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Chinese Hacktool Set - file X-way.exe

yara LOW Yara-Rules
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This rule was pulled from an open-source repository and enriched with AI. Validate in a test environment before deploying to production.
View original rule at Yara-Rules →
Retrieved: 2026-07-16T23:00:00Z · Confidence: medium

Hunt Hypothesis

This detection identifies the execution of X-way.exe, a known Chinese hacktool that adversaries often deploy to establish persistence or conduct reconnaissance within Windows environments. Proactively hunting for this artifact in Azure Sentinel is critical because its low severity rating may cause it to be overlooked by automated alerts, yet its presence could indicate early-stage lateral movement or data exfiltration activities typical of advanced persistent threats.

YARA Rule

rule x_way2_5_X_way {
	meta:
		description = "Chinese Hacktool Set - file X-way.exe"
		author = "Florian Roth"
		reference = "http://tools.zjqhr.com/"
		date = "2015-06-13"
		hash = "8ba8530fbda3e8342e8d4feabbf98c66a322dac6"
	strings:
		$s0 = "TTFTPSERVERFRM" fullword wide
		$s1 = "TPORTSCANSETFRM" fullword wide
		$s2 = "TIISSHELLFRM" fullword wide
		$s3 = "TADVSCANSETFRM" fullword wide
		$s4 = "ntwdblib.dll" fullword ascii
		$s5 = "TSNIFFERFRM" fullword wide
		$s6 = "TCRACKSETFRM" fullword wide
		$s7 = "TCRACKFRM" fullword wide
		$s8 = "dbnextrow" fullword ascii
	condition:
		uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and filesize < 1000KB and 5 of them
}

Deployment Notes

This YARA rule can be deployed in the following contexts:

This rule contains 9 string patterns in its detection logic.

References

False Positive Guidance

Here are 5 specific false positive scenarios for the Chinese Hacktool Set - file X-way.exe detection rule, including targeted filters and exclusions:

Original source: https://github.com/Yara-Rules/rules/blob/main/malware/TOOLKIT_Chinese_Hacktools.yar