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AresLoader is a Windows malware downloader sold as a private subscription-based service. It was advertised in December 2022 on the Russian-language cybercrime forum XSS by a seller using the alias DarkBLUP, with access offered for $300 per month. Its primary function is to retrieve and execute additional malicious payloads while disguising its activity as legitimate software execution.
On an infected system, AresLoader collects the device’s public IP address and time zone, generates a unique identifier, and registers with centrally managed command-and-control infrastructure. Registration transmits victim metadata and customer-specific campaign identifiers. The malware then downloads and launches a legitimate decoy file before retrieving, saving, and executing malicious payloads. It establishes persistence through a Windows Registry AutoRun entry. Its seller-operated management panel supports customer accounts and associates individual builds with their respective customers.
AresLoader has been observed using crypters linked to the former ITG23 criminal ecosystem. In a March 2023 campaign attributed to TA579, it delivered the Lucky Volunteer information stealer. Its role is payload delivery; information-stealing capabilities of subsequently deployed malware are distinct from AresLoader’s own functionality.
Mallory pivots from this family to the IOCs, detections, and named campaigns that touch your stack, and pages you when something new lands.
3 distinct threat actors attributed by public researchers. Open in Mallory to see the full evidence chain and overlapping campaigns.
In December 2022, a private loader named “AresLoader” was advertised for sale on the top-tier Russian-language hacking forum XSS by a threat actor going by the name “DarkBLUP”.
Lucky Volunteer is a rarely observed information stealing payload previously identified in a March 2023 TA579 campaign in which AresLoader dropped Lucky Volunteer.
...new malware strains such as Aresloader, Canyon, CargoBay, DICELOADER, Lumma C2, Matanbuchus, Minodo (formerly Domino), Pikabot, SVCReady, and Vidar.
9 distinct techniques documented for this family, organized by ATT&CK tactic.
AresLoader can ask the user admin rights (until he allows it) on behalf of cmd.exe and afterwards transfer the rights from cmd.exe to the payload.
crypters, which are also referred to as loaders or packers, are applications designed to encrypt and obfuscate malware to evade detection by antivirus (AV) scanners and hinder analysis.
The way AresLoader works is that it presents itself as legitimate software (not a required feature) and then downloads the payload and puts it on the disk wherever you want.
8 indicators attributed across vendor reports, sandbox runs, and researcher write-ups. Full values are available in Mallory.
IPs, domains, and DNS infrastructure linked to this family.
File hashes (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) from samples and reports.
Other indicator types observed in public reporting.
9 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Named in the discussion of loader development surrounding Royal's competition. The article provides no technical capabilities or confirmed deployment details.
A named loader/dropper listed in the RAMP malware marketplace.
Listed as a malware/tool name in a collection of SHA-256 hashes intended to help identify C2 infrastructure, open directories, and phishing assets.
Loader previously observed dropping Lucky Volunteer in a March 2023 TA579 campaign.
Match every observed IP, domain, and hash against your live telemetry.
Named campaigns wielding this family, with evidence pinned to each claim.
CVEs this family uses for access and lateral movement.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.
Reddit, Mastodon, and CTI community discussion around this family.