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Gh0stRAT / Farfli — "WisemanSupport" Campaign

InvestigatedMarch 14, 2026PublishedMarch 14, 2026
ratc2apt

Classification: Remote Access Trojan (RAT) | Gh0stRAT variant (Farfli/Venik) Threat Level: HIGH Campaign ID: WisemanSupport Report Date: 2026-03-14 Analyst: GHOST — Breakglass Intelligence


Executive Summary

A 657840-byte PE32 executable masquerading as Microsoft's wininet.dll (Internet Extensions for Win32) was submitted to VirusTotal on 2026-03-14, achieving 55/76 malicious detections. The sample is a fully functional Gh0stRAT Remote Access Trojan, variant lineage tracked as Farfli by Chinese antivirus vendors and Venik by Western engines.

The malware is protected with ASPack/HidePE anti-analysis packing, uses a multi-stage drop chain with self-deletion for stealth, and establishes dual HKCU Run key persistence. The primary C2 server is 107.163.56.251:6658 (bulletproof-hosted on Federal Online Group LLC, AS395776), backed by the campaign domain wisemansupport.com (registered June 2025 with identity-shielded WHOIS via ShieldWhois). The campaign reuses a consistent "WisemanSupport" naming motif across dropped files, registry keys, mutex strings, and C2 domain — a deliberate operator branding pattern.

What it does: Full RAT capability including reverse shell, keylogging, screen capture, drive enumeration, cookie theft, and system reconnaissance. Communicates with operator C2 on TCP/6658 using Gh0stRAT's ZLIB-compressed binary protocol.

Who's behind it: Attribution leans toward a Chinese-nexus threat actor or MaaS operator based on: (1) Farfli nomenclature originating from Chinese AV ecosystems, (2) WHOIS NOC contact "Liu Lin" on the hosting ASN, (3) use of Federal Online Group LLC — a bulletproof host with documented Chinese-linked APT tenants, and (4) MFC 4.2 library targeting consistent with historical Gh0stRAT campaigns from Chinese operators (2010s–present).

Why it matters: This sample was first seen the same day it was submitted (2026-03-14), suggesting an active deployment. The C2 infrastructure was live but unresponsive during sandbox analysis. The domain infrastructure was prepped months in advance (June 2025 registration), indicating deliberate campaign staging.


Sample Metadata

FieldValue
SHA25658802bf282ec84421a1a1d64d676cf1c5b189843dc7bb11db3e449ed16d3da30
SHA130c82cac1e1b8bd7b8e75311500945d929ef95bc
MD5d9c552dc9912c63d66501ff57e134817
File Namewininet.dll (submitted as .exe)
File TypePE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, Windows
File Size657,840 bytes (642 KB)
First Seen2026-03-14 08:37:38 UTC
Last Scanned2026-03-14 10:35:20 UTC
VT Detections55/76 malicious
Reported BySamBurchmann
Tags (VT)overlay, anorganix, peexe, long-sleeps, detect-debug-environment
SSDEEP6144:PQJf3uMxrbLgEN6S7KzA5x3S5+y3D82oC0UdkgxgfOqG:4J130ENL7kArI+y3XipfOR
TLSHT130E422F12A64D42FE09841B2E74DE43276E0DCC278A10B3297E57A1DB3C940BFA79635
Authentihash019d7356092dbe1eecf26e8e2bed8e5306792291c875f0b2a4264d48124aceb1

VirusTotal Detection Labels

EngineDetection
LionicHacktool.Win32.Farfli.x!c
CAT-QuickHealTrojan.Ghanarava.1773473271134817
CrowdStrikewin/malicious_confidence_100%
BitDefenderTrojan.GenericKD.77751876
MicroWorld-eScanTrojan.GenericKD.77751876
ALYacTrojan.GenericKD.77751876
VIPRETrojan.GenericKD.77751876
K7AntiVirusTrojan (005ce0171)
VirITTrojan.Win32.Genus.YTK
SangforSuspicious.Win32.Save.ins

Suggested threat label: trojan.farfli/venik Top family names (AV consensus): farfli (8), venik (5), pepatch (3)


Static Analysis

PE Header

FieldValue
ArchitecturePE32 / Intel 80386
SubsystemGUI (Windows)
Number of Sections7
PE Header Offset0xE0
ProtectorASPack 0.1 / HidePE by BGCorp (Anorganix)
Runtime LibraryMFC 4.2

PE Sections

SectionVARaw OffsetRaw SizeEntropyNotes
.text0x10000x100016,3843.93Low entropy stub
.rdata0x50000x50008,1922.63Import table
.data0x70000x70004,0961.40Initialized data
.rsrc0x80000x8000581,6323.91Huge resource section — compressed payload
.vr0x960000x9600028,6725.39ASPack decompressor
.adata0x9D0000x9D0004,0960.00ASPack data marker
mmyma0x9E0000x9E000272.11Tiny executable code stub

Key observation: The .rsrc section at 581,632 bytes (88% of total file size) is abnormally large. This section contains the compressed/encrypted Gh0stRAT payload stored as a Windows resource — a classic HidePE technique. The actual PE payload is decompressed at runtime by the ASPack decompressor in .vr.

The .adata section (all zeros, entropy 0.00) is a tombstone marker for ASPack that CAPA uses as a detection signature. Section name mmyma is a randomly-generated 5-character name used by ASPack variants to defeat static section-name detection.

Import Table (Stub — IAT Hidden by ASPack)

The visible import table is deliberately minimal. Real API imports are resolved at runtime:

DLLImported FunctionPurpose
kernel32.dllGetModuleHandleA, GetProcAddress, LoadLibraryADynamic API resolution
mfc42.dllOrd(3262)MFC runtime bootstrap
msvcrt.dll_except_handler3Exception handler
user32.dllIsIconicWindow state check
gdi32.dllCreateSolidBrushGUI context
ws2_32.dllsetsockoptNetwork C2 communication
shlwapi.dllPathFileExistsAFile existence check

The presence of setsockopt in a stub import list is a significant indicator — it's the only network function imported, confirming TCP-based C2 even before behavioral analysis.

Fake Signature / Version Info

The binary carries fraudulent Microsoft version information designed to evade cursory inspection:

File Version:  5.50.4807.2300
Description:   Internet Extensions for Win32
Original Name: wininet.dll
Product:       Microsoft(R) Windows (R) 2000 Operating System
Copyright:     Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1981-2001
Internal Name: wininet.dll

This mimics the legitimate Windows Internet API DLL. The version (5.50, dated 2001) corresponds to Windows 2000 — deliberately outdated to avoid scrutiny on modern systems.

PE Overlay

An overlay of 10,645 bytes exists at file offset 647,195 (beyond the last PE section). The overlay contains:

  • Binary header bytes: c0 00 ce 00 08 11 ce 00 00 00 ...
  • Plaintext environment variable strings from collected victim system data:
    • USERNAME=Bruno / USERDOMAIN=DESKTOP-ET51AJO
    • TEMP=C:\Users\Bruno\AppData\Local\Temp
    • System paths, PowerShell module paths, processor identifiers

Interpretation: The overlay is a runtime-writable region where Gh0stRAT stores collected host reconnaissance data before exfiltration. Multiple victim username references (Bruno, John Doe, JohnDoe) suggest this stub was reused or tested across environments before deployment.

Packer / Protector Analysis

ASPack 2.x / HidePE by BGCorp (detected by PEiD as "ASProtect" signed by Anorganix):

  • Compresses the real PE into the .rsrc section as a resource blob
  • Decompressor stub in .vr section unpacks at runtime into memory
  • Uses SetUnhandledExceptionFilter anti-debugging (signature: antidebug_setunhandledexceptionfilter)
  • Checks available physical memory for sandbox detection (antivm_checks_available_memory)
  • Detects virtual disk environments (antivm_generic_disk)
  • Queries keyboard layout and locale for victim targeting/VM detection
  • Implements long sleep delays to defeat sandbox timeouts (antisandbox_sleep, stealth_timeout)

Unpacked payload SHA256 (extracted by CAPE Sandbox): f22ee652808ac4c18a7ff9ae538363f1665e91f771d9280241a94fb8771654c7 (630,784 bytes)


Infection Chain / Kill Chain

[Initial Vector Unknown]
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Stage 0: wininet.dll (657,840 bytes)           │
│  Masquerades as Microsoft Windows DLL           │
│  Protected: ASPack/HidePE                       │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │ Drops to %TEMP%
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Stage 1: %TEMP%\gvzsio.exe  (intermediate)     │
│  Packed Gh0stRAT installer                      │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │ cmd.exe /c ping 127.0.0.1 -n 2 & gvzsio.exe
                     │ (anti-analysis delay via ping)
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Anti-Analysis: ping 127.0.0.1 -n 2             │
│  Introduces 2-second network delay              │
│  Defeats time-bound sandbox environments        │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │ Executes installer
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Stage 2: gvzsio.exe installs components:       │
│  ├── C:\wiseman.exe           (RAT main binary) │
│  ├── C:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj       (loader DLL)      │
│  ├── C:\ngmop\lang.ini        (C2 config file)  │
│  └── C:\ngmop\ReadMe.txt      (decoy text)      │
│                                                  │
│  Invokes:                                        │
│  rundll32.exe "c:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj",RAFlush \    │
│               C:\Users\...\gvzsio.exe            │
│                                                  │
│  Deletes: ljiks.exe (original), gvzsio.exe       │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │ rundll32 loads jtovz.tvj
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Stage 3: jtovz.tvj (DLL, .tvj extension)       │
│  Loaded via rundll32, export: RAFlush            │
│  Sets persistence registry keys                 │
│  Spawns C:\wiseman.exe                          │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │ CreateProcess
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Stage 4: wiseman.exe (Gh0stRAT payload)        │
│  Reads config from C:\ngmop\lang.ini            │
│  Connects to: api.wisemansupport.com            │
│            / 107.163.56.251:6658                │
│  Writes to: \Device\Netbios, \Device\RasAcd     │
│  Full RAT capabilities active                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

PERSISTENCE (Two-vector):
  HKCU\Run\EvtMgr   = rundll32.exe "c:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj",RAFlush
  HKCU\Run\Wiseman   = C:\wiseman.exe

Behavioral Analysis

Execution Behaviors (CAPE Sandbox)

Anti-Analysis:

  • Checks available physical memory (< threshold → abort, T1082)
  • Queries keyboard layout and Windows locale via registry (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\Locale) to detect VMs
  • Uses SetUnhandledExceptionFilter anti-debugging hook
  • Enumerates physical drives to detect virtual disk signatures (T1014)
  • Long sleep delays defeat time-limited sandboxes (T1071)
  • ping 127.0.0.1 -n 2 creates network activity to delay sandbox timing

Stealth / Evasion:

  • Creates hidden windows (ShowWindow(SW_HIDE) (T1564.003)
  • Deletes original executable and intermediate dropper after installation (T1070)
  • DLL disguised with non-standard extension .tvj — bypasses extension-based AV scanning (T1027)
  • Loads MFC42LOC.DLL from sysnative path — bypasses 32/64-bit filesystem redirection
  • Spawns processes in suspended state for code injection (T1055)

Persistence:

  • HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\EvtMgr = c:\windows\SysWOW64\rundll32.exe "c:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj",RAFlush (T1547.001)
  • HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Wiseman = C:\wiseman.exe (T1547.001)

Reconnaissance / Collection:

  • Enumerates all running processes (T1057)
  • Enumerates physical drives (T1082)
  • Collects system environment variables (USERNAME, COMPUTERNAME, PATH, etc.)
  • Accesses Internet Cookie store (%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies\) (T1539)
  • Records keyboard layout and locale (T1082)

Network C2:

  • DNS resolution: api.wisemansupport.com (returned NXDOMAIN during analysis)
  • Hardcoded IP: 107.163.56.251:6658 (C2 offline during sandbox run — "dead_connect")
  • Gh0stRAT protocol: custom binary over TCP, ZLIB-compressed heartbeat/command packets
  • Multiple User-Agent strings used across HTTP requests (T1071)
  • C2 connection identified via mutex: M107.163.56.251:6658

Files Accessed:

  • C:\ngmop\lang.ini — Gh0stRAT config file (C2 address, port, campaign ID)
  • C:\ngmop\ReadMe.txt — Possible decoy file to appear legitimate
  • C:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj — Loader DLL
  • \Device\Netbios — NetBIOS device enumeration
  • \Device\RasAcd — RAS connection device

Network Indicators

Primary C2

IndicatorValue
IP107.163.56.251
Port6658 (TCP)
ProtocolGh0stRAT binary (ZLIB-compressed)
Domainapi.wisemansupport.com (NXDOMAIN at time of analysis)
ASNAS395776 — FEDERAL ONLINE GROUP LLC
CountryUS (Westlake Village, CA — bulletproof hosting)
VT Reputation-12 (malicious)
VT Detections6/94

Domain Infrastructure

FieldValue
Domainwisemansupport.com
Registered2025-06-14 (9 months before sample submission)
Expires2027-06-14
Registrarnamesrs.com
Registrant Emailaf9e5c293659ffd2s@shieldwhois.com (privacy-shielded)
Registrant CountrySweden (anonymized via ShieldWhois)
Name Serversns1/ns2.dns-parking.com
Current A Record34.120.137.41 (Google Cloud / Hostinger 404 page)
Current IPv62600:1901:0:84ef::
MX Recordsmx1/mx2.hostinger.com
HTTPS CertLet's Encrypt E8, valid 2026-02-09 to 2026-05-10
Subdomains seenapi.wisemansupport.com, www.wisemansupport.com

OPSEC Note: The current DNS for wisemansupport.com points to a Hostinger-hosted Google Cloud IP that returns a 404 — the operator has migrated the domain away from the active C2 or it's parked waiting for future use. The actual C2 (107.163.56.251) was hardcoded by IP in the binary, making the domain resolution a backup/secondary lookup.

C2 Host Intelligence

Federal Online Group LLC (AS395776):

  • IP Range: 107.163.0.0/16
  • NOC Contact: "Liu Lin" (abuse@foaaa.com)
  • NOC Alternate: my10000000@gmail.com (highly informal — indicator of low-accountability host)
  • ARIN Registration: 2013-12-23
  • Last Updated: 2026-02-23 (recently updated — active relationship)
  • This ASN has documented history hosting Chinese threat actor C2 infrastructure

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

Technique IDTacticDescription
T1027Defense EvasionObfuscated Files — Unknown PE section names
T1027.002Defense EvasionSoftware Packing — ASPack/HidePE protector
T1014Defense EvasionRootkit — Physical drive enumeration
T1055Defense EvasionProcess Injection — Suspended process creation
T1070Defense EvasionIndicator Removal — Deletes executed files
T1082DiscoverySystem Information — Memory, locale, CPU checks
T1057DiscoveryProcess Discovery — Enumerate running processes
T1129ExecutionShared Modules — Dynamic library loading
T1112Defense EvasionModify Registry — Autorun persistence keys
T1202Defense EvasionIndirect Command Execution — cmd.exe / rundll32
T1539Credential AccessCookie Theft — INetCookies access
T1542PersistencePre-OS Boot — Drive enumeration
T1547.001PersistenceRegistry Run Keys / Startup Folder
T1564Defense EvasionHide Artifacts — Hidden window
T1564.003Defense EvasionHidden Window — SW_HIDE creation
T1071Command & ControlApplication Layer Protocol — Custom RAT protocol

IOC Tables

File Hashes

TypeHash
SHA25658802bf282ec84421a1a1d64d676cf1c5b189843dc7bb11db3e449ed16d3da30
SHA130c82cac1e1b8bd7b8e75311500945d929ef95bc
MD5d9c552dc9912c63d66501ff57e134817
SSDEEP6144:PQJf3uMxrbLgEN6S7KzA5x3S5+y3D82oC0UdkgxgfOqG:4J130ENL7kArI+y3XipfOR
Unpacked PE SHA256f22ee652808ac4c18a7ff9ae538363f1665e91f771d9280241a94fb8771654c7

Network IOCs

TypeValueNotes
IP107.163.56.251C2 IP (hardcoded)
Port6658/tcpGh0stRAT C2 port
Domainapi.wisemansupport.comC2 FQDN (NXDOMAIN)
Domainwisemansupport.comCampaign domain
IP34.120.137.41Current domain IP (GCP/Hostinger)

Mutex Strings

MutexMeaning
M107.163.56.251:6658Gh0stRAT standard mutex (encodes C2 IP:port)
107.163.56.251:6658Variant mutex (without prefix)
WisemanSupport_rcmCampaign-specific run-once mutex

Registry Keys

KeyValue
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\EvtMgrc:\windows\SysWOW64\rundll32.exe "c:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj",RAFlush
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\WisemanC:\wiseman.exe

Files and Paths

PathDescription
C:\wiseman.exeMain Gh0stRAT payload (dropped)
C:\ngmop\jtovz.tvjLoader DLL (rundll32 target, export: RAFlush)
C:\ngmop\lang.iniGh0stRAT configuration file (C2 address, port, campaign ID)
C:\ngmop\ReadMe.txtDecoy file
C:\1.txtCreated by installer (purpose unknown)
C:\stov.exeSecondary implant reference (checked for existence)
%TEMP%\gvzsio.exeIntermediate dropper (self-deleted)

Sigma Rule Matches

RuleCategory
CurrentVersion Autorun Keys ModificationPersistence
Rundll32 Execution With Uncommon DLL ExtensionDefense Evasion

Campaign Context

"WisemanSupport" Naming Pattern

The operator has applied a deliberate campaign branding across all components:

Artifact"Wiseman" Reference
Dropped binaryC:\wiseman.exe
Registry keyHKCU\Run\Wiseman
Campaign mutexWisemanSupport_rcm
C2 domainwisemansupport.com
C2 FQDNapi.wisemansupport.com

This level of consistent naming across file system, registry, network, and mutex suggests either an operator with high operational familiarity (reuses known tooling) or a distributed team with a fixed campaign template.

Files communicating with 107.163.56.251 on VirusTotal show a large cluster of Gh0stRAT variants masquerading as Windows DLLs, all with high detection rates (58–65/76+):

File NameSHA256 (prefix)ClassificationDetections
DXTRANS.DLL0000353b71b5cc56trojan.dacic/farfli59/76
PNGFILT.DLL0000ba40684fd593trojan.dacic/palevo58/77
SHLWAPI.DLL000186598c47c6cdtrojan.farfli/jaik59/76
MSHTMLER.DLL000393ab2b2e0f02trojan.fragtor/farfli53/75
TeamViewer_Resource.dll0003ab970289dac2trojan.farfli/palevo61/76
wininet.dll00998e73a59b50eetrojan.fragtor/venik60/76
ERRLOOK.EXE0071a9cab9df54b2trojan.palevo/farfli65/76

This represents a systematic campaign where the operator deploys Gh0stRAT across multiple victims, using different DLL names as disguise but sharing the same C2 infrastructure.

Infrastructure Timeline

DateEvent
2025-06-14wisemansupport.com registered (namesrs.com)
2026-02-09Let's Encrypt cert issued for wisemansupport.com
2026-02-10Let's Encrypt cert issued for www.wisemansupport.com
2026-02-23Federal Online Group LLC ARIN record updated
2026-03-14Sample first submitted to VirusTotal (08:37:38 UTC)
2026-03-14C2 (107.163.56.251:6658) unreachable during sandbox
2026-03-14api.wisemansupport.com returns NXDOMAIN

Attribution Assessment

Threat Actor: Unknown Chinese-nexus operator or MaaS (Malware-as-a-Service) customer Confidence: MEDIUM

Supporting evidence:

  1. Farfli family designation — "Farfli" is a Chinese antivirus (360, Kingsoft) naming convention for Gh0stRAT variants. The family name originates from Chinese threat researcher parlance.

  2. Gh0stRAT lineage — Gh0stRAT is a Chinese-developed RAT first publicly released ~2008 by C. Rufus Security Team (a Chinese hacking group). While its source code is public, the primary user base remains Chinese-nexus actors.

  3. Hosting provider — Federal Online Group LLC (AS395776) is a bulletproof hosting provider with Chinese-linked technical contacts ("Liu Lin," abuse@foaaa.com). The informal Gmail address (my10000000@gmail.com) suggests low accountability.

  4. Domain registration pattern — Registered 9 months before sample deployment, using full WHOIS privacy (ShieldWhois). This level of pre-staging is characteristic of planned campaigns, not opportunistic attacks.

  5. MFC 4.2 dependency — Historic Gh0stRAT builds from Chinese operators consistently target MFC 4.2 runtime for compatibility with older Windows targets (XP/2003/2008 era). This version choice narrows the likely target environment.

  6. Campaign naming convention — "WisemanSupport" as a campaign name suggests either English-capable operators or use of a translation tool. The branding is more sophisticated than typical Chinese APT campaigns but less refined than Western actors.

Alternative hypothesis: This could be a Gh0stRAT MaaS offering where a Chinese developer sells access to an operator in another region. The "Sweden" WHOIS registrant (anonymized) could indicate an Eastern European or other non-Chinese customer.


Infrastructure Map

OPERATOR
    │
    │ controls
    ▼
[107.163.56.251:6658]──────────────────── Primary C2
    │                                     Federal Online Group LLC
    │ hosted by                           AS395776, Westlake Village CA
    │
[AS395776: FEDERAL ONLINE GROUP LLC]     "Bulletproof" hosting
    NOC: Liu Lin (abuse@foaaa.com)        Chinese-linked contacts
    Range: 107.163.0.0/16

    │ registered to support
    ▼
[wisemansupport.com]────────────────────  Campaign Domain
    Registered: 2025-06-14               namesrs.com registrar
    WHOIS: ShieldWhois (Sweden)          Identity hidden
    │
    ├── [api.wisemansupport.com]          C2 FQDN (NXDOMAIN)
    │   DNS resolved by sample           Primary lookup target
    │
    └── [34.120.137.41]                  Current DNS resolution
        Google Cloud / Hostinger         Domain now parked/redirected
        404 page returned                C2 likely migrated to hardcoded IP

MALWARE COMPONENTS:
  wininet.dll ──drop──> %TEMP%\gvzsio.exe
                           └──drop──> C:\wiseman.exe (RAT)
                           └──drop──> C:\ngmop\jtovz.tvj (Loader DLL)
                           └──create─> C:\ngmop\lang.ini (Config)
                           └──persist─> HKCU\Run\EvtMgr
                           └──persist─> HKCU\Run\Wiseman

Recommendations

  1. Block at perimeter: 107.163.56.251 (all ports), 107.163.56.0/24
  2. DNS sinkhole: wisemansupport.com, api.wisemansupport.com, www.wisemansupport.com
  3. Hunt on endpoints:
    • File paths: C:\wiseman.exe, C:\ngmop\*, %TEMP%\gvzsio.exe
    • Registry: HKCU\Run\EvtMgr, HKCU\Run\Wiseman
    • Mutex: WisemanSupport_rcm, M107.163.56.251:6658
  4. Network detection: Alert on TCP/6658 outbound to 107.163.56.0/24
  5. Hunt for rundll32 loading .tvj files (SIGMA rule already triggered)
  6. Hunt for ASPack-protected binaries masquerading as Windows DLL names
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