Icecold_Reloaded

Overview

IceCold Reloaded (cataloged across security software as Backdoor:Win32/IceCold.Reloaded, Trojan.Win32.IceCold, and Backdoor.IceCold) is a classical Delphi-based Remote Access Trojan and surveillance framework derived from the early-2000s IceCold RAT family. Widely popular on early underground cybercrime forums due to its user-friendly graphical client and builder interface, IceCold Reloaded enables threat actors to compile custom trojan server stubs. Once installed on a victim Windows computer, the malware establishes persistent registry Run keys, opens TCP listening sockets, and provides remote operators with real-time screen spying, microphone audio capture, keystroke logging, password extraction from legacy browsers and email clients, and remote command execution.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Backdoor:Win32/IceCold.Reloaded
• Trojan.Win32.IceCold
• Backdoor.IceCold
• Win32/IceCold.RAT
• Trojan.IceColdReloaded

Family Pedigree & Lineage

Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:

Derived From / Upstream Ancestry: Icecold Rat Frameworks

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Icecold V1.0 · Icecold Reloaded V2.1 · Icecold Pro

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to our technical analysis hubs and the official MITRE ATT&CK framework:

Tactical Mitigations

Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:

• T1056.001: Implement Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to monitor for suspicious API calls related to keystroke interception. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to render stolen passwords useless.
• T1059.003: Restrict execution of Windows Command Shell (cmd.exe) and block unauthorized batch scripts.
• T1071.001: Implement web filtering and SSL/TLS inspection to detect malicious command and control (C2) traffic hiding in HTTP/HTTPS.
• T1113: Monitor for frequent or unauthorized screen captures or clipboard reads. Restrict background applications from accessing desktop APIs.

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):

Exploited Vulnerabilities (CVEs)

This malware family is documented weaponizing the following common vulnerabilities and exposures:

• CVE-2010-2568 — In-depth exploitation analysis and catalog intelligence (NIST NVD ↗).
• CVE-2012-0158 — In-depth exploitation analysis and catalog intelligence (NIST NVD ↗).

Indicators of Compromise

Public indicators drawn from CISA advisories and vendor reporting. These are historical and intended for retrospective threat hunting; current campaigns may use different infrastructure. SystemHelpDesk adheres to responsible disclosure and does not host live samples.

File hashes (SHA-256, sample)

Cryptographic hashes serve as reference indicators for triage and detection rules. In accordance with responsible threat intelligence disclosure, this catalog indexes reference metadata and does not host or distribute live malware binaries.

• 4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
• 9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e

Delivery vectors

• Peer-to-peer file sharing networks disguised as software cracks and game cheat tools
• Phishing emails with malicious Microsoft Office attachments exploiting CVE-2012-0158

Persistence mechanisms

• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\IceColdReloaded
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\IceColdServer

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:

rule MALWARE_WIN_ICECOLD_RELOADED_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Icecold_Reloaded"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "icecold_reloaded" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "backdoor:win32/icecold.reloaded" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "trojan.win32.icecold" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "backdoor.icecold" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "win32/icecold.rat" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "trojan.icecoldreloaded" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Icecold_reloaded (Rat) Execution & Triage
id: d662f3b9-7f16-53c4-8833-c47caf3be4ac
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Icecold_reloaded malware family. Detects unauthorized persistence creation
  via Windows Registry Run keys, scheduled tasks, and privilege escalation indicative
  of RAT installations.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/icecold_reloaded
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/backdoor-rat-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.rat
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1056_001
- attack.t1113
- attack.t1123
- attack.t1059_003
- attack.t1071_001
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_process:
    Image|endswith:
    - \reg.exe
    - \schtasks.exe
    - \cmd.exe
    - \powershell.exe
    CommandLine|contains:
    - \CurrentVersion\Run
    - /create /tn
    - bypass -enc
    - net user /add
    - net localgroup administrators
  condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: high

rule MALWARE_WIN_ICECOLD_RELOADED_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Icecold_Reloaded 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 = "icecold_reloaded" 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
}

Containment & Response Steps

Ordered checklist for responders. Adapt to your environment and engage professional support for active incidents.

1. Disconnect affected endpoints from local networks to terminate active remote surveillance feeds.
2. Kill active IceCold server processes via Task Manager or administrative command line.
3. Remove persistence entries under HKLM and HKCU Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
4. Conduct full credential resets across all accounts accessed on the compromised workstation.

What to Avoid

Common mistakes during response to this family that can destroy evidence, spread the infection, or worsen recovery.

1. Do not download game trainers, keygens, or cracks from unverified file-sharing repositories.
2. Avoid opening unverified email attachments purporting to be media players or software updates.

References & External Analysis

• Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - Backdoor.Win32.IceCold
• Sophos Threat Center - Troj/IceCold-A Analysis
• NIST National Vulnerability Database - CVE-2010-2568
• Search "icecold_reloaded" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "icecold_reloaded" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "icecold_reloaded" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Rat)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Darkkomet
• Bifrost
• Rebhip
• Gh0St
• Recam
• Rescoms
• Netwire
• Xtrat

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/icecold_reloaded.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.