Infector_Ng_2004

Overview

Infector NG 2004 (Infector Next Generation, cataloged across security telemetry as Trojan:Win32/InfectorNG2004, Virus:Win32/InfectorNG, and Trojan.Win32.Infector) is a legacy dual-action file infector generator and backdoor trojan developed in 2004. Distributed as an underground builder toolkit, Infector NG 2004 enabled malware authors to generate customized trojan droppers that appended parasitic loader subroutines to local Windows portable executable (PE) files (.exe and .scr). When an infected host binary is executed, the trojan executes its malicious payload prior to transferring control back to the legitimate host application. Its capabilities include keystroke interception, registry policy tampering, downloading secondary malware packages, and establishing reverse command-and-control backdoors.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Trojan:Win32/InfectorNG2004
• Virus:Win32/InfectorNG
• Trojan.Win32.Infector
• Win32/InfectorNG.Trojan
• InfectorNG.2004

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: Win32 Pe Infector Generators

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Infector Ng Build 102 · Infector Ng 2004 Pro · Win32/Infectorng.Gen

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.
• T1105: Implement network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) and host-based firewalls to block unauthorized inbound or outbound file transfers.

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.

• 5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e
• 0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f

Delivery vectors

• Parasitic file infection spreading across accessible SMB network shares
• Compromised utility downloads and peer-to-peer distribution bundles

Persistence mechanisms

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\InfectorNG
• Infected system executables that launch automatically during system startup

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_INFECTOR_NG_2004_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Infector_Ng_2004"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "infector_ng_2004" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "trojan:win32/infectorng2004" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "virus:win32/infectorng" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "trojan.win32.infector" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "win32/infectorng.trojan" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "infectorng.2004" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Infector_ng_2004 (Trojan) Execution & Triage
id: 5c580e3f-2c7e-5fde-94b9-c666841d10d0
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Infector_ng_2004 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/infector_ng_2004
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/downloader-dropper-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.trojan
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1055_002
- attack.t1056_001
- attack.t1059_003
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1105
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: medium

rule MALWARE_WIN_INFECTOR_NG_2004_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Infector_Ng_2004 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 = "infector_ng_2004" 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. Isolate affected endpoints from corporate network shares to halt lateral PE file infection.
2. Quarantine and disinfect all executables exhibiting appended parasitic sections or altered entry points.
3. Delete persistence registry entries located under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
4. Verify the integrity of system host executables by running sfc /scannow or restoring from known-good golden images.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not execute clean binaries from mapped drives while connected to an infected workstation.
2. Avoid relying solely on file cleaning tools for mission-critical systems; golden image restoration is recommended.

References & External Analysis

• Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - Virus.Win32.Infector
• Trend Micro Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan.Win32.InfectorNG
• NIST National Vulnerability Database - CVE-2010-2568
• Search "infector_ng_2004" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "infector_ng_2004" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "infector_ng_2004" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Trojan)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Backswap
• Cidox
• Feebs
• Remotehack
• Jaik
• Subseven
• Mozla
• Strongpity

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/infector_ng_2004.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.