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The ChimeraWire trojan boosts website popularity by skillfully pretending to be human

0
Medium
Published: Wed Dec 10 2025 (12/10/2025, 09:42:57 UTC)
Source: AlienVault OTX General

Description

The ChimeraWire trojan is a Windows-targeting malware that artificially inflates website popularity by simulating human user behavior. It operates by controlling Google Chrome in debug mode to perform automated clicks and solve CAPTCHAs, thereby boosting search engine rankings. Distributed via multiple infection chains involving various downloaders and exploits, ChimeraWire currently focuses on click fraud but has the potential to evolve into more sophisticated operations such as form filling, web scraping, and cyber espionage. The malware employs stealth techniques to evade detection and is built on modular tools that could be repurposed for advanced malicious activities. While no known exploits are currently active in the wild, the threat poses a medium severity risk due to its potential impact on web integrity and future capabilities. European organizations involved in digital marketing, e-commerce, and web services could be targeted or indirectly affected by distorted analytics and reputational damage. Mitigation requires enhanced endpoint detection, monitoring for abnormal browser automation, and restricting debug mode usage. Countries with high internet commerce activity and advanced digital economies, such as Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands, are more likely to be impacted. Given the malware’s automation capabilities and stealth, the suggested severity is medium.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 12/10/2025, 10:21:00 UTC

Technical Analysis

ChimeraWire is a novel trojan malware targeting Windows systems, discovered by Doctor Web experts. Its primary function is to artificially boost website popularity by simulating human interactions with websites, thereby manipulating search engine rankings. The trojan achieves this by controlling the Google Chrome browser running in debug mode, allowing it to automate user actions such as clicking on links and solving CAPTCHAs without human intervention. This automation is sophisticated, enabling the malware to bypass common detection mechanisms that look for robotic or scripted behavior. ChimeraWire is distributed through complex infection chains that involve multiple downloader trojans and exploit vectors, indicating a modular and layered attack strategy. Although its current operations focus on click fraud, the underlying architecture supports more advanced features like automated form filling, web scraping, and potentially cyber espionage activities, which could be introduced in future versions. The malware’s stealth techniques include evading sandbox detection and anti-debugging measures, making it difficult for traditional antivirus solutions to detect and remove. No specific affected software versions or patches are currently identified, and no active exploits have been reported in the wild. The malware’s use of legitimate browser debugging features for malicious purposes represents a novel abuse vector. The threat is classified as medium severity due to its potential to distort web analytics, impact digital marketing integrity, and its capacity for future expansion into more damaging cyber activities.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, ChimeraWire presents several risks. Primarily, it can distort web traffic analytics and search engine rankings, undermining the reliability of digital marketing campaigns and e-commerce performance metrics. This can lead to misguided business decisions, wasted marketing budgets, and reputational harm if fraudulent traffic is detected by partners or customers. Organizations relying heavily on online presence, such as digital marketing agencies, e-commerce platforms, and media companies, are particularly vulnerable. Additionally, the malware’s potential evolution into web scraping and cyber espionage tools could threaten the confidentiality of sensitive business data and intellectual property. The stealthy nature of ChimeraWire complicates detection, increasing the risk of prolonged undetected infections. While direct damage to system integrity or availability is currently limited, the indirect consequences on business operations and trust in digital ecosystems are significant. The medium severity reflects these combined factors, emphasizing the importance of proactive defense measures in the European digital economy.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should implement a multi-layered defense strategy against ChimeraWire. First, enhance endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities to identify unusual browser automation activities, especially Chrome instances running in debug mode. Monitor for automated CAPTCHA solving and abnormal click patterns that deviate from typical user behavior. Restrict or audit the use of browser debugging features in corporate environments to prevent misuse. Employ network traffic analysis to detect communication with known downloader trojans or command and control servers associated with ChimeraWire infection chains. Regularly update and patch all software, even though no specific patches exist for ChimeraWire, to reduce exposure to exploitation vectors used in infection chains. Conduct user awareness training to recognize phishing or social engineering attempts that could initiate infection. Utilize threat intelligence feeds to stay informed about emerging variants and related indicators of compromise. Finally, implement strict access controls and application whitelisting to limit execution of unauthorized scripts or binaries that could facilitate malware deployment.

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Technical Details

Author
AlienVault
Tlp
white
References
["https://news.drweb.com/show/?i=15090&lng=en&c=5"]
Adversary
null
Pulse Id
693940a1faa6909adf5a414c
Threat Score
null

Indicators of Compromise

Hash

ValueDescriptionCopy
hash09c26df025752b9ed6c3df1ed64717ee
MD5 of 1e010f4637284da7c2c6ac9a8fb2b1bdec8f2abf
hash121883112007967088d3fcb5f5106d6b
MD5 of a5207352be07557960240014ebbc6401c31110c1
hash24a5f9ed11c73f3fee3274fc8ef55814
MD5 of ce591bd31bee720dd0ee631f7be63904255a664b
hash25f191ca42ad3d9844e0e6b7422420db
MD5 of 993fc928f3f3a4bd6f356d2c567548dcedeef89b
hash28eeaa26cec3a45fbf997bceac93ad41
MD5 of 370e410383244c9f1ff75acb4d0dfbef29b483f6
hash2a53b01b30141ee1ab32ce31f75ee822
MD5 of 477902f5b2934086def7319fc40662d3e603616b
hash495f4aab3761c439b407b73a0ccc5b74
MD5 of 054b9e9a9b76eccbce00e8f4d249a8e93f178f3c
hash4c6051058ab1d22451daf768dcaeea29
MD5 of 7332fdb6e9b34e1d3dfb94a53272d1b3b6415333
hash5d3993838844308fd1979c90d3ccc1bd
MD5 of d56f4ee28e2545b087972b86507843c6a7836b6d
hash6eac03ff0fca651e030d8e03b8dc14ea
MD5 of e70a41a6ac176e0173f3769de127c704fb0d3239
hash86fc37cbf1b34223c7d90bf2d57e13c5
MD5 of 5011e937851f3c4ecbd540d89a5dffd52922dfff
hash8b211b03d865cc9aa788313b8287e37b
MD5 of 8badce03b976fa1a4a3ab1b73ce6e158daf35b2a
hash9961986378873f1de087bb4554412cd5
MD5 of f4ec358ae772d954b661dc9c7f5e4940a2c733e2
hasha172ea892aecbec4c9ecdd40e2a912f1
MD5 of 85d5f01e68924e49459b6cc1ccceb74daa03bfbd
hasha468208929b1669aa20e7eacd6bbb33d
MD5 of 231ebce457fb9c1ea23678e25b3b62b942febb7d
hashbd069433112943cd86d3981c42f4ab8e
MD5 of 71f9af933330a08e05fa99e21f1d3684299f159f
hashd9f5ab0c58543315d511830de97f6640
MD5 of fb889b6fb1a05854ddab3dc056a4be6a6129c8b0
hashde24ef8237208f8162907874f1952a17
MD5 of b49423f5eebfa3c969992c1e5181e40f14255283
hashea75aba2baa57b47629d3acc4758bc23
MD5 of 752cbf3b0a18831b1ee02c8850517c695ddda98e
hashed8e3539c0a425929761158c540d8a55
MD5 of 2728a59e8ededa1d9d2d24ea37e3d87e1be9dd85
hashedbc40b077886a624e6083f8f1cf1ad8
MD5 of eb76a4c01f744cd357f6456526d379dc4653a20a
hashfc3cc6cf464a78d8b6fd9c53e96d92da
MD5 of 0d9224ec897d4d20700a9de5443b31811c99b973
hash054b9e9a9b76eccbce00e8f4d249a8e93f178f3c
hash0d9224ec897d4d20700a9de5443b31811c99b973
hash1e010f4637284da7c2c6ac9a8fb2b1bdec8f2abf
hash231ebce457fb9c1ea23678e25b3b62b942febb7d
hash2728a59e8ededa1d9d2d24ea37e3d87e1be9dd85
hash370e410383244c9f1ff75acb4d0dfbef29b483f6
hash477902f5b2934086def7319fc40662d3e603616b
hash5011e937851f3c4ecbd540d89a5dffd52922dfff
hash684fa80fc7173bb7704d861cd410e4a851305f0d
hash71f9af933330a08e05fa99e21f1d3684299f159f
hash7332fdb6e9b34e1d3dfb94a53272d1b3b6415333
hash752cbf3b0a18831b1ee02c8850517c695ddda98e
hash85d5f01e68924e49459b6cc1ccceb74daa03bfbd
hash8badce03b976fa1a4a3ab1b73ce6e158daf35b2a
hash9468b3c9b59cb485df6f363b8077abf7a6bbae2a
hash993fc928f3f3a4bd6f356d2c567548dcedeef89b
hasha5207352be07557960240014ebbc6401c31110c1
hashb49423f5eebfa3c969992c1e5181e40f14255283
hashce591bd31bee720dd0ee631f7be63904255a664b
hashd56f4ee28e2545b087972b86507843c6a7836b6d
hashe70a41a6ac176e0173f3769de127c704fb0d3239
hasheb76a4c01f744cd357f6456526d379dc4653a20a
hashf4ec358ae772d954b661dc9c7f5e4940a2c733e2
hashfb889b6fb1a05854ddab3dc056a4be6a6129c8b0
hash01203624d98880cdb1264c0452730dc87f1b0a8da14ec9b276c84c6e1b484898
SHA256 of 231ebce457fb9c1ea23678e25b3b62b942febb7d
hash01315bf33ae4d6ddce5aa244e0effacad319d41fe6e178765e887b00633d3e48
SHA256 of 7332fdb6e9b34e1d3dfb94a53272d1b3b6415333
hash048b30fe1398dcda4be66a564e2d48b73d82e133e36b76ae5d246055a2c0cf5c
SHA256 of 85d5f01e68924e49459b6cc1ccceb74daa03bfbd
hash07966e47e550e36304be55a56345b3d2d4e8952aa8fcdb1ae8b468db9eabea81
SHA256 of a5207352be07557960240014ebbc6401c31110c1
hash1026933cbdfe66af902ff63bf31c91eff8948d74ee9cd770f1612781d83c48a6
SHA256 of f4ec358ae772d954b661dc9c7f5e4940a2c733e2
hash16cfed311e7f7257f6289d99f78f40962781f39fe08257fc8c399b0cacbe969d
SHA256 of b49423f5eebfa3c969992c1e5181e40f14255283
hash22db57391bbe56e2f8c5c94465e4e3d61047d96b21787f2312b06b0c240b03aa
SHA256 of ce591bd31bee720dd0ee631f7be63904255a664b
hash42692d548a000df5569ea7bb556ca9e1620c40eb649c8c60468744314dae5aa9
SHA256 of 2728a59e8ededa1d9d2d24ea37e3d87e1be9dd85
hash5230878dd9e8df70c4c89774bc147c55cfe37fe3b13e93c301faecd9193a3043
SHA256 of 477902f5b2934086def7319fc40662d3e603616b
hash66bdaae50d5a37b14d050672de6361a51103222ce24a0f4a0dc1afb8d682e0c8
SHA256 of 993fc928f3f3a4bd6f356d2c567548dcedeef89b
hash6c7ed5c36723092b8ad342ed2c45e41d621a46561089c9879ac7dac646aab3b5
SHA256 of 71f9af933330a08e05fa99e21f1d3684299f159f
hash6c9e64cdadae9349801dfa2263891216654a5bde0fff9701bbe6e0741b9d437a
SHA256 of eb76a4c01f744cd357f6456526d379dc4653a20a
hash6cfb7ba135a8f4c18d2f59869d8eacf8ee6d947426f73b69048aec20c88ac2f9
SHA256 of 0d9224ec897d4d20700a9de5443b31811c99b973
hash72b3bd9e2bc8413fa374d8ded5500d88c91026987f27e388d794986980d4a3b2
SHA256 of 1e010f4637284da7c2c6ac9a8fb2b1bdec8f2abf
hash72be4ec217602f6d1ac8dcb51f8689b635a33632f7e85c4a755cb43c1b29aad6
SHA256 of e70a41a6ac176e0173f3769de127c704fb0d3239
hash7d61af25a15ad18d83551b8a0b937c2895c6fd5f55aaf1b9a78388385e11d805
SHA256 of d56f4ee28e2545b087972b86507843c6a7836b6d
hash8245948102e25702a0ca9362ecab0372cc14bdd175941d6895432391da4bb0df
SHA256 of 8badce03b976fa1a4a3ab1b73ce6e158daf35b2a
hash960b6205842de977ee945985237bea9a3b3b8cf2400e1968dda8fa3541be95dd
SHA256 of 054b9e9a9b76eccbce00e8f4d249a8e93f178f3c
hash9cfd466435bbbd9415c6e45e7fe95fc015cffb6966dca15d6490ee6216e54519
SHA256 of 5011e937851f3c4ecbd540d89a5dffd52922dfff
hash9e7173cead96812ec53c75b90918c6ebfc201f4690f8503996d7fa9b28f28793
SHA256 of 752cbf3b0a18831b1ee02c8850517c695ddda98e
hashe4301e87db791b712bbd690aee4a981d547213afb7d2ce2e9932731c9734ac00
SHA256 of 370e410383244c9f1ff75acb4d0dfbef29b483f6
hashe94ec5980d1f7cc5b9ece979caf01803b6f75408ebaa83016f3071514a73d443
SHA256 of fb889b6fb1a05854ddab3dc056a4be6a6129c8b0

Ip

ValueDescriptionCopy
ip79.110.49.212
CC=TR ASN=AS209371 private network
ip91.200.14.14
CC=UA ASN=ASNone

Domain

ValueDescriptionCopy
domainopenthecahe.com
domaintemp-xy.com
domain30.openthecahe.com
domaindown.temp-xy.com
domaingit.temp-xy.com
domainlogs.temp-xy.com
domaintest.temp-xy.com
domaintime.temp-xy.com
domainwww.openthecahe.com
domaindown.temp-xy.com

Url

ValueDescriptionCopy
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/code/k.txt
9421dec904e6d8c12dc2fce3df353541a721cb69e2b27055928ac6c9f10cc47f
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/code/s.txt
28c21c3421215b7cd9c741f795aa30cc1be6bb07bbcd65e3e1e8adda6691ffe6
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/update/onedrive.zip
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/update/onedrivetwo.zip
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/update/python3.zip
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/zip/one.zip
urlhttps://down.temp-xy.com/zip/two.zip

Threat ID: 693945e8681246c13df08656

Added to database: 12/10/2025, 10:05:28 AM

Last enriched: 12/10/2025, 10:21:00 AM

Last updated: 12/10/2025, 12:06:24 PM

Views: 4

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