A new tool, IAmAntimalware, has emerged as a sophisticated threat to cybersecurity, designed to infiltrate antivirus software processes by injecting malicious code. Released on October 11, 2025, by the developer known as Two Seven One Three on GitHub, this tool exploits vulnerabilities in Windows service cloning and digital signature manipulation, allowing it to bypass the self-protection mechanisms of antivirus programs.
The implications of IAmAntimalware’s capabilities are significant, raising concerns within the cybersecurity community. Its potential to create hidden backdoors could facilitate stealthy persistence on compromised systems, whether during penetration testing or malicious campaigns.
IAmAntimalware operates by cloning legitimate antivirus services, such as those provided by Bitdefender or Avast. This cloning process generates identical processes that inherit elevated privileges without triggering any alarms, effectively turning protective defenses into tools for attackers.
IAmAntimalware Tool
The tool modifies the Windows Cryptography API registry located at HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftCryptographyDefaultsProvider. This modification hijacks the cryptographic provider, allowing a user-controlled DLL to be loaded in place of trusted modules.
Users can specify parameters such as the original service name, the new cloned name, the certificate path for signature cloning, and the absolute DLL path. An optional “P” flag can be used to enable Protected Process Light (PPL) support, enhancing evasion capabilities.
For scenarios where cryptographic hijacking is not feasible, IAmAntimalware also supports COM object CLSID manipulation, which requires TrustedInstaller privileges to spoof component loading. The signature cloning process relies on a companion tool named CertClone, which duplicates valid Windows certificates, such as those from Sysmon, ensuring that the injected DLL appears legitimate during integrity checks.
This multi-layered approach effectively circumvents common antivirus safeguards, including process introspection, elevated privilege monitoring, and code signing verification. As a result, the injected code can write files or execute commands in protected directories, a feat typically restricted to standard user processes.
Demonstrations conducted by the creator of IAmAntimalware showcased its ability to inject a sample DLL into Bitdefender’s BDProtSrv process, allowing the creation of unauthorized files within the antivirus installation folder. Similar tests on Trend Micro and Avast confirmed the tool’s effectiveness, although Avast required targeting a GUI process for stability.
The injected code, such as a simple backdoor that writes a marker file, manages to evade detection by operating within whitelisted, unkillable processes. Antivirus developers are often reluctant to terminate these processes to avoid causing system instability.
While early reports indicate that widespread exploitation of IAmAntimalware has not yet occurred, its open-source nature and straightforward design—entirely written in C++—could accelerate its adoption among red team exercises or by malicious actors.
Security analysts have rated the technique as medium severity, primarily due to its reliance on system access and the absence of zero-day exploits. However, it underscores significant vulnerabilities in the trust models of antivirus software.
This situation highlights a critical irony: antivirus processes, which are granted SYSTEM-level privileges for effective threat hunting, become prime targets for subversion. By injecting code into these exceptions to standard security protocols, attackers can disable alerts, exfiltrate data, or maintain persistence without detection, complicating incident response efforts.
To mitigate these risks, experts recommend monitoring unusual module loads within antivirus processes, enforcing strict certificate trust policies, and utilizing PPL more rigorously to isolate critical services. Organizations are urged to regularly validate the integrity of their antivirus solutions and consider implementing endpoint detection tools that employ behavioral analytics, moving beyond traditional signature-based checks.
As discussions about IAmAntimalware gain traction on platforms like Reddit and YouTube, vendors, including Microsoft and antivirus providers, are under increasing pressure to address the vulnerabilities associated with service cloning. While initially intended for ethical penetration testing, IAmAntimalware serves as a stark reminder of how defensive tools can be weaponized, highlighting the need for continuous vigilance and updates in an ever-evolving threat landscape.
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