Temonde

Overview

Temonde (cataloged across cybersecurity threat databases as Adware.Temonde, Win.Dropper.Temonde, and Trojan:Win32/Temonde) is a persistent adware dropper and unwanted software delivery framework analyzed by Cisco Talos and Malwarebytes in 2016. Developed using the Microsoft .NET framework, Temonde is typically distributed through free software download wrappers, fake media players, and pirated software installers. Upon execution, Temonde drops compiled executable payloads into randomly named directories under %PROGRAMFILES% or %LOCALAPPDATA%, registers persistent Windows Service entries, and writes startup triggers into the Windows Registry Run keys. Temonde injects advertising hooks and proxy configurations into web browsers (including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer), altering default search engines, injecting promotional banner advertisements into browsing sessions, and redirecting web queries toward affiliate marketing portals. Beyond intrusive ad monetization, its modular dropper architecture allows operators to remotely deliver secondary adware components and Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs).

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Adware.Temonde
• Win.Dropper.Temonde
• Trojan:Win32/Temonde
• Adware:Win32/Temonde
• Win32/Temonde

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: Commercial Pay-Per-Install Software Bundler · Dotnet Dropper Framework

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Temonde.A · Temonde.Dotnet · Temonde.Gen

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

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

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

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

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.

• e9f1a3b5c7d9e1f3a5b7c9d1e3f5a7b9c1d3e5f7a9b1c3d5e7f9a1b3c5d7e9f1
• f0a2b4c6d8e0f2a4b6c8d0e2f4a6b8c0d2e4f6a8b0c2d4e6f8a0b2c4d6e8f0a2

Delivery vectors

• Third-party freeware download portals bundling adware inside multi-offer installers
• Drive-by web redirects promoting fake utility updates

Persistence mechanisms

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\TemondeAuto
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temonde\temonde_srv.exe

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_TEMONDE_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Temonde"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "temonde" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "adware.temonde" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "win.dropper.temonde" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "trojan:win32/temonde" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "adware:win32/temonde" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "win32/temonde" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Temonde (Adware) Execution & Triage
id: 30a74a08-b675-57ad-866f-81f9f8997ed3
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Temonde 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/temonde
- 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.adware
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1204_002
- attack.t1112
- attack.t1176
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1055
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_TEMONDE_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Temonde 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 = "temonde" 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 the endpoint to halt secondary adware downloads and affiliate ad impressions.
2. Inspect and remove rogue directories dropped by Temonde under %PROGRAMFILES% and %LOCALAPPDATA%.
3. Delete registry Run keys and remove unauthorized browser extensions installed across all web browsers.
4. Execute an antimalware scan with Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender to ensure all registry hooks are purged.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not download software utilities from aggregation portals that utilize proprietary download wrapper executables.
2. Avoid skipping through custom software installation wizard dialogs without unchecking bundled third-party offers.

References & External Analysis

• Malwarebytes Labs Threat Intelligence - Adware.Temonde
• Cisco Talos Intelligence Group - Win.Dropper.Temonde Analysis
• Search "temonde" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "temonde" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "temonde" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Adware)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Adaebook
• Appscience
• Wizzmonetize
• Skintrim
• Boilod
• Neobar
• Csdimonetize
• Bettersurf

Machine-readable

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