5:47:13 PM

Last updated: 4/16/2026, 6:18:58 AM

Views: 11

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