Windigo

Overview

The Windigo group has been operating since at least 2011, compromising thousands of Linux and Unix servers using the Ebury SSH backdoor to create a spam botnet. Despite law enforcement intervention against the creators, Windigo operators continued updating Ebury through 2019.

Naming & attribution

It uses 7 documented ATT&CK techniques — more than 20% of the 174 groups tracked here. Activity attributed since at least 2011.

Closest groups by technique overlap

Computed from shared ATT&CK techniques. Overlap is not attribution — distinct actors converge on the same tradecraft — but a high share is a useful pivot.

• Dark Caracal — 3 shared techniques (19% overlap)
• Inception Russia — 4 shared techniques (16% overlap)
• Stealth Falcon — 3 shared techniques (15% overlap)
• APT37 North Korea — 4 shared techniques (13% overlap)
• Winter Vivern Russia — 4 shared techniques (13% overlap)
• CURIUM Iran — 3 shared techniques (13% overlap)

TTPs — 7 techniques across 5 tactics

Tools & malware (1)

Ebury

Reporting (2)

• 2019/06/04 Advisory: Windigo attacks — CERN
• Operation Windigo – the vivisection of a large Linux server‑side credential‑stealing malware campaign — Bilodeau, O., Bureau, M., Calvet, J., Dorais-Joncas, A., Léveillé, M., Vanheuverzwijn, B