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Remus Stealer, Aerospace Extortion, and Beagle Backdoor: OTX Pulse Analysis

SA
Security Arsenal Team
May 8, 2026
5 min read

Recent OTX pulse data indicates a convergence of high-impact threats targeting enterprise environments. The primary vectors include the emergence of Remus, a 64-bit evolution of the Lumma Stealer utilizing EtherHiding for C2; intensified data extortion campaigns against the aerospace and defense sectors by ransomware cartels (LockBit, Cl0p) and nation-state actors (Fancy Bear, Wicked Panda); and a new Beagle backdoor campaign leveraging AI-themed lures (fake Claude AI site) and DLL sideloading. These campaigns collectively demonstrate a shift towards blockchain-based obfuscation, supply chain exploitation, and trusted-impersonation tactics.

Threat Actor / Malware Profile

Remus Stealer (Lumma 64-bit Variant)

  • Family: Infostealer (Tenzor/Lumma lineage).
  • Distribution: Initial access via compromised sites switching from Steam/Telegram dead drops to EtherHiding (concealing malicious payloads in blockchain transactions).
  • Behavior: Information theft (crypto wallets, cookies, credentials). Incorporates new anti-analysis checks to evade sandboxing.
  • C2: Uses blockchain-related domains for infrastructure (e.g., forestoaker.com, krondez.com).

Beagle Backdoor / DonutLoader

  • Family: Backdoor, Loader.
  • Distribution: Malvertising campaign impersonating Anthropic's Claude AI. Payload delivered as "Claude-Pro Relay" via a ZIP archive.
  • Behavior: Utilizes DLL sideloading to exploit a signed G DATA antivirus updater, effectively bypassing signature checks.
  • C2: Communicates with claude-pro.com infrastructure.

Aerospace Extortion Groups

  • Actors: LockBit, Cl0p, Refined Kitten, Wicked Panda, Fancy Bear.
  • Motivation: Data extortion and espionage.
  • Targeting: Critical infrastructure, specifically shared airport IT platforms and aviation supply chains.
  • Techniques: Identity-based intrusions and platform-level disruptions.

IOC Analysis

The provided indicators of compromise (IOCs) include:

  • Domains: Specific C2 and distribution domains for Remus (forestoaker.com, baxe.pics) and Beagle (claude-pro.com).
  • File Hashes: SHA256 hashes for the Remus payload (b037fa1dd7...) and various aerospace-related extortion tools.

Operational Guidance:

  • SOC Teams: Immediately block the listed domains at the network perimeter and proxy level.
  • EDR: Configure immediate isolation alerts for endpoints matching the provided file hashes.
  • Threat Intel: Integrate these hashes into threat hunting platforms to scan for historical presence.

Detection Engineering

YAML
---
title: Potential Remus Stealer C2 Connection
id: 2c1d3f4a-5b6e-7c8d-9e0f-1a2b3c4d5e6f
description: Detects network connections to domains associated with the Remus (64-bit Lumma) stealer campaign utilizing EtherHiding.
status: experimental
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/05/09
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6123456789abcdef
tags:
    - attack.command_and_control
    - attack.t1071.001
logsource:
    category: network_connection
detection:
    selection:
        destination|contains:
            - forestoaker.com
            - krondez.com
            - baxe.pics
            - vinte.online
            - coox.live
            - remnane.biz
            - parky.pics
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Unknown
level: high
---
title: Fake Claude AI Site DNS Resolution
id: 3d2e4f5a-6c7d-8e9f-0a1b-2c3d4e5f6a7b
description: Detects DNS queries to the malicious claude-pro.com domain associated with Beagle backdoor distribution.
status: experimental
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/05/09
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/9876543210fedcba
tags:
    - attack.initial_access
    - attack.t1566.002
logsource:
    category: dns
detection:
    selection:
        query|contains:
            - claude-pro.com
            - license.claude-pro.com
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate access to Anthropic (unlikely given TLD)
level: critical
---
title: Malicious File Hash Detection - Remus & Aerospace Campaigns
id: 4e3f5a6b-7d8e-9f0a-1b2c-3d4e5f6a7b8c
description: Detects the presence of specific file hashes identified in OTX pulses for Remus infostealer and Aerospace extortion campaigns.
status: experimental
author: Security Arsenal
date: 2026/05/09
references:
    - https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/1122334455667788
tags:
    - attack.impact
    - attack.t1566.001
logsource:
    category: file_event
detection:
    selection:
        hash|contains:
            - b037fa1dd769891b538d9ca26131890c93e3458eec96c5354bdebe50d04a5b3d
            - 7ea5afbc166c4e23498aa9747be81ceaf8dad90b8daa07a6e4644dc7c2277b82
            - 180e93a091f8ab584a827da92c560c78f468c45f2539f73ab2deb308fb837b38
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - None
level: critical


kql
// KQL Hunt for Remus and Beagle IOCs
let RemusDomains = dynamic(["forestoaker.com", "krondez.com", "baxe.pics", "vinte.online", "coox.live", "remnane.biz", "parky.pics"]);
let BeagleDomains = dynamic(["claude-pro.com", "license.claude-pro.com"]);
let MaliciousHashes = dynamic(["b037fa1dd769891b538d9ca26131890c93e3458eec96c5354bdebe50d04a5b3d", "7ea5afbc166c4e23498aa9747be81ceaf8dad90b8daa07a6e4644dc7c2277b82", "180e93a091f8ab584a827da92c560c78f468c45f2539f73ab2deb308fb837b38"]);
// Network Connections to C2
DeviceNetworkEvents
| where RemoteUrl in (RemusDomains) or RemoteUrl in (BeagleDomains)
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, InitiatingProcessAccountName, RemoteUrl, RemoteIP
| union (
    DeviceFileEvents
    | where SHA256 in MaliciousHashes
    | project Timestamp, DeviceName, SHA256, FileName, FolderPath
)


powershell
# PowerShell Hunt Script for Remus & Aerospace Malware Hashes
$maliciousHashes = @(
    "b037fa1dd769891b538d9ca26131890c93e3458eec96c5354bdebe50d04a5b3d",
    "7ea5afbc166c4e23498aa9747be81ceaf8dad90b8daa07a6e4644dc7c2277b82",
    "180e93a091f8ab584a827da92c560c78f468c45f2539f73ab2deb308fb837b38"
)

Write-Host "[+] Scanning for specific IOCs..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

# Scan C: drive for file hashes
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Include *.exe, *.dll, *.zip | 
    ForEach-Object {
        $hash = Get-FileHash -Path $_.FullName -Algorithm SHA256 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        if ($maliciousHashes -contains $hash.Hash) {
            Write-Host "[!] MALICIOUS FILE FOUND: $($_.FullName)" -ForegroundColor Red
            Write-Host "    SHA256: $($hash.Hash)" -ForegroundColor DarkRed
        }
    }

# Check DNS Cache for Malicious Domains
$domains = @("forestoaker.com", "claude-pro.com", "krondez.com")
$dnsCache = Get-DnsClientCache -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($dnsCache) {
    foreach ($domain in $domains) {
        $matches = $dnsCache | Where-Object { $_.Entry -like "*$domain*" }
        if ($matches) {
            Write-Host "[!] SUSPICIOUS DNS CACHE ENTRY FOUND for $domain" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        }
    }
}


# Response Priorities

*   **Immediate (0-4h)**:
    *   Block all listed domains (`forestoaker.com`, `claude-pro.com`, etc.) at firewalls, proxies, and DNS resolvers.
    *   Isolate any endpoints with hits on the provided file hashes.
    *   Hunt for the G DATA updater process spawning suspicious child processes (Beagle indicator).

*   **24 Hours**:
    *   Conduct credential audits for identities accessing aerospace/supply chain systems (due to infostealer risk).
    *   Review logs for interactions with "Claude-Pro Relay" or similar AI-themed file downloads.

*   **1 Week**:
    *   Harden supply chain access controls and review third-party dependencies for the aviation sector.
    *   Update application allowlisting policies to prevent execution of unsigned binaries masquerading as AI tools.

Related Resources

Security Arsenal Incident Response Managed SOC & MDR Services AlertMonitor Threat Detection From The Dark Side Intel Hub

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