Ldpinch
Table of Contents
Overview
LDPinch (prominently tracked under vendor signatures such as Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch, PWS:Win32/LDPinch, Trojan.Pinch, and DamagLab Pinch) is a landmark modular password-stealing trojan and infostealer framework first authored in 2003 by the Russian hacker group DamagLab. Written in low-level Delphi and x86 Assembly, LDPinch became one of the earliest commercially sold crimeware toolkits in the underground economy, featuring a builder GUI that allowed purchasers to customize targeted applications, exfiltration protocols, and persistence routines. The malware systematically scans victim systems for stored credentials across web browsers (Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Firefox), email clients (The Bat!, Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird), FTP managers (Total Commander, FileZilla, CuteFTP, WS_FTP), instant messaging platforms (ICQ, Miranda IM, Trillian, MSN Messenger), and Windows Dial-Up Networking / RAS connections. Stolen credentials, hardware configuration profiles, and system metadata are compiled into compact encrypted binary packets and exfiltrated via HTTP POST, SMTP email transfer, or direct socket connections to attacker-controlled drop servers.
Known aliases
Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:
Family Pedigree & Lineage
Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:
Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Trojan-Psw.Win32.Ldpinch.A · Trojan-Psw.Win32.Ldpinch.Gen · Pinch 2.X · Pinch 3.X Damaglab
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1555.003 · T1555.004 · T1056.001 · T1041 · T1070.004
Tactical Mitigations
Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:
- T1056.001: Implement Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to monitor for suspicious API calls related to keystroke interception. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to render stolen passwords useless.
MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures
Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):
| D3FEND ID | Countermeasure Name | Tactic | Countered ATT&CK | Defensive Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D3-EAF | Egress Analysis and Filtering | Isolate | T1041 | Enforce perimeter TLS inspection and alert on anomalous outbound data volume ratios transmitting over active C2 channels. |
D3-MFA | Multi-factor Authentication | Harden | T1056.001 | Enforce FIDO2 / WebAuthn physical tokens to render keystroke-intercepted passwords useless. |
D3-CVH | Credential Vault Hardening | Harden | T1555.003 | Enable DPAPI master key audit logging and isolate browser SQLite database files within virtualization-based security containers. |
D3-PMA | Password Manager Access Control | Harden | T1555.004 | Enforce device compliance checks and multi-factor biometric authentication before unlocking stored credential vaults. |
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:
Tier 1 Primitive Artifact Rule (Fast Triage)
Matches raw strings and file markers. Vulnerable to binary repacking and simple obfuscation.
rule MALWARE_WIN_LDPINCH_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Ldpinch"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "ldpinch" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "trojan-psw.win32.ldpinch" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "pws:win32/ldpinch" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "trojan.pinch" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "infostealer.ldpinch" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "trojan-psw:win32/ldpinch.gen" ascii wide nocase
$s7 = "backdoor.win32.pinch" ascii wide nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}Tier 2 Behavioral Context Rule (Process Chains & Sigma)
Tracks parent-child process anomalies and suspicious scripting telemetry. Resilient against file renames.
title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Ldpinch (Infostealer) Execution & Triage
id: a6451a8f-a978-56b0-9ec7-c8480ad6c49d
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Ldpinch malware family. Detects browser credential database harvesting,
master key queries, and DPAPI extraction routines typical of modern infostealers.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/ldpinch
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/infostealer-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.infostealer
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1555_003
- attack.t1555_004
- attack.t1056_001
- attack.t1041
- attack.t1070_004
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_process:
Image|endswith:
- \cmd.exe
- \powershell.exe
- \rundll32.exe
CommandLine|contains:
- \Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Login Data
- \AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
- \AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data
- vaultcmd.exe /list
- dpapi
condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: highTier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_LDPINCH_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Ldpinch 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 = "ldpinch" 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
}References & External Analysis
- Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan-PSW:Win32/LDPinch
- Kaspersky Securelist - Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch Technical Analysis
- Search "ldpinch" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "ldpinch" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "ldpinch" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch?
LDPinch is a historic, modular password-stealing trojan created by DamagLab that harvests credentials from web browsers, FTP clients, email software, and instant messaging tools.
How does LDPinch exfiltrate stolen passwords?
LDPinch compiles stolen account credentials into encrypted binary reports and transmits them to attacker infrastructure via HTTP POST, direct SMTP email transmission, or TCP socket connections.
What applications are targeted by LDPinch?
Targeted applications include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Outlook, The Bat!, FileZilla, Total Commander, ICQ, Miranda IM, Trillian, and Windows RAS connections.
Why is LDPinch considered significant in malware history?
It was one of the pioneer commercialized infostealer builders sold in Russian underground cybercrime forums during the mid-2000s, influencing modern infostealer architectures.
How can systems be protected from LDPinch?
Protection involves deploying updated antivirus signatures, enforcing multi-factor authentication across accounts, securing email gateways against malicious attachments, and avoiding untrusted freeware downloads.
How do I remove the Ldpinch Infostealer from Windows?
Manual removal of Ldpinch is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.
Is Ldpinch a virus or a Infostealer?
Ldpinch is classified as a Infostealer. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Ldpinch typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Ldpinch infection?
Symptoms of Ldpinch can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.
Protect Your Network Against Infostealers
Want to prevent Ldpinch and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: InfoStealer Protection & Remediation.
📣 Threat Intel Correction or Update?
Notice an outdated IOC, unlisted alias, or disputed attribution? Threat researchers are invited to propose an update on GitHub or contact the SystemHelpDesk research desk. All community revisions are credited in our public CHANGELOG.
Machine-readable
Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/ldpinch.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.