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IDAT Loader: Fake Chrome Update to Stealer operation cover
IntermediateSIEMXDRFirewallPRO

IDAT Loader: Fake Chrome Update to Stealer

A fake Chrome update page convinced an estimator their browser was out of date, and one installer later their saved passwords and wallet data were on their way to an unknown host. Follow the chain from a drive-by MSI through msiexec, a signed application side-loading the IDAT Loader, process injection, and StealC and Lumma infostealers to a single command-and-control endpoint.

1h
6 tasks
50 points
Pro

Start this operation

Investigation Tasks

Complete each task by investigating alerts and submitting your findings.

1

Scope the intrusion

0

The endpoint platform raised a side-loading alert on an estimator's workstation this afternoon, and shortly afterward the proxy logged a large outbound upload from the same machine to a host nobody recognizes. Before extracting indicators, orient yourself to the case so the pivots that follow make sense.

2

Find the fake update page

20

The user did not receive a malicious email. While reading a supplier blog they were redirected to a page that claimed their browser was dangerously out of date and had to be updated at once. Identify the host that served that fake update page.

Hint available
3

Recover the installer hash

20

Convinced the browser needed updating, the user downloaded and ran a Windows installer styled as the update. Recover the SHA-256 hash of that installer so it can be blocked across the fleet.

Hint available
4

Identify the side-loaded library

25

The installer dropped a legitimate signed application into a temporary folder alongside a malicious library, then let the trusted binary load it. Name the library that the signed application side-loaded.

Hint available
5

Recover the command-and-control host

25

After the loader injected into a benign process, that process reached out to a single external host to fetch its configuration and, later, to send the stolen data. Recover the host the injected process called home to.

Hint available
6

Classify the side-loading technique

15

For the report, classify how the loader gained execution under a trusted process. Map the technique the signed application was abused with to its MITRE ATT&CK identifier.

Hint available

6 tasks · 105 points total

Training Tools

Skills You'll Build

Investigate realistic security alerts
SIEM log analysis
XDR log analysis
Firewall log analysis
MITRE ATT&CK® technique identification
Triage decisions: escalate, investigate, or close
Evidence collection and documentation
Job-ready incident response methodology
Intermediate

Requires foundational alert triage skills. Multiple data sources to correlate.

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of security alerts
  • Familiarity with SIEM concepts
  • Familiarity with XDR concepts
  • Familiarity with Firewall concepts

Ready to investigate?

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