{
  "family": "centrumloader",
  "sample_count": 12,
  "category": "trojan_downloader",
  "description": "Centrumloader (classified in antivirus detection telemetry under designations including TrojanDownloader:Win32/Centrumloader, TrojanDownloader.Win32.Centrumloader, and Win32/Centrumloader) is a stealthy staging trojan engineered to establish host persistence and download secondary crimeware payloads onto compromised endpoints. Disseminated across enterprise networks and consumer workstations via social engineering, phishing attachments, malicious drive-by downloads, or weaponized software cracks, Centrumloader 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 sandbox evasion, staging directory payload extraction, autostart registry configuration, and encrypted HTTP/HTTPS payload delivery. 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": [
    "TrojanDownloader:Win32/Centrumloader",
    "TrojanDownloader.Win32.Centrumloader",
    "Win32/Centrumloader"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is TrojanDownloader:Win32/Centrumloader?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Centrumloader is a trojan downloader threat designed to infiltrate Windows systems and execute unauthorized operations without user consent."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Centrumloader 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 Centrumloader 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 Centrumloader 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 Centrumloader?",
      "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": [
    "T1105",
    "T1059.001",
    "T1547.001",
    "T1071.001",
    "T1082"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-10-16",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1105",
      "name": "Ingress Tool Transfer",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1055",
      "name": "Process Injection",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1053.005",
      "name": "Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled Task",
      "tactic": "Persistence"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1566.001",
      "name": "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment",
      "tactic": "Initial Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1027",
      "name": "Obfuscated Files or Information",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate the endpoint immediately to prevent Centrumloader from downloading and executing its secondary payloads (e.g., ransomware).",
    "Audit the Windows Task Scheduler and Registry Run keys to identify and remove the Centrumloader persistence mechanisms.",
    "Review firewall and proxy logs to identify the C2 domains Centrumloader attempted to contact, and block them enterprise-wide.",
    "Capture a live memory image (RAM dump) to extract the injected modules and identify what secondary payloads were requested."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not close an incident simply because the initial Centrumloader dropper was quarantined; always verify if secondary payloads were downloaded.",
    "Avoid relying solely on manual file deletion, as the injected processes will likely just recreate the dropped binaries."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Healthcare",
    "Critical Infrastructure",
    "Enterprise"
  ],
  "motivation": "Financial Extortion",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "defense_evasion",
    "impact"
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - TrojanDownloader:Win32/Centrumloader",
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=TrojanDownloader:Win32/Centrumloader"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - TrojanDownloader.Win32.Centrumloader",
      "url": "https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/threat/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MITRE ATT&CK - Enterprise Techniques",
      "url": "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1105/"
    }
  ],
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows 7"
  ]
}