Checking Mouse Activity

Created the Monday 11 March 2019. Updated 4 months, 2 weeks ago.

Some Sandbox doesn't have the mouse moving or a fun wallpaper, malware can detect if there is any activities into the sandbox.

Technique Identifiers

U1317 B0007.003

Featured Windows API's

Below, you will find a list of the most commonly used Windows API's that are currently utilized by malware authors for current evasion technique. This list is meant to provide an overview of the API's that are commonly used for this purpose. If there are any API's that you feel should be included on this list, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to update the list and provide any additional information or documentation that may be helpful.

Code Snippets

program ADetectMouseMove;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

{$R *.res}

uses
  WinApi.Windows,
  WinApi.ShellAPI,
  System.Classes,
  System.SysUtils;

var APoint     : TPoint;
    AOldPoint  : TPoint;
    AMoveCount : Cardinal;

// Update bellow constant to require more mouse move check before continue code execution
const AMaxMove = 5;

begin
  try
    GetCursorPos(AOldPoint);
    ///

    AMoveCount := 0;
    while True do begin
      GetCursorPos(APoint);

      if not PointsEqual(APoint, AOldPoint) then begin
        AOldPoint := APoint;

        Inc(AMoveCount);
      end;

      if AMoveCount >= AMaxMove then
        break;

      Sleep(1000);
    end;

    ///

    WriteLn('Mouse has moved, continue execution...');

    ShellExecuteW(0, 'open', 'calc.exe', nil, nil, SW_SHOW);
  except
    on E: Exception do
      Writeln(E.ClassName, ': ', E.Message);
  end;
end.

Detection Rules

                                    rule:
  meta:
    name: check for unmoving mouse cursor
    namespace: anti-analysis/anti-vm/vm-detection
    author: BitsOfBinary
    scope: function
    att&ck:
      - Defense Evasion::Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion::User Activity Based Checks [T1497.002]
    mbc:
      - Anti-Behavioral Analysis::Virtual Machine Detection::Human User Check [B0009.012]
    references:
      - https://www.joesecurity.org/blog/5852460122427342172
    examples:
      - 7E17F0F35D50F49407841372F24FBD38:0x4010f6
  features:
    - and:
      - count(api(user32.GetCursorPos)): 2 or more

Additional Resources

External Links

The resources provided below are associated links that will give you even more detailed information and research on current evasion technique. It is important to note that, while these resources may be helpful, it is important to exercise caution when following external links. As always, be careful when clicking on links from unknown sources, as they may lead to malicious content.

Highly Evasive Code Injection Awaits User Interaction Before Delivering Malware | Forcepoint