YARA · SEKOIA.IO Community
SEKOIA_Apt_Backdoordiplomaty_Custommerlinagent_Strings
Detects custom variant of Merlin agent used by BackdoorDiplomaty
- Author
- Sekoia.io
- Date
- 2024-06-06
- Modified
- 2024-12-19
- Score / Quality
- 75 / 80
What this rule detects
Detects custom variant of Merlin agent used by BackdoorDiplomaty
Targets: Windows PE.
It defines 4 patterns (4 text, 0 hex, 0 regex).
Summary generated from the rule's metadata and condition.
Rule source
apt-backdoordiplomaty-custommerlinagent-strings.yarDetection Rule License 1.1
rule SEKOIA_Apt_Backdoordiplomaty_Custommerlinagent_Strings : FILE
{
meta:
= "Detects custom variant of Merlin agent used by BackdoorDiplomaty"
= "Sekoia.io"
= "965693ba-93b8-4c52-9292-957884411968"
= "2024-06-06"
= "2024-12-19"
= "https://github.com/SEKOIA-IO/Community"
= "https://github.com/SEKOIA-IO/Community/blob/a438a5901a211c2abdf75da9c93921ef187473d1/yara_rules/apt_backdoordiplomaty_custommerlinagent_strings.yar#L1-L20"
= "https://github.com/SEKOIA-IO/Community/blob/a438a5901a211c2abdf75da9c93921ef187473d1/LICENSE.md"
= "31d13e234dc3f68f6826a5310ac38693750f896318249d04a31c5e6c8d5eba91"
= 75
= 80
= "FILE"
= "1.0"
= "TLP:CLEAR"
strings:
$ = "agent.GetSpecificID"
$ = "agent.ExecuteCommand"
$ = "agent.getClient"
$ = "agent.SignalListen"
condition:
uint16be( 0 ) == 0x4d5a and filesize < 10MB and all of them
}
Strings (4 patterns)
| Identifier | Type | Value | Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| $ | text | "agent.GetSpecificID" | |
| $ | text | "agent.ExecuteCommand" | |
| $ | text | "agent.getClient" | |
| $ | text | "agent.SignalListen" |
Condition
uint16be( 0 ) == 0x4d5a and filesize < 10MB and all of themIn plain words (Heuristic)
- The file must start with “MZ” — a Windows executable (PE).
- The file must be smaller than 10MB (a cheap guard that skips large files).
- All patterns in the rule must match.
Test this rule in your browser
Drop a file to scan it with this rule using YARA-X compiled to WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop a file here or click to chooseScanned locally with YARA-X. Files up to 200 MB.
References
Licence & attribution
Author: Sekoia.io
Source repository: SEKOIA.IO Community @ a438a5901a
Licence: Detection Rule License 1.1 (repository licence)
Mirrored via YARA Forge 20260927, which prefixes rule names with the source and adds normalised meta fields.
Rule id: 965693ba-93b8-4c52-9292-957884411968
Metadata
| version | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| classification | TLP:CLEAR |
Tags:FILE
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