MALWARE FAMILY

RedXOR

Internal ID: elf.redxor
1
aliases
Last seen:Mar 17, 2026

Intelligence Profile

RedXOR is a sophisticated backdoor targeting Linux systems disguised as polkit daemon and utilizing network data encoding based on XOR. Believed to be developed by Chinese nation-state actors, this malware shows similarities to other malware associated with the Winnti umbrella threat group.

RedXOR uses various techniques such as open-source LKM rootkits, Python pty shell, and network data encoding with XOR. It also employs persistence methods and communication with a Command and Control server over HTTP.

The malware can execute various commands including system information collection, updates, shell commands, and network tunneling.

Threat Analysis

RedXOR is a malware family tracked by threat intelligence researchers and catalogued in the Malpedia dataset. It represents a distinct malicious software lineage with identifiable code characteristics, behaviors, and victimology.

External References

Quick Facts

TypeMalware Family
Aliases1

Also Known As

elf.redxor

Research Links

Data sourced from Malpedia, Ransomware.live, RansomLook, and CTIWATCH OSINT collection. Actor attribution is based on available intelligence and may be incomplete.
RedXOR — Malware Family | Threat Intelligence | CTIWATCH.COM