Adversaries may constrain execution or actions based on the presence of a mutex associated with malware. A mutex is a locking mechanism used to synchronize access to a resource. Only one thread or process can acquire a mutex at a given time.[1]
While local mutexes only exist within a given process, allowing multiple threads to synchronize access to a resource, system mutexes can be used to synchronize the activities of multiple processes.[1] By creating a unique system mutex associated with a particular malware, adversaries can verify whether or not a system has already been compromised.[2]
In Linux environments, malware may instead attempt to acquire a lock on a mutex file. If the malware is able to acquire the lock, it continues to execute; if it fails, it exits to avoid creating a second instance of itself.[3],[4]
Mutex names may be hard-coded or dynamically generated using a predictable algorithm.[5]
References
- Microsoft. (2022, March 11). Mutexes. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- Lenny Zeltser. (2012, July 24). Looking at Mutex Objects for Malware Discovery & Indicators of Compromise. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- Joakim Kennedy and Avigayil Mechtinger. (2021, March 10). New Linux Backdoor RedXOR Likely Operated by Chinese Nation-State Actor. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- Shaul Vilkomir-Preisman and Eliran Nissan. (2023, May 10). BPFDoor Malware Evolves – Stealthy Sniffing Backdoor Ups Its Game. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- Lenny Zeltser. (2015, March 9). How Malware Generates Mutex Names to Evade Detection. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
Linkede sager
| Linktype | Sag |
|---|---|
| is related to | Techniques |
| is blocked by | Do Not Mitigate |
| is blocked by | Detection of Mutex-Based Execution Guardrails Across Platforms |
- MITREATTACK -
© 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. https://attack.mitre.org/
Terms of Use
LICENSE
The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use ATT&CK® for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
"© 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation."
DISCLAIMERS
MITRE does not claim ATT&CK enumerates all possibilities for the types of actions and behaviors documented as part of its adversary model and framework of techniques. Using the information contained within ATT&CK to address or cover full categories of techniques will not guarantee full defensive coverage as there may be undisclosed techniques or variations on existing techniques not documented by ATT&CK.
ALL DOCUMENTS AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE MITRE CORPORATION, ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, AGENTS, AND EMPLOYEES, DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION THEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
See our FAQ for more information on how to use and represent the ATT&CK name.