SYMBOLCOMMON_NAMEaka. SYNONYMS
win.apollo_shadow (Back to overview)

ApolloShadow

Actor(s): Turla

VTCollection    

According to Microsoft, ApolloShadow has the capability to install a trusted root certificate to trick devices into trusting malicious actor-controlled sites, enabling Secret Blizzard to maintain persistence on diplomatic devices, likely for intelligence collection. It has been used in a campaign where Secret Blizzard has been targeting embassies located in Moscow using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) position.

References
2025-07-31 ⋅ Microsoft ⋅ Microsoft Threat Intelligence
Frozen in transit: Secret Blizzard’s AiTM campaign against diplomats
ApolloShadow
Yara Rules
[TLP:WHITE] win_apollo_shadow_auto (20260917 | Detects win.apollo_shadow.)
rule win_apollo_shadow_auto {

    meta:
        author = "Felix Bilstein - yara-signator at cocacoding dot com"
        date = "2026-09-17"
        version = "1"
        description = "Detects win.apollo_shadow."
        info = "autogenerated rule brought to you by yara-signator"
        tool = "yara-signator v0.6.0"
        signator_config = "callsandjumps;datarefs;binvalue"
        malpedia_reference = "https://malpedia.caad.fkie.fraunhofer.de/details/win.apollo_shadow"
        malpedia_rule_date = "20260916"
        malpedia_hash = "53a643781c18e08f4a50949af60172d837a0b6f6"
        malpedia_version = "20260917"
        malpedia_license = "CC BY-SA 4.0"
        malpedia_sharing = "TLP:WHITE"

    /* DISCLAIMER
     * The strings used in this rule have been automatically selected from the
     * disassembly of memory dumps and unpacked files, using YARA-Signator.
     * The code and documentation is published here:
     * https://github.com/fxb-cocacoding/yara-signator
     * As Malpedia is used as data source, please note that for a given
     * number of families, only single samples are documented.
     * This likely impacts the degree of generalization these rules will offer.
     * Take the described generation method also into consideration when you
     * apply the rules in your use cases and assign them confidence levels.
     */


    strings:
        $sequence_0 = { 4533ff 44897d80 4533c0 488d5580 33c9 ff15???????? 83f87a }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   4533ff               | je                  0x75d
            //   44897d80             | movzx               ecx, byte ptr [edx]
            //   4533c0               | and                 ecx, 0xf
            //   488d5580             | dec                 edx
            //   33c9                 | movsx               eax, byte ptr [ecx + ebx + 0x39d48]
            //   ff15????????         |                     
            //   83f87a               | inc                 edx

        $sequence_1 = { 6690 488b15???????? 483b15???????? 740e 0fb603 8802 48ff05???????? }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   6690                 | add                 eax, 0x20
            //   488b15????????       |                     
            //   483b15????????       |                     
            //   740e                 | dec                 eax
            //   0fb603               | cmp                 eax, edx
            //   8802                 | jne                 0x72
            //   48ff05????????       |                     

        $sequence_2 = { 48c740180f000000 c60000 488d5558 488d4d78 e8???????? 90 488d542470 }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   48c740180f000000     | dec                 eax
            //   c60000               | cmovne              edx, dword ptr [ebp - 0x78]
            //   488d5558             | dec                 eax
            //   488d4d78             | lea                 ecx, [ebp - 0x38]
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   90                   | nop                 
            //   488d542470           | dec                 eax

        $sequence_3 = { 4280bc1800c6040000 74e2 0fb60b 420fbe841900c60400 85c0 7513 }
            // n = 6, score = 100
            //   4280bc1800c6040000     | dec    eax
            //   74e2                 | lea                 eax, [0x255ba]
            //   0fb60b               | dec                 ecx
            //   420fbe841900c60400     | mov    dword ptr [esi], eax
            //   85c0                 | dec                 ebp
            //   7513                 | lea                 ebp, [esi + 0x10]

        $sequence_4 = { 488d4d1f e8???????? 85c0 7508 8d480f e8???????? 488d4d1f }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   488d4d1f             | dec                 eax
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   85c0                 | cmove               ebx, eax
            //   7508                 | mov                 edx, 1
            //   8d480f               | dec                 eax
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   488d4d1f             | lea                 ecx, [esp + 0x40]

        $sequence_5 = { 895d17 895d13 488d453f 4889442430 488d4513 4889442428 48895c2420 }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   895d17               | mov                 eax, dword ptr [edi]
            //   895d13               | dec                 eax
            //   488d453f             | mov                 ecx, edi
            //   4889442430           | call                dword ptr [eax + 8]
            //   488d4513             | dec                 eax
            //   4889442428           | add                 ebx, 0x20
            //   48895c2420           | cmp                 eax, 1

        $sequence_6 = { 488905???????? 488d8c24a0000000 e8???????? 4c8b3d???????? 4e8d24fd00000000 4d3b7e18 730d }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   488905????????       |                     
            //   488d8c24a0000000     | dec                 eax
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   4c8b3d????????       |                     
            //   4e8d24fd00000000     | cmp                 eax, 0x1f
            //   4d3b7e18             | ja                  0x6ac
            //   730d                 | nop                 

        $sequence_7 = { 488bd9 488bc2 488d0db94b0200 0f57c0 48890b 488d5308 488d4808 }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   488bd9               | lea                 ecx, [0x20d36]
            //   488bc2               | dec                 eax
            //   488d0db94b0200       | mov                 edx, edi
            //   0f57c0               | dec                 eax
            //   48890b               | lea                 ecx, [esp + 0x30]
            //   488d5308             | nop                 
            //   488d4808             | mov                 dword ptr [ebp + 0xc], 1

        $sequence_8 = { 49be4aae928e0dcdd172 4c89b42488000000 488b842488000000 4c3105???????? 483115???????? 48310d???????? 483105???????? }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   49be4aae928e0dcdd172     | test    ebx, ebx
            //   4c89b42488000000     | je                  0x7b0
            //   488b842488000000     | dec                 ecx
            //   4c3105????????       |                     
            //   483115????????       |                     
            //   48310d????????       |                     
            //   483105????????       |                     

        $sequence_9 = { 4c89642420 488b4c2420 4d8bcb 4c895c2420 488b442420 4c3105???????? 483115???????? }
            // n = 7, score = 100
            //   4c89642420           | cmp                 eax, edi
            //   488b4c2420           | jne                 0x393
            //   4d8bcb               | dec                 eax
            //   4c895c2420           | mov                 eax, ebx
            //   488b442420           | dec                 eax
            //   4c3105????????       |                     
            //   483115????????       |                     

    condition:
        7 of them and filesize < 710656
}
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