SYMBOLCOMMON_NAMEaka. SYNONYMS
win.pocodown (Back to overview)

PocoDown

aka: Blitz, PocoDownloader

Actor(s): APT28

VTCollection    

uses POCO C++ cross-platform library, Xor-based string obfuscation, SSL library code and string overlap with Xtunnel, infrastructure overlap with X-Agent, probably in use since mid-2018

References
2019-08-28 ⋅ Cylance ⋅ Cylance Threat Research Team
Inside the APT28 DLL Backdoor Blitz
PocoDown
2019-07-10 ⋅ Cylance ⋅ Cylance Threat Research Team
Flirting With IDA and APT28
PocoDown
2019-05-18 ⋅ Twitter (@cyb3rops) ⋅ Florian Roth
Tweet on YARA and APT28
PocoDown
Yara Rules
[TLP:WHITE] win_pocodown_auto (20260917 | Detects win.pocodown.)
rule win_pocodown_auto {

    meta:
        author = "Felix Bilstein - yara-signator at cocacoding dot com"
        date = "2026-09-17"
        version = "1"
        description = "Detects win.pocodown."
        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.pocodown"
        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 = { ff9424c0000000 8b442478 8b4c2450 03c8 8bc1 89442450 0fbe442460 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   ff9424c0000000       | dec                 eax
            //   8b442478             | mov                 dword ptr [esp + 0x50], eax
            //   8b4c2450             | dec                 eax
            //   03c8                 | test                eax, eax
            //   8bc1                 | je                  0x916
            //   89442450             | dec                 eax
            //   0fbe442460           | mov                 ecx, eax

        $sequence_1 = { e9???????? 48c74424380f000000 48c744243000000000 c644242000 41b83b000000 488d15dd0d1f00 488d4c2420 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   e9????????           |                     
            //   48c74424380f000000     | arpl    word ptr [esp + 0xa8], ax
            //   48c744243000000000     | dec    esp
            //   c644242000           | mov                 eax, eax
            //   41b83b000000         | inc                 ecx
            //   488d15dd0d1f00       | mov                 eax, 8
            //   488d4c2420           | dec                 eax

        $sequence_2 = { ff10 488bce e8???????? 488bce 85c0 751d e8???????? }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   ff10                 | mov                 eax, dword ptr [esp + 0x580]
            //   488bce               | mov                 eax, dword ptr [eax + 0x1ac]
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   488bce               | dec                 eax
            //   85c0                 | mov                 eax, dword ptr [esp + 0x88]
            //   751d                 | inc                 esp
            //   e8????????           |                     

        $sequence_3 = { e9???????? 488b8c2498000000 e8???????? 488b8c2498000000 e8???????? 4889442438 488b8c2498000000 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   e9????????           |                     
            //   488b8c2498000000     | cmp                 dword ptr [esp + 0x20], eax
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   488b8c2498000000     | jge                 0x23e
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   4889442438           | mov                 edx, dword ptr [esp + 0x20]
            //   488b8c2498000000     | dec                 eax

        $sequence_4 = { e8???????? 488b4c2470 488b8930010000 4883c144 488b542470 488b9230010000 4883c248 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   488b4c2470           | lea                 edx, [esp + 0x28]
            //   488b8930010000       | dec                 eax
            //   4883c144             | lea                 ecx, [0xe277c]
            //   488b542470           | nop                 
            //   488b9230010000       | dec                 ecx
            //   4883c248             | or                  ecx, 0xffffffff

        $sequence_5 = { b868000000 e8???????? 482be0 48c744243800000000 48c744244800000000 48837c247000 7414 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   b868000000           | mov                 edx, dword ptr [esp + 0x20]
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   482be0               | dec                 eax
            //   48c744243800000000     | lea    ecx, [esp + 0x48]
            //   48c744244800000000     | nop    
            //   48837c247000         | dec                 eax
            //   7414                 | mov                 edx, eax

        $sequence_6 = { c7406000000000 e9???????? 488b8c24a0000000 e8???????? 488b8424a0000000 488b4850 e8???????? }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   c7406000000000       | inc                 esp
            //   e9????????           |                     
            //   488b8c24a0000000     | mov                 eax, dword ptr [esp + 0x40]
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   488b8424a0000000     | mov                 edx, dword ptr [esp + 0x38]
            //   488b4850             | dec                 eax
            //   e8????????           |                     

        $sequence_7 = { eb40 48c745af0f000000 4c8965a7 c6459700 33c0 4883c9ff 488bfe }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   eb40                 | dec                 eax
            //   48c745af0f000000     | mov                 eax, dword ptr [esp + 0xa0]
            //   4c8965a7             | dec                 eax
            //   c6459700             | mov                 eax, dword ptr [eax + 0x130]
            //   33c0                 | dec                 eax
            //   4883c9ff             | mov                 ecx, dword ptr [esp + 0x70]
            //   488bfe               | dec                 eax

        $sequence_8 = { eb7b 837c246800 7d0e 488b4c2460 e8???????? 89442468 448b442468 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   eb7b                 | mov                 edx, dword ptr [eax]
            //   837c246800           | dec                 eax
            //   7d0e                 | mov                 ecx, dword ptr [esp + 0x40]
            //   488b4c2460           | dec                 eax
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   89442468             | mov                 eax, dword ptr [esp + 0x38]
            //   448b442468           | dec                 eax

        $sequence_9 = { e8???????? 85c0 7518 c744246c3f000000 c784249800000019020000 e9???????? 488b842488000000 }
            // n = 7, score = 200
            //   e8????????           |                     
            //   85c0                 | mov                 edx, 0x81
            //   7518                 | mov                 ecx, 0x25
            //   c744246c3f000000     | xor                 eax, eax
            //   c784249800000019020000     | mov    dword ptr [esp + 0x20], 0x17f
            //   e9????????           |                     
            //   488b842488000000     | dec                 esp

    condition:
        7 of them and filesize < 6703104
}
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