What is an Infostealer?
Infostealers have become one of the most prevalent and damaging malware categories, with variants like RedLine, Raccoon, Vidar, and Lumma dominating underground markets. Upon infection, infostealers systematically extract stored credentials from browsers, email clients, FTP applications, VPN clients, and cryptocurrency wallets. They capture browser cookies and session tokens enabling attackers to bypass authentication entirely. Stolen data is bundled into “logs” and sold on dark web marketplaces or Telegram channels, where buyers search for credentials to specific services. A single infostealer infection can yield credentials to dozens of accounts across banking, corporate systems, social media, and e-commerce. Distribution occurs through malicious downloads, cracked software, phishing attachments, and malvertising campaigns.
Business Impact
IBM X-Force found over 300,000 ChatGPT credentials listed for sale on the dark web from infostealer logs, demonstrating the scale of credential theft. Organizations face account takeover across corporate and customer accounts when credentials are stolen and sold. The session token capture capability means even accounts protected by MFA can be compromised. Infostealers targeting corporate devices enable data breaches, ransomware deployment, and business email compromise. The commoditization of stolen credentials through dark web marketplaces creates an efficient supply chain connecting initial infection to downstream fraud, with different criminal groups specializing in each stage.
Allure Security's Approach
Detecting credentials exposed by infostealers requires monitoring dark web marketplaces and forums where stolen logs are traded. Allure Security’s dark web monitoring identifies when customer or employee credentials appear in infostealer dumps, enabling proactive password resets and account protection before attackers can leverage stolen access. Understanding infostealer distribution patterns also informs detection of phishing and malware campaigns targeting your brand.