APT / THREAT GROUP

IRONHALO

aliases

Last seen:Mar 17, 2026

Intelligence Profile

IRONHALO is a downloader that uses the HTTP protocol to retrieve a Base64 encoded payload from a hard-coded command-and-control (CnC) server and uniform resource locator (URL) path.

The encoded payload is written to a temporary file, decoded and executed in a hidden window. The encoded and decoded payloads are written to files named igfxHK[%rand%].dat and igfxHK[%rand%].exe respectively, where [%rand%] is a 4-byte hexadecimal number based on the current timestamp. It persists by copying itself to the current user’s Startup folder.

Threat Analysis

IRONHALO is a known-sophistication threat actor of undetermined national origin, engaged in cyber operations with a primary motivation of unknown activity patterns.

External References

→https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/12/the-eps-awakens-part-two.html

→https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/12/the_eps_awakens.html

→https://www.slideshare.net/codeblue_jp/cb19-cyber-threat-landscape-in-japan-revealing-threat-in-the-shadow-by-chi-en-shen-ashley-oleg-bondarenko

→https://www.symantec.com/security-center/writeup/2015-122210-5128-99

Quick Facts

TypeAPT / Threat Group

Aliases2

Also Known As

IRONHALOwin.ironhalo

External Intelligence

Malpedia: win.ironhalo

Research Links

MITRE ATT&CK VirusTotal Google (news) Twitter/X search

Data sourced from Malpedia, Ransomware.live, RansomLook, and CTIWATCH OSINT collection. Actor attribution is based on available intelligence and may be incomplete.

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