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Microsoft Security Intelligence
Published Nov 11, 2021 | Updated Nov 16, 2021

Backdoor:MSIL/ShellClient.A

Detected by Microsoft Defender Antivirus

Aliases: No associated aliases

Summary

Microsoft Defender Antivirus removes this threat.

This malware is a custom remote access trojan (RAT) known as GhostShell or ShellClient. It masquerades as a legitimate Windows program such as "RuntimeBroker.exe” or “svchost.exe” to evade detection. This RAT steals and exfiltrates data by using Dropbox as a command-and-control (C2) channel.

This RAT is capable of the following:

  • Collects system information such as hostname, IP address, antivirus products
  • Connects to https://ipinfo.io for additional IP information
  • Installs as service
  • Starts CMD or PowerShell
  • Starts TCP / FPT / Telnet client
  • Uploads, downloads, and launches PowerShell commands
  • Replicates the targeted client for additional connection

Microsoft Defender Antivirus automatically removes threats as they are detected. If you have cloud-delivered protection, your device gets the latest defenses against new and unknown threats. If you don't have this feature enabled, update your antimalware definitions and run a full scan to remove this threat.

You can also visit our advanced troubleshooting page or search the Microsoft virus and malware community for more help.

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