Tinynuke
Table of Contents
Overview
TinyNuke (frequently documented in cybersecurity research as NukeBot, and tracked under signatures including Trojan:Win32/TinyNuke, Trojan.NukeBot, and Backdoor:Win32/TinyNuke) is an advanced modular banking trojan and HTTP botnet agent first identified in late 2016. Engineered to target online banking institutions, payment gateways, and cryptocurrency exchanges across Europe and North America, TinyNuke features an ultra-compact, high-performance C/C++ architecture. The malware injects custom DLL payloads into legitimate web browser processes (such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer). Utilizing Windows API hooks on network and SSL socket functions (such as PR_Write, HttpSendRequestW, and WS2_32 network routines), TinyNuke executes sophisticated Man-in-the-Browser (MitB) attacks. It intercepts online banking login credentials, alters web transaction data in real time, and injects rogue web forms to steal two-factor authentication (2FA) SMS codes and security tokens. Following the public leak of the author's complete source code repository in March 2017, numerous cybercriminal groups adapted the codebase for secondary downloader and credential theft operations.
Known aliases
Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:
Family Pedigree & Lineage
Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:
Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Trojan:Win32/Tinynuke.A · Trojan:Win32/Tinynuke.B · Trojan.Nukebot.V2
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1185 · T1056.004 · T1055.001 · T1547.001 · T1071.001
Tactical Mitigations
Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:
- T1056.004: Monitor for unauthorized keylogging, screen capturing, or web browser API hooking. Deploy EDR to detect API hooking.
- T1071.001: Implement web filtering and SSL/TLS inspection to detect malicious command and control (C2) traffic hiding in HTTP/HTTPS.
- T1185: Enforce strong MFA and use browser isolation or hardened browsers for sensitive financial or administrative portals to defeat session hijacking.
MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures
Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):
| D3FEND ID | Countermeasure Name | Tactic | Countered ATT&CK | Defensive Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D3-DIA | DLL Injection Analysis | Detect | T1055.001 | Monitor remote thread creation (CreateRemoteThread) and unauthorized DLL loading into core Windows processes (svchost.exe, explorer.exe). |
D3-AHC | API Hook Detection | Detect | T1056.004 | Deploy kernel and userland EDR drivers to monitor SetWindowsHookEx and low-level keyboard hooks. |
D3-WAF | Web Content Filtering & Inspection | Filter | T1071.001 | Block newly registered domains (NRDs) and inspect HTTP Host and URI headers for known C2 profiles. |
D3-MitBA | Man-in-the-Browser Analysis | Detect | T1185 | Deploy browser extension whitelisting and hardware-backed session binding to prevent rogue DOM and socket injection. |
D3-RPM | Registry Persistence Monitoring | Detect | T1547.001 | Audit and restrict write privileges to user and machine-level Registry Run/RunOnce keys using Endpoint Privilege Management. |
Tiered Detection Rules (Cisco CAIRN Model)
Modern threat detection requires multi-layered rule engineering. We classify detections into three operational tiers based on signal fidelity:
Tier 1 Primitive Artifact Rule (Fast Triage)
Matches raw strings and file markers. Vulnerable to binary repacking and simple obfuscation.
rule MALWARE_WIN_TINYNUKE_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Tinynuke"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "tinynuke" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "trojan:win32/tinynuke" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "trojan.nukebot" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "backdoor:win32/tinynuke" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "win32/nukebot" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "tinynuke banking trojan" ascii wide nocase
$s7 = "nukebot" ascii wide nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}Tier 2 Behavioral Context Rule (Process Chains & Sigma)
Tracks parent-child process anomalies and suspicious scripting telemetry. Resilient against file renames.
title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Tinynuke (Banking Trojan) Execution & Triage
id: 70b9a05a-3ccf-5d85-b761-852775170d6d
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Tinynuke malware family. Detects recon staging, certutil file payload staging,
and web-inject process proxying characteristic of banking trojan initial loaders.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/tinynuke
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/banking-trojan-protection
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/
author: Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP
date: '2026-10-14'
modified: '2026-10-14'
tags:
- attack.banking-trojan
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1185
- attack.t1056_004
- attack.t1055_001
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1071_001
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_process:
Image|endswith:
- \svchost.exe
- \explorer.exe
- \msiexec.exe
- \certutil.exe
CommandLine|contains:
- -urlcache
- -split -f
- ipconfig /all
- route print
- netstat -ano
condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: highTier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_TINYNUKE_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Tinynuke tradecraft"
tier = "T3 - Attribution Fingerprint"
confidence = "High (Confirmed Family Signature)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
// Core family identifier & heuristic payload signatures
$attrib_str = "tinynuke" ascii wide nocase
$pe_magic = "MZ" ascii
$net_marker = "http" ascii nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and ($attrib_str and $net_marker) and filesize < 15MB
}References & External Analysis
- Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan:Win32/TinyNuke
- Trend Micro Security Research - Analyzing the NukeBot Banking Trojan
- Search "tinynuke" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "tinynuke" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "tinynuke" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trojan:Win32/TinyNuke (NukeBot)?
TinyNuke (NukeBot) is a modular C/C++ banking trojan that injects into web browsers to steal banking credentials via Man-in-the-Browser attacks.
How does TinyNuke intercept banking credentials and session tokens?
It hooks browser network APIs (like PR_Write and HttpSendRequestW) to capture unencrypted HTTP/HTTPS traffic before SSL encryption.
What happened to TinyNuke after its source code leaked?
After the source leaked in March 2017, multiple cybercriminal factions created modified variants for credential theft and botnet distribution.
How is TinyNuke distributed to victim machines?
It is distributed via malicious spam emails delivering macro-enabled Word documents and drive-by exploit kits.
How can banking organizations protect customers from TinyNuke attacks?
Deploy behavioral fraud detection systems, implement FIDO2 hardware authentication, and monitor for unauthorized web inject modifications.
How do I remove the Tinynuke Banking_Trojan from Windows?
Manual removal of Tinynuke is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.
Is Tinynuke a virus or a Banking_Trojan?
Tinynuke is classified as a Banking_Trojan. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Tinynuke typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Tinynuke infection?
Symptoms of Tinynuke can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.
Protect Your Network Against Banking_Trojans
Want to prevent Tinynuke and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Banking Trojan Protection for Businesses.
📣 Threat Intel Correction or Update?
Notice an outdated IOC, unlisted alias, or disputed attribution? Threat researchers are invited to propose an update on GitHub or contact the SystemHelpDesk research desk. All community revisions are credited in our public CHANGELOG.
Machine-readable
Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/tinynuke.json
Ecosystem & Interactive Environments
This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.