{
  "family": "backswap",
  "sample_count": 2,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "Backswap (classified in antivirus detection telemetry under designations including Trojan:Win32/Backswap, Trojan.Win32.Backswap, and Win32/Backswap) is a multi-stage trojan engineered to disguise itself as legitimate software, execute unauthorized commands, and coordinate with external command-and-control infrastructure. Disseminated across enterprise networks and consumer workstations via social engineering, phishing attachments, malicious drive-by downloads, or weaponized software cracks, Backswap executes an initial reconnaissance phase upon system ingress. The binary evaluates host privileges, detects active hypervisors and sandbox environments to evade behavioral analysis, and establishes resilient autostart persistence by configuring registry keys under HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run or registering background Windows services. Operational mechanics characteristic of this family include deceptive executable masquerading, registry run key autostart, system telemetry gathering, and remote C2 beaconing. Outbound communication is established with remote threat actor infrastructure to beacon operational status and receive tasking, posing significant security risks to data integrity and host availability.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk Threat Intelligence Team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan:Win32/Backswap",
    "Trojan.Win32.Backswap",
    "Win32/Backswap"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is Trojan:Win32/Backswap?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Backswap is a trojan threat designed to infiltrate Windows systems and execute unauthorized operations without user consent."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Backswap compromise target systems?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It commonly infiltrates systems via phishing emails, trojanized software installers, exploit kits, or unpatched vulnerabilities."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What persistence mechanisms does Backswap utilize?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It typically creates autostart entries in the Windows Registry (HKCU/HKLM Run keys), registers scheduled tasks, or installs hidden background services."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What risks does Backswap pose to an enterprise?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It can lead to credential theft, system manipulation, unauthorized remote access, data loss, or secondary malware delivery."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How can administrators detect and eliminate Backswap?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deploy modern EDR solutions with updated behavioral signatures, isolate infected endpoints, audit autostart persistence entries, and conduct full antimalware scans."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 5,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1059.003",
    "T1027",
    "T1547.001",
    "T1071.001",
    "T1105"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-10-16",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1055.001",
      "name": "Process Injection: Dynamic-link Library Injection (Evaded by using simulated keystrokes instead)",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1056.002",
      "name": "Input Capture: GUI Input Capture (Monitoring active window titles for targeted banks)",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1059.007",
      "name": "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript (The actual payload injected via simulated keystrokes)",
      "tactic": "Execution"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1185",
      "name": "Browser Session Hijacking (Altering transactions via the injected JavaScript)",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Immediately isolate the compromised endpoint and contact affected financial institutions to freeze accounts and reverse fraudulent transactions.",
    "Hunt for anomalous, unsigned executables in the `%AppData%` or `%Temp%` directories that are making excessive `SendInput` API calls.",
    "Deploy EDR rules designed to detect processes attempting to programmatically interact with the developer consoles of major web browsers.",
    "Reset all passwords, especially banking credentials, from a known-clean device."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not rely on traditional AV 'browser protection' modules to stop Backswap; its entire design is based on bypassing those exact hooks.",
    "Avoid assuming a banking session is secure just because the browser displays the HTTPS padlock; Backswap alters the page *after* decryption."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "execution",
    "persistence"
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan:Win32/Backswap",
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Trojan:Win32/Backswap"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - Trojan.Win32.Backswap",
      "url": "https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/threat/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MITRE ATT&CK - Enterprise Techniques",
      "url": "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059.003/"
    }
  ],
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows 7"
  ]
}