HANNIBAL Stealer is a sophisticated information-stealing malware developed in C# and represents a rebranding of previous malware families known as Sharp and TX Stealers. It primarily targets Chromium and Gecko-based browsers, extracting sensitive user data such as saved passwords, cookies, autofill data, and browsing history. Notably, it bypasses Chrome Cookie V20 protection, a security feature designed to safeguard browser cookies, indicating advanced evasion capabilities. Beyond browser data, HANNIBAL Stealer extends its reach to cryptocurrency wallets, FTP clients, VPN credentials, and collects extensive system information, enabling attackers to gain comprehensive access to victim environments. It also includes a crypto clipper module, which can intercept and alter cryptocurrency addresses copied to the clipboard, redirecting funds to attacker-controlled wallets. The malware is controlled via a dedicated command and control (C2) panel, facilitating real-time data exfiltration and remote management. The threat actor employs geofencing and domain-matching techniques to restrict infections to specific geographic regions or domains, likely to avoid detection or target specific victims. Comprehensive system profiling allows the malware to tailor its behavior based on the victim’s environment. The malware uses established attack techniques such as process injection, credential dumping, and persistence mechanisms, as indicated by the associated MITRE ATT&CK techniques (e.g., T1003 credential dumping, T1055 process injection, T1543/1547 persistence). It is actively sold on dark web forums and supported by active Telegram channels and maintained infrastructure, indicating ongoing operations. While it shows minimal innovation beyond updated communication methods and infrastructure, its capabilities and active distribution suggest a persistent threat to targeted environments. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the malware’s ability to bypass modern browser protections and its broad targeting scope make it a significant concern.

For European organizations, HANNIBAL Stealer poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. The theft of browser credentials, cookies, and autofill data can lead to unauthorized access to corporate and personal accounts, including email, financial services, and internal portals. The targeting of cryptocurrency wallets and VPN credentials threatens financial assets and secure remote access infrastructure, potentially enabling lateral movement within networks or exfiltration of sensitive data. The malware’s ability to bypass Chrome Cookie V20 protection increases the likelihood of successful data theft from widely used browsers in Europe. Geofencing capabilities suggest that European entities could be specifically targeted or excluded depending on attacker intent, but given Europe’s high adoption of Chromium and Gecko browsers and widespread use of VPNs and FTP clients in business environments, the potential impact is broad. The presence of a crypto clipper module also raises concerns for organizations and individuals involved in cryptocurrency transactions, which are increasingly common in Europe. The malware’s persistence and system profiling capabilities increase the difficulty of detection and remediation, potentially leading to prolonged compromise and data leakage. Consequences include financial loss, reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and operational disruption.

European organizations should implement targeted mitigation strategies beyond generic advice: 1) Deploy advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting behaviors consistent with credential dumping (T1003), process injection (T1055), and persistence techniques (T1543, T1547). 2) Enforce strict browser security policies, including disabling or limiting autofill features and regularly clearing stored credentials and cookies, especially for Chromium and Gecko-based browsers. 3) Monitor clipboard activity for suspicious changes indicative of crypto clipper activity and educate users to verify cryptocurrency addresses before transactions. 4) Implement network-level domain filtering and DNS monitoring to detect and block communications with known malicious domains such as www.hannibal.dev. 5) Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) extensively to reduce the impact of stolen credentials. 6) Conduct regular threat hunting focused on indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as the provided hashes and domain names. 7) Restrict use of FTP clients and ensure secure configurations or replace with more secure file transfer protocols. 8) Maintain up-to-date software and apply security patches promptly, even though no direct exploits are known, to reduce attack surface. 9) Limit administrative privileges and monitor for unusual system profiling or reconnaissance activities. 10) Engage in user awareness training emphasizing phishing and social engineering risks, as initial infection vectors are often user-driven. These combined measures will reduce the likelihood of successful infection and limit damage if compromise occurs.