Alman
Table of Contents
Overview
Alman (cataloged across security vendors and threat intelligence databases under signatures including Virus:Win32/Alman, Almanahe, and W32/Alman) is a landmark, highly aggressive Windows PE file infector virus with backdoor and rootkit capabilities active since 2007. Once active on an endpoint, Alman actively searches fixed drives, removable USB storage, and accessible local network shares for legitimate Windows executable (.exe and .dll) files. The virus infects these executables by prepending or appending its malicious code while preserving host execution to prevent crashes. Additionally, Alman spreads laterally across local subnets by attempting to brute-force shared network folders using common administrative credentials, drops rootkit components to conceal infected files, and establishes remote C2 communications.
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: Virus:Win32/Alman.A · Virus.Win32.Almanahe
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1027 · T1110.001 · T1021.002 · T1547.001 · T1014 · 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-NBA | Network Behavioral Analysis | Detect | T1021.002 | Enforce SMB message signing, disable legacy SMBv1, and restrict administrative share access (C$, ADMIN$) to dedicated PAM bastion hosts. |
D3-BDA | Binary De-obfuscation & Unpacking | Analyze | T1027 | Utilize memory dump scanners and entropy inspection to unpack encrypted stagers during process creation. |
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-AL | Account Lockout Policy | Harden | T1110.001 | Enforce progressive delay and lockout thresholds on failed authentication attempts to thwart brute-force password guessing. |
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_ALMAN_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Alman"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "alman" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "virus:win32/alman" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "almanahe" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "w32/alman" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "virus.win32.alman" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "win32/alman.a" 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 - Alman (File Infector) Execution & Triage
id: df2fa8ae-9bd7-5c68-83d2-f91d7ede71aa
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Alman 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/alman
- 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.file-infector
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1027
- attack.t1110_001
- attack.t1021_002
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1014
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_ALMAN_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Alman 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 = "alman" 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
- Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - Virus.Win32.Alman (Almanahe)
- Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Virus:Win32/Alman
- Search "alman" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "alman" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "alman" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Virus:Win32/Alman (Almanahe)?
Alman is a virulent Windows file-infecting virus with rootkit capabilities that infects local and network executables.
How does Alman spread across local networks?
It enumerates local subnets and brute-forces accessible SMB network shares using common administrative credentials.
What happens to executable files infected by Alman?
It injects malicious viral code into PE headers and sections, which can cause instability or corruption in system binaries.
Does Alman include rootkit features?
Yes, it drops rootkit drivers or API hooks to conceal its viral files and network connections from task managers.
How can an organization recover from an Alman infection?
Isolate machines from the LAN, run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan, and use 'sfc /scannow' to repair core system binaries.
How do I remove Alman from Windows?
Manual removal of Alman 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.
What are the main symptoms of a Alman infection?
Symptoms of Alman 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 File_Infectors
Want to prevent Alman and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Think You've Been Hacked? What To Do First.
📣 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/alman.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.