Malicious DcRAT Payload Masquerading as Mixed Reality.exe via process_creation

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1036Masquerading
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects execution of a binary named Mixed Reality.exe from the Windows Media Player directory, a masquerading trick used by Operation DragonReturn to stage its multi-stage DcRAT loader. The China-nexus actor placed the payload under a trusted vendor folder to blend with legitimate software while conducting espionage against Indian tax infrastructure, so early detection exposes the loader before injection and C2.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious DcRAT Payload Masquerading as Mixed Reality.exe via process_creation

Pivot detection · T1036 · 9 related

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