{
  "family": "browserpassview",
  "sample_count": 2,
  "category": "infostealer",
  "description": "Browserpassview (classified in antivirus detection telemetry under designations including PWS:Win32/Browserpassview, PWS.Win32.Browserpassview, and Win32/Browserpassview) is a dedicated information theft malware engineered to harvest stored credentials, browser session cookies, cryptocurrency wallets, and keystrokes. Disseminated across enterprise networks and consumer workstations via social engineering, phishing attachments, malicious drive-by downloads, or weaponized software cracks, Browserpassview 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 credential database extraction, API hooking, system discovery, and encrypted C2 exfiltration. 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": [
    "PWS:Win32/Browserpassview",
    "PWS.Win32.Browserpassview",
    "Win32/Browserpassview"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is PWS:Win32/Browserpassview?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Browserpassview is a infostealer threat designed to infiltrate Windows systems and execute unauthorized operations without user consent."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Browserpassview 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 Browserpassview 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 Browserpassview 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 Browserpassview?",
      "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": [
    "T1555",
    "T1056.001",
    "T1114",
    "T1041",
    "T1082"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-10-16",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1555.003",
      "name": "Credentials from Password Stores: Credentials from Web Browsers (The core function of the tool)",
      "tactic": "Credential Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1003.001",
      "name": "OS Credential Dumping: LSASS Memory (Often used in conjunction with this tool for full credential theft)",
      "tactic": "Credential Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1059.003",
      "name": "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell (Executing the tool silently via CLI)",
      "tactic": "Execution"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Immediately isolate the endpoint; assume all credentials stored in the user's browsers (including corporate SSO, VPN, and personal accounts) are fully compromised.",
    "Initiate an emergency, mandatory password reset for the affected user across all corporate systems and services.",
    "Analyze EDR telemetry to trace the parent process that launched the tool to identify the initial access vector (e.g., a phishing payload).",
    "Review network logs (Proxy/DNS) to identify where the dumped credential file was exfiltrated (e.g., FTP upload or HTTP POST)."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not assume the attack stopped with browser credentials; attackers almost always deploy additional tools to dump LSASS (Mimikatz) concurrently.",
    "Avoid allowing users to save corporate passwords in web browsers; enforce the use of enterprise-managed, encrypted password managers."
  ],
  "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 - PWS:Win32/Browserpassview",
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=PWS:Win32/Browserpassview"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - PWS.Win32.Browserpassview",
      "url": "https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/threat/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MITRE ATT&CK - Enterprise Techniques",
      "url": "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1555/"
    }
  ],
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows Server 2022",
    "Windows Server 2019"
  ]
}