Connected Printer

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

Another technique for detecting if a program is running in a sandbox is to look for potential connected printers or identify the default Windows printers, Adobe, or OneNote. This is because sandboxes typically do not have access to printers, and detecting the absence of printers can help identify whether the program is being run in a sandbox environment.

Technique Identifiers

U1309 B0009.017

Technique Tags

sandbox program printers connected default Windows Adobe OneNote access environment detection

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.

EnumPrinters

Code Snippets

Description

This code uses the Windows API function EnumPrinters to enumerate the local printers installed on the system. If EnumPrinters is successful, the code prints the number of printers found and their names.

#include <windows.h>
#include <winspool.h>

int main() {
    DWORD numPrinters;
    PRINTER_INFO_2* printerInfo;
    if (EnumPrinters(PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL, NULL, 2, NULL, 0, &numPrinters, NULL)) {
        printerInfo = (PRINTER_INFO_2*) malloc(numPrinters * sizeof(PRINTER_INFO_2));
        if (EnumPrinters(PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL, NULL, 2, (LPBYTE) printerInfo, numPrinters * sizeof(PRINTER_INFO_2), &numPrinters, NULL)) {
            printf("Number of printers found: %d\n", numPrinters);
            // Print the names of the printers
            for (DWORD i = 0; i < numPrinters; i++) {
                printf("%s\n", printerInfo[i].pPrinterName);
            }
        }
        free(printerInfo);
    }
    return 0;
}

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"golang.org/x/sys/windows/registry"
)

var (
	registryKey = `SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers`
)

func getPrintersName() {
	newKey, err := registry.OpenKey(registry.LOCAL_MACHINE, registryKey, registry.ENUMERATE_SUB_KEYS)
	if err != nil {
		fmt.Println("Error: ", err)
		panic(err)
	}

	subKeyNames, err := newKey.ReadSubKeyNames(-1)
	if err != nil {
		fmt.Println("Error: ", err)
		panic(err)
	}

	for i, subKeyName := range subKeyNames {
		fmt.Printf("[%d] %s \n", i, subKeyName)
	}
}

func getPrinterCount() {
	key, err := registry.OpenKey(registry.LOCAL_MACHINE, registryKey, registry.QUERY_VALUE)
	if err != nil {
		fmt.Println("Error = ", err)
		key.Close()
		panic(err)
	}
	defer key.Close()

	keyStat, err := key.Stat()
	if err != nil {
		fmt.Println("Error = ", err)
		panic(err)
	}
	fmt.Println("Subkey count = ", keyStat.SubKeyCount)
}

func main() {
	getPrinterCount()
	getPrintersName()
}

Contributors

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.

Sandbox detection: leak, abuse, test - Hacktivity 2015