CyberBrief Project

Hack the Sandbox: APT10 Turns Safety into Stealth

Meni Tasa Season 1 Episode 5

"Send me a quick text"

Summary:In this episode, we explore how the APT10 subgroup “MirrorFace” abused the Windows Sandbox feature to establish stealthy persistence. By enabling and configuring the sandbox remotely, they launched malware designed to run only inside that isolated environment, avoiding detection entirely.

Defensive Recommendations:

  • Disable Windows Sandbox if not in use organization-wide
  • Monitor for sudden sandbox activation or system reboots with feature changes
  • Watch for background execution of wsb.exe or sandbox-related memory activity
  • Use memory forensics to inspect vmmemWindowsSandbox or vmmem processes
  • Apply AppLocker or similar policies to prevent unauthorized sandbox usage
  • Detect Tor-based outbound connections from host IPs

Artifacts and Tools to Watch:

  • Windows Sandbox configuration changes or sudden feature activations
  • Usage of wsb.exe from unknown users or automation scripts
  • Scripts unpacking archives or scheduling hidden tasks within the sandbox
  • Shared folder usage between host and sandbox environments
  • Sandbox memory processes exposing RAT or C2 tool signatures

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