Returning FIN8 Backdooring with New Sardonic Malware

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A recent research whitepaper published by BitDefender's security researchers outlines the evolving capabilities of FIN8 and differences between multiple BADHATCH versions in response to detecting a new malware being dubbed Sardonic.


FIN8 has been active since the beginning of 2016 and is best known for attacking industries like retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, and entertainment with the goal of harvesting payment card information from point-of-sale (POS) systems. Their arsenal includes tools like BADHATCH, PoSlurp, PowerSniff and multiple Windows zero-day exploits with tactics like spear-phishing. Over the years, FIN8 has orchestrated multiple large-scale campaigns that have impacting hundreds of companies.


The Sardonic malware is a new C++-based backdoor being developed and deployed by FIN8 on targets via spear-phishing and social engineering campaigns. Functionalities of the new malware include the following:

  • system information harvesting
  • command execution on compromised devices
  • plugin system designed to load and execute further malware payloads delivered as DLLs

During their most recent attack on a US bank, Sardonic was deployed and executed on the victim systems as part of a three stage attack leveraging a PowerShell script, a .NET loader, and a downloader shellcode.

The PowerShell script is manually copied over to the compromised systems, while the loaders are a brought over through an automated process. FIN8 attempted multiple times to install Sardonic on Windows domain controllers to allow for privilege escalation and pivot through the bank's network.


BitDefender is recommending that companies at risk of being targeted by FIN8 be on alert and continued checking their networks for known FIN8 IOCs. They're described as highly skilled and leverage refined tools and tactics to avoid detection before their able to strike. See the BitDefender whitepaper below for additional IOCs.


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