Detrahere
Table of Contents
Overview
Detrahere (cataloged across security vendors and threat intelligence databases under signatures including Trojan:Win32/Detrahere, Trojan:Win64/Detrahere.S, and Rootkit.Detrahere) is an advanced Windows multi-component trojan and kernel rootkit active since 2018. Designed for deep system persistence and stealthy network traffic manipulation, Detrahere deploys malicious kernel-mode network filtering drivers (NetFilter). The rootkit hooks low-level Windows networking APIs (WFP / TDI) to inspect, redirect, and inject malicious content into outbound HTTP/HTTPS sessions while concealing its own command-and-control communications from task managers and endpoint security scanners. Furthermore, Detrahere provides operators with persistent backdoor capabilities to execute remote commands and deploy secondary payloads.
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/Detrahere.A · Trojan:Win64/Detrahere.S
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1014 · T1055 · T1547.006 · T1071.001 · T1082
Tactical Mitigations
Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:
- T1071.001: Implement web filtering and SSL/TLS inspection to detect malicious command and control (C2) traffic hiding in HTTP/HTTPS.
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-KMC | Kernel Memory Integrity Checking | Harden | T1014 | Enable Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) and UEFI Secure Boot to prevent unsigned kernel driver execution. |
D3-PIAD | Process Injection Analysis & Detection | Detect | T1055 | Monitor cross-process thread creation (CreateRemoteThread) and asynchronous procedure calls (QueueUserAPC). |
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-SDA | System Discovery Analysis | Detect | T1082 | Alert on rapid enumerations of systeminfo, hostname, and registry hardware trees in short intervals. |
D3-RPM | Registry Persistence Monitoring | Detect | T1547.006 | Monitor changes to standard autostart run keys (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) and Startup folders. |
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_DETRAHERE_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Detrahere"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "detrahere" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "trojan:win32/detrahere" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "trojan:win64/detrahere.s" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "rootkit.detrahere" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "win32/detrahere" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "trojan:win32/detrahere!rfn" 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 - Detrahere (Rootkit) Execution & Triage
id: caaa02d3-3439-5784-8415-838e7f012d3c
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Detrahere malware family. Detects suspicious execution from temporary user
directories with hidden window flags and background transfer utilities.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/detrahere
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/ransomware-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.rootkit
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1014
- attack.t1055
- attack.t1547_006
- attack.t1071_001
- attack.t1082
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_process:
Image|endswith:
- \cmd.exe
- \powershell.exe
- \cscript.exe
- \wscript.exe
CommandLine|contains:
- AppData\Local\Temp
- -WindowStyle Hidden
- /e:jscript
- bitsadmin /transfer
condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: mediumTier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_DETRAHERE_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Detrahere 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 = "detrahere" 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/Detrahere
- Search "detrahere" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "detrahere" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "detrahere" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trojan:Win32/Detrahere?
Detrahere is an advanced Windows trojan and kernel rootkit that uses NetFilter drivers to manipulate network traffic.
How does Detrahere manipulate network traffic?
It deploys kernel-mode network filtering drivers to inspect and redirect network connections and conceal C2 traffic.
Why is Detrahere difficult to remove?
Because it installs kernel-level drivers that lock files and resist standard Windows user-mode deletion.
How is Detrahere delivered to endpoints?
Through trojanized utility software, cracked games, and secondary malware droppers.
How can defenders remediate a Detrahere infection?
Perform a Microsoft Defender Offline scan to unload and delete kernel drivers before the operating system boots.
What are the main symptoms of a Detrahere infection?
Symptoms of Detrahere 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 Rootkits
Want to prevent Detrahere and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Rootkit & Bootkit Protection.
📣 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/detrahere.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.