Redaman
Table of Contents
Overview
Executive Summary
Redaman is a highly sophisticated Banking Trojan that primarily targets financial institutions, payment processors, and corporate banking portals, historically focusing heavily on the Russian and Eastern European financial sectors. Evolving from earlier banking trojans (and sharing code similarities with the RTM banking trojan), Redaman is engineered for massive financial theft, utilizing advanced evasion techniques and localized man-in-the-browser (MitB) attacks.Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities
Redaman is predominantly distributed via highly targeted, localized spear-phishing campaigns. These emails often contain weaponized attachments (such as malicious PDF files or Word documents with macro exploits) or deceptive links disguised as urgent financial invoices or tax documents. Once executed, Redaman deploys a multi-stage infection process:- Evasion and Anti-Analysis: Redaman is notorious for its anti-analysis checks. Before executing its primary payload, it verifies the default system language (often terminating if the system is not using a targeted language like Russian), checks for the presence of virtual machines (VMware, VirtualBox), and attempts to detect active debugging tools.
- Web Injection and Credential Theft: The core functionality relies on Man-in-the-Browser (MitB) attacks. Redaman hooks into web browsers to intercept traffic, injecting malicious HTML/JavaScript into legitimate banking websites. This allows it to steal login credentials, intercept two-factor authentication (2FA) SMS codes, and silently alter transaction details in real-time.
- Clipboard and Keystroke Logging: The trojan actively monitors the system clipboard for cryptocurrency wallet addresses and logs all keystrokes to capture sensitive data outside of the browser environment.
Threat Assessment
A Redaman infection is a critical, high-impact security incident. It represents a direct, immediate threat of massive financial loss, corporate account takeover, and severe regulatory compliance breaches for the affected organization.Remediation and Eradication
- Immediate Network Containment: The infected machine must be immediately physically disconnected from the network to halt active financial data exfiltration and prevent the trojan from pivoting to other high-value targets (like financial controllers).
- Financial Account Lockdown: Immediately notify the organization's financial institutions to freeze all associated corporate accounts and closely monitor for unauthorized wire transfers or ACH transactions.
- System Wipe and Re-image: Due to Redaman's deep system hooks and advanced persistence mechanisms, attempting to clean the infection is highly risky. The only guaranteed method of eradication is a complete wipe and re-image of the compromised host from a known good baseline.
Known aliases
Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to our technical analysis hubs and the official MITRE ATT&CK framework:
| Technique | Name | Tactic | Official Spec |
|---|---|---|---|
T1056.001 | Keylogging | Credential Access | ATT&CK ↗ |
T1185 | Browser Session Hijacking (Ad injection and tracking) | Collection | ATT&CK ↗ |
T1114 | Email Collection (Harvesting addresses for spamming) | Collection | ATT&CK ↗ |
T1056.004 | Input Capture: Credential API Hooking | Credential Access | ATT&CK ↗ |
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.
- T1056.004: Monitor for unauthorized keylogging, screen capturing, or web browser API hooking. Deploy EDR to detect API hooking.
- T1185: Enforce strong MFA and use browser isolation or hardened browsers for sensitive financial or administrative portals to defeat session hijacking.
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-MFA | Multi-factor Authentication | Harden | T1056.001 | Enforce FIDO2 / WebAuthn physical tokens to render keystroke-intercepted passwords useless. |
D3-AHC | API Hook Detection | Detect | T1056.004 | Deploy kernel and userland EDR drivers to monitor SetWindowsHookEx and low-level keyboard hooks. |
D3-EAM | Email Access Monitoring | Detect | T1114 | Monitor Graph API and MAPI email harvesting routines and alert on bulk email downloads originating from unusual IP addresses. |
D3-MitBA | Man-in-the-Browser Analysis | Detect | T1185 | Deploy browser extension whitelisting and hardware-backed session binding to prevent rogue DOM and socket injection. |
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_REDAMAN_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Redaman"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "redaman" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "trojan-banker.win32.redaman" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "banker.rtm" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "win32/redaman" 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 - Redaman (Trojan) Execution & Triage
id: dbe13929-a43d-5395-b791-71a1c2fd6d5a
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Redaman malware family. Detects suspicious execution from temporary user
directories with hidden window flags and background transfer utilities.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/redaman
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/downloader-dropper-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.trojan
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1056_001
- attack.t1185
- attack.t1114
- attack.t1056_004
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_process:
Image|endswith:
- \cmd.exe
- \powershell.exe
- \cscript.exe
- \wscript.exe
CommandLine|contains:
- AppData\Local\Temp
- -WindowStyle Hidden
- /e:jscript
- bitsadmin /transfer
condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: medium
Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_REDAMAN_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Redaman 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 = "redaman" 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
}
Containment & Response Steps
Ordered checklist for responders. Adapt to your environment and engage professional support for active incidents.
- Sever network connectivity for the flagged endpoint to terminate persistent command-and-control (C2) communication channels and stop Redaman from retrieving secondary stage payloads.
- Capture process memory triage to detect and terminate malicious threads injected by Redaman into legitimate system processes such as explorer.exe or svchost.exe.
- Audit Windows Registry Run keys (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) and Task Scheduler entries to locate and purge Redaman persistence hooks.
- Deploy updated enterprise EDR detection signatures and conduct an out-of-band endpoint scan to isolate dropped binaries and staged payloads.
- Rotate all credentials, domain user passwords, and session cookies active on the system during the Redaman execution timeframe.
What to Avoid
Common mistakes during response to this family that can destroy evidence, spread the infection, or worsen recovery.
- Do not assume the incident is resolved simply because an antivirus tool removed the initial Redaman dropper; always verify that secondary payloads and persistence hooks have been eradicated.
- Avoid logging in with Domain Admin or privileged credentials on a machine suspected of running Redaman until memory triage is complete.
- Do not delay host isolation; automated lateral movement and credential dumping can occur within minutes of initial execution.
References & External Analysis
- Search "redaman" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "redaman" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "redaman" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Redaman and what threat category does it belong to?
Redaman is classified as a Trojan. Documented across security telemetry, it is engineered to execute unauthorized operations, establish persistent footholds on target endpoints, and facilitate malicious campaigns targeting enterprise and individual environments.
How does Redaman establish persistence and evade defensive controls?
Redaman typically establishes persistence through registry run keys, scheduled tasks, or service installations, while evading signature-based antivirus solutions through code obfuscation, memory injection, or anti-analysis sandbox checks.
What are the essential incident response steps for mitigating a Redaman compromise?
Security teams responding to Redaman should immediately isolate affected endpoints from the network, perform memory triage to capture volatile forensic artifacts, audit registry and startup persistence mechanisms, revoke exposed user credentials, and restore systems from verified, clean backups.
What secondary payloads and staging behaviors are commonly associated with Trojan-Banker.Win32.Redaman?
Trojan-Banker.Win32.Redaman frequently operates as a loader or dropper designed to establish a foothold before downloading and executing secondary high-impact malware payloads. Depending on the threat actor's objectives, these dropped modules can range from ransomware and banking injects to modular infostealers and remote management backdoors.
How can security operations teams effectively detect and hunt for Trojan-Banker.Win32.Redaman across enterprise endpoints?
Defenders should hunt for Trojan-Banker.Win32.Redaman by deploying behavioral endpoint detection and response (EDR) rules that monitor suspicious process spawning (such as cmd.exe or powershell.exe spawned from office documents or temporary directories), anomalous outbound network connections from non-browser binaries, and unauthorized modifications to Windows Run keys and scheduled task registries.
How do I remove the Redaman Trojan from Windows?
Manual removal of Redaman 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 Redaman a virus or a Trojan?
Redaman is classified as a Trojan. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Redaman typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Redaman infection?
Symptoms of Redaman 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 Trojans
Want to prevent Redaman and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Banking Trojan Protection for Businesses.
📣 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/redaman.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.