“Shai-Hulud” Self-Replicating Malware — Threat Analysis Report CyberDudeBivash Authority Report
Executive Summary Threat name: Shai-Hulud — a newly identified self-replicating malware family. Category: Worm / self-propagating malware with hybrid traits (worm + ransomware). Propagation: Exploits network misconfigs, lateral movement via SMB/RDP/SSH, plus malicious document/email vectors. Risks: Rapid spread across enterprise networks, privilege escalation, potential data destruction/encryption. Notable trait: Payload re-seeds itself persistently, even after partial clean-up. Action now: Segment networks, apply strict credential hygiene, implement EDR policies for worm heuristics, patch exposed services, and prepare incident response playbooks. Technical Overview Infection vector: phishing attachments, malicious macros, weaponized PDF/Office docs. Self-replication: Scans subnets for open ports (445/3389/22). Brute-forces weak creds and re-deploys binary. Creates scheduled tasks / systemd services for persistence. Payload action...