S1152: IMAPLoader
IMAPLoader is a .NET-based loader malware exclusively associated with CURIUM operations since at least 2022. IMAPLoader leverages email protocols for command and control and payload delivery.[1]
Security context for executives and security teams
S1152: IMAPLoader describes [IMAPLoader](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1152) is a .NET-based loader malware exclusively associated with [CURIUM](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1012) operations since at least 2022. [IMAPLoader](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1152) leverages email protocols for command and control and payload delivery.(Citation: PWC Yellow Liderc 2023)
Executive priority
S1152: IMAPLoader is an official MITRE ATT&CK software. Glexia treats it as defensive behavior context for prioritizing monitoring, control validation, and response planning without using the object by itself as an attribution claim.
Technical view
Security teams should validate S1152: IMAPLoader by reviewing the official ATT&CK relationships, mapped tactics (the mapped ATT&CK tactic context), supported platforms (Windows), and available local telemetry before making detection or mitigation decisions.
Likely telemetry
- Official ATT&CK relationships and object metadata
- Network, endpoint, and security-tool telemetry
Detection direction
- Validate whether S1152: IMAPLoader appears in your detection coverage and tabletop scenarios.
- Use the object to align executive risk language with SOC, incident response, and detection engineering work.
- Do not treat ATT&CK relationship context as attribution without corroborating evidence.
Mitigation priorities
- Map the object to existing controls and identify missing telemetry or response ownership.
- Prioritize mitigations that reduce exposure on the listed platforms and tactics.
- Review adjacent ATT&CK relationships before changing policy, detections, or reporting language.
Additional notes and limits
Baseline Glexia take generated from the official MITRE ATT&CK STIX object, source hash, tactics, platforms, and detection fields. It is safe to replace with a richer model-generated take for the same source hash later.
This baseline take is source-grounded and schema-validated, but it does not include environment-specific telemetry, incident evidence, or threat-intelligence corroboration.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
IMAPLoader
IMAPLoader is a .NET-based loader malware exclusively associated with CURIUM operations since at least 2022. IMAPLoader leverages email protocols for command and control and payload delivery.[1]
How security teams should use this page
Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.
Techniques used
This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.
| Domain | ID | Name | Relationship / procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | T1543 | Create or Modify System Process | IMAPLoader modifies Windows tasks on the victim machine to reference a retrieved PE file through a path modification.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1106 | Native API | IMAPLoader imports native Windows APIs such as `GetConsoleWindow` and `ShowWindow`.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1047 | Windows Management Instrumentation | IMAPLoader uses WMI queries to query system information on victim hosts.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1082 | System Information Discovery | IMAPLoader uses WMI queries to gather information about the victim machine.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1564.003 | Hidden WindowSub-technique | IMAPLoader hides the Windows Console window created by its execution by directly importing the `kernel32.dll` and `user32.dll` libraries `GetConsoleWindow` and `ShowWindow` APIs.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1574.014 | AppDomainManagerSub-technique | IMAPLoader is executed via the AppDomainManager injection technique.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1071.003 | Mail ProtocolsSub-technique | IMAPLoader uses the IMAP email protocol for command and control purposes.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1105 | Ingress Tool Transfer | IMAPLoader is a loader used to retrieve follow-on payload encoded in email messages for execution on victim systems.[1] |
| Enterprise | T1053.005 | Scheduled TaskSub-technique | IMAPLoader creates scheduled tasks for persistence based on the operating system version of the victim machine.[1] |
Groups, software, and campaigns
G1012: CURIUM
CURIUM is an Iranian threat group, first reported in September 2019 and active since at least July 2018, targeting IT service providers in the Middle East.[1] CURIUM has since invested in building relationships with potential targets via social media over a period of months to establish trust and confidence before sending malware. Security researchers note CURIUM has demonstrated great patience and persistence by chatting with potential targets daily and sending benign files to help lower their security consciousness.[2]
All related ATT&CK context
Object version and sync metadata
The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates.
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases(2)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.2 | 1.0 | Current bundle | 865080aaba94… | ||
| 19.1 | 1.0 | Older bundle | 865080aaba94… |
Mirrored ATT&CK source object
The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.
External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
- [1]PWC Yellow Liderc 2023
PwC Threat Intelligence. (2023, October 25). Yellow Liderc ships its scripts and delivers IMAPLoader malware. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
Open source URL - [2]mitre-attackS1152Open source URL
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