{
  "family": "magania",
  "sample_count": 63,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "Magania (cataloged in antivirus vendor databases and threat intelligence feeds under detections including PWS:Win32/Magania, Trojan:Win32/Magania, and Trojan-PWS.Win32.Magania) is a notorious password-stealing trojan active since 2008. Designed to harvest sensitive credentials from compromised endpoints, Magania historically targeted online multiplayer gaming accounts, digital asset inventories, and web browsers. Upon execution, the malware injects malicious threads into legitimate system processes like explorer.exe to conceal its memory footprint. Magania hooks system APIs and keyboard events to capture account credentials entered into login forms, monitors active application titles, and scans local files for cached credentials. It transmits stolen authentication data to remote C2 servers over HTTP and creates persistent autostart entries in the Windows registry under CurrentVersion\\Run.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk Threat Intelligence Team.",
  "aliases": [
    "PWS:Win32/Magania",
    "Trojan:Win32/Magania",
    "Trojan-PWS.Win32.Magania",
    "Win32/Magania"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is PWS:Win32/Magania?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Magania is a password-stealing trojan designed to harvest online gaming credentials and browser passwords."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What types of accounts are targeted by Magania?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It specifically targets online multiplayer gaming accounts, digital currencies, and web browser credentials."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Magania conceal its execution in system memory?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It injects its payload threads into legitimate operating system processes like explorer.exe."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Magania capture typed account passwords?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It sets API hooks on keyboard inputs and monitors active application window titles."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What remediation steps should be taken following a Magania infection?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Quarantine the malware with Microsoft Defender, reset all gaming and banking passwords, and enable MFA."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 5,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1056.001",
    "T1055",
    "T1555.003",
    "T1547.001",
    "T1082",
    "T1071.001"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-10-15",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1056.001",
      "name": "Input Capture: Keylogging",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1055",
      "name": "Process Injection",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1547.001",
      "name": "Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder",
      "tactic": "Persistence"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1048",
      "name": "Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol",
      "tactic": "Exfiltration"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1113",
      "name": "Screen Capture",
      "tactic": "Collection"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate the endpoint from the network to halt the active exfiltration of any captured keystrokes or screenshots.",
    "Force a global password reset for all accounts used on the machine, prioritizing corporate and financial credentials, as keyloggers capture everything.",
    "Review the Windows Registry Run keys and Startup folders to locate and remove the Magania persistence mechanisms.",
    "Assume the endpoint is compromised; a clean OS rebuild is recommended to ensure all API hooking and keylogging components are removed."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not allow the user to type any passwords or access sensitive portals while the machine is infected.",
    "Avoid treating the infection as a 'low severity gaming issue'; the malware captures all keystrokes, exposing corporate VPN and email credentials."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Credential Theft & Financial Monetization",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "execution",
    "persistence"
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "first_seen": 2008,
  "threat_actor": null,
  "delivery_mechanism": [
    "Trojanized Gaming Utilities & Cheats",
    "Phishing Emails with Malicious Attachments",
    "Torrent File Downloads"
  ],
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows 8.1",
    "Windows 7",
    "Windows XP"
  ],
  "capabilities": [
    "Gaming & Browser Credential Theft",
    "Process Injection into explorer.exe",
    "Keyboard Event Hooking",
    "Active Window Title Monitoring",
    "Registry Autostart Persistence"
  ],
  "technical_analysis": {
    "file_types": [
      "Win32 PE Executable",
      "Dynamic Link Library (DLL)"
    ],
    "network_signatures": [
      "Encrypted HTTP POST traffic exfiltrating harvested gaming logins to remote C2 IP endpoints",
      "Periodic DNS lookups for dynamic C2 infrastructure"
    ],
    "evasion_techniques": [
      "Cross-process thread injection masking memory execution",
      "Packing with custom protectors to disrupt static disassembly"
    ],
    "persistence_mechanisms": [
      "HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run\\MaganiaClient",
      "%SystemRoot%\\System32\\magania_svc.exe"
    ]
  },
  "impact": {
    "confidentiality": "High",
    "integrity": "High",
    "availability": "Medium",
    "scope": "Direct account compromise, loss of digital gaming assets, unauthorized credential access"
  },
  "lineage": {
    "derived_from": [
      "Win32 Password Stealing Toolkits"
    ],
    "variants": [
      "Magania.A",
      "Magania.Gen"
    ]
  },
  "iocs": {
    "file_hashes": [
      "3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c",
      "4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d"
    ],
    "delivery": [
      "game_trainer.exe",
      "patch_installer.exe"
    ],
    "persistence": [
      "HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run\\Magania",
      "%AppData%\\Magania\\magania.exe"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Microsoft Defender Security Intelligence - Trojan:Win32/Magania",
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Trojan:Win32/Magania"
    },
    {
      "name": "F-Secure Labs Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan-PWS:W32/Magania",
      "url": "https://www.f-secure.com"
    }
  ]
}